Words in the Night
I woke at midnight, and my heart,My beating heart, said this to me:Thou seest the moon, how calm and bright!The world is fair by day and night,But what is that to thee?One touch to me, down dips the lightOver the land and sea.All is mine, all is my own!Toss the purple fountain high!The breast of man is a vat of stone;I am alive, I, only I!
One little touch and all is dark--The winter with its sparkling moons,The spring with all her violets,The crimson dawns and rich sunsets,The autumn's yellowing noons!I only toss my purple jets,And thou art one that swoonsUpon a night of gust and roar,Shipwrecked among the waves, and seemsAcross the purple hills to roam:Sweet odours touch him from the foam,And downward sinking still he dreamsHe walks the clover fields at homeAnd hears the rattling teams.All is mine, all is my own!Toss the purple fountain high!The breast of man is a vat of stone;I am alive, I, only I!
Thou hast beheld a throated fountain spoutFull in the air, and in the downward sprayA hovering Iris span the marble tank,Which, as the wind came, ever rose and sank,Violet and red; so my continual playMakes beauty for the Gods with many a prankOf human excellence, while they,Weary of all the noon, in shadows sweet,Supine and heavy-eyed rest in the boundless heat.Let the world's fountain play!Beauty is pleasant in the eyes of Jove;Betwixt the wavering shadows where he liesHe marks the dancing column with his eyesCelestial, and amid his inmost groveUpgathers all his limbs, serenely blest,Lulled by the mellow noise of the great world's unrest.
One heart beats in all nature, differingBut in the work it works; its doubts and clamoursAre but the waste and brunt of instrumentsWherewith a work is done, or as the hammersOn forge Cyclopean plied beneath the rentsOf lowest Etna, conquering into shapeThe hard and scattered ore;Choose thou narcotics, and the dizzy grapeOutworking passion, lest with horrid crashThy life go from thee in a night of pain;So tutoring thy vision, shall the flashOf dove white-breasted be to thee no moreThan a white stone heavy upon the plain.
Hark, the cock crows loud!And without, all ghastly and ill,Like a man uplift in his shroud,The white, white morn is propped on the hill;And adown from the eaves, pointed and chillThe icicles 'gin to glitterAnd the birds with a warble short and shrillPass by the chamber-window still--With a quick, uneasy twitter!Let me pump warm blood, for the cold is bitter;And wearily, wearily, one by one,Men awake with the weary sun!Life is a phantom shut in thee:I am the master and keep the key;So let me toss thee the days of oldCrimson and orange and green and gold;So let me fill thee yet againWith a rush of dreams from my spout amain;For all is mine, all is my own:Toss the purple fountain high!The breast of man is a vat of stone,And I am alive, I only, I!
Words in this poem 22
- yellowing n.
- The act or process of making yellow.
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- supine a.
- Lying on the back, or with the face upward; -- opposed to prone. [L. supinus, akin to sub under, super above. Cf. Sub-, Super-.]
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- betwixt prep.
- In the space which separates; between. [OE. betwix, bitwix, rarely bitwixt, AS. betweox, betweohs, betweoh, betwih; pref. be- by + a form fr. AS. twa two. See Between.]
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- inmost a.
- Deepest within; farthest from the surface or external part; innermost. [OE. innemest, AS. innemest, a double superlative form fr. inne within, fr. in in. The modern form is due to confusion with most. See In, and cf. Aftermost, Fore]
- serenely adv.
- In a serene manner; clearly.
- unrest n.
- Want of rest or repose; unquietness; sleeplessness; uneasiness; disquietude.
- brunt n.
- The heat, or utmost violence, of an onset; the strength or greatest fury of any contention; as, the brunt of a battle. [OE. brunt, bront, fr. Icel. bruna to rush; cf. Icel. brenna to burn. Cf. Burn, v. t.]
- wherewith adv.
- With which; -- used relatively.
- cyclopean a.
- Pertaining to the Cyclops; characteristic of the Cyclops; huge; gigantic; vast and rough; massive; as, Cyclopean labors; Cyclopean architecture. [L. Cyclopeus, Gr. cyclopeen.]
- etna n.
- A kind of small, portable, cooking apparatus for which heat is furnished by a spirit lamp.
- horrid a.
- Rough; rugged; bristling. [L. horridus. See Horror, and cf. Ordure.]
- 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,]
- uplift v. t.
- To lift or raise aloft; to raise; to elevate; as, to uplift the arm; to uplift a rock.
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- adown adv.
- From a higher to a lower situation; downward; down, to or on the ground. [OE. adun, adoun, adune. AS. of dune off the hill. See Down.]
- warble v. t.
- To sing in a trilling, quavering, or vibratory manner; to modulate with turns or variations; to trill; as, certain birds are remarkable for warbling their songs. [OE. werbelen, OF. werbler; of Teutonic origin; cf. G. wirbeln to turn, to warble, D. wervelen, akin to E. whirl. See Whirl.]
- twitter n.
- One who twits, or reproaches; an upbraider. [From Twit.]
- wearily adv.
- In a weary manner.
- amain adv.
- With might; with full force; vigorously; violently; exceedingly. [Pref. a- + main. See 2d Main, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Words in the Night 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, Words in the Night, in A Microcosm in Terza Rima, and Other Poems (1893), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9984, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/macdonald-poems/words-in-the-night.html, id L22426.
