October 1796
Conscious the mortal stamp is on thy breast,O, ERSKINE! still an equal mind maintain,That wild Ambition ne'er may goad thy rest,Nor Fortune's smile awake thy triumph vain,
Whether thro' toilsome tho' renowned years'T is thine to trace the Law's perplexing maze,Or win the SACRED SEALS, whose awful caresTo high decrees devote thy honor'd days.
Where silver'd Poplars with the stately PinesMix their thick branches in the summer sky,And the cool stream, whose trembling surface shines,Laboriously oblique, is hurrying by;
There let thy duteous Train the banquet bring,In whose bright cups the liquid ruby flows,As Life's warm season, on expanded wing,Presents her too, too transitory rose;
While every Muse and Grace auspicious wait,As erst thy Handmaids, when, with brow serene,Gay thou didst rove where Buxton views elateA golden Palace deck her savage scene.
At frequent periods woo th' inspiring BandBefore thy days their summer-course have run,While, with clos'd shears, the fatal Sisters stand,Nor aim to cut the brilliant thread they spun.
Precarious Tenant of that gay Retreat,Fann'd by pure gales on Hampstead's airy downs,Where filial troops for thee delighted wait,And their fair Mother's smile thy banquet crowns!
Precarious Tenant!--shortly thou may'st leaveThese, and propitious Fortune's golden hoard;Then spare not thou the stores, that shall receive,When set thy orb, a less illustrious Lord.
What can it then avail thee that thy pleasCharm'd every ear with TULLY's periods bland?Or that the subject Passions they could seize,And with the thunder of the GREEK command?
What can it then avail thee that thy fameThrew tenfold lustre on thy noble Line?Since neither birth, nor self-won glory, claimOne hour's exemption from the sable shrine.
E'en now thy lot shakes in the Urn, whence FateThrows her pale edicts in reverseless doom!Each issues in its turn, or soon, or late,And lo! the great Man's prize!--a SILENT TOMB!
Words in this poem
- maze n.
- A wild fancy; a confused notion. [OE. mase; cf. OE. masen to confuse, puzzle, Norweg. masast to fall into a slumber, masa to be continually busy, prate, chatter, Icel. masa to chatter, dial. Sw.]
- duteous a.
- Fulfilling duty; dutiful; having the sentiments due to a superior, or to one to whom respect or service is owed; obedient; as, a duteous son or daughter. [From Duty.]
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- 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]
- precarious a.
- Depending on the will or pleasure of another; held by courtesy; liable to be changed or lost at the pleasure of another; as, precarious privileges. [L. precarius obtained by begging or prayer, depending on request or on the will of another, fr. precari to pray, beg. See Pray.]
- filial a.
- Of or pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to a child in relation to his parents; as, filial obedience. [L. filialis, fr. filius son, filia daughter; akin to e. female, feminine. Cf. Fitz.]
- delighted a.
- Endowed with delight.
- shortly adv.
- In a short or brief time or manner; soon; quickly. [AS. sceortlice.]
- 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,]
- lustre n.
- A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
- sable n.
- A carnivorous animal of the Weasel family (Mustela zibellina) native of the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and America, -- noted for its fine, soft, and valuable fur. [OF. sable, F. zibeline sable (in sense 4), LL. sabellum; cf. D. sabel, Dan. sabel, zobel, Sw. sabel, sobel, G. zobel; all fr. Russ. sóbole.]
- reverseless a.
- Irreversible. A. SEward.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
October 1796 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, October 1796, in Original Sonnets on Various Subjects (1799), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #27663, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/seward-sonnets/october-1796.html, id L09832.
Form and metre
October 1796 is 44 lines in 11 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 9 of its 11 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 23% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 ABAB breastA · maintainB · restA · vainB
- 2 -A-A years · mazeA · cares · daysA
- 3 ABAB pinesA · skyB · shinesA · byB
- 4 ABAB bringA · flowsB · wingA · roseB
- 5 ABAB waitA · sereneB · elateA · sceneB
- 6 ABAB bandA · runB · standA · spunB
- 7 -A-A retreat · downsA · wait · crownsA
- 8 ABAB leaveA · hoardB · receiveA · lordB
- 9 ABAB pleasA · blandB · seizeA · commandB
- 10 ABAB fameA · lineB · claimA · shrineB
- 11 ABAB fateA · doomB · lateA · tombB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Conscious the mortal stamp is on thy breast, | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| O, ERSKINE! still an equal mind maintain, | 10 | ·/···/˘·˘/ |
| That wild Ambition ne'er may goad thy rest, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Nor Fortune's smile awake thy triumph vain, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| Whether thro' toilsome tho' renowned years | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| 'T is thine to trace the Law's perplexing maze, | 11 | ·······˘/˘· |
| Or win the SACRED SEALS, whose awful cares | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To high decrees devote thy honor'd days. | 10 | ··˘/˘/·/˘· |
| Where silver'd Poplars with the stately Pines | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Mix their thick branches in the summer sky, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And the cool stream, whose trembling surface shines, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Laboriously oblique, is hurrying by; | 10 | ˘/˘˘/·/˘˘· |
| There let thy duteous Train the banquet bring, | 11 | ···/˘˘··/˘· |
| In whose bright cups the liquid ruby flows, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| As Life's warm season, on expanded wing, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Presents her too, too transitory rose; | 10 | ˘/···/˘·˘· |
| While every Muse and Grace auspicious wait, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| As erst thy Handmaids, when, with brow serene, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Gay thou didst rove where Buxton views elate | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| A golden Palace deck her savage scene. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| At frequent periods woo th' inspiring Band | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| Before thy days their summer-course have run, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| While, with clos'd shears, the fatal Sisters stand, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Nor aim to cut the brilliant thread they spun. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Precarious Tenant of that gay Retreat, | 10 | ˘/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Fann'd by pure gales on Hampstead's airy downs, | 10 | ·····/·/˘· |
| Where filial troops for thee delighted wait, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| And their fair Mother's smile thy banquet crowns! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Precarious Tenant!--shortly thou may'st leave | 10 | ˘/˘/˘/˘··· |
| These, and propitious Fortune's golden hoard; | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| Then spare not thou the stores, that shall receive, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| When set thy orb, a less illustrious Lord. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| What can it then avail thee that thy pleas | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Charm'd every ear with TULLY's periods bland? | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Or that the subject Passions they could seize, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| And with the thunder of the GREEK command? | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| What can it then avail thee that thy fame | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Threw tenfold lustre on thy noble Line? | 10 | ·/·/˘··/˘· |
| Since neither birth, nor self-won glory, claim | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| One hour's exemption from the sable shrine. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| E'en now thy lot shakes in the Urn, whence Fate | 10 | ·········· |
| Throws her pale edicts in reverseless doom! | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Each issues in its turn, or soon, or late, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And lo! the great Man's prize!--a SILENT TOMB! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
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