A Chant
Who is the Angel that cometh?Life!Let us not question what he brings,Peace or Strife,Under the shade of his mighty wings,One by one,Are his secrets told;One by one,Lit by the rays of each morning sun,Shall a new flower its petals unfold,With the mystery hid in its heart of gold.We will arise and go forth to greet him,Singly, gladly, with one accord;--"Blessed is he that comethIn the name of the Lord!"
Who is the Angel that cometh?Joy!Look at his glittering rainbow wings--No alloyLies in the radiant gifts he brings;Tender and sweet,He is come to-day,Tender and sweet:While chains of love on his silver feetWill hold him in lingering fond delay.But greet him quickly, he will not stay,Soon he will leave us; but though for othersAll his brightest treasures are stored;--"Blessed is he that comethIn the name of the Lord!"
Who is the Angel that cometh?Pain!Let us arise and go forth to greet him;Not in vainIs the summons come for us to meet him;He will stay,And darken our sun;He will stayA desolate night, a weary day.Since in that shadow our work is done,And in that shadow our crowns are won,Let us say still, while his bitter chaliceSlowly into our hearts is poured,--"Blessed is he that comethIn the name of the Lord!"
Who is the Angel that cometh?Death!But do not shudder and do not fear;Hold your breath,For a kingly presence is drawing near.Cold and brightIs his flashing steel,Cold and brightThe smile that comes like a starry lightTo calm the terror and grief we feel;He comes to help and to save and heal:Then let us, baring our hearts and kneeling,Sing, while we wait this Angel's sword,--"Blessed is he that comethIn the name of the Lord!"
Words in this poem
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
- 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,]
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
- chalice n.
- A cup or bowl; especially, the cup used in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. [OR. chalis, calice, OF. chalice, calice, F. calice, fr. L. calix, akin to Gr. helmet. Cf. Calice, Calyx.]
- starry a.
- Abounding with stars; adorned with stars.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Chant is in the public domain. This text is taken from Legends and Lyrics. Part 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #2304; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Adelaide Anne Procter, A Chant, in Legends and Lyrics: Second Series (1861), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2304, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/procter-legends-lyrics/a-chant.html, id L21773.
Form and metre
A Chant is 60 lines in 4 stanzas of 15 lines each. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in short measure.
See other poems in short measure.
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 ABCBCDEDDEE-FAF comethA · lifeB · bringsC · strifeB · wingsC · oneD · toldE · oneD · sunD · unfoldE · goldE · him · accordF · comethA · lordF
- 2 ABCBCDEDDEE-FAF comethA · joyB · wingsC · alloyB · bringsC · sweetD · dayE · sweetD · feetD · delayE · stayE · others · storedF · comethA · lordF
- 3 ABCBCDEDDEE-FAF comethA · painB · himC · vainB · himC · stayD · sunE · stayD · dayD · doneE · wonE · chalice · pouredF · comethA · lordF
- 4 ABCBCDEDDEE-FAF comethA · deathB · fearC · breathB · nearC · brightD · steelE · brightD · lightD · feelE · healE · kneeling · swordF · comethA · lordF
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 short measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the Angel that cometh? | 8 | ···/˘·/˘ |
| Life! | 1 | · |
| Let us not question what he brings, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Peace or Strife, | 3 | ··· |
| Under the shade of his mighty wings, | 9 | ······/˘· |
| One by one, | 3 | ··· |
| Are his secrets told; | 5 | ··/˘· |
| One by one, | 3 | ··· |
| Lit by the rays of each morning sun, | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Shall a new flower its petals unfold, | 9 | ···/·/˘˘/ |
| With the mystery hid in its heart of gold. | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| We will arise and go forth to greet him, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Singly, gladly, with one accord;-- | 8 | /˘/˘··˘/ |
| "Blessed is he that cometh | 7 | ·˘···/˘ |
| In the name of the Lord!" | 6 | ······ |
| Who is the Angel that cometh? | 8 | ···/˘·/˘ |
| Joy! | 1 | · |
| Look at his glittering rainbow wings-- | 8 | ···/˘/·· |
| No alloy | 3 | ·/· |
| Lies in the radiant gifts he brings; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Tender and sweet, | 4 | /˘·· |
| He is come to-day, | 5 | ····· |
| Tender and sweet: | 4 | /˘·· |
| While chains of love on his silver feet | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Will hold him in lingering fond delay. | 9 | ····/˘·˘/ |
| But greet him quickly, he will not stay, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Soon he will leave us; but though for others | 10 | ········/˘ |
| All his brightest treasures are stored;-- | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
| "Blessed is he that cometh | 7 | ·˘···/˘ |
| In the name of the Lord!" | 6 | ······ |
| Who is the Angel that cometh? | 8 | ···/˘·/˘ |
| Pain! | 1 | · |
| Let us arise and go forth to greet him; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Not in vain | 3 | ··· |
| Is the summons come for us to meet him; | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| He will stay, | 3 | ··· |
| And darken our sun; | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| He will stay | 3 | ··· |
| A desolate night, a weary day. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Since in that shadow our work is done, | 9 | ···/·/··· |
| And in that shadow our crowns are won, | 9 | ···/·/··· |
| Let us say still, while his bitter chalice | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| Slowly into our hearts is poured,-- | 8 | /˘··/··· |
| "Blessed is he that cometh | 7 | ·˘···/˘ |
| In the name of the Lord!" | 6 | ······ |
| Who is the Angel that cometh? | 8 | ···/˘·/˘ |
| Death! | 1 | · |
| But do not shudder and do not fear; | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Hold your breath, | 3 | ··· |
| For a kingly presence is drawing near. | 10 | ··/˘/˘·/˘· |
| Cold and bright | 3 | ··· |
| Is his flashing steel, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Cold and bright | 3 | ··· |
| The smile that comes like a starry light | 9 | ······/˘· |
| To calm the terror and grief we feel; | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| He comes to help and to save and heal: | 9 | ········· |
| Then let us, baring our hearts and kneeling, | 10 | ···/˘/··/˘ |
| Sing, while we wait this Angel's sword,-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "Blessed is he that cometh | 7 | ·˘···/˘ |
| In the name of the Lord!" | 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.