Whether or Not He Should Cease to Love Laura
Green robes and red, purple, or brown, or grayNo lady ever wore,Nor hair of gold in sunny tresses twined,So beautiful as she, who spoils my mindOf judgment, and from freedom's lofty pathSo draws me with her that I may not bearAny less heavy yoke.
And if indeed at times--for wisdom failsWhere martyrdom breeds doubt--The soul should ever arm it to complainSuddenly from each reinless rude desireHer smile recalls, and razes from my heartEvery rash enterprise, while all disdainIs soften'd in her sight.
For all that I have ever borne for love,And still am doom'd to bear,Till she who wounded it shall heal my heart,Rejecting homage e'en while she invites,Be vengeance done! but let not pride nor ire'Gainst my humility the lovely passBy which I enter'd bar.
The hour and day wherein I oped my eyesOn the bright black and white,Which drive me thence where eager love impell'dWhere of that life which now my sorrow makesNew roots, and she in whom our age is proud,Whom to behold without a tender aweNeeds heart of lead or wood.
The tear then from these eyes that frequent falls--HE thus my pale cheek bathesWho planted first within my fenceless flankLove's shaft--diverts me not from my desire;And in just part the proper sentence falls;For her my spirit sighs, and worthy sheTo staunch its secret wounds.
Spring from within me these conflicting thoughts,To weary, wound myself,Each a sure sword against its master turn'd:Nor do I pray her to be therefore freed,For less direct to heaven all other paths,And to that glorious kingdom none can soarCertes in sounder bark.
Benignant stars their bright companionshipGave to the fortunate sideWhen came that fair birth on our nether world,Its sole star since, who, as the laurel leaf,The worth of honour fresh and fragrant keeps,Where lightnings play not, nor ungrateful windsEver o'ersway its head.
Well know I that the hope to paint in verseHer praises would but tireThe worthiest hand that e'er put forth its pen:Who, in all Memory's richest cells, e'er sawSuch angel virtue so rare beauty shrined,As in those eyes, twin symbols of all worth,Sweet keys of my gone heart?
Lady, wherever shines the sun, than youLove has no dearer pledge.
Words in this poem
- sunny a.
- Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
- martyrdom n.
- The condition of a martyr; the death of a martyr; the suffering of death on account of adherence to the Christian faith, or to any cause. [Martyr + -dom.]
- reinless a.
- Not having, or not governed by, reins; hence, not checked or restrained.
- 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,]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- fenceless a.
- Without a fence; uninclosed; open; unguarded; defenseless.
- 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.]
- certes adv.
- Certainly; in truth; verily. [F. certes, for à certes, fr. L. certus. See Certain.]
- sounder n.
- One who, or that which; sounds; specifically, an instrument used in telegraphy in place of a register, the communications being read by sound.
- benignant a.
- Kind; gracious; favorable. [LL. benignans, p. pr. of benignare, from L. benignus. See Benign.]
- nether a.
- Situated down or below; lying beneath, or in the lower part; having a lower position; belonging to the region below; lower; under; -- opposed to upper. [OE. nethere, neithere, AS. ni, fr. the adv. ni downward; akin to neo below, beneath, D. neder down, G. nieder, Sw. nedre below, nether, a. & adv., and also to S]
- 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.]
- ungrateful a.
- Not grateful; not thankful for favors; making no returns, or making ill return for kindness, attention, etc.; ingrateful. South.
- wherever adv.
- At or in whatever place; wheresoever.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Whether or Not He Should Cease to Love Laura 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, Whether or Not He Should Cease to Love Laura, in The Sonnets, Triumphs and Other Poems (1859), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #17650, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/petrarch-sonnets/whether-or-not-he-should-cease-to-love-laura.html, id L14508.
Form and metre
Whether or Not He Should Cease to Love Laura is 58 lines in 9 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.9 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 45% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter, other poems in blank verse.
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 --AA--- gray · wore · twinedA · mindA · path · bear · yoke
- 2 --A--A- fails · doubt · complainA · desire · heart · disdainA · sight
- 5 A---A-- fallsA · bathes · flank · desire · fallsA · she · wounds
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Green robes and red, purple, or brown, or gray | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| No lady ever wore, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Nor hair of gold in sunny tresses twined, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| So beautiful as she, who spoils my mind | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| Of judgment, and from freedom's lofty path | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| So draws me with her that I may not bear | 10 | ·········· |
| Any less heavy yoke. | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| And if indeed at times--for wisdom fails | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Where martyrdom breeds doubt-- | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| The soul should ever arm it to complain | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Suddenly from each reinless rude desire | 11 | /˘˘··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Her smile recalls, and razes from my heart | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Every rash enterprise, while all disdain | 10 | /˘·/˘···˘/ |
| Is soften'd in her sight. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| For all that I have ever borne for love, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And still am doom'd to bear, | 6 | ······ |
| Till she who wounded it shall heal my heart, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Rejecting homage e'en while she invites, | 10 | ˘/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Be vengeance done! but let not pride nor ire | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| 'Gainst my humility the lovely pass | 10 | ··˘/˘˘·/˘· |
| By which I enter'd bar. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| The hour and day wherein I oped my eyes | 10 | ·/········ |
| On the bright black and white, | 6 | ······ |
| Which drive me thence where eager love impell'd | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Where of that life which now my sorrow makes | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| New roots, and she in whom our age is proud, | 10 | ······/··· |
| Whom to behold without a tender awe | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Needs heart of lead or wood. | 6 | ······ |
| The tear then from these eyes that frequent falls-- | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| HE thus my pale cheek bathes | 6 | ······ |
| Who planted first within my fenceless flank | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Love's shaft--diverts me not from my desire; | 11 | ··˘/····˘/˘ |
| And in just part the proper sentence falls; | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| For her my spirit sighs, and worthy she | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To staunch its secret wounds. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Spring from within me these conflicting thoughts, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| To weary, wound myself, | 6 | ·/˘··/ |
| Each a sure sword against its master turn'd: | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Nor do I pray her to be therefore freed, | 10 | ·········· |
| For less direct to heaven all other paths, | 10 | ··˘/·/·/˘· |
| And to that glorious kingdom none can soar | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Certes in sounder bark. | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Benignant stars their bright companionship | 10 | ˘/˘···˘/˘· |
| Gave to the fortunate side | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| When came that fair birth on our nether world, | 10 | ······//˘· |
| Its sole star since, who, as the laurel leaf, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| The worth of honour fresh and fragrant keeps, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Where lightnings play not, nor ungrateful winds | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| Ever o'ersway its head. | 6 | /˘···· |
| Well know I that the hope to paint in verse | 10 | ·········· |
| Her praises would but tire | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| The worthiest hand that e'er put forth its pen: | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Who, in all Memory's richest cells, e'er saw | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Such angel virtue so rare beauty shrined, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| As in those eyes, twin symbols of all worth, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Sweet keys of my gone heart? | 6 | ······ |
| Lady, wherever shines the sun, than you | 10 | /˘˘/˘····· |
| Love has no dearer pledge. | 6 | ···/˘· |
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.