Laurel · Francis Thompson · Poems (1893)

To the Dead Cardinal of Westminster

Francis Thompson (1859–1907) · 1893

iambic trimeter · AABB · 176 lines · from Poems (1893)

I WILL not perturbateThy Paradisal stateWith praiseOf thy dead days;

To the new-heavened say,—“Spirit, thou wert fine clay:”This do,Thy praise who knew.

Therefore my spirit clingsHeaven’s porter by the wings,And holdsIts gated golds

Apart, with thee to pressA private business;—Whence,Deign me audience.

Anchorite, who didst dwellWith all the world for cellMy soulRound me doth roll

A sequestration bare.Too far alike we were,Too farDissimilar.

For its burning fruitage IDo climb the tree o’ the sky;Do prizeSome human eyes.

You smelt the Heaven-blossoms,And all the sweet embosomsThe dearUranian year.

Those Eyes my weak gaze shuns,Which to the suns are Suns.DidNot affray your lid.

The carpet was let down(With golden mouldings strown)For youOf the angels’ blue.

But I, ex-Paradised,The shoulder of your ChristFind highTo lean thereby.

So flaps my helpless sail,Bellying with neither gale,Of HeavenNor Orcus even.

Life is a coquetryOf Death, which wearies me,Too sureOf the amour;

A tiring-room where IDeath’s divers garments try,Till fitSome fashion sit.

It seemeth me too muchI do rehearse for suchA meanAnd single scene.

The sandy glass hence bear—Antique remembrancer;My veinsDo spare its pains.

With secret sympathyMy thoughts repeat in meInfirmThe turn o’ the worm

Beneath my appointed sod:The grave is in my blood;I shakeTo winds that take

Its grasses by the top;The rains thereon that dropPerturbWith drip acerb

My subtly answering soul;The feet across its knollDo jarMe from afar.

As sap foretastes the spring;As Earth ere blossomingThrillsWith far daffodils,

And feels her breast turn sweetWith the unconceivèd wheat;So dothMy flesh foreloathe

The abhorrèd spring of Dis,With seething presciencesAffirmThe preparate worm.

I have no thought that I,When at the last I die,Shall reachTo gain your speech.

But you, should that be so,May very well, I know,May wellTo me in hell

With recognising eyesLook from your Paradise—“God blessThy hopelessness!”

Call, holy soul, O callThe hosts angelical,And say,—“See, far away

“Lies one I saw on earth;One stricken from his birthWith curseOf destinate verse.

“What place doth He ye serveFor such sad spirit reserve,—Given,In dark lieu of Heaven,

“The impitiable Dæmon,Beauty, to adore and dream on,To bePerpetually

“Hers, but she never his?He reapeth miseries,ForeknowsHis wages woes;

“He lives detachèd days;He serveth not for praise;For goldHe is not sold;

“Deaf is he to world’s tongue;He scorneth for his songThe loudShouts of the crowd;

“He asketh not world’s eyes;Not to world’s ears he cries;Saith,—‘TheseShut, if ye please;’

“He measureth world’s pleasure,World’s ease as Saints might measure;For hireJust love entire

“He asks, not grudging pain;And knows his asking vain,And cries—‘Love! Love!’ and dies;

“In guerdon of long duty,Unowned by Love or Beauty;And goes—Tell, tell, who knows!

“Aliens from Heaven’s worth,Fine beasts who nose i’ the earth,Do thereReward prepare.

“But are his great desiresFood but for nether fires?Ah me,A mystery!

“Can it be his alone,To find when all is known,That whatHe solely sought

“Is lost, and thereto lostAll that its seeking cost?That heMust finally,

“Through sacrificial tears,And anchoretic years,TrystWith the sensualist?”

So ask; and if they tellThe secret terrible,Good friend,I pray thee send

Some high gold embassageTo teach my unripe age.Tell!Lest my feet walk hell.

