Sonnet XXX
Dim grows the vital flame in his dear breastFrom whom my life I drew;--and thrice has SpringBloom'd; and fierce Winter thrice, on darken'd wing,Howl'd o'er the grey, waste fields, since he possess'dOr strength of frame, or intellect.----Now bringNor Morn, nor Eve, his cheerful steps, that press'dThy pavement, LICHFIELD, in the spirit bless'dOf social gladness. They have fail'd, and clingFeebly to the fix'd chair, no more to riseElastic!--Ah! my heart forebodes that soonThe FULL OF DAYS shall sleep;--nor Spring's soft sighs,Nor Winter's blast awaken him!--BegunThe twilight!--Night is long!--but o'er his eyesLife-weary slumbers weigh the pale lids down!
Words in this poem
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- 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,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sonnet XXX 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, Sonnet XXX, in Original Sonnets on Various Subjects (1799), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #27663, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/seward-sonnets/sonnet-xxx.html, id L20484.
Form and metre
Sonnet XXX is 14 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABABCDCDEFEFGG, the pattern of the English sonnet. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%).
See other English sonnets, 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 ABABCDCDEFEFGG breastA · springB · wingA · possess'dB · bringC · press'dD · bless'dC · clingD · riseE · soonF · sighsE · begunF · eyesG · downG
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dim grows the vital flame in his dear breast | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| From whom my life I drew;--and thrice has Spring | 10 | ·········· |
| Bloom'd; and fierce Winter thrice, on darken'd wing, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Howl'd o'er the grey, waste fields, since he possess'd | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Or strength of frame, or intellect.----Now bring | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Nor Morn, nor Eve, his cheerful steps, that press'd | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Thy pavement, LICHFIELD, in the spirit bless'd | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Of social gladness. They have fail'd, and cling | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Feebly to the fix'd chair, no more to rise | 10 | /˘········ |
| Elastic!--Ah! my heart forebodes that soon | 10 | ˘/˘···˘/·· |
| The FULL OF DAYS shall sleep;--nor Spring's soft sighs, | 10 | ·········· |
| Nor Winter's blast awaken him!--Begun | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘·˘/ |
| The twilight!--Night is long!--but o'er his eyes | 10 | ·/········ |
| Life-weary slumbers weigh the pale lids down! | 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.