From Syria
In April when I see all throughMead and garden new flowers blow,And streams with ice-bands broken flow,Eke hear the birds their singing do;When spring's grass-perfume floateth byThen 'tis sweet song and birdlet's cryDo make mine old joy come anew.
Such time was wont my thought of oldTo wander in the ways of love.Burnishing arms and clang thereof,And honour-services manifoldBe now my need. Whoso combineSuch works, love is his bread and wine,Wherefore should his fight the more be bold.
Song bear I, who tears should bringSith ire of love mak'th me annoy,With song think I to make me joy.Yet ne'er have I heard said this thing:"He sings who sorrow's guise should wear."Natheless I will not despairThat sometime I'll have cause to sing.
I should not to despair give wayThat some while I'll my lady see.I trust well He that lowered meHath power again to make me gay.But if e'er I come to my Love's landAnd turn again to Syrian strand,God keep me there for a fool, alway!
God for a miracle well shouldHold my coming from her away,And hold me in His grace alwayThat I left her, for holy-rood.An I lose her, no joy for me,Pardi, hath the wide world in fee.Nor could He mend it, if He would.
Well did she know sweet wiles to takeMy heart, when thence I took my way.'Thout sighing, pass I ne'er a dayFor that sweet semblance she did makeTo me, saying all in sorrow:"Sweet friend, and what of me to-morrow?""Love mine, why wilt me so forsake?"
Words in this poem
- clang v. t.
- To strike together so as to produce a ringing metallic sound. [L. clangere; akin to Gr. clank.]
- 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.]
- whoso pron.
- Whosoever. Piers Plowman.
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- sith prep.
- Since; afterwards; seeing that. [See Since.]
- sometime adv.
- At a past time indefinitely referred to; once; formerly.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
From Syria is in the public domain. This text is taken from Personae, Project Gutenberg ebook #41162; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Ezra Pound, From Syria, in Personae (1909), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #41162, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pound-personae/from-syria.html, id L01222.
Form and metre
From Syria is 42 lines in 6 stanzas of 7 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABBACCA, complete in 4 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%). 91% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.2 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 38% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See 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 ABBACCA throughA · blowB · flowB · doA · byC · cryC · anewA
- 2 ABBACCA oldA · loveB · thereofB · manifoldA · combineC · wineC · boldA
- 3 ABBACCA bringA · annoyB · joyB · thingA · wearC · despairC · singA
- 4 ABBACC- wayA · seeB · meB · gayA · landC · strandC · alway
- 5 A---BBA shouldA · away · alway · rood · meB · feeB · wouldA
- 6 ABBACCA takeA · wayB · dayB · makeA · sorrowC · morrowC · forsakeA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| In April when I see all through | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Mead and garden new flowers blow, | 8 | ··/˘·/˘· |
| And streams with ice-bands broken flow, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Eke hear the birds their singing do; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| When spring's grass-perfume floateth by | 8 | ···˘//˘· |
| Then 'tis sweet song and birdlet's cry | 8 | ········ |
| Do make mine old joy come anew. | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Such time was wont my thought of old | 8 | ········ |
| To wander in the ways of love. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Burnishing arms and clang thereof, | 8 | /˘˘····· |
| And honour-services manifold | 9 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘· |
| Be now my need. Whoso combine | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Such works, love is his bread and wine, | 8 | ········ |
| Wherefore should his fight the more be bold. | 9 | /˘······· |
| Song bear I, who tears should bring | 7 | ······· |
| Sith ire of love mak'th me annoy, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| With song think I to make me joy. | 8 | ········ |
| Yet ne'er have I heard said this thing: | 8 | ········ |
| "He sings who sorrow's guise should wear." | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Natheless I will not despair | 8 | ······˘/ |
| That sometime I'll have cause to sing. | 8 | ·/······ |
| I should not to despair give way | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| That some while I'll my lady see. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I trust well He that lowered me | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| Hath power again to make me gay. | 9 | ·/˘˘/···· |
| But if e'er I come to my Love's land | 9 | ········· |
| And turn again to Syrian strand, | 9 | ··˘/·/˘˘· |
| God keep me there for a fool, alway! | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| God for a miracle well should | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Hold my coming from her away, | 8 | ··/˘··˘/ |
| And hold me in His grace alway | 8 | ······/˘ |
| That I left her, for holy-rood. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An I lose her, no joy for me, | 8 | ········ |
| Pardi, hath the wide world in fee. | 8 | /˘······ |
| Nor could He mend it, if He would. | 8 | ········ |
| Well did she know sweet wiles to take | 8 | ········ |
| My heart, when thence I took my way. | 8 | ········ |
| 'Thout sighing, pass I ne'er a day | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For that sweet semblance she did make | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| To me, saying all in sorrow: | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| "Sweet friend, and what of me to-morrow?" | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| "Love mine, why wilt me so forsake?" | 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.