Laurel · Jonathan Swift · On Poetry: A Rhapsody, and Other Poems

Directions for Making a Birth-Day Song. 1729

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) · 1727

iambic tetrameter · octosyllabic couplets · 282 lines · from On Poetry: A Rhapsody, and Other Poems

To form a just and finish'd piece,Take twenty gods of Rome or Greece,Whose godships are in chief request,And fit your present subject best;And, should it be your hero's case,To have both male and female race,Your business must be to provideA score of goddesses beside.Some call their monarchs sons of Saturn,For which they bring a modern pattern;Because they might have heard of one,Who often long'd to eat his son;But this I think will not go down,For here the father kept his crown.Why, then, appoint him son of Jove,Who met his mother in a grove;To this we freely shall consent,Well knowing what the poets meant;And in their sense, 'twixt me and you,It may be literally true.Next, as the laws of verse require,He must be greater than his sire;For Jove, as every schoolboy knows,Was able Saturn to depose;And sure no Christian poet breathingWould be more scrupulous than a Heathen;Or, if to blasphemy it tends.That's but a trifle among friends.Your hero now another Mars is,Makes mighty armies turn their a--s:Behold his glittering falchion mowWhole squadrons at a single blow;While Victory, with wings outspread,Flies, like an eagle, o'er his head;His milk-white steed upon its haunches,Or pawing into dead men's paunches;As Overton has drawn his sire,Still seen o'er many an alehouse fire.Then from his arm hoarse thunder rolls,As loud as fifty mustard bowls;For thunder still his arm supplies,And lightning always in his eyes.They both are cheap enough in conscience,And serve to echo rattling nonsense.The rumbling words march fierce along,Made trebly dreadful in your song.Sweet poet, hired for birth-day rhymes,To sing of wars, choose peaceful times.What though, for fifteen years and more,Janus has lock'd his temple-door;Though not a coffeehouse we read inHas mention'd arms on this side Sweden;Nor London Journals, nor the Postmen,Though fond of warlike lies as most men;Thou still with battles stuff thy head full:For, must thy hero not be dreadful?Dismissing Mars, it next must followYour conqueror is become Apollo:That he's Apollo is as plain asThat Robin Walpole is Mæcenas;But that he struts, and that he squints,You'd know him by Apollo's prints.Old Phoebus is but half as bright,For yours can shine both day and night.The first, perhaps, may once an ageInspire you with poetic rage;Your Phoebus Royal, every day,Not only can inspire, but pay.Then make this new Apollo sitSole patron, judge, and god of wit."How from his altitude he stoopsTo raise up Virtue when she droops;On Learning how his bounty flows,And with what justice he bestows;Fair Isis, and ye banks of Cam!Be witness if I tell a flam,What prodigies in arts we drain,From both your streams, in George's reign.As from the flowery bed of Nile"--But here's enough to show your style.Broad innuendoes, such as this,If well applied, can hardly miss:For, when you bring your song in print,He'll get it read, and take the hint;(It must be read before 'tis warbled,The paper gilt and cover marbled.)And will be so much more your debtor,Because he never knew a letter.And, as he hears his wit and sense(To which he never made pretence)Set out in hyperbolic strains,A guinea shall reward your pains;For patrons never pay so well,As when they scarce have learn'd to spell.Next call him Neptune: with his tridentHe rules the sea: you see him ride in't;And, if provoked, he soundly firks hisRebellious waves with rods, like Xerxes.He would have seized the Spanish plate,Had not the fleet gone out too late;And in their very ports besiege them,But that he would not disoblige them;And make the rascals pay him dearlyFor those affronts they give him yearly.'Tis not denied, that, when we write,Our ink is black, our paper white:And, when we scrawl our paper o'er,We blacken what was white before:I think this practice only fitFor dealers in satiric wit.But you some white-lead ink must getAnd write on paper black as jet;Your interest lies to learn the knackOf whitening what before was black.Thus your encomium, to be strong,Must be applied directly wrong.A tyrant for his mercy praise,And crown a royal dunce with bays:A squinting monkey load with charms,And paint a coward fierce in arms.Is he to avarice inclined?Extol him for his generous mind:And, when we starve for want of corn,Come out with Amalthea's horn:For all experience this evincesThe only art of pleasing princes:For princes' love you should descantOn virtues which they know they want.One compliment I had forgot,But songsters must omit it not;I freely grant the thought is old:Why, then, your hero must be told,In him such virtues lie inherent,To qualify him God's vicegerent;That with no title to inherit,He must have been a king by merit.Yet, be the fancy old or new,Tis partly false, and partly true:And, take it right, it means no moreThan George and William claim'd before.Should some obscure inferior fellow,Like Julius, or the youth of Pella,When all your list of Gods is out,Presume to show his mortal snout,And as a Deity intrude,Because he had the world subdued;O, let him not debase your thoughts,Or name him but to tell his faults.