Written the Night Preceding the Funeral of Mrs. Charles Buckeridge
In the chill silence of the winter eve,Thro' Lichfield's darken'd streets I bend my wayBy that sad mansion, where NERINA's ClayAwaits the MORNING KNELL;--and awed perceive,In the late bridal chamber, the clear rayOf numerous lights; while o'er the ceiling strayShadows of those who frequent pass beneathRound the PALE DEAD.--What sounds my senses grieve!For now the busy hammer's stroke appals,That, “in dread note of preparation,” falls,Closing the sable lid!--With sighs I bearThese solemn warnings from the House of Woes;Pondering how late, for young NERINA, there,Joyous, the Love-illumin'd Morn arose.
Words in this poem
- mansion n.
- A dwelling place, -- whether a part or whole of a house or other shelter. [OF. mansion, F. maison, fr. L. mansio a staying, remaining, a dwelling, habitation, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell; akin to Gr. Manse, Manor, Menagerie, Men]
- 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.]
- 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.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Written the Night Preceding the Funeral of Mrs. Charles Buckeridge 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, Written the Night Preceding the Funeral of Mrs. Charles Buckeridge, in Original Sonnets on Various Subjects (1799), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #27663, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/seward-sonnets/written-the-night-preceding-the-funeral-of-mrs-charles-bucke.html, id L09801.
Form and metre
Written the Night Preceding the Funeral of Mrs. Charles Buckeridge 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 88%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 43% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 eveA · wayB · clayA · perceiveB · rayC · strayD · beneathC · grieveD · appalsE · fallsF · bearE · woesF · thereG · aroseG
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 |
|---|---|---|
| In the chill silence of the winter eve, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Thro' Lichfield's darken'd streets I bend my way | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| By that sad mansion, where NERINA's Clay | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Awaits the MORNING KNELL;--and awed perceive, | 10 | ˘/·/˘···˘/ |
| In the late bridal chamber, the clear ray | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Of numerous lights; while o'er the ceiling stray | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Shadows of those who frequent pass beneath | 10 | /····/˘··· |
| Round the PALE DEAD.--What sounds my senses grieve! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| For now the busy hammer's stroke appals, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| That, “in dread note of preparation,” falls, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Closing the sable lid!--With sighs I bear | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| These solemn warnings from the House of Woes; | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Pondering how late, for young NERINA, there, | 10 | /˘········ |
| Joyous, the Love-illumin'd Morn arose. | 10 | /˘··˘/˘·˘/ |
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