The Child of Destiny
This is the hero-heart of the enchanted isle,Whom now the twilight children tenderly enfold,Pat with their pearly palms and crown with elfin gold,While in the mountain's breast his brothers watch and smile.Who now of Dana's host may guide these dancing feet?What bright immortal hides and through a child's light breathLaughs an immortal joy--Angus of love and deathReturned to make our hearts with dream and music beat?Or Lugh leaves heavenly wars to free his ancient land;Not on the fiery steed maned with tumultuous flameAs in the Fomor days the sunbright chieftain came,But in this dreaming boy, more subtle conquest planned.Or does the Mother brood some deed of sacrifice?Her heart in his laid bare to hosts of wounding spears,Till love immortal melt the cruel eyes to tears,Or on his brow be set the heroes' thorny prize.See! as some shadows of a darker race draw near,How he compels their feet, with what a proud command!What is it waves and gleams? Is that a Silver HandWhose light through delicate lifted fingers shines so clear?Night like a glowing seraph o'er the kingly boyWatches with ardent eyes from his own ancient home;And far away, rocking in living foamThe three great waves leap up exulting in their joy,Remembering the past, the immemorial deedsThe Danaan gods had wrought in guise of mortal men,Their elemental hearts madden with life again,And shaking foamy heads toss the great ocean steeds.
Words in this poem
- enchanted a.
- Under the power of enchantment; possessed or exercised by enchanters; as, an enchanted castle.
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- tenderly adv.
- In a tender manner; with tenderness; mildly; gently; softly; in a manner not to injure or give pain; with pity or affection; kindly.
- enfold v. t.
- To infold. See Infold.
- elfin a.
- Relating to elves.
- steed n.
- A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
- maned a.
- Having a mane. Maned seal (Zoöl.), the sea lion.
- exulting a.
- Rejoicing triumphantly or exceedingly; exultant.
- immemorial a.
- Extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition; indefinitely ancient; as, existing from time immemorial. [Pref. im- not + memorial: cf. F. immémorial.]
- madden v. t.
- To make mad; to drive to madness; to craze; to excite violently with passion; to make very angry; to enrage.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Child of Destiny is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Divine Vision, and Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #36913; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: George William Russell, The Child of Destiny, in The Divine Vision and Other Poems (1904), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #36913, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/russell-divine-vision/the-child-of-destiny.html, id L11566.
Form and metre
The Child of Destiny is 28 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 50% of the lines. The metre is iambic hexameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 11.8 syllables. 25% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in iambic hexameter.
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 ABBACDDCEFFE-GG-HEEHIJJIKLLK isleA · enfoldB · goldB · smileA · feetC · breathD · deathD · beatC · landE · flameF · cameF · plannedE · sacrifice · spearsG · tearsG · prize · nearH · commandE · handE · clearH · boyI · homeJ · foamJ · joyI · deedsK · menL · againL · steedsK
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 hexameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| This is the hero-heart of the enchanted isle, | 12 | ···/˘···˘/˘· |
| Whom now the twilight children tenderly enfold, | 11 | ···/·/˘/˘˘/ |
| Pat with their pearly palms and crown with elfin gold, | 12 | ···/˘····/˘· |
| While in the mountain's breast his brothers watch and smile. | 12 | ···/˘··/˘··· |
| Who now of Dana's host may guide these dancing feet? | 12 | ···/˘····/˘· |
| What bright immortal hides and through a child's light breath | 12 | ··˘/˘······· |
| Laughs an immortal joy--Angus of love and death | 12 | ··˘/˘·/˘···· |
| Returned to make our hearts with dream and music beat? | 12 | ˘/··/····/˘· |
| Or Lugh leaves heavenly wars to free his ancient land; | 12 | ···/˘····/˘· |
| Not on the fiery steed maned with tumultuous flame | 12 | ···/˘····/˘· |
| As in the Fomor days the sunbright chieftain came, | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| But in this dreaming boy, more subtle conquest planned. | 12 | ···/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Or does the Mother brood some deed of sacrifice? | 12 | ···/˘····/˘· |
| Her heart in his laid bare to hosts of wounding spears, | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| Till love immortal melt the cruel eyes to tears, | 11 | ··˘/˘··/··· |
| Or on his brow be set the heroes' thorny prize. | 12 | ·······/˘/˘· |
| See! as some shadows of a darker race draw near, | 12 | ···/···/˘··· |
| How he compels their feet, with what a proud command! | 12 | ··˘/······˘/ |
| What is it waves and gleams? Is that a Silver Hand | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| Whose light through delicate lifted fingers shines so clear? | 12 | ···/˘/˘/˘··· |
| Night like a glowing seraph o'er the kingly boy | 12 | ···/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Watches with ardent eyes from his own ancient home; | 12 | /˘·/˘····/˘· |
| And far away, rocking in living foam | 10 | ··˘//˘·/˘· |
| The three great waves leap up exulting in their joy, | 12 | ······˘/˘··· |
| Remembering the past, the immemorial deeds | 11 | ˘/˘····˘/˘· |
| The Danaan gods had wrought in guise of mortal men, | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| Their elemental hearts madden with life again, | 12 | ··˘/˘·/˘··˘/ |
| And shaking foamy heads toss the great ocean steeds. | 11 | ·/˘/˘····/· |
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.