Sub-Footnote on the Text
The following is an extract from Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal of theTour in Scotland:
'Is there a man whose judgment clear,Can others teach the way to steer,Yet runs himself life's mad career,Wild as the wave?Here let him pause, and through a tearSurvey this grave.
The poor Inhabitant belowWas quick to learn, and wise to know,And keenly felt the friendly glow,And softer flame;But thoughtless follies laid him lowAnd stained his name.'
'Seurfell from the sky,That Anadale doth crown, with a most amorous eye,Salutes me every day, or at my pride looks grim,Oft threatening me with clouds, as I oft threatening him!'
Too frail to keep the lofty vowThat must have followed when his browWas wreathed--"The Vision" tells us how--With holly spray,He faultered, drifted to and fro,And passed away.
Well might such thoughts, dear Sister, throngOur minds when, lingering all too long,Over the grave of Burns we hungIn social grief--Indulged as if it were a wrongTo seek relief.
But, leaving each unquiet themeWhere gentlest judgments may misdeem,And prompt to welcome every gleamOf good and fair,Let us beside this limpid StreamBreathe hopeful air.
Enough of sorrow, wreck, and blight;Think rather of those moments brightWhen to the consciousness of rightHis course was true,When Wisdom prospered in his sightAnd virtue grew.
Yes, freely let our hearts expand,Freely as in youth's season bland,When side by side, his Book in hand,We wont to stray,Our pleasure varying at commandOf each sweet Lay.
How oft inspired must he have trodThese pathways, yon far-stretching road!There lurks his home; in that Abode,With mirth elate,Or in his nobly-pensive mood,The Rustic sate.
Proud thoughts that Image overawes,Before it humbly let us pause,And ask of Nature, from what causeAnd by what rulesShe trained her Burns to win applauseThat shames the Schools.
Through busiest street and loneliest glenAre felt the flashes of his pen;He rules mid winter snows, and whenBees fill their hives;Deep in the general heart of menHis power survives.
What need of fields in some far climeWhere Heroes, Sages, Bards sublime,And all that fetched the flowing rhymeFrom genuine springs,Shall dwell together till old TimeFolds up his wings?
Sweet Mercy! to the gates of HeavenThis Minstrel lead, his sins forgiven;The rueful conflict, the heart rivenWith vain endeavour,And memory of Earth's bitter leaven,Effaced for ever.
But why to Him confine the prayer,When kindred thoughts and yearnings bearOn the frail heart the purest shareWith all that live?--The best of what we do and are,Just God, forgive!
Words in this poem 16
- tour n.
- A going round; a circuit; hence, a journey in a circuit; a prolonged circuitous journey; a comprehensive excursion; as, the tour of Europe; the tour of France or England. [F. tour. See Turn, v. t.]
- career n.
- A race course: the ground run over. [F. carrière race course, high road, street, fr. L. carrus wagon. See Car.]
- keenly adv.
- In a keen manner.
- unquiet v. t.
- To disquiet. Ld. Herbert. [1st pref. un- + quiet.]
- hopeful a.
- Full of hope, or agreeable expectation; inclined to hope; expectant.
- abode n.
- Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
- elate a.
- Lifted up; raised; elevated. [L. elatus elevated, fig., elated, proud (the figure, perh., being borrowed from a prancing horse); e out + latus (used as p. p. of ferre to bear), for tlatus, a]
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- sate v. t.
- To satisfy the desire or appetite of; to satiate; to glut; to surfeit. [Probably shortened fr. satiate: cf. L. satus full. See Satiate.]
- humbly adv.
- With humility; lowly.
- clime n.
- A climate; a tract or region of the earth. See Climate. [L. clima. See Climate.]
- 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,]
- 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]
- rueful a.
- Causing one to rue or lament; woeful; mournful; sorrowful.
- endeavour v. t.
- To exert physical or intellectual strength for the attainment of; to use efforts to effect; to strive to achieve or reach; to try; to attempt. [OE. endevor; pref. en- + dever, devoir, duty, F. devoir: cf. F. se mettre en devoir de faire quelque chose to try to do a thing, to go about it. See Devoir, Deb]
- yearnings n.
- The maws, or stomachs, of young calves, used a rennet for curdling milk. [Cf. AS. geirnan, geyrnan, to rum. See 4th Earn.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sub-Footnote on the Text 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, Sub-Footnote on the Text, in The Poetical Works, Volume II (1798–1807), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12145, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/wordsworth-vol2/sub-footnote-on-the-text-2.html, id L17383.