--Of Gods I only quote the best,But you may hook in all the rest.Now, birth-day bard, with joy proceedTo praise your empress and her breed;First of the first, to vouch your lies,Bring all the females of the skies;The Graces, and their mistress, Venus,Must venture down to entertain us:With bended knees when they adore her,What dowdies they appear before her!Nor shall we think you talk at random,For Venus might be her great-grandam:Six thousand years has lived the Goddess,Your heroine hardly fifty odd is;Besides, your songsters oft have shownThat she has Graces of her own:Three Graces by Lucina brought her,Just three, and every Grace a daughter;Here many a king his heart and crownShall at their snowy feet lay down:In royal robes, they come by dozensTo court their English German cousins:Beside a pair of princely babies,That, five years hence, will both be Hebes.Now see her seated in her throneWith genuine lustre, all her own:Poor Cynthia never shone so bright,Her splendour is but borrow'd light;And only with her brother linktCan shine, without him is extinct.But Carolina shines the clearerWith neither spouse nor brother near her:And darts her beams o'er both our isles,Though George is gone a thousand miles.Thus Berecynthia takes her place,Attended by her heavenly race;And sees a son in every God,Unawed by Jove's all-shaking nod.Now sing his little highness FreddyWho struts like any king already:With so much beauty, show me any maidThat could resist this charming Ganymede!Where majesty with sweetness vies,And, like his father, early wise.Then cut him out a world of work,To conquer Spain, and quell the Turk:Foretel his empire crown'd with bays,And golden times, and halcyon days;And swear his line shall rule the nationFor ever--till the conflagration.But, now it comes into my mind,We left a little duke behind;A Cupid in his face and size,And only wants, to want his eyes.Make some provision for the younker,Find him a kingdom out to conquer;Prepare a fleet to waft him o'er,Make Gulliver his commodore;Into whose pocket valiant Willy put,Will soon subdue the realm of Lilliput.A skilful critic justly blamesHard, tough, crank, guttural, harsh, stiff namesThe sense can ne'er be too jejune,But smooth your words to fit the tune.Hanover may do well enough,But George and Brunswick are too rough;Hesse-Darmstadt makes a rugged sound,And Guelp the strongest ear will wound.In vain are all attempts from GermanyTo find out proper words for harmony:And yet I must except the Rhine,Because it clinks to Caroline.Hail, queen of Britain, queen of rhymes!Be sung ten hundred thousand times;Too happy were the poets' crew,If their own happiness they knew:Three syllables did never meetSo soft, so sliding, and so sweet:Nine other tuneful words like thatWould prove even Homer's numbers flat.Behold three beauteous vowels stand,With bridegroom liquids hand in hand;In concord here for ever fix'd,No jarring consonant betwixt.May Caroline continue long,For ever fair and young!--in song.What though the royal carcass must,Squeezed in a coffin, turn to dust?Those elements her name compose,Like atoms, are exempt from blows.Though Caroline may fill your gaps,Yet still you must consult your maps;Find rivers with harmonious names,Sabrina, Medway, and the Thames,Britannia long will wear like steel,But Albion's cliffs are out at heel;And Patience can endure no moreTo hear the Belgic lion roar.Give up the phrase of haughty Gaul,But proud Iberia soundly maul:Restore the ships by Philip taken,And make him crouch to save his bacon.Nassau, who got the name of Glorious,Because he never was victorious,A hanger-on has always been;For old acquaintance bring him in.To Walpole you might lend a line,But much I fear he's in decline;And if you chance to come too late,When he goes out, you share his fate,And bear the new successor's frown;Or, whom you once sang up, sing down.Reject with scorn that stupid notion,To praise your hero for devotion;Nor entertain a thought so odd,That princes should believe in God;But follow the securest rule,And turn it all to ridicule:'Tis grown the choicest wit at court,And gives the maids of honour sport;For, since they talk'd with Dr. Clarke,They now can venture in the dark:That sound divine the truth has spoke all,And pawn'd his word, Hell is not local.This will not give them half the troubleOf bargains sold, or meanings double.Supposing now your song is done,To Mynheer Handel next you run,Who artfully will pare and pruneYour words to some Italian tune:Then print it in the largest letter,With capitals, the more the better.Present it boldly on your knee,And take a guinea for your fee.

