The Sailing of the Sword
Across the empty garden-beds,When the Sword went out to sea,I scarcely saw my sisters' headsBowed each beside a tree.I could not see the castle leads,When the Sword went out to sea,
Alicia wore a scarlet gown,When the Sword went out to sea,But Ursula's was russet brown:For the mist we could not seeThe scarlet roofs of the good town,When the Sword went out to sea.
Green holly in Alicia's hand,When the Sword went out to sea;With sere oak-leaves did Ursula stand;O! yet alas for me!I did but bear a peel'd white wand,When the Sword went out to sea.
O, russet brown and scarlet bright,When the Sword went out to sea,My sisters wore; I wore but white:Red, brown, and white, are three;Three damozels; each had a knight,When the Sword went out to sea.
Sir Robert shouted loud, and said:When the Sword went out to sea,Alicia, while I see thy head,What shall I bring for thee?O, my sweet Lord, a ruby red:The Sword went out to sea.
Sir Miles said, while the sails hung down,When the Sword went out to sea,O, Ursula! while I see the town,What shall I bring for thee?Dear knight, bring back a falcon brown:The Sword went out to sea.
But my Roland, no word he saidWhen the Sword went out to sea,But only turn'd away his head;A quick shriek came from me:Come back, dear lord, to your white maid.The Sword went out to sea.
The hot sun bit the garden-bedsWhen the Sword came back from sea;Beneath an apple-tree our headsStretched out toward the sea;Grey gleam'd the thirsty castle-leads,When the Sword came back from sea.
Lord Robert brought a ruby red,When the Sword came back from sea;He kissed Alicia on the head:I am come back to thee;'Tis time, sweet love, that we were wed,Now the Sword is back from sea!
Sir Miles he bore a falcon brown,When the Sword came back from sea;His arms went round tall Ursula's gown:What joy, O love, but thee?Let us be wed in the good town,Now the Sword is back from sea!
My heart grew sick, no more afraid,When the Sword came back from sea;Upon the deck a tall white maidSat on Lord Roland's knee;His chin was press'd upon her head,When the Sword came back from sea!
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- sere n.
- Claw; talon. Chapman. [F. serre.]
- ursula n.
- A beautiful North American butterfly (Basilarchia, or Limenitis, astyanax). Its wings are nearly black with red and blue spots and blotches. Called also red-spotted purple.
- 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
The Sailing of the Sword is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #22650; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Morris, The Sailing of the Sword, in The Defence of Guenevere (1858), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22650, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/morris-defence-guenevere/the-sailing-of-the-sword.html, id L07140.
Form and metre
The Sailing of the Sword is 66 lines in 11 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABAB, complete in 6 of its 11 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.4 syllables. 9% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 ABAB-B bedsA · seaB · headsA · treeB · leads · seaB
- 2 ABABAB gownA · seaB · brownA · seeB · townA · seaB
- 3 ABAB-B handA · seaB · standA · meB · wand · seaB
- 4 ABABAB brightA · seaB · whiteA · threeB · knightA · seaB
- 5 ABABAB saidA · seaB · headA · theeB · redA · seaB
- 6 ABABAB downA · seaB · townA · theeB · brownA · seaB
- 7 ABAB-B saidA · seaB · headA · meB · maid · seaB
- 8 ABAB-B bedsA · seaB · headsA · seaB · leads · seaB
- 9 ABABAB redA · seaB · headA · theeB · wedA · seaB
- 10 ABABAB brownA · seaB · gownA · theeB · townA · seaB
- 11 ABAB-B afraidA · seaB · maidA · kneeB · head · seaB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Across the empty garden-beds, | 8 | ˘/·/˘/˘· |
| When the Sword went out to sea, | 7 | ······· |
| I scarcely saw my sisters' heads | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Bowed each beside a tree. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| I could not see the castle leads, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| When the Sword went out to sea, | 7 | ······· |
| Alicia wore a scarlet gown, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| When the Sword went out to sea, | 7 | ······· |
| But Ursula's was russet brown: | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| For the mist we could not see | 7 | ······· |
| The scarlet roofs of the good town, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| When the Sword went out to sea. | 7 | ······· |
| Green holly in Alicia's hand, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| When the Sword went out to sea; | 7 | ······· |
| With sere oak-leaves did Ursula stand; | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| O! yet alas for me! | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| I did but bear a peel'd white wand, | 8 | ········ |
| When the Sword went out to sea. | 7 | ······· |
| O, russet brown and scarlet bright, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| When the Sword went out to sea, | 7 | ······· |
| My sisters wore; I wore but white: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Red, brown, and white, are three; | 6 | ······ |
| Three damozels; each had a knight, | 8 | ········ |
| When the Sword went out to sea. | 7 | ······· |
| Sir Robert shouted loud, and said: | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| When the Sword went out to sea, | 7 | ······· |
| Alicia, while I see thy head, | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| What shall I bring for thee? | 6 | ······ |
| O, my sweet Lord, a ruby red: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The Sword went out to sea. | 6 | ······ |
| Sir Miles said, while the sails hung down, | 8 | ········ |
| When the Sword went out to sea, | 7 | ······· |
| O, Ursula! while I see the town, | 9 | ·/˘˘····· |
| What shall I bring for thee? | 6 | ······ |
| Dear knight, bring back a falcon brown: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The Sword went out to sea. | 6 | ······ |
| But my Roland, no word he said | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| When the Sword went out to sea, | 7 | ······· |
| But only turn'd away his head; | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| A quick shriek came from me: | 6 | ······ |
| Come back, dear lord, to your white maid. | 8 | ········ |
| The Sword went out to sea. | 6 | ······ |
| The hot sun bit the garden-beds | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| When the Sword came back from sea; | 7 | ······· |
| Beneath an apple-tree our heads | 9 | ···/˘·/˘· |
| Stretched out toward the sea; | 6 | ······ |
| Grey gleam'd the thirsty castle-leads, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| When the Sword came back from sea. | 7 | ······· |
| Lord Robert brought a ruby red, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| When the Sword came back from sea; | 7 | ······· |
| He kissed Alicia on the head: | 9 | ··˘˘/˘··· |
| I am come back to thee; | 6 | ······ |
| 'Tis time, sweet love, that we were wed, | 8 | ········ |
| Now the Sword is back from sea! | 7 | ······· |
| Sir Miles he bore a falcon brown, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| When the Sword came back from sea; | 7 | ······· |
| His arms went round tall Ursula's gown: | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| What joy, O love, but thee? | 6 | ······ |
| Let us be wed in the good town, | 8 | ········ |
| Now the Sword is back from sea! | 7 | ······· |
| My heart grew sick, no more afraid, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| When the Sword came back from sea; | 7 | ······· |
| Upon the deck a tall white maid | 8 | ········ |
| Sat on Lord Roland's knee; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| His chin was press'd upon her head, | 8 | ········ |
| When the Sword came back from sea! | 7 | ······· |
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.