Lyon. Battle of Springfield, Missouri
Some hearts there are of deeper sort,Prophetic, sad,Which yet for cause are trebly clad;Known death they fly on:This wizard-heart and heart-of-oak had Lyon.
“They are more than twenty thousand strong,We less than five,Too few with such a host to strive”“Such counsel, fie on!’Tis battle, or ’tis shame;” and firm stood Lyon.
“For help at need in van we wait--Retreat or fight:Retreat the foe would take for flight,And each proud scionFeel more elate; the end must come,” said Lyon.
By candlelight he wrote the will,And left his allTo Her for whom ’twas not enough to fall;Loud neighed OrionWithout the tent; drums beat; we marched with Lyon.
The night-tramp done, we spied the ValeWith guard-fires lit;Day broke, but trooping clouds made gloom of it:“A field to die on”Presaged in his unfaltering heart, brave Lyon.
We fought on the grass, we bled in the corn--Fate seemed malign;His horse the Leader led along the line--Star-browed Orion;Bitterly fearless, he rallied us there, brave Lyon.
There came a sound like the slitting of airBy a swift sharp sword--A rush of the sound; and the sleek chest broadOf black OrionHeaved, and was fixed; the dead mane waved toward Lyon.
“General, you’re hurt--this sleet of balls!”He seemed half spent;With moody and bloody brow, he lowly bent:“The field to die on;But not--not yet; the day is long,” breathed Lyon.
For a time becharmed there fell a lullIn the heart of the fight;The tree-tops nod, the slain sleep light;Warm noon-winds sigh on,And thoughts which he never spake had Lyon.
Texans and Indians trim for a charge:“Stand ready, men!Let them come close, right up, and thenAfter the lead, the iron;Fire, and charge back!” So strength returned to Lyon.
The Iowa men who held the van,Half drilled, were newTo battle: “Some one lead us, then we’ll do”Said Corporal Tryon:“Men! I will lead,” and a light glared in Lyon.
On they came: they yelped, and fired;His spirit sped;We leveled right in, and the half-breeds fled,Nor stayed the iron,Nor captured the crimson corse of Lyon.
This seer foresaw his soldier-doom,Yet willed the fight.He never turned; his only flightWas up to Zion,Where prophets now and armies greet brave Lyon.
Words in this poem 15
- trebly adv.
- In a treble manner; with a threefold number or quantity; triply.
- clad v.
- To clothe. Holland.
- elate a.
- Lifted up; raised; elevated. [L. elatus elevated, fig., elated, proud (the figure, perh., being borrowed from a prancing horse); e out + latus (used as p. p. of ferre to bear), for tlatus, a]
- candlelight n.
- The light of a candle.
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
- orion n.
- A large and bright constellation on the equator, between the stars Aldebaran and Sirius. It contains a remarkable nebula visible to the naked eye.
- vale n.
- A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- bitterly adv.
- In a bitter manner.
- slitting a.
- from Slit. Slitting file. See Illust. (i) of File.
- sleet n.
- The part of a mortar extending from the chamber to the trunnions.
- lull v. t.
- To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm; to soothe; to quiet. [Akin to OD. lullen to sing to sleep, G. lullen, Dan. lulle, Sw. lulla; all of imitative origin. Cf. Loll, Lollard.]
- stayed a.
- Staid; fixed; settled; sober; -- now written staid. See Staid.
- corse n.
- A living body or its bulk. [OF. cors, F. corps. See Corpse.]
- zion n.
- A hill in Jerusalem, which, after the capture of that city by the Israelites, became the royal residence of David and his successors. [Heb. tsiy, originally, a hill.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Lyon. Battle of Springfield, Missouri is in the public domain. This text is taken from Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War, Project Gutenberg ebook #12384; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Herman Melville, Lyon. Battle of Springfield, Missouri, in Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12384, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/melville-battle-pieces/lyon-battle-of-springfield-missouri.html, id L19089.
Form and metre
Lyon. Battle of Springfield, Missouri is 65 lines in 13 stanzas of 5 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 74% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic tetrameter.
