Anticipation. October, 1803
Included among the "Sonnets dedicated to Liberty"; re-named in 1845,
Shout, for a mighty Victory is won!On British ground the Invaders are laid low;The breath of Heaven has drifted them like snow,And left them lying in the silent sun,Never to rise again!--the work is done.Come forth, ye old men, now in peaceful showAnd greet your sons! drums beat and trumpets blow!Make merry, wives! ye little children, stunYour grandame's ears with pleasure of your noise!Clap, infants, clap your hands! Divine must beThat triumph, when the very worst, the pain,And even the prospect of our brethren slain,Hath something in it which the heart enjoys:--In glory will they sleep and endless sanctity.
Words in this poem
- trumpets n.
- A plant (Sarracenia flava) with long, hollow leaves.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Anticipation. October, 1803 is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 2 (of 8), Project Gutenberg ebook #12145; 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 Wordsworth, Anticipation. October, 1803, in The Brothers, and Other Poems (1798–1807), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12145, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/wordsworth-vol2/anticipation-october-1803.html, id L25918.
Form and metre
Anticipation. October, 1803 is 15 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
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.
- 2 ABBAABBAC-DDC- wonA · lowB · snowB · sunA · doneA · showB · blowB · stunA · noiseC · be · painD · slainD · enjoysC · sanctity
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Included among the "Sonnets dedicated to Liberty"; re-named in 1845, | 16 | ˘/˘···/˘/˘·/˘··· |
| Shout, for a mighty Victory is won! | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| On British ground the Invaders are laid low; | 11 | ·/˘··˘/˘··· |
| The breath of Heaven has drifted them like snow, | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| And left them lying in the silent sun, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Never to rise again!--the work is done. | 10 | /˘··˘/···· |
| Come forth, ye old men, now in peaceful show | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And greet your sons! drums beat and trumpets blow! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Make merry, wives! ye little children, stun | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Your grandame's ears with pleasure of your noise! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Clap, infants, clap your hands! Divine must be | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| That triumph, when the very worst, the pain, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| And even the prospect of our brethren slain, | 10 | ·/·/˘·//˘· |
| Hath something in it which the heart enjoys:-- | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| In glory will they sleep and endless sanctity. | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
On this poem
Notes from the edition 3
William Knight's notes to The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth, Volume 2 (1896; Project Gutenberg #12145): Wordsworth's own Isabella Fenwick notes and Knight's headnotes on composition and publication, plus his lettered footnotes (restarting at A for every poem).
- Stanza 2, line 9 1807. ... with transports of your own. C. ... with transport of your noise! 1838. The edition of 1840 returns to the text of 1807.
- Stanza 2, line 12 1807. The loss and e'en the prospect of the slain, MS. 1803. And in 'The Poetical Register', 1803. And prospect of our Brethren to be slain, MS. 1803.
- Stanza 2, line 14 1807. True glory, everlasting sanctity. MS. 1803. And in 'The Poetical Register', 1803.
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