Laurel · Harriet Beecher Stowe · Religious Poems

Suggested by the Death of Mrs. Professor Stuart of Andover, Mass

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) · 1867

iambic pentameter · 56 lines · from Religious Poems

HOW quiet, through the hazy autumn air,The elm-boughs wave with many a gold-flecked leaf!How calmly float the dreamy mantled cloudsThrough these still days of autumn, fair and brief!

Our Andover stands thoughtful, fair, and calm,Waiting to lay her summer glories byE'er the bright flush shall kindle all her pines,And her woods blaze with autumn's heraldry.

By the old mossy wall the golden-rodWaves as aforetime, and the purple spraysOf starry asters quiver to the breeze,Rustling all stilly through the forest ways.

No voice of triumph from those silent skiesBreaks on the calm, and speaks of glories near,Nor bright wings flutter, nor fair glistening robesProclaim that heavenly messengers are here.

Yet in our midst an angel hath come down,Troubling the waters in a peaceful home;And from that home, of life's long sickness healed,A saint hath risen, where pain no more may come.

Christ's fair elect one, from a hidden lifeOf loving deeds and words of gentleness,Hath passed where all are loving and beloved,Beyond all weariness and all distress.

Calm, like a lamb in shepherd's bosom borne,Quiet and trustful hath she sunk to rest;God breathed in tenderness the sweet "Well done!"That scarce awoke a trance so still and blest.

Ye who remember the long loving years,The patient mother's hourly martyrdom,The self-renouncing wisdom, the calm trust,Rejoice for her whose day of rest is come!

Father and mother, now united, standWaiting for you to bind the household chain;The tent is struck, the home is gone before,And tarries for you on the heavenly plain.

By every wish repressed and hope resigned,Each cross accepted and each sorrow borne,She dead yet speaketh, she doth beckon youTo tread the path her patient feet have worn.

Each year that world grows richer and more dearWith the bright freight washed from life's stormy shore;O goodly clime, how lovely is thy strand,With those dear faces seen on earth no more!

The veil between this world and that to comeGrows tremulous and quivers with their breath;Dimly we hear their voices, see their hands,Inviting us to the release of death.

O Thou, in whom thy saints above, below,Are one and undivided, grant us graceIn patience yet to bear our daily cross,--In patience run our hourly shortening race!

And while on earth we wear the servant's form,And while life's labors ever toilful be,Breathe in our souls the joyful confidenceWe are already kings and priests with thee.

Words in this poem 18

hazy a.: Thick with haze; somewhat obscured with haze; not clear or transparent. [From Haze, n.]
dreamy a.: Abounding in dreams or given to dreaming; appropriate to, or like, dreams; visionary.
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,]
heraldry n.: The art or office of a herald; the art, practice, or science of recording genealogies, and blazoning arms or ensigns armorial; also, of marshaling cavalcades, processions, and public ceremonies.
aforetime adv.: In time past; formerly.
starry a.: Abounding with stars; adorned with stars.
stilly a.: Still; quiet; calm.
trustful a.: Full of trust; trusting.
scarce a.: Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
hourly a.: Happening or done every hour; occurring hour by hour; frequent; often repeated; renewed hour by hour; continual.
martyrdom n.: The condition of a martyr; the death of a martyr; the suffering of death on account of adherence to the Christian faith, or to any cause. [Martyr + -dom.]
resigned a.: Submissive; yielding; not disposed to resist or murmur.
beckon v. t.: To make a significant sign to; hence, to summon, as by a motion of the hand.
goodly a.: Pleasant; agreeable; desirable. [OE. godlich, AS. g. See Good, and Like.]
clime n.: A climate; a tract or region of the earth. See Climate. [L. clima. See Climate.]
dimly adv.: In a dim or obscure manner; not brightly or clearly; with imperfect sight.
inviting a.: Alluring; tempting; as, an inviting amusement or prospect.
toilful a.: Producing or involving much toil; laborious; toilsome; as, toilful care. Mickle.

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

About this text

Suggested by the Death of Mrs. Professor Stuart of Andover, Mass is in the public domain. This text is taken from Religious Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #44778; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Suggested by the Death of Mrs. Professor Stuart of Andover, Mass, in Religious Poems (1867), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #44778, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/stowe-religious-poems/suggested-by-the-death-of-mrs-professor-stuart-of-andover-ma.html, id L22720.

Form and metre

Suggested by the Death of Mrs. Professor Stuart of Andover, Mass is 56 lines in 14 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).

