Canto II
The fear of hell, or aiming to be bless'd,Savours too much of private interest.This moved not Moses, nor the zealous Paul,Who for their friends abandon'd soul and all;A greater yet from heaven to hell descends,To save, and make his enemies his friends.What line of praise can fathom such a love,Which reach'd the lowest bottom from above?The royal prophet, that extended graceFrom heaven to earth, measured but half that space.The law was regnant, and confined his thought;Hell was not conquer'd when that poet wrote;Heaven was scarce heard of until He came down,To make the region where love triumphs known.
That early love of creatures yet unmade,To frame the world the Almighty did persuade;For love it was that first created light,Moved on the waters, chased away the nightFrom the rude Chaos, and bestow'd new graceOn things disposed of to their proper place;Some to rest here, and some to shine above;Earth, sea, and heaven, were all th'effects of love.And love would be return'd; but there was noneThat to themselves or others yet were known;The world a palace was without a guest,Till one appears that must excel the rest;One! like the Author, whose capacious mindMight, by the glorious work, the Maker find;Might measure heaven, and give each star a name;With art and courage the rough ocean tame;Over the globe with swelling sails might go,And that 'tis round by his experience know;Make strongest beasts obedient to his will,And serve his use the fertile earth to till.
When, by His Word, God had accomplish'd all,Man to create He did a council call;Employed His hand, to give the dust He tookA graceful figure, and majestic look;With His own breath convey'd into his breastLife, and a soul fit to command the rest;Worthy alone to celebrate His nameFor such a gift, and tell from whence it came.Birds sing His praises in a wilder note,But not with lasting numbers and with thought,Man's great prerogative! but above allHis grace abounds in His new fav'rite's fall.
If He create, it is a world He makes;If He be angry, the creation shakes;From His just wrath our guilty parents fled;He cursed the earth, but bruised the serpent's head.Amidst the storm His bounty did exceed,In the rich promise of the Virgin's seed;Though justice death, as satisfaction, craves,Love finds a way to pluck us from our graves.
Words in this poem
- regnant a.
- Exercising regal authority; reigning; as, a queen regnant. [L. regnans, -antis, p. pr. of regnare to reign: cf. F régnant. See Reign.]
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
- 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]
- unmade a.
- Etym: [Pref. un- not + made.]
- chaos n.
- An empty, immeasurable space; a yawning chasm. [L. chaos chaos (in senses 1 & 2), Gr. Chasm.]
- 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.]
- angry a.
- Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- amidst prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- 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.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Canto II is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham, Project Gutenberg ebook #12322; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Edmund Waller, Canto II, in Poetical Works (1645–1668), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12322, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/waller-denham/canto-ii-2.html, id L09135.
Form and metre
Canto II is 54 lines in 4 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 85% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 17% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, 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 AABBCCDDEE---- bless'dA · interestA · paulB · allB · descendsC · friendsC · loveD · aboveD · graceE · spaceE · thought · wrote · down · known
- 2 AABBCCDD--EEFFGGHHII unmadeA · persuadeA · lightB · nightB · graceC · placeC · aboveD · loveD · none · known · guestE · restE · mindF · findF · nameG · tameG · goH · knowH · willI · tillI
- 3 AABBCCDD--AA allA · callA · tookB · lookB · breastC · restC · nameD · cameD · note · thought · allA · fallA
- 4 AABBCCDD makesA · shakesA · fledB · headB · exceedC · seedC · cravesD · gravesD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The fear of hell, or aiming to be bless'd, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Savours too much of private interest. | 9 | /˘···/˘/˘ |
| This moved not Moses, nor the zealous Paul, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Who for their friends abandon'd soul and all; | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| A greater yet from heaven to hell descends, | 10 | ·/˘··/··˘/ |
| To save, and make his enemies his friends. | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| What line of praise can fathom such a love, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Which reach'd the lowest bottom from above? | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| The royal prophet, that extended grace | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| From heaven to earth, measured but half that space. | 10 | ·/··/˘···· |
| The law was regnant, and confined his thought; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Hell was not conquer'd when that poet wrote; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Heaven was scarce heard of until He came down, | 10 | /········· |
| To make the region where love triumphs known. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| That early love of creatures yet unmade, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| To frame the world the Almighty did persuade; | 11 | ·····˘/˘·˘/ |
| For love it was that first created light, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Moved on the waters, chased away the night | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| From the rude Chaos, and bestow'd new grace | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| On things disposed of to their proper place; | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Some to rest here, and some to shine above; | 10 | ·········· |
| Earth, sea, and heaven, were all th'effects of love. | 10 | ···/······ |
| And love would be return'd; but there was none | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| That to themselves or others yet were known; | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| The world a palace was without a guest, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Till one appears that must excel the rest; | 10 | ··˘/··˘/·· |
| One! like the Author, whose capacious mind | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Might, by the glorious work, the Maker find; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Might measure heaven, and give each star a name; | 10 | ·/˘/······ |
| With art and courage the rough ocean tame; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Over the globe with swelling sails might go, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And that 'tis round by his experience know; | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Make strongest beasts obedient to his will, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| And serve his use the fertile earth to till. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| When, by His Word, God had accomplish'd all, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Man to create He did a council call; | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Employed His hand, to give the dust He took | 10 | ˘/········ |
| A graceful figure, and majestic look; | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| With His own breath convey'd into his breast | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Life, and a soul fit to command the rest; | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Worthy alone to celebrate His name | 10 | /˘˘/·/˘··· |
| For such a gift, and tell from whence it came. | 10 | ·········· |
| Birds sing His praises in a wilder note, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| But not with lasting numbers and with thought, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Man's great prerogative! but above all | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| His grace abounds in His new fav'rite's fall. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| If He create, it is a world He makes; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| If He be angry, the creation shakes; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| From His just wrath our guilty parents fled; | 10 | ····//˘/˘· |
| He cursed the earth, but bruised the serpent's head. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Amidst the storm His bounty did exceed, | 10 | ˘/···/˘·˘/ |
| In the rich promise of the Virgin's seed; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Though justice death, as satisfaction, craves, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| Love finds a way to pluck us from our graves. | 10 | ········/· |
Notes from the edition 2
George Gilfillan's notes to the Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham (1857; Project Gutenberg #12322).
- Stanza 1, line 4 'Abandoned soul and all': Exodus xxxii. 32. Ep. to the Romans ix. 3.
- Stanza 1, line 9 : 'Royal prophet': David.
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.