Sonnet LXXIII
When reaches through the eyes the conscious heartIts imaged fate, all other thoughts depart;The powers which from the soul their functions takeA dead weight on the frame its limbs then make.From the first miracle a second springs,At times the banish'd faculty that brings,So fleeing from itself, to some new seat,Which feeds revenge and makes e'en exile sweet.Thus in both faces the pale tints were rife,Because the strength which gave the glow of lifeOn neither side was where it wont to dwell--I on that day these things remember'd well,Of that fond couple when each varying mienTold me in like estate what long myself had been.
Words in this poem
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- rife a.
- Prevailing; prevalent; abounding. [AS. rif abundant, or Icel. rifr munificent; akin to OD. riff, rijve, abundant.]
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sonnet LXXIII 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, Sonnet LXXIII, in The Sonnets, Triumphs and Other Poems (1859), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #17650, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/petrarch-sonnets/sonnet-lxxiii.html, id L14598.
Form and metre
Sonnet LXXIII 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 88%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 29% 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 heartA · departB · takeB · makeA · springsA · bringsB · seatB · sweetA · rifeC · lifeD · dwellC · wellD · mienC · beenD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| When reaches through the eyes the conscious heart | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Its imaged fate, all other thoughts depart; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| The powers which from the soul their functions take | 10 | ·/·····/˘· |
| A dead weight on the frame its limbs then make. | 10 | ·········· |
| From the first miracle a second springs, | 10 | ···/˘˘·/˘· |
| At times the banish'd faculty that brings, | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| So fleeing from itself, to some new seat, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Which feeds revenge and makes e'en exile sweet. | 10 | ··˘/···/·· |
| Thus in both faces the pale tints were rife, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Because the strength which gave the glow of life | 10 | ·········· |
| On neither side was where it wont to dwell-- | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I on that day these things remember'd well, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Of that fond couple when each varying mien | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Told me in like estate what long myself had been. | 12 | ····˘/···/·· |
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.