Collected Fkom the Original Publications in Which They Appeared I

Edmund Spenser (c. 1552–1599) · 1595

iambic pentameter · 17 lines · from Amoretti and Epithalamion, and Other Poems

To the right worshipfull, my singular good frend, M. Gabriell Harvey,Doctor of the Lawes.

Harvey, the happy above happiest menI read**; that, sitting like a looker-onOf this worldes stage, doest note with critique penThe sharpe dislikes of each condition:And, as one carelesse of suspition,Ne fawnest for the favour of the great,Ne fearest foolish reprehensionOf faulty men, which daunger to thee threat:But freely doest of what thee list entreat,@Like a great lord of peerelesse liberty,Lifting the good up to high Honours seat,And the evill damning evermore to dy:For life and death is in thy doomeful writing;So thy renowme lives ever by endighting.Your devoted friend, during life,

Words in this poem

worshipfull a.
Entitled to worship, reverence, or high respect; claiming respect; worthy of honor; -- often used as a term of respect, sometimes ironically.
singular a.
Separate or apart from others; single; distinct. [OE. singuler, F. singulier, fr. L. singularius, singularis, fr. singulus single. See Single, a.]
critique v. t.
To criticise or pass judgment upon. [Cf. Critic, v.]
favour n.
Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
entreat v. t.
To treat, or conduct toward; to deal with; to use. [OE. entreten to treat, request, OF. entraiter to treat of; pref. en- (L. in) + traitier to treat. See Treat.]
damning a.
That damns; damnable; as, damning evidence of guilt.
evermore adv.
During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Collected Fkom the Original Publications in Which They Appeared I is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser, Volume 5, Project Gutenberg ebook #10602; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Edmund Spenser, Collected Fkom the Original Publications in Which They Appeared I, in Amoretti and Epithalamion, and Other Poems (1595), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #10602, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/spenser-amoretti/collected-fkom-the-original-publications-in-which-they-appea.html, id L23789.

Form and metre

Collected Fkom the Original Publications in Which They Appeared I is 17 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%).

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. 2 ABABBCBCC-C-DD- menA · onB · penA · conditionB · suspitionB · greatC · reprehensionB · threatC · entreat,@C · liberty · seatC · dy · writingD · endightingD · life
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.

LineSyl.Stress
To the right worshipfull, my singular good frend, M. Gabriell Harvey,15···/˘·/˘···/˘/˘
Doctor of the Lawes.5/˘···
Harvey, the happy above happiest men10/˘·/˘··/˘·
I read**; that, sitting like a looker-on10···/˘··/˘·
Of this worldes stage, doest note with critique pen10·······˘/·
The sharpe dislikes of each condition:9··˘/··˘/˘
And, as one carelesse of suspition,10··········
Ne fawnest for the favour of the great,10·/˘··/˘···
Ne fearest foolish reprehension9·/˘/˘····
Of faulty men, which daunger to thee threat:10·/˘·······
But freely doest of what thee list entreat,@10·/˘·····˘/
Like a great lord of peerelesse liberty,11········/˘˘
Lifting the good up to high Honours seat,10/˘·····/˘·
And the evill damning evermore to dy:11··/˘/˘/˘···
For life and death is in thy doomeful writing;12··········/˘
So thy renowme lives ever by endighting.10··˘/·/····
Your devoted friend, during life,8·˘/˘·/˘·

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.

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