Words in this poem 70

jove n.: The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
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,]
sire n.: A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
schoolboy n.: A boy belonging to, or attending, a school.
falchion n.: A broad-bladed sword, slightly curved, shorter and lighter than the ordinary sword; -- used in the Middle Ages. [OE. fauchon, OF. fauchon, LL. fälcio, fr. L. falx, falcis, a sickle, cf. Gr. falcon; cf. It. falcione. Cf. Defalcation.]
outspread v. t.: To spread out; to expand; -- usually as a past part. or adj.
steed n.: A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
conscience n.: Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
rumbling: a. & n. from Rumble, v. i.
trebly adv.: In a treble manner; with a threefold number or quantity; triply.
dreadful a.: Full of dread or terror; fearful.
coffeehouse n.: A house of entertainment, where guests are supplied with coffee and other refreshments, and where men meet for conversation.
phoebus n.: Apollo; the sun god.
bounty n.: Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F. bonté, fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr. duvas honor, respect.]
isis n.: The principal goddess worshiped by the Egyptians. She was regarded as the mother of Horus, and the sister and wife of Osiris.
flam n.: A freak or whim; also, a falsehood; a lie; an illusory pretext; deception; delusion. [Cf. AS. fleám, fl, floght. sq. root 84 . Cf. Flimflam.]
marbled a.: Made of, or faced with, marble.
pretence n.: The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption; pretension. [LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf. Tension.]
hyperbolic a.: Belonging to the hyperbola; having the nature of the hyperbola. [L. hyperbolicus, Gr. hyperbolique.]
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]
rebellious a.: Engaged in rebellion; disposed to rebel of the nature of rebels or of rebellion; resisting government or lawful authority by force.
disoblige v. t.: To do an act which contravenes the will or desires of; to offend by an act of unkindness or incivility; to displease; to refrain from obliging; to be unaccommodating to. [Pref. dis- + oblige: cf. F. désobliger.]
scrawl v. t.: To draw or mark awkwardly and irregularly; to write hastily and carelessly; to scratch; to scribble; as, to scrawl a letter. [Probably corrupted from scrabble.]
satiric a.: Of or pertaining to satire; of the nature of satire; as, a satiric style. [L. satiricus: cf. F. satirique.]
knack v. i.: To crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise to chink. [Obs. or Prov. [Prob. of imitative origin; cf. G. knacken to break, Dan. knage to crack, and E. knock.]
whitening n.: The act or process of making or becoming white.
encomium n.: Warm or high praise; panegyric; strong commendation. [NL., fr. Gr. Comedy.]
avarice n.: An excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greediness after wealth; covetousness; cupidity. [F. avaritia, fr. avarus avaricious, prob. fr. av to covert, fr. a root av to satiate one's self: cf. Gr. av to satiate one's self, rejoice, protect.]
extol v. t.: To place on high; to lift up; to elevate. [L. extollere; ex out + tollere to lift, take up, or raise: cf. OF. extoller. See Tollerate, and cf. Flate.]
generous a.: Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
descant v. i.: To sing a variation or accomplishment. [From descant; n.; or directly fr. OF. descanter, deschanter; L. dis- + cantare to sing.]
vicegerent a.: Having or exercising delegated power; acting by substitution, or in the place of another. [Vice, a + gerent: cf. F. vicegérant.]
presume v. t.: To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained. [F. présumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See Assume, Redeem.]
vouch v. t.: To call; to summon. [OE. vouchen, OF. vochier to call, fr. L. vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice. See Voice, and cf. Avouch.]
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]
grandam n.: An old woman; specifically, a grandmother. [F. grande, fem. of grand + dame. See Grand, and Dame.]
