To Lucasta. Ode Lyrick
Ah LUCASTA, why so bright?Spread with early streaked light!If still vailed from our sight,What is't but eternall night?
Ah LUCASTA, why so chaste?With that vigour, ripenes grac't,Not to be by Man imbrac'tMakes that Royall coyne imbace't,And this golden Orchard waste!
Ah LUCASTA, why so great,That thy crammed coffers sweat?Yet not owner of a seatMay shelter you from Natures heat,And your earthly joyes compleat.
Ah Lucasta, why so good?Blest with an unstained floodFlowing both through soule and blood;If it be not understood,'Tis a Diamond in mud.
LUCASTA! stay! why dost thou flye?Thou art not bright but to the eye,Nor chaste but in the mariage-tye,Nor great but in this treasurie,Nor good but in that sanctitie.
Harder then the Orient stone,Like an apparition,Or as a pale shadow gone,Dumbe and deafe she hence is flowne.
Then receive this equall dombe:Virgins, strow no teare or bloome,No one dig the Parian wombe;Raise her marble heart i'th' roome,And 'tis both her coarse and tombe.
See! what an undisturbed teareShe weepes for her last sleepe;But, viewing her, straight wak'd a Star,She weepes that she did weepe.
Griefe ne're before did tyranizeOn th' honour of that brow,And at the wheeles of her brave eyesWas captive led til now.
Thus, for a saints apostacyThe unimagin'd woesAnd sorrowes of the HierarchyNone but an angel knowes.
Thus, for lost soules recoveryThe clapping of all wingsAnd triumphs of this victoryNone but an angel sings.
So none but she knows to bemoneThis equal virgins fate,None but LUCASTA can her crowneOf glory celebrate.
Then dart on me (CHAST LIGHT) one ray,By which I may discryThy joy cleare through this cloudy dayTo dresse my sorrow by.
Words in this poem
- eternall a.
- Without beginning or end of existence; always existing. [F. éternel, L. aeternalis, fr. aeternus. See Etern.]
- vigour v. t.
- To invigorate. Feltham.
- royall a.
- Kingly; pertaining to the crown or the sovereign; suitable for a king or queen; regal; as, royal power or prerogative; royal domains; the royal family; royal state. [OE. roial, riall, real, OF. roial. reial, F. royal, fr. L. regalis, fr. rex, regis, king. See Rich, and cf. regal, real a coin, Rial.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
To Lucasta. Ode Lyrick is in the public domain. This text is taken from Lucasta, Project Gutenberg ebook #703; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Richard Lovelace, To Lucasta. Ode Lyrick, in Lucasta (1649), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #703, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lovelace-lucasta/to-lucasta-ode-lyrick.html, id L12999.
Form and metre
To Lucasta. Ode Lyrick is 57 lines in 13 stanzas. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.0 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 28% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AAAA brightA · lightA · sightA · nightA
- 2 ABB-A chasteA · grac'tB · imbrac'tB · imbace't · wasteA
- 3 AAAAA greatA · sweatA · seatA · heatA · compleatA
- 4 ABBAB goodA · floodB · bloodB · understoodA · mudB
- 5 AAABB flyeA · eyeA · tyeA · treasurieB · sanctitieB
- 6 AAA- stoneA · apparitionA · goneA · flowne
- 7 ABABA dombeA · bloomeB · wombeA · roomeB · tombeA
- 8 -A-A teare · sleepeA · star · weepeA
- 9 ABAB tyranizeA · browB · eyesA · nowB
- 10 -A-A apostacy · woesA · hierarchy · knowesA
- 11 -A-A recovery · wingsA · victory · singsA
- 12 -A-A bemone · fateA · crowne · celebrateA
- 13 ABAB rayA · discryB · dayA · byB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Ah LUCASTA, why so bright? | 7 | ······· |
| Spread with early streaked light! | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| If still vailed from our sight, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| What is't but eternall night? | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| Ah LUCASTA, why so chaste? | 7 | ······· |
| With that vigour, ripenes grac't, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Not to be by Man imbrac't | 7 | ······· |
| Makes that Royall coyne imbace't, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| And this golden Orchard waste! | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Ah LUCASTA, why so great, | 7 | ······· |
| That thy crammed coffers sweat? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Yet not owner of a seat | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| May shelter you from Natures heat, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And your earthly joyes compleat. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Ah Lucasta, why so good? | 7 | ······· |
| Blest with an unstained flood | 6 | ···˘/· |
| Flowing both through soule and blood; | 7 | /˘····· |
| If it be not understood, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| 'Tis a Diamond in mud. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| LUCASTA! stay! why dost thou flye? | 8 | ········ |
| Thou art not bright but to the eye, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor chaste but in the mariage-tye, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor great but in this treasurie, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor good but in that sanctitie. | 8 | ········ |
| Harder then the Orient stone, | 8 | /˘··/˘·· |
| Like an apparition, | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| Or as a pale shadow gone, | 7 | ····/·· |
| Dumbe and deafe she hence is flowne. | 7 | ······· |
| Then receive this equall dombe: | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| Virgins, strow no teare or bloome, | 7 | /˘····· |
| No one dig the Parian wombe; | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| Raise her marble heart i'th' roome, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| And 'tis both her coarse and tombe. | 7 | ······· |
| See! what an undisturbed teare | 7 | ····˘/· |
| She weepes for her last sleepe; | 6 | ······ |
| But, viewing her, straight wak'd a Star, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| She weepes that she did weepe. | 6 | ······ |
| Griefe ne're before did tyranize | 8 | ········ |
| On th' honour of that brow, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And at the wheeles of her brave eyes | 8 | ········ |
| Was captive led til now. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Thus, for a saints apostacy | 8 | ········ |
| The unimagin'd woes | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| And sorrowes of the Hierarchy | 9 | ·/˘··/˘·˘ |
| None but an angel knowes. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Thus, for lost soules recovery | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| The clapping of all wings | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And triumphs of this victory | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| None but an angel sings. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| So none but she knows to bemone | 8 | ········ |
| This equal virgins fate, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| None but LUCASTA can her crowne | 8 | ········ |
| Of glory celebrate. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Then dart on me (CHAST LIGHT) one ray, | 8 | ········ |
| By which I may discry | 6 | ······ |
| Thy joy cleare through this cloudy day | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To dresse my sorrow by. | 6 | ···/˘· |
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