Song
I languish in a silent flame:For she to whom my vows inclineDoth own perfections so divine,That but to speak were to disclose her name.If I should say that she the storeOf Nature's graces doth comprise,(The love and wonder of all eyes,)Who will not guess the Beauty I adore?
Or though I warily concealThe charms her looks and soul possess,Should I her cruelty express,And say she smiles at all the pains we feel,Among such suppliants as implorePity, distributing her hate,Inexorable as their fate,--Who will not guess the Beauty I adore?
Words in this poem
- languish v. i.
- To cause to dr Shak.
- comprise v. t.
- To comprehend; to include. [From F. compris, comprise, p. p. of comprendre, L. comprehendere. See Comprehend.]
- adore v. t.
- To worship with profound reverence; to pay divine honors to; to honor as deity or as divine. [OE. aouren, anouren, adoren, OF. aorer, adorer, F. adorer, fr. L. adorare; ad + orare to speak, pray, os, oris, mouth. In OE. confused with honor, the French pr]
- warily adv.
- In a wary manner.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Song 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, Song, in Original Lyrics (1651), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #32986, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/stanley-lyrics/song-6.html, id L08994.
Form and metre
Song is 16 lines in 2 stanzas of 8 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABBACDDC. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 91% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.4 syllables. 25% 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 ABBACDDC flameA · inclineB · divineB · nameA · storeC · compriseD · eyesD · adoreC
- 2 ABBACDDC concealA · possessB · expressB · feelA · imploreC · hateD · fateD · adoreC
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 languish in a silent flame: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| For she to whom my vows incline | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Doth own perfections so divine, | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| That but to speak were to disclose her name. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| If I should say that she the store | 8 | ········ |
| Of Nature's graces doth comprise, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| (The love and wonder of all eyes,) | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Who will not guess the Beauty I adore? | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Or though I warily conceal | 8 | ···/˘˘˘/ |
| The charms her looks and soul possess, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Should I her cruelty express, | 7 | ···/˘˘/ |
| And say she smiles at all the pains we feel, | 10 | ·········· |
| Among such suppliants as implore | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Pity, distributing her hate, | 8 | /˘˘/˘˘·· |
| Inexorable as their fate,-- | 8 | ·/˘˘˘··· |
| Who will not guess the Beauty I adore? | 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.