heroine n.: A woman of an heroic spirit. [F. héroïne, L. heroina, Gr. Hero.]
snowy a.: White like snow.
lustre n.: A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
splendour n.: Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
clearer n.: One who, or that which, clears.
spouse v. t.: To wed; to espouse. [See Espouse, and Spouse, n.]
highness n.: The state of being high; elevation; loftiness. [AS. heáhnes.]
quell v. t.: To take the life of; to kill. [OE. quellen to kill, AS. cwellan, causative of cwelan to die; akin to OHG. quellen to torment, Icel. kvelja. See Quail to cower.]
turk n.: A member of any of numerous Tartar tribes of Central Asia, etc.; esp., one of the dominant race in Turkey. [Per. Turk; probably of Tartar origin: cf. F. Turc.]
conflagration n.: A fire extending to many objects, or over a large space; a general burning.
duke n.: A leader; a chief; a prince. [F. duc, fr. L. dux, ducis, leader, commander, fr. ducere to lead; akin to AS. teón to draw; cf. AS. heretoga (here army) an army leader, general, G. herzog duke]
cupid: The god of love, son of Venus; usually represented as a naked, winged boy with bow and arrow. [L.Cupido, fr. cupido desire, desire of love, fr. cupidus. See Cupidity.]
younker n.: A young person; a stripling; a yonker. [D. jonker, jonkeer; jong young + heer a lord, sir, gentleman. See Young, a.]
waft v. t.: To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
commodore n.: An officer who ranks next above a captain; sometimes, by courtesy, the senior captain of a squadron. The rank of commodore corresponds with that of brigadier general in the army. [Prob. a corruption of commander, or Sp. comendador a knight of a military order who holds a commandery; also a superior of a monastery;, fr. LL. commendare to c]
valiant a.: Vigorous in body; strong; powerful; as, a valiant fencer. [OE. valiant, F. vaillant, OF. vaillant, valant, originally p. pr. of OF. & F. valoir to be worth, L. valere to be strong. See Wield, and cf. Avail, Convalesce, ]
willy n.: A large wicker basket. Halliwell. [Cf. Willow.]
jejune a.: Lacking matter; empty; void of substance. [L. jejunus fasting, hungry, dry, barren, scanty; of unknown origin.]
caroline n.: A silver coin once current in some parts of Italy, worth about seven cents. Simmonds. [F. carin; cf. It. carlino; -- so called from Carlo (Charles) VI. of Naples.]
tuneful a.: Harmonious; melodious; musical; as, tuneful notes.
beauteous a.: Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] -- Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. --
bridegroom n.: A man newly married, or just about to be married. [OE. bridegome, brudgume, AS. br (akin to OS. br, D. bruidegom, bruigom, OHG. pr, MHG. briutegome, G. bräutigam); AS. br bride + guma man, akin to Goth. guma, Ic]
jarring a.: Shaking; disturbing; discordant. [See Jar.]
betwixt prep.: In the space which separates; between. [OE. betwix, bitwix, rarely bitwixt, AS. betweox, betweohs, betweoh, betwih; pref. be- by + a form fr. AS. twa two. See Between.]
carcass n.: A dead body, whether of man or beast; a corpse; now commonly the dead body of a beast. [F. carcasse, fr. It. carcassa, fr. L. caro flesh + capsa chest, box, case. Cf. Carnal, Case a sheath.]
consult n.: The act of consulting or deliberating; consultation; also, the result of consulation; determination; decision.
britannia n.: A white-metal alloy of tin, antimony, bismuth, copper, etc. It somewhat resembles silver, and isused for table ware. Called also Britannia metal. [From L. Britannia Great Britain.]
belgic a.: Of or pertaining to the Belgæ, a German tribe who anciently possessed the country between the Rhine, the Seine, and the ocean. [L. Belgicus, fr. Belgae the Belgians.]
haughty a.: High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
glorious a.: Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
honour n.: Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
spoke n.: The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
mynheer n.: The Dutch equivalent of Mr. or Sir; hence, a Dutchman. [D. mijnheer.]
boldly adv.: In a bold manner. [AS. bealdlice.]

