Laurel · George MacDonald · A Microcosm in Terza Rima, and Other Poems

The Foolish Harebell

George MacDonald (1824–1905) · 1893

iambic tetrameter · octosyllabic couplets · 38 lines · from A Microcosm in Terza Rima, and Other Poems

A harebell hung her wilful head:"I am tired, so tired! I wish I was dead."

She hung her head in the mossy dell:"If all were over, then all were well!"

The Wind he heard, and was pitiful,And waved her about to make her cool.

"Wind, you are rough!" said the dainty Bell;"Leave me alone--I am not well."

The Wind, at the word of the drooping dame,Sighed to himself and ceased in shame.

"I am hot, so hot!" she moaned and said;"I am withering up; I wish I was dead!"

Then the Sun he pitied her woeful case,And drew a thick veil over his face.

"Cloud go away, and don't be rude,"She said; "I do not see why you should!"

The Cloud withdrew. Then the Harebell cried,"I am faint, so faint!--and no water beside!"

The Dew came down its millionfold path:She murmured, "I did not want a bath!"

The Dew went up; the Wind softly crept;The Night came down, and the Harebell slept.

A boy ran past in the morning gray,Plucked the Harebell, and threw her away.

The Harebell shivered, and sighed, "Oh! oh!I am faint indeed! Come, dear Wind, blow."

The Wind blew gently, and did not speak.She thanked him kindly, but grew more weak.

"Sun, dear Sun, I am cold!" she said.He shone; but lower she drooped her head.

"O Rain, I am withering! all the blueIs fading out of me!--come, please do!"

The Rain came down as fast as he could,But for all his good will he could do her no good.

She shuddered and shrivelled, and moaning said,"Thank you all kindly!" and then she was dead.

Let us hope, let us hope when she comes next yearShe'll be simple and sweet! But I fear, I fear!

Words in this poem

harebell n.: A small, slender, branching plant (Campanula rotundifolia), having blue bell-shaped flowers; also, Scilla nutans, which has similar flowers; -- called also bluebell.
dell n.: A small, retired valley; a ravine. [AS. del, akin to E. dale; cf. D. delle, del, low ground. See Dale.]
dainty n.: Value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything. [OE. deinie, dainte, deintie, deyntee, OF. deintié delicacy, orig., dignity, honor, fr. L. dignitas, fr. dignus worthy. See Deign, and cf. Dignity.]
dame n.: A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
withering a.: Tending to wither; causing to shrink or fade.
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
fading n.: An Irish dance; also, the burden of a song.
thank n.: A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

The Foolish Harebell 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, The Foolish Harebell, in A Microcosm in Terza Rima, and Other Poems (1893), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9984, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/macdonald-poems/the-foolish-harebell.html, id L22519.

Form and metre

The Foolish Harebell is 38 lines in 19 stanzas of 2 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 95% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 78%).

See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.

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 AA head^A · dead^A
2 AA dell^A · well^A
3 AA pitiful^A · cool^A
4 AA bell^A · well^A
5 AA dame^A · shame^A
6 AA said^A · dead^A
7 AA case^A · face^A
9 AA cried^A · beside^A
10 AA path^A · bath^A
11 AA crept^A · slept^A
12 AA gray^A · away^A
13 AA oh^A · blow^A
14 AA speak^A · weak^A
15 AA said^A · head^A
16 AA blue^A · do^A
17 AA could^A · good^A
18 AA said^A · dead^A
19 AA year^A · fear^A

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 tetrameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
A harebell hung her wilful head:	8	·/˘·····
"I am tired, so tired! I wish I was dead."	10	··/·/·····
She hung her head in the mossy dell:	9	······/˘·
"If all were over, then all were well!"	9	·········
The Wind he heard, and was pitiful,	9	······/˘˘
And waved her about to make her cool.	10	··˘·······
"Wind, you are rough!" said the dainty Bell;	9	······/˘·
"Leave me alone--I am not well."	8	··˘/····
The Wind, at the word of the drooping dame,	10	·······/˘·
Sighed to himself and ceased in shame.	10	·˘·˘/··˘··
"I am hot, so hot!" she moaned and said;	10	·······˘··
"I am withering up; I wish I was dead!"	10	··/˘······
Then the Sun he pitied her woeful case,	10	····/··/˘·
And drew a thick veil over his face.	9	·········
"Cloud go away, and don't be rude,"	8	··˘/····
She said; "I do not see why you should!"	9	·········
The Cloud withdrew. Then the Harebell cried,	9	··˘/··/˘·
"I am faint, so faint!--and no water beside!"	11	·······/˘·/
The Dew came down its millionfold path:	9	·········
She murmured, "I did not want a bath!"	10	·/˘˘······
The Dew went up; the Wind softly crept;	9	······/˘·
The Night came down, and the Harebell slept.	9	······/˘·
A boy ran past in the morning gray,	9	······/˘·
Plucked the Harebell, and threw her away.	10	·˘·/˘···˘/
The Harebell shivered, and sighed, "Oh! oh!	10	·/˘/˘˘····
I am faint indeed! Come, dear Wind, blow."	9	···˘/····
The Wind blew gently, and did not speak.	9	···/˘····
She thanked him kindly, but grew more weak.	10	··˘·/˘····
"Sun, dear Sun, I am cold!" she said.	8	········
He shone; but lower she drooped her head.	10	···/˘··˘··
"O Rain, I am withering! all the blue	10	····/˘˘···
Is fading out of me!--come, please do!"	9	·/˘······
The Rain came down as fast as he could,	9	·········
But for all his good will he could do her no good.	12	············
She shuddered and shrivelled, and moaning said,	10	·/˘·/˘·/˘·
"Thank you all kindly!" and then she was dead.	10	···/˘·····
Let us hope, let us hope when she comes next year	11	···········
She'll be simple and sweet! But I fear, I fear!	11	··/˘·······

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.

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