No Sign
O Lord, if on the wind, at cool of day,I heard one whispered word of mighty grace;If through the darkness, as in bed I lay,But once had come a hand upon my face;
If but one sign that might not be mistookHad ever been, since first thy face I sought,I should not now be doubting o'er a book,But serving thee with burning heart and thought.
So dreams that heart. But to my heart I say,Turning my face to front the dark and wind:Such signs had only barred anew his wayInto thee, longing heart, thee, wildered mind.
They asked the very Way, where lies the way?The very Son, where is the Father's face?How he could show himself, if not in clay,Who was the lord of spirit, form, and space!
My being, Lord, will nevermore be wholeUntil thou come behind mine ears and eyes,Enter and fill the temple of my soulWith perfect contact--such a sweet surprise,
Such presence as, before it met the view,The prophet-fancy could not once foresee,Though every corner of the temple knewBy very emptiness its need of thee.
When I keep all thy words, no favoured some,Heedless of worldly winds or judgment's tide,Then, Jesus, thou wilt with thy father come--Oh, ended prayers!--and in my soul abide.
Ah, long delay! ah, cunning, creeping sin!I shall but fail, and cease at length to try:O Jesus, though thou wilt not yet come in,Knock at my window as thou passest by!
Words in this poem
- nevermore adv.
- Never again; at no time hereafter. Testament of Love. Tyndale.
- foresee v. i.
- To have or exercise foresight.
- favoured a.
- Countenanced; aided; regarded with kidness; as, a favored friend.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
No Sign is in the public domain. This text is taken from The poetical works of George MacDonald in two volumes — Volume 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #9984; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: George MacDonald, No Sign, in A Microcosm in Terza Rima, and Other Poems (1893), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9984, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/macdonald-poems/no-sign.html, id L22378.
Form and metre
No Sign is 32 lines in 8 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%).
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 ABAB dayA · graceB · layA · faceB
- 2 ABAB mistookA · soughtB · bookA · thoughtB
- 3 ABAB sayA · windB · wayA · mindB
- 4 ABAB wayA · faceB · clayA · spaceB
- 5 ABAB wholeA · eyesB · soulA · surpriseB
- 6 ABAB viewA · foreseeB · knewA · theeB
- 7 ABAB someA · tideB · comeA · abideB
- 8 ABAB sinA · tryB · inA · 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 iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| O Lord, if on the wind, at cool of day, | 10 | ·········· |
| I heard one whispered word of mighty grace; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| If through the darkness, as in bed I lay, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| But once had come a hand upon my face; | 10 | ·········· |
| If but one sign that might not be mistook | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Had ever been, since first thy face I sought, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I should not now be doubting o'er a book, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| But serving thee with burning heart and thought. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| So dreams that heart. But to my heart I say, | 10 | ·········· |
| Turning my face to front the dark and wind: | 10 | /˘········ |
| Such signs had only barred anew his way | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Into thee, longing heart, thee, wildered mind. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| They asked the very Way, where lies the way? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The very Son, where is the Father's face? | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| How he could show himself, if not in clay, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Who was the lord of spirit, form, and space! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| My being, Lord, will nevermore be whole | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Until thou come behind mine ears and eyes, | 10 | ·········· |
| Enter and fill the temple of my soul | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| With perfect contact--such a sweet surprise, | 10 | ·/·/····˘/ |
| Such presence as, before it met the view, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The prophet-fancy could not once foresee, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Though every corner of the temple knew | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| By very emptiness its need of thee. | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| When I keep all thy words, no favoured some, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Heedless of worldly winds or judgment's tide, | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| Then, Jesus, thou wilt with thy father come-- | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Oh, ended prayers!--and in my soul abide. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Ah, long delay! ah, cunning, creeping sin! | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘· |
| I shall but fail, and cease at length to try: | 10 | ·········· |
| O Jesus, though thou wilt not yet come in, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Knock at my window as thou passest by! | 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.