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

About this text

Directions for Making a Birth-Day Song. 1729 is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #14353; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Jonathan Swift, Directions for Making a Birth-Day Song. 1729, in On Poetry: A Rhapsody, and Other Poems (1727), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14353, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems-vol1/directions-for-making-a-birth-day-song-1729.html, id L24613.

Form and metre

Directions for Making a Birth-Day Song. 1729 is 282 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 82% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%).

See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, 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 AABBCCDDEEEEEEFFGGHHIIJJ--KK--LLMMNNOOPPQQ--RRSSTTUU-UVVWW----XXYYZZaa--bbccddeeffgg--hh--iijjkkllmm--nnoo--ppqqrrssttuuvvww--xxyyzzAABBCCDD--EEFF--GGHHIIJJ------KK--LLMM--NNOO----PPQQRRSS--TTUUVVWWXXYY----ZZaabbccdd--eeffgghhiijjkkllmmnnoo--ppqqrrssttssssuuvvvvwwxxyyzzAAAABBCCDDEE piece^A · greece^A · request^B · best^B · case^C · race^C · provide^D · beside^D · saturn^E · pattern^E · one^E · son^E · down^E · crown^E · jove^F · grove^F · consent^G · meant^G · you^H · true^H · require^I · sire^I · knows^J · depose^J · breathing · heathen · tends^K · friends^K · is · s · mow^L · blow^L · outspread^M · head^M · haunches^N · paunches^N · sire^O · fire^O · rolls^P · bowls^P · supplies^Q · eyes^Q · conscience · nonsense · along^R · song^R · rhymes^S · times^S · more^T · door^T · in^U · sweden^U · postmen · men^U · full^V · dreadful^V · follow^W · apollo^W · as · mæcenas · squints · prints · bright^X · night^X · age^Y · rage^Y · day^Z · pay^Z · sit^a · wit^a · stoops · droops · flows^b · bestows^b · cam^c · flam^c · drain^d · reign^d · nile^e · style^e · this^f · miss^f · print^g · hint^g · warbled · marbled · debtor^h · letter^h · sense · pretence · strainsⁱ · painsⁱ · well^j · spell^j · trident^k · in't^k · his^l · xerxes^l · plate^m · late^m · them · them · dearlyⁿ · yearlyⁿ · write^o · white^o · o'er · before · fit^p · wit^p · get^q · jet^q · knack^r · black^r · strong^s · wrong^s · praise^t · bays^t · charms^u · arms^u · inclined^v · mind^v · corn^w · horn^w · evinces · princes · descant^x · want^x · forgot^y · not^y · old^z · told^z · inherent^A · vicegerent^A · inherit^B · merit^B · new^C · true^C · more^D · before^D · fellow · pella · out^E · snout^E · intrude^F · subdued^F · thoughts · faults · best^G · rest^G · proceed^H · breed^H · lies^I · skies^I · venus^J · us^J · her · her · random · grandam · goddess · is · shown^K · own^K · her · daughter · crown^L · down^L · dozens^M · cousins^M · babies · hebes · throne^N · own^N · bright^O · light^O · linkt · extinct · clearer · her · isles^P · miles^P · place^Q · race^Q · god^R · nod^R · freddy^S · already^S · maid · ganymede · vies^T · wise^T · work^U · turk^U · bays^V · days^V · nation^W · conflagration^W · mind^X · behind^X · size^Y · eyes^Y · younker · conquer · o'er · commodore · put^Z · lilliput^Z · blames^a · names^a · jejune^b · tune^b · enough^c · rough^c · sound^d · wound^d · germany · harmony · rhine^e · caroline^e · rhymes^f · times^f · crew^g · knew^g · meet^h · sweet^h · thatⁱ · flatⁱ · stand^j · hand^j · fix'd^k · betwixt^k · long^l · song^l · must^m · dust^m · composeⁿ · blowsⁿ · gaps^o · maps^o · names · thames · steel^p · heel^p · more^q · roar^q · gaul^r · maul^r · taken^s · bacon^s · glorious^t · victorious^t · been^s · in^s · line^s · decline^s · late^u · fate^u · frown^v · down^v · notion^v · devotion^v · odd^w · god^w · rule^x · ridicule^x · court^y · sport^y · clarke^z · dark^z · all^A · local^A · trouble^A · double^A · done^B · run^B · prune^C · tune^C · letter^D · better^D · knee^E · fee^E