Words in this poem 33

perturbate v. t.: To perturb. Dr. H. More. [From L. perturbatus, p.p.]
gated a.: Having gates. Young.
deign v. t.: To esteem worthy; to consider worth notice; -- opposed to disdain. [OE. deinen, deignen, OF. degner, deigner, daigner, F. daigner, fr. L. dignari to deem worthy, deign, fr. dignus worthy; akin to decere to be fitting. See Decent]
anchorite n.: One who renounces the world and secludes himself, usually for religious reasons; a hermit; a recluse. [Written by some authors anachoret.] [F. anachorète, L. anachoreta, fr. Gr. ha to leave. Cf. Anchor a hermit.]
didst: , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
dwell v. i.: To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
sequestration n.: The state of being separated or set aside; separation; retirement; seclusion from society. [L. sequestratio: cf. F. séquestration.]
fruitage n.: Fruit, collectively; fruit, in general; fruitery. [F. fruitage.]
uranian a.: Of or pertaining to the planet Uranus; as, the Uranian year.
coquetry n.: Attempts to attract admoration, notice, or love, for the mere gratification of vanity; trifling in love. [F. coquetterie.]
amour n.: Love; affection. [F., fr. L. amor love.]
divers a.: Different in kind or species; diverse. [F. divers, L. diversus turned in different directions, different, p. p. of divertere. See Divert, and cf. Diverse.]
remembrancer n.: One who, or that which, serves to bring to, or keep in, mind; a memento; a memorial; a reminder.
thereon adv.: On that or this. [AS. . See There, and On.]
perturb v. t.: To disturb; to agitate; to vex; to trouble; to disquiet. [L. perturbare, perturbatum; per + turbare to disturb, fr. turba a disorder: cf. OF. perturber. See Per-, and Turbid.]
drip v. i.: To fall in drops; as, water drips from the eaves. [Akin to LG. drippen, Dan. dryppe, from a noun. See Drop.]
acerb a.: Sour, bitter, and harsh to the taste, as unripe fruit; sharp and harsh. [L. acerbus, fr. acer sharp: cf. F. acerbe. See Acrid.]
subtly adv.: In a subtle manner; slyly; artfully; cunningly.
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.]
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,]
angelical a.: Belonging to, or proceeding from, angels; resembling, characteristic of, or partaking of the nature of, an angel; heavenly; divine. [L. angelicus, Gr. angélique.]
stricken p. p.: Struck; smitten; wounded; as, the stricken deer.
destinate v. t.: To destine, design, or choose.
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]
perpetually adv.: In a perpetual manner; constantly; continually.
saith: 3d pers. sing. pres. of Say.
guerdon n.: A reward; requital; recompense; -- used in both a good and a bad sense. [OF. guerdon, guerredon, LL. widerdonum (influenced by L. donum gift, cf. Donation ), fr. OHG. widarl; widar again, against (G. wider wieder) + lon reward, G. lo]
unowned a.: Not owned; having no owner. [Pref. un- not + (sense 1) owned possessed, and (sense 2) owned granted, acknowledged.]
nether a.: Situated down or below; lying beneath, or in the lower part; having a lower position; belonging to the region below; lower; under; -- opposed to upper. [OE. nethere, neithere, AS. ni, fr. the adv. ni downward; akin to neo below, beneath, D. neder down, G. nieder, Sw. nedre below, nether, a. & adv., and also to S]
sacrificial a.: Of or pertaining to sacrifice or sacrifices; consisting in sacrifice; performing sacrifice.
anchoretic a.: Pertaining to an anchoret or hermit; after the manner of an anchoret.
tryst v. i.: To mutually agree to meet at a certain place.
sensualist n.: One who is sensual; one given to the indulgence of the appetites or senses as the means of happiness. [CF. F. sensualiste.]

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

About this text

To the Dead Cardinal of Westminster 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, To the Dead Cardinal of Westminster, in Poems (1893) (1893), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1469, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/thompson-poems/to-the-dead-cardinal-of-westminster.html, id L01705.

Form and metre

To the Dead Cardinal of Westminster is 176 lines in 44 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 27 of its 44 stanzas. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 4.7 syllables. 32 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 44% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in iambic trimeter.

