Gilded Gold
THOU dost to rich attire a grace,To let it deck itself with thee,And teachest pomp strange cunning waysTo be thought simplicity.But lilies, stolen from grassy mold,No more curlèd state unfoldTranslated to a vase of gold;In burning throne though they keep stillSerenities unthawed and chill.Therefore, albeit thou’rt stately so,In statelier state thou us’dst to go.
Though jewels should phosphoric burnThrough those night-waters of thine hair,A flower from its translucid urnPoured silver flame more lunar-fair.These futile trappings but recallDegenerate worshippers who fallIn purfled kirtle and brocadeTo ’parel the white Mother-Maid.For, as her image stood arrayedIn vests of its self-substance wrought
To measure of the sculptor’s thought—Slurred by those added braveries;So for thy spirit did deviseIts Maker seemly garniture,Of its own essence parcel pure,—From grave simplicities a dress,And reticent demurenesses,And love encinctured with reserve;Which the woven vesture should subserve.For outward robes in their ostentsShould show the soul’s habiliments.Therefore I say,—Thou’rt fair even so,But better Fair I use to know.
The violet would thy dusk hair deckWith graces like thine own unsought.Ah! but such place would daze and wreckIts simple, lowly rustic thought.For so advancèd, dear, to thee,It would unlearn humility!Yet do not, with an altered look,In these weak numbers read rebuke;Which are but jealous lest too muchGod’s master-piece thou shouldst retouch.Where a sweetness is complete,Add not sweets unto the sweet!Or, as thou wilt, for others soIn unfamiliar richness go;But keep for mine acquainted eyesThe fashions of thy Paradise.
Words in this poem
- albeit conj.
- Even though; although; notwithstanding. [OE. al be although it be, where al is our all. Cf. Although.]
- futile a.
- Talkative; loquacious; tattling. [L. futilis that easily pours out, that easily lets loose, vain, worthless, from the root of fundere to pour out: cf. F. futile. See Fuse, v. t.]
- purfled a.
- Ornamented; decorated; esp., embroidered on the edges. Purfled work (Arch.), delicate tracery, especially in Gothic architecture.
- kirtle n.
- A garment varying in form and use at different times, and worn doth by men and women. [OE. kirtel, curtel, AS. cyrtel; skin to Icel. kyrtill, Sw. kjortel, Dan. kiortel, kiole.]
- brocade n.
- Silk stuff, woven with gold and silver threads, or ornamented with raised flowers, foliage, etc.; -- also applied to other stuffs thus wrought and enriched. [Sp. brocado (cf. It. broccato, F. brocart), fr. LL. brocare *prick, to figure (textile fabrics), to emboss (linen), to stitch. See Broach.]
- slurred a.
- Marked with a slur; performed in a smooth, gliding style, like notes marked with a slur.
- garniture n.
- That which garnishes; ornamental appendage; embellishment; furniture; dress. [F. garniture. See Garnish, v. t.]
- reticent a.
- Inclined to keep silent; reserved; uncommunicative. [L. reticens, p. pr. of reticere to keep silence; re- + tacere to be silent. See Tacit.]
- subserve v. t.
- To serve in subordination or instrumentally; to be subservient to; to help forward; to promote. [L. subservire; sub under + servire to serve. See Serve.]
- daze v. t.
- To stupefy with excess of light; with a blow, with cold, or with fear; to confuse; to benumb. [OE. dasen, prob. from Icel. dasask to become weary, a reflexive verb; cf. Sw. dasa to lie idle, and OD. daesen to be foolish, insane, daes, dwaes, D. dwaas, foo]
- unlearn v. t.
- To forget, as what has been learned; to lose from memory; also, to learn the contrary of. [1st pref. un- + learn.]
- retouch v. t.
- To touch again, or rework, in order to improve; to revise; as, to retouch a picture or an essay. [Pref. re- + touch: cf. F. retoucher.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Gilded Gold is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #1469; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Francis Thompson, Gilded Gold, in Poems (1893) (1893), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1469, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/thompson-poems/gilded-gold.html, id L01702.
Form and metre
Gilded Gold is 50 lines in 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 91% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.2 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 34% 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 ----AAABBCC grace · thee · ways · simplicity · moldA · unfoldA · goldA · stillB · chillB · soC · goC
- 2 ABABCCDDD- burnA · hairB · urnA · fairB · recallC · fallC · brocadeD · maidD · arrayedD · wrought
- 3 -AA----BBCCDD thought · braveriesA · deviseA · garniture · pure · dress · demurenesses · reserveB · subserveB · ostentsC · habilimentsC · soD · knowD
- 4 ABAB----CCDDEE-- deckA · unsoughtB · wreckA · thoughtB · thee · humility · look · rebuke · muchC · retouchC · completeD · sweetD · soE · goE · eyes · paradise
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 |
|---|---|---|
| THOU dost to rich attire a grace, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| To let it deck itself with thee, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| And teachest pomp strange cunning ways | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| To be thought simplicity. | 7 | ···˘/˘˘ |
| But lilies, stolen from grassy mold, | 9 | ·/˘/˘·/˘· |
| No more curlèd state unfold | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Translated to a vase of gold; | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| In burning throne though they keep still | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Serenities unthawed and chill. | 8 | ˘/˘˘···· |
| Therefore, albeit thou’rt stately so, | 9 | ··˘/˘·/˘· |
| In statelier state thou us’dst to go. | 9 | ········· |
| Though jewels should phosphoric burn | 8 | ·/˘·/˘˘· |
| Through those night-waters of thine hair, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A flower from its translucid urn | 8 | ·/··˘/˘· |
| Poured silver flame more lunar-fair. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| These futile trappings but recall | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Degenerate worshippers who fall | 8 | ˘/˘/˘˘·· |
| In purfled kirtle and brocade | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| To ’parel the white Mother-Maid. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For, as her image stood arrayed | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| In vests of its self-substance wrought | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To measure of the sculptor’s thought— | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Slurred by those added braveries; | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| So for thy spirit did devise | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Its Maker seemly garniture, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Of its own essence parcel pure,— | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| From grave simplicities a dress, | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| And reticent demurenesses, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And love encinctured with reserve; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Which the woven vesture should subserve. | 9 | ··/˘/˘·˘/ |
| For outward robes in their ostents | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Should show the soul’s habiliments. | 8 | ········ |
| Therefore I say,—Thou’rt fair even so, | 8 | ······/· |
| But better Fair I use to know. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The violet would thy dusk hair deck | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| With graces like thine own unsought. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Ah! but such place would daze and wreck | 8 | ········ |
| Its simple, lowly rustic thought. | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| For so advancèd, dear, to thee, | 7 | ······· |
| It would unlearn humility! | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Yet do not, with an altered look, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| In these weak numbers read rebuke; | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Which are but jealous lest too much | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| God’s master-piece thou shouldst retouch. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Where a sweetness is complete, | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| Add not sweets unto the sweet! | 7 | ······· |
| Or, as thou wilt, for others so | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| In unfamiliar richness go; | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| But keep for mine acquainted eyes | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| The fashions of thy Paradise. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
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