Poems
My dear and only Love, I prayThat little world of theeBe govern’d by no other swayThan purest monarchy;For if confusion have a part(Which virtuous souls abhor),And hold a synod in thine heart,I’ll never love thee more.
Like Alexander I will reign,And I will reign alone;My thoughts did evermore disdainA rival on my throne.He either fears his fate too much,Or his deserts are small,That dares not put it to the touch,To gain or lose it all.
And in the empire of thine heart,Where I should solely be,If others do pretend a partOr dare to vie with me,Or if _Committees_ thou erect,And go on such a score,I’ll laugh and sing at thy neglect,And never love thee more.
But if thou wilt prove faithful then,And constant of thy word,I’ll make thee glorious by my penAnd famous by my sword;I’ll serve thee in such noble waysWas never heard before;I’ll crown and deck thee all with bays,And love thee more and more.
Words in this poem
- virtuous a.
- Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
- abhor v. i.
- To shrink back with horror, disgust, or dislike; to be contrary or averse; -- with from.
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Poems is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1900, Project Gutenberg ebook #66619; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, Poems, (1612–1650), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66619, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/obev-james-graham-marquis-of-montrose/ill-never-love-thee-more.html, id L16095.
Form and metre
I’ll never love Thee more is 32 lines in 4 stanzas of 8 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 2 of its 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.1 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 25% 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 A-A-BCBC prayA · thee · swayA · monarchy · partB · abhorC · heartB · moreC
- 2 ABABCDCD reignA · aloneB · disdainA · throneB · muchC · smallD · touchC · allD
- 3 ABABCDCD heartA · beB · partA · meB · erectC · scoreD · neglectC · moreD
- 4 A-A-BCBC thenA · word · penA · sword · waysB · beforeC · baysB · moreC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| My dear and only Love, I pray | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| That little world of thee | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Be govern’d by no other sway | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Than purest monarchy; | 6 | ·/˘/˘˘ |
| For if confusion have a part | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| (Which virtuous souls abhor), | 7 | ·/˘˘·˘/ |
| And hold a synod in thine heart, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I’ll never love thee more. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Like Alexander I will reign, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| And I will reign alone; | 6 | ····˘/ |
| My thoughts did evermore disdain | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| A rival on my throne. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| He either fears his fate too much, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Or his deserts are small, | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| That dares not put it to the touch, | 8 | ········ |
| To gain or lose it all. | 6 | ······ |
| And in the empire of thine heart, | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| Where I should solely be, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| If others do pretend a part | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Or dare to vie with me, | 6 | ······ |
| Or if _Committees_ thou erect, | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| And go on such a score, | 6 | ······ |
| I’ll laugh and sing at thy neglect, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And never love thee more. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| But if thou wilt prove faithful then, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And constant of thy word, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| I’ll make thee glorious by my pen | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| And famous by my sword; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| I’ll serve thee in such noble ways | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Was never heard before; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| I’ll crown and deck thee all with bays, | 8 | ········ |
| And love thee more and more. | 6 | ······ |
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