Avila
Again my feet are on the fragrant moorAmid the purple uplands of Castile,Realm proudly desolate and nobly poor,Scorched by the sky's inexorable zeal.
Wide desert where a diadem of towersAbove Adaja hems a silent town,And locks, unmindful of the mocking hours,Her twenty temples in a granite crown.
The shafts of fervid light are in the sky,And in my heart the mysteries of yore.Here the sad trophies of my spirit lie:These dead fulfilled my destiny before.
Like huge primeval stones that strew this plain,Their nameless sorrows sink upon my breast,And like this ardent sky their cancelled painSmiles at my grief and quiets my unrest.
For here hath mortal life from age to ageEndured the silent hand that makes and mars,And, sighing, taken up its heritageBeneath the smiling and inhuman stars.
Still o'er this town the crested castle stands,A nest for storks, as once for haughty souls,Still from the abbey, where the vale expands,The curfew for the long departed tolls,
Wafting some ghostly blessing to the heartFrom prayer of nun or silent Capuchin,To heal with balm of Golgotha the smartOf weary labour and distracted sin.
What fate has cast me on a tide of timeCareless of joy and covetous of gold,What force compelled to weave the pensive rhymeWhen loves are mean, and faith and honour old,
When riches crown in vain men's sordid lives,And learning chokes a mind of base degree?What winged spirit rises from their hives?What heart, revolting, ventures to be free?
Their pride will sink and more ignobly fadeWithout memorial of its hectic fire.What altars shall survive them, where they prayed?What lovely deities? What riven lyre?
Tarry not, pilgrim, but with inward gazePass daily, musing, where their prisons are,And o'er the ocean of their babble raiseThy voice in greeting to thy changeless star.
Abroad a tumult, and a ruin here;Nor world nor desert hath a home for thee.Out of the sorrows of the barren yearBuild thou thy dwelling in eternity.
Let patience, faith's wise sister, be thy heaven,And with high thoughts necessity alloy.Love is enough, and love is ever given,While fleeting days bring gift of fleeting joy.
The little pleasures that to catch the sunBubble a moment up from being's deep,The glittering sands of passion as they run,The merry laughter and the happy sleep,--
These are the gems that, like the stars on fire,Encrust with glory all our heaven's zones;Each shining atom, in itself entire,Brightens the galaxy of sister stones,
Dust of a world that crumbled when God's dreamTo throbbing pulses broke the life of things,And mingled with the void the scattered gleamOf many orbs that move in many rings,
Perchance at last into the parent sunTo fall again and reunite their rays,When God awakes and gathers into oneThe light of all his loves and all his days.
Words in this poem 24
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- fervid a.
- Very hot; burning; boiling. [L. fervidus, fr. fervere. See Fervent.]
- yore adv.
- In time long past; in old time; long since. [OE. , yare, , AS. geára;akin to geár a year, E. year. Year.]
- nameless a.
- Without a name; not having been given a name; as, a nameless star.
- unrest n.
- Want of rest or repose; unquietness; sleeplessness; uneasiness; disquietude.
- heritage a.
- That which is inherited, or passes from heir to heir; inheritance. [OE. heritage, eritage, OF. heritage, eritage, F. héritage, fr. hériter to inherit, LL. heriditare. See Hereditable.]
- haughty a.
- High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
- vale n.
- A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
- curfew n.
- The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the inhabitants to cover fires, extinguish lights, and retire to rest, -- instituted by William the Conqueror; also, the bell itself. [OE. courfew, curfu, fr. OF. cuevrefu, covrefeu, F. couvre-feu; covrir to cover + feu fire, fr. L. focus fireplace, hearth. See Cover, and Focus.]
- ghostly a.
- Relating to the soul; not carnal or secular; spiritual; as, a ghostly confessor. [OE. gastlich, gostlich, AS. gastlic. See Ghost.]
- capuchin n.
- A Franciscan monk of the austere branch established in 1526 by Matteo di Baschi, distinguished by wearing the long pointed cowl or capoch of St. Francis. [F. capucin a monk who wears a cowl, fr. It. cappuccio hood. See Capoch.]
- golgotha n.
- Calvary. See the Note under Calvary.
- covetous a.
- Very desirous; eager to obtain; -- used in a good sense. [OF. coveitos, F. convoiteux. See Covet, v. t.]
- 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.]
- sordid a.
- Filthy; foul; dirty. [L. sordidus, fr. sordere to be filthy or dirty; probably akin to E. swart: cf. F. sordide. See Swart, a.]
- revolting a.
- Causing abhorrence mixed with disgust; exciting extreme repugnance; loathsome; as, revolting cruelty.
- ignobly adv.
- In an ignoble manner; basely.
- hectic a.
- Habitual; constitutional; pertaining especially to slow waste of animal tissue, as in consumption; as, a hectic type in disease; a hectic flush. [F. hectique, Gr. sah to overpower, endure; cf. AS. sige, sigor, victory, G. sieg, Goth. sigis. Cf. Scheme.]
