Love Thinking
What lifts her in my thought so farBeyond all else? Let Love not err!’Tis that which all right women are,But which I’ll know in none but her.She is to me the only ArkOf that high mystery which locksThe lips of joy, or speaks in darkEnigmas and in paradox;That potent charm, which none can fly,Nor would, which makes me bond and free,Nor can I tell if first ’twas IChose it, or it elected me;Which, when I look intentest, lo,Cheats most mine eyes, albeit my heart,Content to feel and not to know,Perceives it all in every part;I kiss its cheek; its life divineExhales from its resplendent shroud;Ixion’s fate reversed is mine,Authentic Juno seems a cloud;I feel a blessed warmth, I seeA bright circumference of rays,But darkness, where the sun should be,Fills admiration with amaze;And when, for joy’s relief, I thinkTo fathom with the line of thoughtThe well from which I, blissful, drink,The spring’s so deep I come to nought.
Words in this poem
- albeit conj.
- Even though; although; notwithstanding. [OE. al be although it be, where al is our all. Cf. Although.]
- admiration n.
- Wonder; astonishment. [F., fr. L. admiratio. See Admire.]
- amaze v. t.
- To bewilder; to stupefy; to bring into a maze. [Pref. a- + maze.]
- blissful a.
- Full of, characterized by, or causing, joy and felicity; happy in the highest degree.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Love Thinking is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Angel in the House, Project Gutenberg ebook #4099; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Coventry Patmore, Love Thinking, in The Angel in the House (1854–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #4099, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/patmore-angel/love-thinking.html, id L12302.
Form and metre
Love Thinking is 28 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABABCDCDEFEFGHGHIJIJFKFKLMLM. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 32% 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 ABABCDCDEFEFGHGHIJIJFKFKLMLM farA · errB · areA · herB · arkC · locksD · darkC · paradoxD · flyE · freeF · iE · meF · loG · heartH · knowG · partH · divineI · shroudJ · mineI · cloudJ · seeF · raysK · beF · amazeK · thinkL · thoughtM · drinkL · noughtM
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 |
|---|---|---|
| What lifts her in my thought so far | 8 | ········ |
| Beyond all else? Let Love not err! | 8 | ········ |
| ’Tis that which all right women are, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But which I’ll know in none but her. | 8 | ········ |
| She is to me the only Ark | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Of that high mystery which locks | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| The lips of joy, or speaks in dark | 8 | ········ |
| Enigmas and in paradox; | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| That potent charm, which none can fly, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Nor would, which makes me bond and free, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor can I tell if first ’twas I | 8 | ········ |
| Chose it, or it elected me; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Which, when I look intentest, lo, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Cheats most mine eyes, albeit my heart, | 9 | ····˘/˘·· |
| Content to feel and not to know, | 8 | /˘······ |
| Perceives it all in every part; | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| I kiss its cheek; its life divine | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Exhales from its resplendent shroud; | 8 | ˘/··˘/˘· |
| Ixion’s fate reversed is mine, | 8 | ˘/˘·˘/·· |
| Authentic Juno seems a cloud; | 8 | ˘/˘/˘··· |
| I feel a blessed warmth, I see | 8 | ····˘··· |
| A bright circumference of rays, | 7 | ··˘/˘·· |
| But darkness, where the sun should be, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Fills admiration with amaze; | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| And when, for joy’s relief, I think | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| To fathom with the line of thought | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The well from which I, blissful, drink, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The spring’s so deep I come to nought. | 8 | ········ |
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.