On Reading Wordsworth's Sonnets in Defence of Capital Punishment
As the broad ocean endlessly upheaveth,With the majestic beating of his heart,The mighty tides, whereof its rightful partEach sea-wide bay and little weed receiveth,--So, through his soul who earnestly believeth,Life from the universal Heart doth flow,Whereby some conquest of the eternal Woe,By instinct of God's nature, he achieveth:A fuller pulse of this all-powerful beautyInto the poet's gulf-like heart doth tide,And he more keenly feels the glorious dutyOf serving Truth, despised and crucified,--Happy, unknowing sect or creed, to restAnd feel God flow forever through his breast.
Words in this poem
- endlessly adv.
- In an endless manner.
- whereof adv.
- Of which; of whom; formerly, also, with which; -- used relatively.
- rightful a.
- Righteous; upright; just; good; -- said of persons.
- keenly adv.
- In a keen manner.
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On Reading Wordsworth's Sonnets in Defence of Capital Punishment is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems of James Russell Lowell With biographical sketch by Nathan Haskell Dole, Project Gutenberg ebook #38520; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: James Russell Lowell, On Reading Wordsworth's Sonnets in Defence of Capital Punishment, in Poems (1844–1888), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #38520, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lowell-james-russell-poems/on-reading-wordsworth-s-sonnets-in-defence-of-capital-punish.html, id L13751.
Form and metre
On Reading Wordsworth's Sonnets in Defence of Capital Punishment is 14 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABBAACCADEDEFF. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 90% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.4 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 29% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 ABBAACCADEDEFF upheavethA · heartB · partB · receivethA · believethA · flowC · woeC · achievethA · beautyD · tideE · dutyD · crucifiedE · restF · breastF
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 iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| As the broad ocean endlessly upheaveth, | 10 | ···//˘˘··· |
| With the majestic beating of his heart, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| The mighty tides, whereof its rightful part | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Each sea-wide bay and little weed receiveth,-- | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| So, through his soul who earnestly believeth, | 11 | ·····/˘˘˘/˘ |
| Life from the universal Heart doth flow, | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Whereby some conquest of the eternal Woe, | 11 | ···/˘··˘/˘· |
| By instinct of God's nature, he achieveth: | 11 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/˘ |
| A fuller pulse of this all-powerful beauty | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Into the poet's gulf-like heart doth tide, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And he more keenly feels the glorious duty | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Of serving Truth, despised and crucified,-- | 10 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| Happy, unknowing sect or creed, to rest | 10 | /˘˘/˘····· |
| And feel God flow forever through his breast. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.