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
To form a just and finish'd piece,	8	·····/˘·
Take twenty gods of Rome or Greece,	8	·/˘·····
Whose godships are in chief request,	8	······˘/
And fit your present subject best;	8	···˘/˘/·
And, should it be your hero's case,	8	·····/˘·
To have both male and female race,	8	·····/··
Your business must be to provide	8	·/˘···˘/
A score of goddesses beside.	8	···/˘˘˘/
Some call their monarchs sons of Saturn,	9	···/···/˘
For which they bring a modern pattern;	9	·····/˘/˘
Because they might have heard of one,	8	········
Who often long'd to eat his son;	8	·/˘·····
But this I think will not go down,	8	········
For here the father kept his crown.	8	···/˘···
Why, then, appoint him son of Jove,	8	··˘/····
Who met his mother in a grove;	8	···/˘···
To this we freely shall consent,	8	···/˘·˘/
Well knowing what the poets meant;	8	·/˘··/˘·
And in their sense, 'twixt me and you,	8	········
It may be literally true.	8	···/˘˘˘·
Next, as the laws of verse require,	9	·······/˘
He must be greater than his sire;	9	···/˘··/˘
For Jove, as every schoolboy knows,	8	···/˘/··
Was able Saturn to depose;	8	·/˘/˘·˘/
And sure no Christian poet breathing	9	···/˘/˘/˘
Would be more scrupulous than a Heathen;	9	···/˘··/˘
Or, if to blasphemy it tends.	8	···/˘˘··
That's but a trifle among friends.	8	···/˘···
Your hero now another Mars is,	9	·/˘·˘/˘··
Makes mighty armies turn their a--s:	9	·/˘/˘····
Behold his glittering falchion mow	8	˘/·/˘/˘·
Whole squadrons at a single blow;	8	·/˘··/˘·
While Victory, with wings outspread,	8	·/˘˘··˘/
Flies, like an eagle, o'er his head;	8	···/˘···
His milk-white steed upon its haunches,	9	·········
Or pawing into dead men's paunches;	9	·/˘······
As Overton has drawn his sire,	9	·/˘˘···/˘
Still seen o'er many an alehouse fire.	9	···/·/·/˘
Then from his arm hoarse thunder rolls,	8	·····/˘·
As loud as fifty mustard bowls;	8	···/˘/˘·
For thunder still his arm supplies,	8	·/˘···˘/
And lightning always in his eyes.	8	·/˘/····
They both are cheap enough in conscience,	9	····˘/·/˘
And serve to echo rattling nonsense.	9	···/˘/˘/˘
The rumbling words march fierce along,	8	·/˘···˘/
Made trebly dreadful in your song.	8	·/˘/˘···
Sweet poet, hired for birth-day rhymes,	8	·/˘/····
To sing of wars, choose peaceful times.	8	·····/˘·
What though, for fifteen years and more,	8	···˘/···
Janus has lock'd his temple-door;	8	/˘···/˘·
Though not a coffeehouse we read in	9	···/˘····
Has mention'd arms on this side Sweden;	9	·/˘····/˘
Nor London Journals, nor the Postmen,	9	·/˘/˘····
Though fond of warlike lies as most men;	9	···/·····
Thou still with battles stuff thy head full:	9	···/˘····
For, must thy hero not be dreadful?	9	···/˘··/˘
Dismissing Mars, it next must follow	9	˘/˘····/˘
Your conqueror is become Apollo:	9	·/˘·˘/˘/˘
That he's Apollo is as plain as	9	··˘/˘····
That Robin Walpole is Mæcenas;	9	·/˘/·····
But that he struts, and that he squints,	8	········
You'd know him by Apollo's prints.	8	····˘/˘·
Old Phoebus is but half as bright,	8	·/˘·····
For yours can shine both day and night.	8	········
The first, perhaps, may once an age	8	··˘/····
Inspire you with poetic rage;	8	˘/··˘/˘·
Your Phoebus Royal, every day,	8	·/˘/˘/˘·
Not only can inspire, but pay.	8	·/˘·˘/··
Then make this new Apollo sit	8	····˘/˘·
Sole patron, judge, and god of wit.	8	·/˘·····
"How from his altitude he stoops	8	···/˘···
To raise up Virtue when she droops;	8	···/˘···
On Learning how his bounty flows,	8	·/˘··/˘·
And with what justice he bestows;	8	···/˘·˘/
Fair Isis, and ye banks of Cam!	8	·/˘·····
Be witness if I tell a flam,	8	·/˘·····
What prodigies in arts we drain,	8	·/˘˘····
From both your streams, in George's reign.	8	·····/˘·
As from the flowery bed of Nile"--	8	···/˘···
But here's enough to show your style.	8	··˘/····
Broad innuendoes, such as this,	8	·˘˘/˘···
If well applied, can hardly miss:	8	··˘/·/˘·
For, when you bring your song in print,	8	········
He'll get it read, and take the hint;	8	········
(It must be read before 'tis warbled,	9	·······/˘
The paper gilt and cover marbled.)	9	·/˘··/˘/˘
And will be so much more your debtor,	9	·······/˘
Because he never knew a letter.	9	···/˘··/˘
And, as he hears his wit and sense	8	········
(To which he never made pretence)	8	···/˘···
Set out in hyperbolic strains,	8	····˘/˘·
A guinea shall reward your pains;	8	·/˘·˘/··
For patrons never pay so well,	8	·/˘/˘···
As when they scarce have learn'd to spell.	8	········