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 -AABB sort · sadA · cladA · onB · lyonB
- 2 -AABB strong · fiveA · striveA · onB · lyonB
- 3 -AABB wait · fightA · flightA · scionB · lyonB
- 4 -AABB will · allA · fallA · orionB · lyonB
- 5 -AABB vale · litA · itA · onB · lyonB
- 6 -AABB corn · malignA · lineA · orionB · lyonB
- 7 ---AA air · sword · broad · orionA · lyonA
- 8 -AABB balls · spentA · bentA · onB · lyonB
- 9 -AABB lull · fightA · lightA · onB · lyonB
- 10 -AAAA charge · menA · thenA · ironA · lyonA
- 11 ABBAA vanA · newB · doB · tryonA · lyonA
- 12 AAA-- firedA · spedA · fledA · iron · lyon
- 13 -AABB doom · fightA · flightA · zionB · lyonB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Some hearts there are of deeper sort, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Prophetic, sad, | 4 | ˘/˘· |
| Which yet for cause are trebly clad; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Known death they fly on: | 5 | ····· |
| This wizard-heart and heart-of-oak had Lyon. | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| “They are more than twenty thousand strong, | 9 | ····/˘/˘· |
| We less than five, | 4 | ···· |
| Too few with such a host to strive” | 8 | ········ |
| “Such counsel, fie on! | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| ’Tis battle, or ’tis shame;” and firm stood Lyon. | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| “For help at need in van we wait-- | 8 | ········ |
| Retreat or fight: | 4 | ˘/·· |
| Retreat the foe would take for flight, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| And each proud scion | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Feel more elate; the end must come,” said Lyon. | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| By candlelight he wrote the will, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And left his all | 4 | ···· |
| To Her for whom ’twas not enough to fall; | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Loud neighed Orion | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| Without the tent; drums beat; we marched with Lyon. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| The night-tramp done, we spied the Vale | 8 | ········ |
| With guard-fires lit; | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Day broke, but trooping clouds made gloom of it: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| “A field to die on” | 5 | ····· |
| Presaged in his unfaltering heart, brave Lyon. | 12 | /˘········/˘ |
| We fought on the grass, we bled in the corn-- | 10 | ·········· |
| Fate seemed malign; | 4 | ··˘/ |
| His horse the Leader led along the line-- | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Star-browed Orion; | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| Bitterly fearless, he rallied us there, brave Lyon. | 12 | /˘/˘·/˘···/˘ |
| There came a sound like the slitting of air | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| By a swift sharp sword-- | 5 | ····· |
| A rush of the sound; and the sleek chest broad | 10 | ·········· |
| Of black Orion | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| Heaved, and was fixed; the dead mane waved toward Lyon. | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| “General, you’re hurt--this sleet of balls!” | 8 | /˘······ |
| He seemed half spent; | 4 | ···· |
| With moody and bloody brow, he lowly bent: | 11 | ·/˘·/˘··/˘· |
| “The field to die on; | 5 | ····· |
| But not--not yet; the day is long,” breathed Lyon. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| For a time becharmed there fell a lull | 9 | ········· |
| In the heart of the fight; | 6 | ······ |
| The tree-tops nod, the slain sleep light; | 8 | ········ |
| Warm noon-winds sigh on, | 5 | ····· |
| And thoughts which he never spake had Lyon. | 9 | ····/··/˘ |
| Texans and Indians trim for a charge: | 9 | /˘·/˘···· |
| “Stand ready, men! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Let them come close, right up, and then | 8 | ········ |
| After the lead, the iron; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Fire, and charge back!” So strength returned to Lyon. | 11 | /·····˘/·/˘ |
| The Iowa men who held the van, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Half drilled, were new | 4 | ···· |
| To battle: “Some one lead us, then we’ll do” | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Said Corporal Tryon: | 6 | ·/˘˘/˘ |
| “Men! I will lead,” and a light glared in Lyon. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| On they came: they yelped, and fired; | 8 | ······/˘ |
| His spirit sped; | 4 | ·/˘· |
| We leveled right in, and the half-breeds fled, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Nor stayed the iron, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Nor captured the crimson corse of Lyon. | 10 | ·/˘·/˘··/˘ |
| This seer foresaw his soldier-doom, | 8 | ···/·/˘· |
| Yet willed the fight. | 4 | ···· |
| He never turned; his only flight | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Was up to Zion, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Where prophets now and armies greet brave Lyon. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
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