- 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,]
- changeless a.
- That can not be changed; constant; as, a changeless purpose.
- encrust v. t.
- To incrust. See Incrust.
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- reunite v. t.
- To unite again; to join after separation or variance.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Avila is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #49721; 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 Santayana, Avila, in Poems (1922), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #49721, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/santayana-poems/avila.html, id L21744.
Form and metre
Avila is 68 lines in 17 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 13 of its 17 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%).
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 A-A- moorA · castile · poorA · zeal
- 2 ABAB towersA · townB · hoursA · crownB
- 3 ABAB skyA · yoreB · lieA · beforeB
- 4 ABAB plainA · breastB · painA · unrestB
- 5 ABAB ageA · marsB · heritageA · starsB
- 6 ABAB standsA · soulsB · expandsA · tollsB
- 7 A-A- heartA · capuchin · smartA · sin
- 8 ABAB timeA · goldB · rhymeA · oldB
- 9 ABAB livesA · degreeB · hivesA · freeB
- 10 ABAB fadeA · fireB · prayedA · lyreB
- 11 ABAB gazeA · areB · raiseA · starB
- 12 A-A- hereA · thee · yearA · eternity
- 13 -A-A heaven · alloyA · given · joyA
- 14 ABAB sunA · deepB · runA · sleepB
- 15 ABAB fireA · zonesB · entireA · stonesB
- 16 ABAB dreamA · thingsB · gleamA · ringsB
- 17 ABAB sunA · raysB · oneA · daysB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Again my feet are on the fragrant moor | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| Amid the purple uplands of Castile, | 11 | ˘/·/˘/˘···· |
| Realm proudly desolate and nobly poor, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Scorched by the sky's inexorable zeal. | 10 | ·····/˘˘˘· |
| Wide desert where a diadem of towers | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Above Adaja hems a silent town, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And locks, unmindful of the mocking hours, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Her twenty temples in a granite crown. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| The shafts of fervid light are in the sky, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And in my heart the mysteries of yore. | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Here the sad trophies of my spirit lie: | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| These dead fulfilled my destiny before. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘˘·· |
| Like huge primeval stones that strew this plain, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Their nameless sorrows sink upon my breast, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| And like this ardent sky their cancelled pain | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Smiles at my grief and quiets my unrest. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| For here hath mortal life from age to age | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Endured the silent hand that makes and mars, | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| And, sighing, taken up its heritage | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Beneath the smiling and inhuman stars. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Still o'er this town the crested castle stands, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| A nest for storks, as once for haughty souls, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Still from the abbey, where the vale expands, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| The curfew for the long departed tolls, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| Wafting some ghostly blessing to the heart | 10 | /˘·/˘/˘··· |
| From prayer of nun or silent Capuchin, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| To heal with balm of Golgotha the smart | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Of weary labour and distracted sin. | 10 | ·/˘/··˘/˘· |
| What fate has cast me on a tide of time | 10 | ·········· |
| Careless of joy and covetous of gold, | 10 | /˘···/˘˘·· |
| What force compelled to weave the pensive rhyme | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| When loves are mean, and faith and honour old, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| When riches crown in vain men's sordid lives, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And learning chokes a mind of base degree? | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| What winged spirit rises from their hives? | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| What heart, revolting, ventures to be free? | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Their pride will sink and more ignobly fade | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Without memorial of its hectic fire. | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘/ |
| What altars shall survive them, where they prayed? | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| What lovely deities? What riven lyre? | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘·/˘· |
| Tarry not, pilgrim, but with inward gaze | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| Pass daily, musing, where their prisons are, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| And o'er the ocean of their babble raise | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Thy voice in greeting to thy changeless star. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Abroad a tumult, and a ruin here; | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| Nor world nor desert hath a home for thee. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Out of the sorrows of the barren year | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Build thou thy dwelling in eternity. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Let patience, faith's wise sister, be thy heaven, | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| And with high thoughts necessity alloy. | 10 | ····˘/˘˘/· |
| Love is enough, and love is ever given, | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| While fleeting days bring gift of fleeting joy. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| The little pleasures that to catch the sun | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Bubble a moment up from being's deep, | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| The glittering sands of passion as they run, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| The merry laughter and the happy sleep,-- | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| These are the gems that, like the stars on fire, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Encrust with glory all our heaven's zones; | 10 | ˘/·/˘·//˘· |
| Each shining atom, in itself entire, | 11 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| Brightens the galaxy of sister stones, | 10 | /˘·/˘˘·/˘· |
| Dust of a world that crumbled when God's dream | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| To throbbing pulses broke the life of things, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| And mingled with the void the scattered gleam | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Of many orbs that move in many rings, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Perchance at last into the parent sun | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| To fall again and reunite their rays, | 10 | ··˘/··˘/·· |
| When God awakes and gathers into one | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| The light of all his loves and all his days. | 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.