Next call him Neptune: with his trident	9	···/˘··/˘
He rules the sea: you see him ride in't;	9	·········
And, if provoked, he soundly firks his	9	··˘/·/˘··
Rebellious waves with rods, like Xerxes.	9	˘/˘····/˘
He would have seized the Spanish plate,	8	·····/˘·
Had not the fleet gone out too late;	8	········
And in their very ports besiege them,	9	···/˘·˘/·
But that he would not disoblige them;	9	·········
And make the rascals pay him dearly	9	···/˘··/˘
For those affronts they give him yearly.	9	··˘/···/˘
'Tis not denied, that, when we write,	8	··˘/····
Our ink is black, our paper white:	8	/···//˘·
And, when we scrawl our paper o'er,	8	····//˘·
We blacken what was white before:	8	·/˘·····
I think this practice only fit	8	···/˘/˘·
For dealers in satiric wit.	8	·/˘·˘/˘·
But you some white-lead ink must get	8	········
And write on paper black as jet;	8	···/˘···
Your interest lies to learn the knack	8	·/˘·····
Of whitening what before was black.	8	·/˘·····
Thus your encomium, to be strong,	9	··˘/˘˘···
Must be applied directly wrong.	8	··˘/˘/˘·
A tyrant for his mercy praise,	8	·/˘··/˘·
And crown a royal dunce with bays:	8	···/˘···
A squinting monkey load with charms,	8	·/˘/˘···
And paint a coward fierce in arms.	8	···/˘···
Is he to avarice inclined?	8	···/˘˘˘/
Extol him for his generous mind:	8	˘/···/˘·
And, when we starve for want of corn,	8	········
Come out with Amalthea's horn:	7	·······
For all experience this evinces	9	··˘/˘·˘/˘
The only art of pleasing princes:	9	·/˘··/˘/˘
For princes' love you should descant	8	·/˘···/˘
On virtues which they know they want.	8	·/˘·····
One compliment I had forgot,	8	·/˘˘··˘/
But songsters must omit it not;	8	····˘/··
I freely grant the thought is old:	8	·/˘·····
Why, then, your hero must be told,	8	···/˘···
In him such virtues lie inherent,	9	···/˘·˘/˘
To qualify him God's vicegerent;	9	·/˘···˘/˘
That with no title to inherit,	9	···/˘·˘/˘
He must have been a king by merit.	9	·······/˘
Yet, be the fancy old or new,	8	···/˘···
Tis partly false, and partly true:	8	·/˘··/˘·
And, take it right, it means no more	8	········
Than George and William claim'd before.	8	···/˘···
Should some obscure inferior fellow,	9	··˘/˘/˘/˘
Like Julius, or the youth of Pella,	9	·/˘····/˘
When all your list of Gods is out,	8	········
Presume to show his mortal snout,	8	˘/···/˘·
And as a Deity intrude,	8	···/˘˘˘/
Because he had the world subdued;	8	······˘/
O, let him not debase your thoughts,	8	····˘/··
Or name him but to tell his faults.--	8	········
Of Gods I only quote the best,	8	···/˘···
But you may hook in all the rest.	8	········
Now, birth-day bard, with joy proceed	8	······˘/
To praise your empress and her breed;	8	···/˘···
First of the first, to vouch your lies,	8	········
Bring all the females of the skies;	8	···/····
The Graces, and their mistress, Venus,	9	·/˘··/˘/˘
Must venture down to entertain us:	9	·/˘···˘/·
With bended knees when they adore her,	9	·/˘···˘/·
What dowdies they appear before her!	9	·/˘·˘/···
Nor shall we think you talk at random,	9	·······/˘
For Venus might be her great-grandam:	9	·/˘····/˘
Six thousand years has lived the Goddess,	9	·/˘····/˘
Your heroine hardly fifty odd is;	9	·/˘/˘/˘··
Besides, your songsters oft have shown	8	˘/······
That she has Graces of her own:	8	···/˘···
Three Graces by Lucina brought her,	9	·/˘······
Just three, and every Grace a daughter;	9	···/˘··/˘
Here many a king his heart and crown	8	·/······
Shall at their snowy feet lay down:	8	···/˘···
In royal robes, they come by dozens	9	·/˘····/˘
To court their English German cousins:	9	···/˘/˘/˘
Beside a pair of princely babies,	9	˘/···/˘/˘
That, five years hence, will both be Hebes.	8	········
Now see her seated in her throne	8	···/˘···
With genuine lustre, all her own:	8	·/˘/˘···
Poor Cynthia never shone so bright,	8	·/˘˘/···
Her splendour is but borrow'd light;	8	·/˘··/··
And only with her brother linkt	8	·/˘··/˘·
Can shine, without him is extinct.	8	······˘/
But Carolina shines the clearer	9	··˘/˘··/˘
With neither spouse nor brother near her:	9	·/˘··/˘··
And darts her beams o'er both our isles,	8	······/·
Though George is gone a thousand miles.	8	·····/˘·
Thus Berecynthia takes her place,	8	········
Attended by her heavenly race;	8	˘/˘··/˘·
And sees a son in every God,	8	·····/˘·
Unawed by Jove's all-shaking nod.	8	·····/˘·
Now sing his little highness Freddy	9	···/˘/˘/˘
Who struts like any king already:	9	···/˘·˘/˘
With so much beauty, show me any maid	10	···/˘··/˘·