Form and metre
Words in the Night is 80 lines in 5 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
See 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 -ABBABACDCD heart · meA · brightB · nightB · theeA · lightB · seaA · ownC · highD · stoneC · iD
- 2 -ABBABA-CDDCDCEFEF dark · moonsA · violetsB · sunsetsB · noonsA · jetsB · swoonsA · roar · seemsC · roamD · foamD · dreamsC · homeD · teamsC · ownE · highF · stoneE · iF
- 3 -ABBABACCADEEDFF spout · sprayA · tankB · sankB · playA · prankB · theyA · sweetC · heatC · playA · joveD · liesE · eyesE · groveD · blestF · unrestF
- 4 -ABABCDCEFEDF differing · clamoursA · instrumentsB · hammersA · rentsB · shapeC · oreD · grapeC · crashE · painF · flashE · moreD · plainF
- 5 ABABBCBB-CDDEEFFGGHIHI loudA · illB · shroudA · hillB · chillB · glitterC · shrillB · stillB · twitter · bitterC · oneD · sunD · theeE · keyE · oldF · goldF · againG · amainG · ownH · highI · stoneH · iI
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I woke at midnight, and my heart, | 8 | ···/···· |
| My beating heart, said this to me: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Thou seest the moon, how calm and bright! | 8 | ········ |
| The world is fair by day and night, | 8 | ········ |
| But what is that to thee? | 6 | ······ |
| One touch to me, down dips the light | 8 | ········ |
| Over the land and sea. | 6 | ······ |
| All is mine, all is my own! | 7 | ······· |
| Toss the purple fountain high! | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| The breast of man is a vat of stone; | 9 | ········· |
| I am alive, I, only I! | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| One little touch and all is dark-- | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The winter with its sparkling moons, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The spring with all her violets, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| The crimson dawns and rich sunsets, | 8 | ·/˘···/· |
| The autumn's yellowing noons! | 7 | ·/˘/˘˘· |
| I only toss my purple jets, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And thou art one that swoons | 6 | ······ |
| Upon a night of gust and roar, | 8 | ········ |
| Shipwrecked among the waves, and seems | 9 | /˘˘······ |
| Across the purple hills to roam: | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Sweet odours touch him from the foam, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And downward sinking still he dreams | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| He walks the clover fields at home | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And hears the rattling teams. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| All is mine, all is my own! | 7 | ······· |
| Toss the purple fountain high! | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| The breast of man is a vat of stone; | 9 | ········· |
| I am alive, I, only I! | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Thou hast beheld a throated fountain spout | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘· |
| Full in the air, and in the downward spray | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A hovering Iris span the marble tank, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Which, as the wind came, ever rose and sank, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Violet and red; so my continual play | 10 | /˘····˘/˘· |
| Makes beauty for the Gods with many a prank | 10 | ·/˘····/·· |
| Of human excellence, while they, | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| Weary of all the noon, in shadows sweet, | 10 | /˘·····/·· |
| Supine and heavy-eyed rest in the boundless heat. | 12 | ˘/·/˘····/˘· |
| Let the world's fountain play! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Beauty is pleasant in the eyes of Jove; | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| Betwixt the wavering shadows where he lies | 10 | ˘/·/˘/···· |
| He marks the dancing column with his eyes | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Celestial, and amid his inmost grove | 10 | ˘/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| Upgathers all his limbs, serenely blest, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Lulled by the mellow noise of the great world's unrest. | 12 | ···/˘·····˘/ |
| One heart beats in all nature, differing | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| But in the work it works; its doubts and clamours | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Are but the waste and brunt of instruments | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Wherewith a work is done, or as the hammers | 11 | ˘/·······/˘ |
| On forge Cyclopean plied beneath the rents | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| Of lowest Etna, conquering into shape | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| The hard and scattered ore; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Choose thou narcotics, and the dizzy grape | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Outworking passion, lest with horrid crash | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Thy life go from thee in a night of pain; | 10 | ·········· |
| So tutoring thy vision, shall the flash | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| Of dove white-breasted be to thee no more | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Than a white stone heavy upon the plain. | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| Hark, the cock crows loud! | 5 | ····· |
| And without, all ghastly and ill, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Like a man uplift in his shroud, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The white, white morn is propped on the hill; | 10 | ······˘··· |
| And adown from the eaves, pointed and chill | 10 | ·˘/···/˘·· |
| The icicles 'gin to glitter | 8 | ·/˘˘··/˘ |
| And the birds with a warble short and shrill | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Pass by the chamber-window still-- | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| With a quick, uneasy twitter! | 8 | ···˘/˘/˘ |
| Let me pump warm blood, for the cold is bitter; | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And wearily, wearily, one by one, | 10 | ·/˘˘/˘˘··· |
| Men awake with the weary sun! | 8 | ·˘/··/˘· |
| Life is a phantom shut in thee: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I am the master and keep the key; | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| So let me toss thee the days of old | 9 | ········· |
| Crimson and orange and green and gold; | 9 | /˘·/˘···· |
| So let me fill thee yet again | 8 | ······˘/ |
| With a rush of dreams from my spout amain; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| For all is mine, all is my own: | 8 | ········ |
| Toss the purple fountain high! | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| The breast of man is a vat of stone, | 9 | ········· |
| And I am alive, I only, I! | 9 | ···˘/·/˘· |
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.