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 AABB perturbate^A · state^A · praise^B · days^B
2 AABB say^A · clay^A · do^B · knew^B
3 AABB clings^A · wings^A · holds^B · golds^B
4 AABB press^A · business^A · whence^B · audience^B
5 AABB dwell^A · cell^A · soul^B · roll^B
7 AABB i^A · sky^A · prize^B · eyes^B
8 AABB blossoms^A · embosoms^A · dear^B · year^B
9 AABB shuns^A · suns^A · did^B · lid^B
10 AABB down^A · strown^A · you^B · blue^B
11 --AA paradised · christ · high^A · thereby^A
12 AA-- sail^A · gale^A · heaven · even
14 AABB i^A · try^A · fit^B · sit^B
15 AABB much^A · such^A · mean^B · scene^B
16 --AA bear · remembrancer · veins^A · pains^A
17 --AA sympathy · me · infirm^A · worm^A
18 --AA sod · blood · shake^A · take^A
19 AABB top^A · drop^A · perturb^B · acerb^B
20 AABB soul^A · knoll^A · jar^B · afar^B
21 AABB spring^A · blossoming^A · thrills^B · daffodils^B
22 AABB sweet^A · wheat^A · doth^B · foreloathe^B
23 --AA dis · presciences · affirm^A · worm^A
24 AABB i^A · die^A · reach^B · speech^B
25 AABB so^A · know^A · well^B · hell^B
26 -AAA eyes · paradise^A · bless^A · hopelessness^A
27 --AA call · angelical · say^A · away^A
28 AABB earth^A · birth^A · curse^B · verse^B
29 AA-- serve^A · reserve^A · given · heaven
31 AABB his^A · miseries^A · foreknows^B · woes^B
32 AABB days^A · praise^A · gold^B · sold^B
33 --AA tongue · song · loud^A · crowd^A
34 AABB eyes^A · cries^A · these^B · please^B
35 AABB pleasure^A · measure^A · hire^B · entire^B
36 AABB pain^A · vain^A · cries^B · dies^B
37 AABB duty^A · beauty^A · goes^B · knows^B
38 AABB worth^A · earth^A · there^B · prepare^B
39 AA-- desires^A · fires^A · me · mystery
40 AA-- alone^A · known^A · what · sought
41 AA-- lost^A · cost^A · he · finally
42 AABB tears^A · years^A · tryst^B · sensualist^B
43 AABB tell^A · terrible^A · friend^B · send^B
44 --AA embassage · age · tell^A · hell^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 trimeter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
I WILL not perturbate	6	···/˘˘
Thy Paradisal state	5	·/˘˘·
With praise	2	··
Of thy dead days;	4	····
To the new-heavened say,—	6	···/˘·
“Spirit, thou wert fine clay:”	6	/˘····
This do,	2	··
Thy praise who knew.	4	····
Therefore my spirit clings	6	···/˘·
Heaven’s porter by the wings,	7	/˘/˘···
And holds	2	··
Its gated golds	4	·/˘·
Apart, with thee to press	6	˘/····
A private business;—	5	·/˘/˘
Whence,	1	·
Deign me audience.	5	··/˘˘
Anchorite, who didst dwell	6	/˘˘···
With all the world for cell	6	······
My soul	2	··
Round me doth roll	4	····
A sequestration bare.	6	··˘/˘·
Too far alike we were,	6	··˘/··
Too far	2	··
Dissimilar.	4	˘/˘˘
For its burning fruitage I	7	··/˘/˘·
Do climb the tree o’ the sky;	7	·······
Do prize	2	··
Some human eyes.	4	·/˘·
You smelt the Heaven-blossoms,	7	···/˘/˘
And all the sweet embosoms	7	·······
The dear	2	··
Uranian year.	5	˘/˘˘·
Those Eyes my weak gaze shuns,	6	······
Which to the suns are Suns.	6	······
Did	1	·
Not affray your lid.	5	·˘/··
The carpet was let down	6	·/˘···
(With golden mouldings strown)	6	·/˘/˘·
For you	2	··
Of the angels’ blue.	5	··/˘·
But I, ex-Paradised,	6	···˘/˘
The shoulder of your Christ	6	·/˘···
Find high	2	··
To lean thereby.	4	····
So flaps my helpless sail,	6	···/˘·
Bellying with neither gale,	7	/˘˘·/˘·
Of Heaven	3	·/˘
Nor Orcus even.	5	···/˘
Life is a coquetry	6	···˘/˘
Of Death, which wearies me,	6	···/˘·
Too sure	2	··
Of the amour;	4	··/˘
A tiring-room where I	6	·/˘···