That could resist this charming Ganymede!	10	··˘/·/˘/˘·
Where majesty with sweetness vies,	8	·/˘˘·/˘·
And, like his father, early wise.	8	···/˘/˘·
Then cut him out a world of work,	8	········
To conquer Spain, and quell the Turk:	8	·/˘·····
Foretel his empire crown'd with bays,	9	····/˘···
And golden times, and halcyon days;	8	·/˘··/˘·
And swear his line shall rule the nation	9	·······/˘
For ever--till the conflagration.	9	·/˘···˘/˘
But, now it comes into my mind,	8	········
We left a little duke behind;	8	···/˘···
A Cupid in his face and size,	8	·/˘·····
And only wants, to want his eyes.	8	·/˘·····
Make some provision for the younker,	9	··˘/˘··/˘
Find him a kingdom out to conquer;	9	···/˘··/˘
Prepare a fleet to waft him o'er,	8	˘/······
Make Gulliver his commodore;	8	·/˘˘·/˘·
Into whose pocket valiant Willy put,	10	···/˘/˘/˘·
Will soon subdue the realm of Lilliput.	10	··˘/······
A skilful critic justly blames	8	·/˘/˘/˘·
Hard, tough, crank, guttural, harsh, stiff names	8	···/˘···
The sense can ne'er be too jejune,	8	······˘/
But smooth your words to fit the tune.	8	········
Hanover may do well enough,	8	/˘˘···˘/
But George and Brunswick are too rough;	8	···/˘···
Hesse-Darmstadt makes a rugged sound,	8	·/···/˘·
And Guelp the strongest ear will wound.	8	···/˘···
In vain are all attempts from Germany	9	····˘/·/˘
To find out proper words for harmony:	9	···/˘··/˘
And yet I must except the Rhine,	8	········
Because it clinks to Caroline.	8	·····/˘·
Hail, queen of Britain, queen of rhymes!	8	···/˘···
Be sung ten hundred thousand times;	8	···/˘/˘·
Too happy were the poets' crew,	8	·/˘··/˘·
If their own happiness they knew:	8	···/˘˘··
Three syllables did never meet	8	·/˘˘·/˘·
So soft, so sliding, and so sweet:	8	···/˘···
Nine other tuneful words like that	8	·/˘/˘···
Would prove even Homer's numbers flat.	8	··//˘/˘·
Behold three beauteous vowels stand,	9	˘/·/˘˘/˘·
With bridegroom liquids hand in hand;	8	·/·/˘···
In concord here for ever fix'd,	8	·/···/˘·
No jarring consonant betwixt.	8	·/˘/˘˘˘/
May Caroline continue long,	8	·/˘·˘/˘·
For ever fair and young!--in song.	8	·/˘·····
What though the royal carcass must,	8	···/˘/˘·
Squeezed in a coffin, turn to dust?	8	···/˘···
Those elements her name compose,	8	·/˘˘··˘/
Like atoms, are exempt from blows.	8	·/˘·˘/··
Though Caroline may fill your gaps,	8	·/˘·····
Yet still you must consult your maps;	8	····˘/··
Find rivers with harmonious names,	8	·/˘·˘/˘·
Sabrina, Medway, and the Thames,	8	˘/˘·····
Britannia long will wear like steel,	8	˘/˘·····
But Albion's cliffs are out at heel;	8	·/˘·····
And Patience can endure no more	8	·/˘·˘/··
To hear the Belgic lion roar.	8	···/˘/˘·
Give up the phrase of haughty Gaul,	8	·····/˘·
But proud Iberia soundly maul:	8	··˘/˘/˘·
Restore the ships by Philip taken,	9	˘/···/˘/˘
And make him crouch to save his bacon.	9	·······/˘
Nassau, who got the name of Glorious,	9	/˘·····/˘
Because he never was victorious,	9	···/·˘/˘˘
A hanger-on has always been;	8	·/˘··/··
For old acquaintance bring him in.	8	··˘/˘···
To Walpole you might lend a line,	8	·/······
But much I fear he's in decline;	8	······˘/
And if you chance to come too late,	8	········
When he goes out, you share his fate,	8	········
And bear the new successor's frown;	8	····˘/˘·
Or, whom you once sang up, sing down.	8	········
Reject with scorn that stupid notion,	9	˘/···/˘/˘
To praise your hero for devotion;	9	···/˘·˘/˘
Nor entertain a thought so odd,	8	··˘/····
That princes should believe in God;	8	·/˘·˘/··
But follow the securest rule,	8	·/˘·˘/˘·
And turn it all to ridicule:	8	·····/˘·
'Tis grown the choicest wit at court,	8	···/˘···
And gives the maids of honour sport;	8	·····/˘·
For, since they talk'd with Dr. Clarke,	7	·······
They now can venture in the dark:	8	···/˘···
That sound divine the truth has spoke all,	9	··˘/·····
And pawn'd his word, Hell is not local.	9	·······/˘
This will not give them half the trouble	9	·······/˘
Of bargains sold, or meanings double.	9	·/˘··/˘/˘
Supposing now your song is done,	8	˘/˘·····
To Mynheer Handel next you run,	8	·˘//˘···
Who artfully will pare and prune	8	·/˘˘····
Your words to some Italian tune:	8	····˘/˘·
Then print it in the largest letter,	9	·····/˘/˘
With capitals, the more the better.	9	·/˘˘···/˘
Present it boldly on your knee,	8	˘/·/˘···
And take a guinea for your fee.	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.

More by Jonathan Swift

On Poetry: A Rhapsody, and Other Poems Cadenus and Vanessa, and Other Poems