Chapter IX: Story on the Dependence of Children
I still recollect that in childhood I went,One 'Eed, with my father, on sight-seeing bent.My attention was fixed on the people who played ;And, because of the crowd, from my father I strayed.I uttered a cry, full of terror and fear,When my father immediately tugged at my ear ;Saying, " Oh, forward child! I oft told you, you know,That your hand from my skirt, you were not to let go!"A babe does not know how to travel alone,For 'tis difficult walking a pathway unknown.In your efforts, you, too, are a child of the road ;Go, and seize on the skirts of the people of God!Do not sit and converse with a man who is mean !If you do, of all dignity wash your hands clean !To pious men's saddle-straps cling with your hands!For a saint's not ashamed who soliciting stands.A disciple's less strong than a child of few years ;The teacher as strong as a rampart, appears.Take a lesson in walking from that infant small,Who when trying to walk, seeks the aid of a wall!He who sat in the circle of men who are chaste,Free from profligates' fetters, enjoyed Freedom's taste.If you have a requirement, this circle embrace !For the sultan has no other way to get grace.Like Sadi, go out ! and a gleaner become !That you may, of the harvest of knowledge, glean some.
Words in this poem
- recollect v. t.
- To recover or recall the knowledge of; to bring back to the mind or memory; to remember. [Pref. re- + collect: cf. L. recolligere, recollectum, to collect. Cf. Recollet.]
- childhood n.
- The state of being a child; the time in which persons are children; the condition or time from infancy to puberty. [AS. cildhad; cild child + -had. See Child, and hood.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- babe n.
- An infant; a young child of either sex; a baby. [Cf. Ir. bab, baban, W. baban, maban.]
- pathway n.
- A footpath; a beaten track; any path or course. Also used figuratively.
- requirement n.
- The act of requiring; demand; requisition.
- gleaner n.
- One who gathers after reapers.
- glean n.
- Cleaning; afterbirth. Holland.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Chapter IX: Story on the Dependence of Children is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Garden of Fragrance: being a complete translation of the Bostan of Sadi from the original Persian into English verse, by G. S. Davie (London: Kegan Paul, Trench and Co., 1882), Internet Archive, the G. S. Davie translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Saadi, Chapter IX: Story on the Dependence of Children, in The Garden of Fragrance (1882), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/saadi-bostan/9-18.html, id L29752.
Form and metre
Chapter IX: Story on the Dependence of Children is 26 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%).
See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in anapaestic 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 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMM wentA · bentA · playedB · strayedB · fearC · earC · knowD · goD · aloneE · unknownE · roadF · godF · meanG · cleanG · handsH · standsH · yearsI · appearsI · smallJ · wallJ · chasteK · tasteK · embraceL · graceL · becomeM · someM
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 anapaestic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I still recollect that in childhood I went, | 11 | ···˘/··/··· |
| One 'Eed, with my father, on sight-seeing bent. | 11 | ····/˘··/˘· |
| My attention was fixed on the people who played ; | 12 | ·˘/˘····/˘·· |
| And, because of the crowd, from my father I strayed. | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| I uttered a cry, full of terror and fear, | 12 | ·/˘˘····/˘·· |
| When my father immediately tugged at my ear ; | 12 | ··/˘˘/˘˘···· |
| Saying, " Oh, forward child! I oft told you, you know, | 12 | /˘·/˘······· |
| That your hand from my skirt, you were not to let go!" | 12 | ············ |
| A babe does not know how to travel alone, | 11 | ·······/˘˘/ |
| For 'tis difficult walking a pathway unknown. | 12 | ··/˘˘/˘·/·˘/ |
| In your efforts, you, too, are a child of the road ; | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| Go, and seize on the skirts of the people of God! | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| Do not sit and converse with a man who is mean ! | 12 | ····/˘······ |
| If you do, of all dignity wash your hands clean ! | 12 | ·····/˘˘···· |
| To pious men's saddle-straps cling with your hands! | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| For a saint's not ashamed who soliciting stands. | 12 | ····˘/·˘/˘˘· |
| A disciple's less strong than a child of few years ; | 12 | ·˘/˘········ |
| The teacher as strong as a rampart, appears. | 11 | ·/˘····/˘˘/ |
| Take a lesson in walking from that infant small, | 12 | ··/˘·/˘··/˘· |
| Who when trying to walk, seeks the aid of a wall! | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| He who sat in the circle of men who are chaste, | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| Free from profligates' fetters, enjoyed Freedom's taste. | 12 | ·····/˘˘//˘· |
| If you have a requirement, this circle embrace ! | 12 | ····˘/˘·/˘˘/ |
| For the sultan has no other way to get grace. | 12 | ··/˘··/˘···· |
| Like Sadi, go out ! and a gleaner become ! | 11 | ·······/˘˘/ |
| That you may, of the harvest of knowledge, glean some. | 12 | ·····/˘·/˘·· |
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.