The Kite and the Doves
He that would have the wicked reign,Instead of help will find his bane.The Doves had oft escaped the Kite,By their celerity of flight;The ruffian then to coz'nage stoop'd,And thus the tim'rous race he duped:"Why do you lead a life of fear,Rather than my proposals hear?Elect me for your king, andI Will all your race indemnify."They foolishly the Kite believed,Who having now the pow'r received,Began upon the Doves to prey,And exercise tyrannic sway."Justly," says one who yet remain'd,"We die the death ourselves ordain'd."
Words in this poem
- bane v. t.
- To be the bane of; to ruin. Fuller.
- indemnify v. t.
- To save harmless; to secure against loss or damage; to insure. [L. indemnis unhurt (in- not + damnum hurt, damage) + -fy. Cf. Damn, Damnify.]
- tyrannic a.
- Of or pertaining to a tyrant; suiting a tyrant; unjustly severe in government; absolute; imperious; despotic; cruel; arbitrary; as, a tyrannical prince; a tyrannical master; tyrannical government. [L. tyrannicus, Gr. tyrannique. See Tyrant.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Kite and the Doves is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Fables of Phædrus Literally translated into English prose with notes, Project Gutenberg ebook #25512; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Phaedrus, The Kite and the Doves, in The Fables of Phaedrus (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #25512, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/phaedrus-fables/the-kite-and-the-doves.html, id L21262.
Form and metre
The Kite and the Doves is 16 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 88% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, 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 AABBCCDD--EEFFGG reignA · baneA · kiteB · flightB · stoop'dC · dupedC · fearD · hearD · and · indemnify · believedE · receivedE · preyF · swayF · remain'dG · ordain'dG
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 |
|---|---|---|
| He that would have the wicked reign, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Instead of help will find his bane. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| The Doves had oft escaped the Kite, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| By their celerity of flight; | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| The ruffian then to coz'nage stoop'd, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And thus the tim'rous race he duped: | 8 | ········ |
| "Why do you lead a life of fear, | 8 | ········ |
| Rather than my proposals hear? | 8 | /˘··˘/˘· |
| Elect me for your king, and | 7 | ˘/····· |
| I Will all your race indemnify." | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| They foolishly the Kite believed, | 8 | ·/˘˘··˘/ |
| Who having now the pow'r received, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Began upon the Doves to prey, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| And exercise tyrannic sway. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "Justly," says one who yet remain'd, | 8 | /˘····˘/ |
| "We die the death ourselves ordain'd." | 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.