Ambition
I must no longer now admireThe coldness which possess'dThy snowy breast,That can by other flames be set on fire;Poor Love, to harsh Disdain betray'd,Is by Ambition thus outweigh'd.
Hadst thou but known the vast extentOf constant faith, how far'Bove all that areBorn slaves to wealth, or honours' vain ascent;No richer treasure couldst thou findThan hearts with mutual chains combin'd.
But Love is too despis'd a name,And must not hope to riseAbove these ties.Honours[52:2] and wealth outshine his paler flame!These unite souls, whilst true desireUnpitied dies in its own fire.
Yet, cruel fair one, I did aimWith no less justice too,Than those that sueFor other hopes, and thy proud fortunes claim.Wealth honours, honours wealth, approve;But Beauty's only meant for Love.
Words in this poem
- admire v. t.
- To regard with wonder or astonishment; to view with surprise; to marvel at. [F. admirer, fr. L. admirari; ad + mirari to wonder, for smirari, akin to Gr. smi, and E. smile.]
- snowy a.
- White like snow.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- outshine v. i.
- To shine forth.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ambition is in the public domain. This text is taken from Thomas Stanley: His Original Lyrics, Complete, In Their Collated Readings of 1647, 1651, 1657. With an Introduction, Textual Notes, a List of Editions, an Appendix of Translations, and a Portrait., Project Gutenberg ebook #32986; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Thomas Stanley, Ambition, in Original Lyrics (1651), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #32986, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/stanley-lyrics/ambition.html, id L08985.
Form and metre
Ambition is 24 lines in 4 stanzas of 6 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABBACC. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.4 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 42% 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 ABBACC admireA · possess'dB · breastB · fireA · betray'dC · outweigh'dC
- 2 ABBACC extentA · farB · areB · ascentA · findC · combin'dC
- 3 ABBACC nameA · riseB · tiesB · flameA · desireC · fireC
- 4 ABBACC aimA · tooB · sueB · claimA · approveC · loveC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I must no longer now admire | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| The coldness which possess'd | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Thy snowy breast, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| That can by other flames be set on fire; | 10 | ···/˘····/ |
| Poor Love, to harsh Disdain betray'd, | 8 | ····˘/˘/ |
| Is by Ambition thus outweigh'd. | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| Hadst thou but known the vast extent | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Of constant faith, how far | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| 'Bove all that are | 4 | ···· |
| Born slaves to wealth, or honours' vain ascent; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| No richer treasure couldst thou find | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Than hearts with mutual chains combin'd. | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| But Love is too despis'd a name, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| And must not hope to rise | 6 | ······ |
| Above these ties. | 4 | ···· |
| Honours[52:2] and wealth outshine his paler flame! | 10 | /˘··/····· |
| These unite souls, whilst true desire | 9 | ·/····˘/˘ |
| Unpitied dies in its own fire. | 9 | ˘/˘····/˘ |
| Yet, cruel fair one, I did aim | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| With no less justice too, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Than those that sue | 4 | ···· |
| For other hopes, and thy proud fortunes claim. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Wealth honours, honours wealth, approve; | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| But Beauty's only meant for Love. | 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.