Form and metre
Sub-Footnote on the Text is 84 lines in 15 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is AAABAB, complete in 8 of its 15 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.0 syllables. 7 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 36% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 AAABAB clearA · steerA · careerA · waveB · tearA · graveB
- 3 AAABAB belowA · knowA · glowA · flameB · lowA · nameB
- 4 AABB skyA · eyeA · grimB · himB
- 5 AAAB-B vowA · browA · howA · sprayB · fro · awayB
- 6 AA-BAB throngA · longA · hung · griefB · wrongA · reliefB
- 7 AAABAB themeA · misdeemA · gleamA · fairB · streamA · airB
- 8 AAABAB blightA · brightA · rightA · trueB · sightA · grewB
- 9 AAABAB expandA · blandA · handA · strayB · commandA · layB
- 10 -AAB-B trod · roadA · abodeA · elateB · mood · sateB
- 11 AAABAB overawesA · pauseA · causeA · rulesB · applauseA · schoolsB
- 12 AAABAB glenA · penA · whenA · hivesB · menA · survivesB
- 13 AAABAB climeA · sublimeA · rhymeA · springsB · timeA · wingsB
- 14 ABBCAC heavenA · forgivenB · rivenB · endeavourC · leavenA · everC
- 15 AAAB-B prayerA · bearA · shareA · liveB · are · forgiveB
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The following is an extract from Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal of the | 16 | ·/˘··˘/·/˘/˘/˘·· |
| Tour in Scotland: | 4 | ··/˘ |
| 'Is there a man whose judgment clear, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Can others teach the way to steer, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Yet runs himself life's mad career, | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| Wild as the wave? | 4 | ···· |
| Here let him pause, and through a tear | 8 | ········ |
| Survey this grave. | 4 | ˘/·· |
| The poor Inhabitant below | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| Was quick to learn, and wise to know, | 8 | ········ |
| And keenly felt the friendly glow, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And softer flame; | 4 | ·/˘· |
| But thoughtless follies laid him low | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And stained his name.' | 4 | ···· |
| 'Seurfell from the sky, | 5 | ····· |
| That Anadale doth crown, with a most amorous eye, | 13 | ··········/˘· |
| Salutes me every day, or at my pride looks grim, | 12 | ˘/·/˘······· |
| Oft threatening me with clouds, as I oft threatening him!' | 12 | ·/˘······/˘· |
| Too frail to keep the lofty vow | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| That must have followed when his brow | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Was wreathed--"The Vision" tells us how-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| With holly spray, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| He faultered, drifted to and fro, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And passed away. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Well might such thoughts, dear Sister, throng | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Our minds when, lingering all too long, | 8 | /··/˘··· |
| Over the grave of Burns we hung | 8 | ········ |
| In social grief-- | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Indulged as if it were a wrong | 8 | ˘/······ |
| To seek relief. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| But, leaving each unquiet theme | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Where gentlest judgments may misdeem, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| And prompt to welcome every gleam | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Of good and fair, | 4 | ···· |
| Let us beside this limpid Stream | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Breathe hopeful air. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Enough of sorrow, wreck, and blight; | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Think rather of those moments bright | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| When to the consciousness of right | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| His course was true, | 4 | ···· |
| When Wisdom prospered in his sight | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And virtue grew. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Yes, freely let our hearts expand, | 8 | ·/˘·/·˘/ |
| Freely as in youth's season bland, | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| When side by side, his Book in hand, | 8 | ········ |
| We wont to stray, | 4 | ···· |
| Our pleasure varying at command | 8 | //˘/˘·˘/ |
| Of each sweet Lay. | 4 | ···· |
| How oft inspired must he have trod | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| These pathways, yon far-stretching road! | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| There lurks his home; in that Abode, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| With mirth elate, | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Or in his nobly-pensive mood, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| The Rustic sate. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Proud thoughts that Image overawes, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Before it humbly let us pause, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And ask of Nature, from what cause | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And by what rules | 4 | ···· |
| She trained her Burns to win applause | 8 | ······˘/ |
| That shames the Schools. | 4 | ···· |
| Through busiest street and loneliest glen | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Are felt the flashes of his pen; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| He rules mid winter snows, and when | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Bees fill their hives; | 4 | ···· |
| Deep in the general heart of men | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| His power survives. | 5 | ·/˘˘/ |
| What need of fields in some far clime | 8 | ········ |
| Where Heroes, Sages, Bards sublime, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| And all that fetched the flowing rhyme | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| From genuine springs, | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Shall dwell together till old Time | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Folds up his wings? | 4 | ···· |
| Sweet Mercy! to the gates of Heaven | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| This Minstrel lead, his sins forgiven; | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
| The rueful conflict, the heart riven | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| With vain endeavour, | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| And memory of Earth's bitter leaven, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Effaced for ever. | 5 | ˘/·/˘ |
| But why to Him confine the prayer, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| When kindred thoughts and yearnings bear | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| On the frail heart the purest share | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| With all that live?-- | 4 | ···· |
| The best of what we do and are, | 8 | ········ |
| Just God, forgive! | 4 | ··˘/ |
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.