Fragments IV
What is Success? Out of the endless oreOf deep desire to coin the utmost goldOf passionate memory; to have lived so wellThat the fifth moon, when it swims up once moreThrough orchard boughs where mating orioles buildAnd apple flowers unfold,Find not of that dear need that all things tellThe heart unburdened nor the arms unfilled.
O Love, whereof my boyhood was the dream,My youth the beautiful novitiate,Life was so slight a thing and thou so great,How could I make thee less than all-supreme!In thy sweet transports not alone I thoughtMingled the twain that panted breast to breast.The sun and stars throbbed with them; they were caughtInto the pulse of Nature and possessedBy the same light that consecrates it so.Love!--'tis the payment of the debt we oweThe beauty of the world, and whensoe'erIn silks and perfume and unloosened hairThe loveliness of lovers, face to face,Lies folded in the adorable embrace,Doubt not as of a perfect sacrificeThat soul partakes whose inspiration fillsThe springtime and the depth of summer skies,The rainbow and the clouds behind the hills,That excellence in earth and air and seaThat makes things as they are the real divinity.
Words in this poem
- whereof adv.
- Of which; of whom; formerly, also, with which; -- used relatively.
- boyhood n.
- The state of being a boy; the time during which one is a boy. [Boy + -hood.]
- novitiate n.
- The state of being a novice; time of initiation or instruction in rudiments. [LL. novitiatus: cf. F. noviciat.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- loveliness n.
- The state or quality of being lovely. [From Lovely.]
- adorable a.
- Deserving to be adored; worthy of divine honors. [L. adorabilis, fr. adorare: cf. F. adorable.]
- springtime n.
- The season of spring; springtide.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Fragments IV is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #617; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Alan Seeger, Fragments IV, in Poems (1916), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #617, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/seeger-poems/fragments-iv.html, id L26285.
Form and metre
Fragments IV is 28 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%).
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 ABCADBCD oreA · goldB · wellC · moreA · buildD · unfoldB · tellC · unfilledD
- 2 ABBACDCDEE--FF-G-G-- dreamA · novitiateB · greatB · supremeA · thoughtC · breastD · caughtC · possessedD · soE · oweE · whensoe'er · hair · faceF · embraceF · sacrifice · fillsG · skies · hillsG · sea · divinity
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 |
|---|---|---|
| What is Success? Out of the endless ore | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Of deep desire to coin the utmost gold | 10 | ··˘/···/·· |
| Of passionate memory; to have lived so well | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| That the fifth moon, when it swims up once more | 10 | ·········· |
| Through orchard boughs where mating orioles build | 11 | ·/˘··/˘/˘·· |
| And apple flowers unfold, | 7 | ·/˘/˘˘/ |
| Find not of that dear need that all things tell | 10 | ·········· |
| The heart unburdened nor the arms unfilled. | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| O Love, whereof my boyhood was the dream, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| My youth the beautiful novitiate, | 10 | ···/˘˘˘/˘˘ |
| Life was so slight a thing and thou so great, | 10 | ·········· |
| How could I make thee less than all-supreme! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| In thy sweet transports not alone I thought | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Mingled the twain that panted breast to breast. | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| The sun and stars throbbed with them; they were caught | 10 | ·········· |
| Into the pulse of Nature and possessed | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| By the same light that consecrates it so. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Love!--'tis the payment of the debt we owe | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The beauty of the world, and whensoe'er | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| In silks and perfume and unloosened hair | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| The loveliness of lovers, face to face, | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| Lies folded in the adorable embrace, | 10 | ·/˘··˘/˘˘/ |
| Doubt not as of a perfect sacrifice | 10 | ·····/·/˘· |
| That soul partakes whose inspiration fills | 10 | ··˘/··˘/˘· |
| The springtime and the depth of summer skies, | 10 | ·/·····/˘· |
| The rainbow and the clouds behind the hills, | 10 | ·/········ |
| That excellence in earth and air and sea | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| That makes things as they are the real divinity. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
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