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 -A-A air · leaf^A · clouds · brief^A
3 -A-A rod · sprays^A · breeze · ways^A
4 -A-A skies · near^A · robes · here^A
5 -A-A down · home^A · healed · come^A
6 -A-A life · gentleness^A · beloved · distress^A
7 -A-A borne · rest^A · done · blest^A
8 -A-A years · martyrdom^A · trust · come^A
9 -A-A stand · chain^A · before · plain^A
10 -A-A resigned · borne^A · you · worn^A
11 -A-A dear · shore^A · strand · more^A
12 -A-A come · breath^A · hands · death^A
13 -A-A below · grace^A · cross · race^A
14 -A-A form · be^A · confidence · thee^A

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
HOW quiet, through the hazy autumn air,	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
The elm-boughs wave with many a gold-flecked leaf!	10	·····/····
How calmly float the dreamy mantled clouds	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Through these still days of autumn, fair and brief!	10	·····/˘···
Our Andover stands thoughtful, fair, and calm,	10	//˘˘·/˘···
Waiting to lay her summer glories by	10	/˘···/˘/˘·
E'er the bright flush shall kindle all her pines,	10	·····/˘···
And her woods blaze with autumn's heraldry.	10	·····/˘/˘˘
By the old mossy wall the golden-rod	10	···/˘··/˘·
Waves as aforetime, and the purple sprays	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
Of starry asters quiver to the breeze,	10	·/˘/˘/˘···
Rustling all stilly through the forest ways.	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·
No voice of triumph from those silent skies	10	···/˘··/˘·
Breaks on the calm, and speaks of glories near,	10	·······/˘·
Nor bright wings flutter, nor fair glistening robes	10	···/˘··/˘·
Proclaim that heavenly messengers are here.	10	˘/·/˘/˘˘··
Yet in our midst an angel hath come down,	10	··/··/˘···
Troubling the waters in a peaceful home;	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·
And from that home, of life's long sickness healed,	10	·······/˘·
A saint hath risen, where pain no more may come.	11	···/˘······
Christ's fair elect one, from a hidden life	10	··˘/···/˘·
Of loving deeds and words of gentleness,	10	·/˘····/˘˘
Hath passed where all are loving and beloved,	10	·····/˘·˘/
Beyond all weariness and all distress.	10	···/˘˘··˘/
Calm, like a lamb in shepherd's bosom borne,	10	·····/˘/˘·
Quiet and trustful hath she sunk to rest;	10	/˘·/˘·····
God breathed in tenderness the sweet "Well done!"	10	···/˘˘····
That scarce awoke a trance so still and blest.	10	··˘/······
Ye who remember the long loving years,	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
The patient mother's hourly martyrdom,	10	·/˘/˘/˘/˘˘
The self-renouncing wisdom, the calm trust,	10	··˘/˘/˘···
Rejoice for her whose day of rest is come!	10	˘/········
Father and mother, now united, stand	10	/˘·/˘·˘/˘·
Waiting for you to bind the household chain;	10	/˘·····/··
The tent is struck, the home is gone before,	10	··········
And tarries for you on the heavenly plain.	10	·/˘····/˘·
By every wish repressed and hope resigned,	10	·/˘·˘/··˘/
Each cross accepted and each sorrow borne,	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
She dead yet speaketh, she doth beckon you	10	···/˘··/˘·
To tread the path her patient feet have worn.	10	·····/˘···
Each year that world grows richer and more dear	10	·····/˘···
With the bright freight washed from life's stormy shore;	10	·······/˘·
O goodly clime, how lovely is thy strand,	10	·/˘··/˘···
With those dear faces seen on earth no more!	10	···/˘·····
The veil between this world and that to come	10	··········
Grows tremulous and quivers with their breath;	10	·/˘˘·/˘···
Dimly we hear their voices, see their hands,	10	/˘···/˘···
Inviting us to the release of death.	10	˘/˘···˘/··
O Thou, in whom thy saints above, below,	10	··········
Are one and undivided, grant us grace	10	····˘/˘···
In patience yet to bear our daily cross,--	10	·/˘···//˘·
In patience run our hourly shortening race!	10	·/˘·//˘/˘·
And while on earth we wear the servant's form,	10	·······/˘·
And while life's labors ever toilful be,	10	···/˘/˘/˘·
Breathe in our souls the joyful confidence	11	··/˘··/˘/˘˘
We are already kings and priests with thee.	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.

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Religious Poems