Book III: , Ode the Nineteenth
The number of the vanish'd yearsThat mark each famous Grecian reign,This night, my Telephus, appearsThy solemn pleasure to explain;
Or else assiduously to dwell,In conscious eloquence elate,On those who conquer'd, those who fellAt sacred Troy's devoted gate.
But at what price the cask, so rare,Of luscious chian may be ours,Who shall the tepid baths prepare,And who shall strew the blooming flowers;
Beneath what roof we next salute,And when shall smile these gloomy skies,Thy wondrous eloquence is mute,Nor here may graver topics rise.--
Fill a bright bumper,--to the Moon!She's new!--auspicious be her birth!One to the Midnight!--'t is our noonOf jocund thought, and festal mirth!
And one to him, for whom the feastsThis night are held with poignant gust,MURENA, whom his Rome investsWith solemn honors, sacred trust!
Kind omens shall his voice convey,That may each rising care beguile;Propitious fled the Birds to-day?Will Love be ours, and Fortune smile?--
Arrange the cups of various size,The least containing bumpers three,And nine the rest.--Come, no disguise!Nor yet constraint, the choice is free!
All but the BARD's--the bowl of nineHe is, in duty, bound to fill;The Muses number to declineWere treason at Aonia's hill.
For here the Sisters shall preside,So they allow us leave to laugh;Unzon'd the Graces round us glide,While we the liquid ruby quaff.
Yet they, in kind and guardian care,Dreading left wild inebriate gleeWith broils disturb our light career,Would stint us to their number, three.
Away ye Prudes!--the caution wiseBecomes not this convivial hour,That every dull restraint defies,And laughs at all their frigid power.--
Thou say'st I rave;--and true thou say'st,Nor must thou check the flowing vein,For sprightly nonsense suits him bestWhom grave reflection leads to pain.
Why mute the pipe's enlivening note?Why sleeps the charming lyre so long?O! let their strains around us float,Mix'd with the sweet and jocund song!
And lavish be the roses strewn!Ye flutes, ye lyres, exulting breathe!The festal Hour disdains to ownThe mournful note, the niggard wreath.
Old Lycon, with the venal Fair,Who courts yet hates his vile embrace,Our lively strains shall muttering hear,While Envy pales each sullen face:
THOU, with thy dark luxuriant hair,Thou, Telephus, as Hesper bright,Thou art accomplish'd Chloe's care,Whose glance is Love's delicious light.
Thy utmost wish the Fair-One crowns,And thy calm'd heart may well pursueThe paths of knowledge;--Lyce frowns,And I, distasteful, shun their view.
From themes, that wake the powers of mind,The wounded Spirit sick'ning turns;To those be then this hour consign'd,That Mirth approves, tho' Wisdom spurns.
They shall disarm my Lyce's frown,The frolic jest, the lively strain,In flowing bowls, shall gaily drownThe memory of her cold disdain.
“Destroy all creatures for thy sport and gust;Then cry, If Man's unhappy God's unjust.” ESSAY ON MAN.
Words in this poem 22
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- elate a.
- Lifted up; raised; elevated. [L. elatus elevated, fig., elated, proud (the figure, perh., being borrowed from a prancing horse); e out + latus (used as p. p. of ferre to bear), for tlatus, a]
- luscious a.
- Sweet; delicious; very grateful to the taste; toothsome; excessively sweet or rich. [Prob. for lustious, fr. lusty, or perh. a corruption of luxurious. Cf. Lush, Lusty.]
- chian a.
- Of or pertaining to Chios, an island in the Ægean Sea. Chian earth, a dense, compact kind of earth, from Chios, used anciently as an astringent and a cosmetic.
- 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,]
- wondrous adv.
- In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
- graver n.
- One who graves; an engraver or a sculptor; one whose occupation is te cut letters or figures in stone or other hard material.
- bumper n.
- A cup or glass filled to the brim, or till the liquor runs over, particularly in drinking a health or toast. [A corruption of bumbard, bombard, a large drinking vessel.]
- jocund
- Merry; cheerful; gay; airy; lively; sportive. [L. jocundus, jucundus, orig., helpful, fr. juvare to help. See Aid.]
- festal a.
- Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive. [L. festum holiday, feast. See feast.]
- poignant a.
- Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.]
- quaff v. t.
- To drink with relish; to drink copiously of; to swallow in large draughts. [For quach, fr. Gael. & Ir. cuach a drinking cup; cf. L. caucus a drinking vessel. Cf. Quaigh.]
- inebriate v. i.
- To become drunk.
- glee n.
- Music; minstrelsy; entertainment.
- career n.
- A race course: the ground run over. [F. carrière race course, high road, street, fr. L. carrus wagon. See Car.]
- exulting a.
- Rejoicing triumphantly or exceedingly; exultant.
- sullen a.
- Lonely; solitary; desolate. Wyclif (Job iii. 14). [OE. solein, solain, lonely, sullen; through Old French fr. (assumed) LL. solanus solitary, fr. L. solus alone. See Sole, a.]
- hesper n.
- The evening; Hesperus. [See Hesperian.]
- distasteful a.
- Unpleasant or disgusting to the taste; nauseous; loathsome.
- disarm v. t.
- To deprive of arms; to take away the weapons of; to deprive of the means of attack or defense; to render defenseless. [OE. desarmen, F. désarmer; pref. dés- (L. dis-) + armer to arm. See Arm.]
- jest n.
- A deed; an action; a gest. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perfor]
- gaily adv.
