Silence
There are some qualities—some incorporate things,That have a double life, which thus is madeA type of that twin entity which springsFrom matter and light, evinced in solid and shade.There is a two-fold Silence—sea and shore—Body and soul. One dwells in lonely places,Newly with grass o’ergrown; some solemn graces,Some human memories and tearful lore,Render him terrorless: his name’s “No More.”He is the corporate Silence: dread him not!No power hath he of evil in himself;But should some urgent fate (untimely lot!)Bring thee to meet his shadow (nameless elf,That haunteth the lone regions where hath trodNo foot of man), commend thyself to God!
Words in this poem
- tearful a.
- Abounding with tears; weeping; shedding tears; as, tearful eyes.
- terrorless a.
- Free from terror. Poe.
- nameless a.
- Without a name; not having been given a name; as, a nameless star.
- lone n.
- A lane. See Loanin.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Silence is in the public domain. This text is taken from The poetical works of Edgar Allan Poe, Project Gutenberg ebook #79019; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Edgar Allan Poe, Silence, in The Complete Poetical Works (1827–1849), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #79019, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/poe-poems/silence.html, id L04161.
Form and metre
Silence is 15 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABABCDDCCEFEFGG. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%). 85% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 20% 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 ABABCDDCCEFEFGG thingsA · madeB · springsA · shadeB · shoreC · placesD · gracesD · loreC · moreC · notE · himselfF · lotE · elfF · trodG · godG
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 |
|---|---|---|
| There are some qualities—some incorporate things, | 11 | ···/˘·˘/˘·· |
| That have a double life, which thus is made | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| A type of that twin entity which springs | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| From matter and light, evinced in solid and shade. | 12 | ·/˘··˘/·/˘·· |
| There is a two-fold Silence—sea and shore— | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Body and soul. One dwells in lonely places, | 11 | /˘·····/˘/˘ |
| Newly with grass o’ergrown; some solemn graces, | 11 | /˘·····/˘/˘ |
| Some human memories and tearful lore, | 9 | ·/˘/˘·/˘· |
| Render him terrorless: his name’s “No More.” | 10 | /˘·/˘˘···· |
| He is the corporate Silence: dread him not! | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| No power hath he of evil in himself; | 9 | ·/···/·˘/ |
| But should some urgent fate (untimely lot!) | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Bring thee to meet his shadow (nameless elf, | 10 | ·····/·/˘· |
| That haunteth the lone regions where hath trod | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| No foot of man), commend thyself to God! | 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.