Hidden Flame
I feed a flame within, which so torments meThat it both pains my heart, and yet contents me:’Tis such a pleasing smart, and I so love it,That I had rather die than once remove it.
Yet he, for whom I grieve, shall never know it;My tongue does not betray, nor my eyes show it.Not a sigh, nor a tear, my pain discloses,But they fall silently, like dew on roses.
Thus, to prevent my Love from being cruel,My heart’s the sacrifice, as ’tis the fuel;And while I suffer this to give him quiet,My faith rewards my love, though he deny it.
On his eyes will I gaze, and there delight me;While I conceal my love no frown can fright me.To be more happy I dare not aspire,Nor can I fall more low, mounting no higher.
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- aspire v. t.
- To aspire to; to long for; to try to reach; to mount to.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hidden Flame 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: John Dryden, Hidden Flame, in Poems (1631–1700), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66619, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/obev-john-dryden/hidden-flame.html, id L16121.
Form and metre
Hidden Flame is 16 lines in 4 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 3 of its 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.9 syllables. 6 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 6% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 meA · meA · itB · itB
- 2 AABB itA · itA · disclosesB · rosesB
- 3 AABB cruelA · fuelA · quietB · itB
- 4 AA-- meA · meA · aspire · higher
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I feed a flame within, which so torments me | 11 | ········/·· |
| That it both pains my heart, and yet contents me: | 11 | ········/˘· |
| ’Tis such a pleasing smart, and I so love it, | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| That I had rather die than once remove it. | 11 | ···/˘···˘/· |
| Yet he, for whom I grieve, shall never know it; | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| My tongue does not betray, nor my eyes show it. | 11 | ····˘/····· |
| Not a sigh, nor a tear, my pain discloses, | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| But they fall silently, like dew on roses. | 11 | ···/˘˘···/˘ |
| Thus, to prevent my Love from being cruel, | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| My heart’s the sacrifice, as ’tis the fuel; | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| And while I suffer this to give him quiet, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| My faith rewards my love, though he deny it. | 11 | ··˘/····˘/· |
| On his eyes will I gaze, and there delight me; | 11 | ········˘/· |
| While I conceal my love no frown can fright me. | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| To be more happy I dare not aspire, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Nor can I fall more low, mounting no higher. | 11 | ······/˘·/˘ |
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.