- Merrily; showily. See gaily. [From Gay.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book III: , Ode the Nineteenth is in the public domain. This text is taken from Original sonnets on various subjects; and odes paraphrased from Horace, Project Gutenberg ebook #27663; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Anna Seward, Book III: , Ode the Nineteenth, in Original Sonnets on Various Subjects (1799), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #27663, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/seward-sonnets/book-iii-ode-the-nineteenth.html, id L09840.
Form and metre
Book III: , Ode the Nineteenth is 82 lines in 21 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 18 of its 21 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.3 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 17% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic 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 ABAB yearsA · reignB · appearsA · explainB
- 2 ABAB dwellA · elateB · fellA · gateB
- 3 ABAB rareA · oursB · prepareA · flowersB
- 4 ABAB saluteA · skiesB · muteA · riseB
- 5 ABAB moonA · birthB · noonA · mirthB
- 6 -A-A feasts · gustA · invests · trustA
- 7 ABAB conveyA · beguileB · dayA · smileB
- 8 ABAB sizeA · threeB · disguiseA · freeB
- 9 ABAB nineA · fillB · declineA · hillB
- 10 ABAB presideA · laughB · glideA · quaffB
- 11 ABAB careA · gleeB · careerA · threeB
- 12 ABAB wiseA · hourB · defiesA · powerB
- 13 ABAB say'stA · veinB · bestA · painB
- 14 ABAB noteA · longB · floatA · songB
- 16 ABAB fairA · embraceB · hearA · faceB
- 17 ABAB hairA · brightB · careA · lightB
- 18 ABAB crownsA · pursueB · frownsA · viewB
- 19 ABAB mindA · turnsB · consign'dA · spurnsB
- 20 ABAB frownA · strainB · drownA · disdainB
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The number of the vanish'd years | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That mark each famous Grecian reign, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| This night, my Telephus, appears | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Thy solemn pleasure to explain; | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Or else assiduously to dwell, | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| In conscious eloquence elate, | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| On those who conquer'd, those who fell | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| At sacred Troy's devoted gate. | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| But at what price the cask, so rare, | 8 | ········ |
| Of luscious chian may be ours, | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| Who shall the tepid baths prepare, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| And who shall strew the blooming flowers; | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Beneath what roof we next salute, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And when shall smile these gloomy skies, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Thy wondrous eloquence is mute, | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| Nor here may graver topics rise.-- | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Fill a bright bumper,--to the Moon! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| She's new!--auspicious be her birth! | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| One to the Midnight!--'t is our noon | 9 | ···/···/· |
| Of jocund thought, and festal mirth! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And one to him, for whom the feasts | 8 | ········ |
| This night are held with poignant gust, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| MURENA, whom his Rome invests | 8 | ······˘/ |
| With solemn honors, sacred trust! | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| Kind omens shall his voice convey, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| That may each rising care beguile; | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Propitious fled the Birds to-day? | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| Will Love be ours, and Fortune smile?-- | 8 | ···/·/˘· |
| Arrange the cups of various size, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| The least containing bumpers three, | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| And nine the rest.--Come, no disguise! | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Nor yet constraint, the choice is free! | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| All but the BARD's--the bowl of nine | 8 | ········ |
| He is, in duty, bound to fill; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The Muses number to decline | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Were treason at Aonia's hill. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| For here the Sisters shall preside, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| So they allow us leave to laugh; | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Unzon'd the Graces round us glide, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| While we the liquid ruby quaff. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Yet they, in kind and guardian care, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Dreading left wild inebriate glee | 9 | /˘··˘/˘·· |
| With broils disturb our light career, | 8 | ··˘//·˘/ |
| Would stint us to their number, three. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Away ye Prudes!--the caution wise | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Becomes not this convivial hour, | 8 | ˘/··˘/˘/ |
| That every dull restraint defies, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘/ |
| And laughs at all their frigid power.-- | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Thou say'st I rave;--and true thou say'st, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor must thou check the flowing vein, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For sprightly nonsense suits him best | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Whom grave reflection leads to pain. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Why mute the pipe's enlivening note? | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Why sleeps the charming lyre so long? | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| O! let their strains around us float, | 8 | ········ |
| Mix'd with the sweet and jocund song! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And lavish be the roses strewn! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Ye flutes, ye lyres, exulting breathe! | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| The festal Hour disdains to own | 8 | ·/˘/˘/·· |
| The mournful note, the niggard wreath. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Old Lycon, with the venal Fair, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Who courts yet hates his vile embrace, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Our lively strains shall muttering hear, | 8 | //˘··/˘· |
| While Envy pales each sullen face: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| THOU, with thy dark luxuriant hair, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Thou, Telephus, as Hesper bright, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Thou art accomplish'd Chloe's care, | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| Whose glance is Love's delicious light. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Thy utmost wish the Fair-One crowns, | 8 | ·/······ |
| And thy calm'd heart may well pursue | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The paths of knowledge;--Lyce frowns, | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| And I, distasteful, shun their view. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| From themes, that wake the powers of mind, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| The wounded Spirit sick'ning turns; | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| To those be then this hour consign'd, | 8 | ·····/˘/ |
| That Mirth approves, tho' Wisdom spurns. | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| They shall disarm my Lyce's frown, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| The frolic jest, the lively strain, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| In flowing bowls, shall gaily drown | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The memory of her cold disdain. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| “Destroy all creatures for thy sport and gust; | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| Then cry, If Man's unhappy God's unjust.” ESSAY ON MAN. | 14 | ····˘/˘·˘/˘/·· |
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