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

The Sangreal VI

George MacDonald (1824–1905) · 1893

trochaic trimeter · ABAB · 40 lines · from A Microcosm in Terza Rima, and Other Poems

Horse and crested helmet gone,Greaves and shield and mail,Caroling loud the knight walked on,For he had the Grail;

Caroling loud walked south and north,East and west, for years;Where he went, the smiles came forth,Where he left, the tears.

Glave nor dagger mourned he,Axe nor iron flail:Evil might not brook to seeOnce the Holy Grail.

Wilds he wandered with his staff,Woods no longer sad;Earth and sky and sea did laughRound sir Galahad.

Bitter mere nor trodden poolDid in service fail,Water all grew sweet and coolIn the Holy Grail.

Without where to lay his head,Chanting loud he went;Found each cave a palace-bed,Every rock a tent.

Age that had begun to quailIn the gathering gloom,Counselled he to seek the GrailAnd forget the tomb.

Youth with hope or passion pale,Youth with eager eyes,Taught he that the Holy GrailWas the only prize.

Maiden worn with hidden ail,Restless and unsure,Taught he that the Holy GrailWas the only cure.

Children rosy in the sunRan to hear his taleHow twelve little ones had wonEach of them the Grail.

Words in this poem

greaves n.: The sediment of melted tallow. It is made into cakes for dogs' food. In Scotland it is called cracklings. [Cf. dial. Sw. grevar greaves, LG. greven, G. griebe, also AS. greofa pot. Cf. Gravy.]
caroling n.: A song of joy or devotion; a singing, as of carols. Coleridge.
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.

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

About this text

The Sangreal VI 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 Sangreal VI, in A Microcosm in Terza Rima, and Other Poems (1893), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9984, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/macdonald-poems/the-sangreal-vi.html, id L22272.

Form and metre

The Sangreal VI is 40 lines in 10 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is trochaic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%).

See other poems in trochaic trimeter.

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 gone^A · mail^B · on^A · grail^B
2 ABAB north^A · years^B · forth^A · tears^B
3 ABAB he^A · flail^B · see^A · grail^B
4 ABAB staff^A · sad^B · laugh^A · galahad^B
5 ABAB pool^A · fail^B · cool^A · grail^B
6 ABAB head^A · went^B · bed^A · tent^B
7 ABAB quail^A · gloom^B · grail^A · tomb^B
8 ABAB pale^A · eyes^B · grail^A · prize^B
9 ABAB ail^A · unsure^B · grail^A · cure^B
10 ABAB sun^A · tale^B · won^A · grail^B

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 trochaic trimeter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Horse and crested helmet gone,	7	··/˘/˘·
Greaves and shield and mail,	5	·····
Caroling loud the knight walked on,	8	/˘˘·····
For he had the Grail;	5	·····
Caroling loud walked south and north,	8	/˘˘·····
East and west, for years;	5	·····
Where he went, the smiles came forth,	7	·······
Where he left, the tears.	5	·····
Glave nor dagger mourned he,	6	··/˘··
Axe nor iron flail:	5	··/˘·
Evil might not brook to see	7	/˘·····
Once the Holy Grail.	5	··/˘·
Wilds he wandered with his staff,	7	··/˘···
Woods no longer sad;	5	··/˘·
Earth and sky and sea did laugh	7	·······
Round sir Galahad.	5	··/˘·
Bitter mere nor trodden pool	7	/˘··/˘·
Did in service fail,	5	··/˘·
Water all grew sweet and cool	7	/˘·····
In the Holy Grail.	5	··/˘·
Without where to lay his head,	7	·······
Chanting loud he went;	5	/˘···
Found each cave a palace-bed,	7	····/˘·
Every rock a tent.	6	/˘˘···
Age that had begun to quail	7	···˘/··
In the gathering gloom,	6	··/˘˘·
Counselled he to seek the Grail	7	/˘·····
And forget the tomb.	5	·˘/··
Youth with hope or passion pale,	7	····/˘·
Youth with eager eyes,	5	··/˘·
Taught he that the Holy Grail	7	····/˘·
Was the only prize.	5	··/˘·
Maiden worn with hidden ail,	7	/˘··/˘·
Restless and unsure,	5	/˘·˘/
Taught he that the Holy Grail	7	····/˘·
Was the only cure.	5	··/˘·
Children rosy in the sun	7	/˘/˘···
Ran to hear his tale	5	·····
How twelve little ones had won	7	··/˘···
Each of them the Grail.	5	·····

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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