Retirement
My gentle friend! I hold no creed so falseAs that which dares to teach that we are bornFor battle only, and that in this lifeThe soul, if it would burn with starlike power,Must needs forsooth be kindled by the sparksStruck from the shock of clashing human hearts.There is a wisdom that grows up in strife,And one--I like it best--that sits at homeAnd learns its lessons of a thoughtful ease.So come! a lonely house awaits thee!--thereNor praise, nor blame shall reach us, save what loveOf knowledge for itself shall wake at timesIn our own bosoms; come! and we will buildA wall of quiet thought, and gentle books,Betwixt us and the hard and bitter world.Sometimes--for we need not be anchorites--A distant friend shall cheer us through the Post,Or some Gazette--of course no partisan--Shall bring us pleasant news of pleasant things;Then, twisted into graceful allumettes,Each ancient joke shall blaze with genuine flameTo light our pipes and candles; but to wars,Whether of words or weapons, we shall beDeaf--so we twain shall pass away the timeEv'n as a pair of happy lovers, who,Alone, within some quiet garden-nook,With a clear night of stars above their heads,Just hear, betwixt their kisses and their talk,The tumult of a tempest rolling throughA chain of neighboring mountains; they awhilePause to admire a flash that only showsThe smile upon their faces, but, full soon,Turn with a quick, glad impulse, and perhapsA conscious wile that brings them closer yet,To dally with their own fond hearts, and playWith the sweet flowers that blossom at their feet.
Words in this poem
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- forsooth v. t.
- To address respectfully with the term forsooth.
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
- 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,]
- 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.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- nook n.
- A narrow place formed by an angle in bodies or between bodies; a corner; a recess; a secluded retreat. [OE. nok; cf. Gael. & Ir. niuc.]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- admire v. t.
- To regard with wonder or astonishment; to view with surprise; to marvel at. [F. admirer, fr. L. admirari; ad + mirari to wonder, for smirari, akin to Gr. smi, and E. smile.]
- wile n.
- A trick or stratagem practiced for insnaring or deception; a sly, insidious; artifice; a beguilement; an allurement. [OE. wile, AS. wil; cf. Icel. v, væl. Cf. Guile.]
- closer n.
- One who, or that which, closes; specifically, a boot closer. See under Boot.
- dally v. i.
- To waste time in effeminate or voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to fool away time; to delay unnecessarily; to tarry; to trifle. [OE. , dailien; cf. Icel. pylja to talk, G. dallen, dalen, dahlen, to trifle, talk nonsense, OSw. tule a droll or funny man; or AS. dol foolish, E. dull.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Retirement is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems of Henry Timrod; with Memoir, Project Gutenberg ebook #845; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Henry Timrod, Retirement, in Poems (1860–1867), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #845, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/timrod-poems/retirement.html, id L10508.
Form and metre
Retirement is 36 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 47% 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 --A---A--------B---B----C---C------- false · born · lifeA · power · sparks · hearts · strifeA · home · ease · there · love · times · build · books · world · anchoritesB · post · partisan · things · allumettesB · flame · wars · be · time · whoC · nook · heads · talk · throughC · awhile · shows · soon · perhaps · yet · play · feet
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 |
|---|---|---|
| My gentle friend! I hold no creed so false | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| As that which dares to teach that we are born | 10 | ·········· |
| For battle only, and that in this life | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| The soul, if it would burn with starlike power, | 11 | ·······/·/˘ |
| Must needs forsooth be kindled by the sparks | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Struck from the shock of clashing human hearts. | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| There is a wisdom that grows up in strife, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And one--I like it best--that sits at home | 10 | ·········· |
| And learns its lessons of a thoughtful ease. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| So come! a lonely house awaits thee!--there | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Nor praise, nor blame shall reach us, save what love | 10 | ·········· |
| Of knowledge for itself shall wake at times | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| In our own bosoms; come! and we will build | 10 | ·/·/˘····· |
| A wall of quiet thought, and gentle books, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Betwixt us and the hard and bitter world. | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| Sometimes--for we need not be anchorites-- | 10 | ˘/········ |
| A distant friend shall cheer us through the Post, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Or some Gazette--of course no partisan-- | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| Shall bring us pleasant news of pleasant things; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Then, twisted into graceful allumettes, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Each ancient joke shall blaze with genuine flame | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| To light our pipes and candles; but to wars, | 10 | ··/··/˘··· |
| Whether of words or weapons, we shall be | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Deaf--so we twain shall pass away the time | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Ev'n as a pair of happy lovers, who, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Alone, within some quiet garden-nook, | 10 | ˘/···/˘/˘· |
| With a clear night of stars above their heads, | 10 | ·········· |
| Just hear, betwixt their kisses and their talk, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| The tumult of a tempest rolling through | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| A chain of neighboring mountains; they awhile | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Pause to admire a flash that only shows | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| The smile upon their faces, but, full soon, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Turn with a quick, glad impulse, and perhaps | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| A conscious wile that brings them closer yet, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| To dally with their own fond hearts, and play | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| With the sweet flowers that blossom at their feet. | 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.