The Political Luminary
A skilful leech, so long as we were whole:Who scann'd the nation's every outward part,But ah! misheard the beating of its heart.Sire of huge sorrows, yet erect of soul.Swift rider with calamity for goal,Who, overtasking his equestrian art,Unstall'd a steed full willing for the start,But wondrous hard to curb or to control.Sometimes we thought he led the people forth:Anon he seemed to follow where they flew;Lord of the golden tongue and smiting eyes;Great out of season, and untimely wise:A man whose virtue, genius, grandeur, worthWrought deadlier ill than ages can undo.
Words in this poem
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- equestrian a.
- Of or pertaining to horses or horsemen, or to horsemanship; as, equestrian feats, or games. [L. equester, from eques horseman, fr. equus horse: cf. F. équestre. See Equine.]
- 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.]
- wondrous adv.
- In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
- anon adv.
- Straightway; at once. [OE. anoon, anon, anan, lit., in one (moment), fr. AS. on in + an one. See On and One.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Political Luminary is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of William Watson, Project Gutenberg ebook #13179; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Watson, The Political Luminary, in The Poems of William Watson (1892–1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13179, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/watson-poems/the-political-luminary.html, id L11293.
Form and metre
The Political Luminary is 14 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 7% 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 ABBAABBA-CDD-C wholeA · partB · heartB · soulA · goalA · artB · startB · controlA · forth · flewC · eyesD · wiseD · worth · undoC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| A skilful leech, so long as we were whole: | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Who scann'd the nation's every outward part, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| But ah! misheard the beating of its heart. | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| Sire of huge sorrows, yet erect of soul. | 10 | /··/˘·˘/·· |
| Swift rider with calamity for goal, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘·· |
| Who, overtasking his equestrian art, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Unstall'd a steed full willing for the start, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| But wondrous hard to curb or to control. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Sometimes we thought he led the people forth: | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| Anon he seemed to follow where they flew; | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| Lord of the golden tongue and smiting eyes; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Great out of season, and untimely wise: | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| A man whose virtue, genius, grandeur, worth | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘/· |
| Wrought deadlier ill than ages can undo. | 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.