Nott
Say, from what vein did Love procure the goldTo make those sunny tresses? From what thornStole he the rose, and whence the dew of morn,Bidding them breathe and live in Beauty's mould?What depth of ocean gave the pearls that toldThose gentle accents sweet, though rarely born?Whence came so many graces to adornThat brow more fair than summer skies unfold?Oh! say what angels lead, what spheres controlThe song divine which wastes my life away?(Who can with trifles now my senses move?)What sun gave birth unto the lofty soulOf those enchanting eyes, whose glances strayTo burn and freeze my heart--the sport of Love?
Words in this poem
- sunny a.
- Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
- stole n.
- A long, loose garment reaching to the feet. [AS. stole, L. stola, Gr. stall. See Stall.]
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- mould n.
- Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil. [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole a]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Nott is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Sonnets, Triumphs and Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #17650, the various hands translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Petrarch, Nott, in The Sonnets, Triumphs and Other Poems (1859), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #17650, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/petrarch-sonnets/nott-26.html, id L14777.
Form and metre
Nott is 14 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABBAABBACDCDCD, the pattern of the Italian sonnet. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 97%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 50% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other Italian sonnets, 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 ABBAABBACDCDCD goldA · thornB · mornB · mouldA · toldA · bornB · adornB · unfoldA · controlC · awayD · moveC · soulD · strayC · loveD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Say, from what vein did Love procure the gold | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| To make those sunny tresses? From what thorn | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Stole he the rose, and whence the dew of morn, | 10 | ·········· |
| Bidding them breathe and live in Beauty's mould? | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| What depth of ocean gave the pearls that told | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Those gentle accents sweet, though rarely born? | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Whence came so many graces to adorn | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| That brow more fair than summer skies unfold? | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Oh! say what angels lead, what spheres control | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| The song divine which wastes my life away? | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| (Who can with trifles now my senses move?) | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| What sun gave birth unto the lofty soul | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Of those enchanting eyes, whose glances stray | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| To burn and freeze my heart--the sport of Love? | 10 | ·········· |
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.