The Nursling of Civility
LO, how the woman once was woo’d;Forth leapt the savage from his lair,And fell’d her, and to nuptials rudeHe dragg’d her, bleeding, by the hair.From that to Chloe’s dainty wilesAnd Portia’s dignified consent,What distance! Bat these Pagan stylesHow far below Time’s fair intent!Siegfried sued Kriemhild. Sweeter lifeCould Love’s self covet? Yet ’tis snugIn what rough sort he chid his wifeFor want of curb upon her tongue!Shall Love, where last I leave him, halt?Nay; none can fancy or forseeTo how strange bliss may time exaltThis nursling of civility.
Words in this poem
- lair n.
- A place in which to lie or rest; especially, the bed or couch of a wild beast. [OE. leir, AS. leger; akin to D. leger, G. lager couch, lair, OHG. laga, Goth. ligrs, and to E. lie. See Lie to be prostrate, and cf. Layer, Leaguer.]
- dainty n.
- Value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything. [OE. deinie, dainte, deintie, deyntee, OF. deintié delicacy, orig., dignity, honor, fr. L. dignitas, fr. dignus worthy. See Deign, and cf. Dignity.]
- 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,]
- nursling n.
- One who, or that which, is nursed; an infant; a fondling. [Nurse + -ling.]
- civility n.
- The state of society in which the relations and duties of a citizen are recognized and obeyed; a state of civilization. [L. civilitas: cf. F. civilité. See Civil.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Nursling of Civility 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, The Nursling of Civility, in The Angel in the House (1854–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #4099, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/patmore-angel/the-nursling-of-civility.html, id L12305.
Form and metre
The Nursling of Civility is 16 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 50% 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 ABABCDCDE-E-F-F- woo'dA · lairB · rudeA · hairB · wilesC · consentD · stylesC · intentD · lifeE · snug · wifeE · tongue · haltF · forsee · exaltF · civility
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 |
|---|---|---|
| LO, how the woman once was woo’d; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Forth leapt the savage from his lair, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And fell’d her, and to nuptials rude | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| He dragg’d her, bleeding, by the hair. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| From that to Chloe’s dainty wiles | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And Portia’s dignified consent, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| What distance! Bat these Pagan styles | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| How far below Time’s fair intent! | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Siegfried sued Kriemhild. Sweeter life | 8 | /····/˘· |
| Could Love’s self covet? Yet ’tis snug | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In what rough sort he chid his wife | 8 | ········ |
| For want of curb upon her tongue! | 8 | ········ |
| Shall Love, where last I leave him, halt? | 8 | ········ |
| Nay; none can fancy or forsee | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| To how strange bliss may time exalt | 8 | ······˘/ |
| This nursling of civility. | 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.