Death’s divers garments try,	6	·/˘/˘·
Till fit	2	··
Some fashion sit.	4	·/˘·
It seemeth me too much	6	·/˘···
I do rehearse for such	6	··˘/··
A mean	2	··
And single scene.	4	·/˘·
The sandy glass hence bear—	6	·/˘···
Antique remembrancer;	6	˘/˘/˘˘
My veins	2	··
Do spare its pains.	4	····
With secret sympathy	6	·/˘/˘˘
My thoughts repeat in me	6	··˘/··
Infirm	2	˘/
The turn o’ the worm	5	·····
Beneath my appointed sod:	7	···˘/˘·
The grave is in my blood;	6	······
I shake	2	··
To winds that take	4	····
Its grasses by the top;	6	·/˘···
The rains thereon that drop	6	··˘/··
Perturb	2	˘/
With drip acerb	4	··˘/
My subtly answering soul;	8	·/˘˘/˘˘·
The feet across its knoll	6	··˘/··
Do jar	2	··
Me from afar.	4	··˘/
As sap foretastes the spring;	6	··˘/··
As Earth ere blossoming	6	···/˘˘
Thrills	1	·
With far daffodils,	5	··/˘·
And feels her breast turn sweet	6	······
With the unconceivèd wheat;	6	······
So doth	2	··
My flesh foreloathe	5	·····
The abhorrèd spring of Dis,	6	······
With seething presciences	7	·/˘/˘˘˘
Affirm	2	˘/
The preparate worm.	5	·····
I have no thought that I,	6	······
When at the last I die,	6	······
Shall reach	2	··
To gain your speech.	4	····
But you, should that be so,	6	······
May very well, I know,	6	·/˘···
May well	2	··
To me in hell	4	····
With recognising eyes	6	·/˘·˘·
Look from your Paradise—	6	···/˘·
“God bless	2	··
Thy hopelessness!”	4	·/˘˘
Call, holy soul, O call	6	·/˘···
The hosts angelical,	6	······
And say,—	2	··
“See, far away	4	··˘/
“Lies one I saw on earth;	6	······
One stricken from his birth	6	·/˘···
With curse	2	··
Of destinate verse.	5	·/˘˘·
“What place doth He ye serve	6	······
For such sad spirit reserve,—	7	···/˘˘/
Given,	2	/˘
In dark lieu of Heaven,	6	····/˘
“The impitiable Dæmon,	7	·······
Beauty, to adore and dream on,	8	/˘·˘/···
To be	2	··
Perpetually	5	˘/˘˘˘
“Hers, but she never his?	6	···/˘·
He reapeth miseries,	6	·/˘/˘˘
Foreknows	3	···
His wages woes;	4	·/˘·
“He lives detachèd days;	5	·····
He serveth not for praise;	6	·/˘···
For gold	2	··
He is not sold;	4	····
“Deaf is he to world’s tongue;	6	······
He scorneth for his song	6	·/˘···
The loud	2	··
Shouts of the crowd;	4	····
“He asketh not world’s eyes;	6	······
Not to world’s ears he cries;	6	······
Saith,—‘These	2	··
Shut, if ye please;’	4	····
“He measureth world’s pleasure,	7	·/˘˘·/˘
World’s ease as Saints might measure;	7	·····/˘
For hire	3	·/˘
Just love entire	5	··˘/˘
“He asks, not grudging pain;	6	···/˘·
And knows his asking vain,	6	···/˘·
And cries—	2	··
‘Love! Love!’ and dies;	4	····
“In guerdon of long duty,	7	·/˘··/˘
Unowned by Love or Beauty;	9	˘/˘˘···/˘
And goes—	2	··
Tell, tell, who knows!	4	····
“Aliens from Heaven’s worth,	7	/˘˘·/˘·
Fine beasts who nose i’ the earth,	7	·······
Do there	2	··
Reward prepare.	4	˘/˘/
“But are his great desires	7	····˘/˘
Food but for nether fires?	7	···/˘/˘
Ah me,	2	··
A mystery!	4	·/˘˘
“Can it be his alone,	6	····˘/
To find when all is known,	6	······
That what	2	··
He solely sought	4	·/˘·
“Is lost, and thereto lost	6	···˘/·
All that its seeking cost?	6	···/˘·
That he	2	··
Must finally,	4	·/˘˘
“Through sacrificial tears,	6	··˘/˘·
And anchoretic years,	6	······
Tryst	1	·
With the sensualist?”	6	··/˘˘˘
So ask; and if they tell	6	······
The secret terrible,	6	·/˘/˘˘
Good friend,	2	··
I pray thee send	4	····
Some high gold embassage	6	···/˘˘
To teach my unripe age.	6	···˘/·
Tell!	1	·
Lest my feet walk hell.	5	·····

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