Nott
Though barr'd from all which led me first to loveBy coldness or caprice,Not yet from its firm bent can passion cease!The snare was set amid those threads of gold,To which Love bound me fast;And from those bright eyes melted the long coldWithin my heart that pass'd;So sweet the spell their sudden splendour cast,Its single memory stillDeprives my soul of every other will.But now, alas! from me of that fine hairIs ravish'd the dear sight;The lost light of those twin stars, chaste as fair,Saddens me in her flight;But, since a glorious death wins honour bright,By death, and not through grief,Love from such chain shall give at last relief.
Words in this poem
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- splendour n.
- Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
- 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.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- 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,]
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-7.html, id L14553.
Form and metre
Nott is 17 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.4 syllables. 24% 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 -AABCBCCDDEFEFFGG love · capriceA · ceaseA · goldB · fastC · coldB · pass'dC · castC · stillD · willD · hairE · sightF · fairE · flightF · brightF · griefG · reliefG
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Though barr'd from all which led me first to love | 10 | ·········· |
| By coldness or caprice, | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Not yet from its firm bent can passion cease! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| The snare was set amid those threads of gold, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| To which Love bound me fast; | 6 | ······ |
| And from those bright eyes melted the long cold | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Within my heart that pass'd; | 6 | ······ |
| So sweet the spell their sudden splendour cast, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Its single memory still | 7 | ·/˘/˘˘· |
| Deprives my soul of every other will. | 10 | ˘/···/˘/˘· |
| But now, alas! from me of that fine hair | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Is ravish'd the dear sight; | 6 | ······ |
| The lost light of those twin stars, chaste as fair, | 10 | ·········· |
| Saddens me in her flight; | 6 | /˘···· |
| But, since a glorious death wins honour bright, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| By death, and not through grief, | 6 | ······ |
| Love from such chain shall give at last relief. | 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.