Cuba
Is it naught? Is it naughtThat the South-wind brings her wail to our shore,That the spoilers compass our desolate sister?Is it naught? Must we say to her, “Strive no more.”With the lips wherewith we loved her and kissed her?With the mocking lips wherewith we said,“Thou art the dearest and fairest to usOf all the daughters the sea hath bred,Of all green-girdled isles that woo us!”Is it naught?
Must ye wait? Must ye wait.Till they ravage her gardens of orange and palm,Till her heart is dust, till her strength is water?Must ye see them trample her, and be calmAs priests when a virgin is led to slaughter?Shall they smite the marvel of all lands,—The nation’s longing, the Earth’s completeness,—On her red mouth dropping myrrh, her handsFilled with fruitage and spice and sweetness?Must ye wait?
In the day, in the night,In the burning day, in the dolorous night,Her sun-browned cheeks are stained with weeping.Her watch-fires beacon the misty height:—Why are her friends and lovers sleeping?“Ye, at whose ear the flatterer bends,Who were my kindred before all others,—Hath he set your hearts afar, my friends?Hath he made ye alien, my brothers,Day and night?”
Hear ye not? Hear ye notFrom the hollow sea the sound of her voice;The passionate, far-off tone, which sayeth:“Alas, my brothers! alas, what choice,—The lust that shameth, the sword that slayeth?They bind me! they rend my delicate locks;They shred the beautiful robes I won me!My round limbs bleed on the mountain rocks:Save me, ere they have quite undone me!”Hear ye not?
Speak at last! Speak at last!In the might of your strength, in the strength of your right,Speak out at last to the treacherous spoiler!Say: “Will ye harry her in our sight?Ye shall not trample her down, nor soil her!Loose her bonds! let her rise in her loveliness,—Our virginal sister; or, if ye shame her,Dark Amnon shall rue for her sore distress,And her sure revenge shall be that of Tamar!”Speak at last!
Words in this poem
- wherewith adv.
- With which; -- used relatively.
- 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,]
- fruitage n.
- Fruit, collectively; fruit, in general; fruitery. [F. fruitage.]
- dolorous a.
- Full of grief; sad; sorrowful; doleful; dismal; as, a dolorous object; dolorous discourses. [L. dolorosus, from dolor: cf. F. douloureux. See Dolor.]
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- lust v. i.
- To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- spoiler n.
- One who spoils; a plunderer; a pillager; a robber; a despoiler.
- harry v. i.
- To make a predatory incursion; to plunder or lay waste.
- loveliness n.
- The state or quality of being lovely. [From Lovely.]
- virginal a.
- Of or pertaining to a virgin; becoming a virgin; maidenly. [L. virginalis: cf. F. virginal.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Cuba is in the public domain. This text is taken from The poetical works of Edmund Clarence Stedman, Project Gutenberg ebook #70763; 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 Clarence Stedman, Cuba, in The Poetical Works of Edmund Clarence Stedman (1860–1897), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #70763, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/stedman-poems/cuba.html, id L10724.
Form and metre
Cuba is 50 lines in 5 stanzas of 10 lines each. The commonest rhyme scheme is ABCBCDEDEA, in 2 of the 5 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 75%). 85% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.9 syllables. 12 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 10% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 AB-B-CDCDA naughtA · shoreB · sister · moreB · her · saidC · usD · bredC · usD · naughtA
- 2 ABCBCDEDEA waitA · palmB · waterC · calmB · slaughterC · landsD · completenessE · handsD · sweetnessE · waitA
- 3 AABABCDCDA nightA · nightA · weepingB · heightA · sleepingB · bendsC · othersD · friendsC · brothersD · nightA
- 4 ABCBCDEDEA notA · voiceB · sayethC · choiceB · slayethC · locksD · meE · rocksD · meE · notA
- 5 AB-BCDCD-A lastA · rightB · spoiler · sightB · herC · lovelinessD · herC · distressD · tamar · lastA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Is it naught? Is it naught | 6 | ······ |
| That the South-wind brings her wail to our shore, | 10 | ········/· |
| That the spoilers compass our desolate sister? | 11 | ··/˘/˘//˘/˘ |
| Is it naught? Must we say to her, “Strive no more.” | 11 | ··········· |
| With the lips wherewith we loved her and kissed her? | 11 | ···˘/······ |
| With the mocking lips wherewith we said, | 9 | ··/˘·˘/·· |
| “Thou art the dearest and fairest to us | 10 | ···/˘·/˘·· |
| Of all the daughters the sea hath bred, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Of all green-girdled isles that woo us!” | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Is it naught? | 3 | ··· |
| Must ye wait? Must ye wait. | 6 | ······ |
| Till they ravage her gardens of orange and palm, | 12 | ··/˘·/˘·/˘·· |
| Till her heart is dust, till her strength is water? | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Must ye see them trample her, and be calm | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| As priests when a virgin is led to slaughter? | 11 | ····/˘···/˘ |
| Shall they smite the marvel of all lands,— | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| The nation’s longing, the Earth’s completeness,— | 10 | ·/˘/˘··˘/˘ |
| On her red mouth dropping myrrh, her hands | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Filled with fruitage and spice and sweetness? | 10 | ·˘·/˘···/˘ |
| Must ye wait? | 3 | ··· |
| In the day, in the night, | 6 | ······ |
| In the burning day, in the dolorous night, | 11 | ··/˘···/˘˘· |
| Her sun-browned cheeks are stained with weeping. | 10 | ···˘····/˘ |
| Her watch-fires beacon the misty height:— | 10 | ··/˘/˘·/˘· |
| Why are her friends and lovers sleeping? | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| “Ye, at whose ear the flatterer bends, | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| Who were my kindred before all others,— | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| Hath he set your hearts afar, my friends? | 9 | ·····˘/·· |
| Hath he made ye alien, my brothers, | 10 | ····/˘˘·/˘ |
| Day and night?” | 3 | ··· |
| Hear ye not? Hear ye not | 6 | ······ |
| From the hollow sea the sound of her voice; | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| The passionate, far-off tone, which sayeth: | 9 | ·/˘˘····· |
| “Alas, my brothers! alas, what choice,— | 9 | ˘/·/˘˘/·· |
| The lust that shameth, the sword that slayeth? | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| They bind me! they rend my delicate locks; | 10 | ······/˘˘· |
| They shred the beautiful robes I won me! | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| My round limbs bleed on the mountain rocks: | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Save me, ere they have quite undone me!” | 9 | ······˘/· |
| Hear ye not? | 3 | ··· |
| Speak at last! Speak at last! | 6 | ······ |
| In the might of your strength, in the strength of your right, | 12 | ············ |
| Speak out at last to the treacherous spoiler! | 11 | ······/˘˘/˘ |
| Say: “Will ye harry her in our sight? | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Ye shall not trample her down, nor soil her! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Loose her bonds! let her rise in her loveliness,— | 11 | ········/˘˘ |
| Our virginal sister; or, if ye shame her, | 10 | //˘/˘····· |
| Dark Amnon shall rue for her sore distress, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| And her sure revenge shall be that of Tamar!” | 11 | ···˘/······ |
| Speak at last! | 3 | ··· |
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