Yew-Trees
There is a Yew-tree, pride of Lorton Vale,Which to this day stands single, in the midstOf its own darkness, as it stood of yore:Not loth to furnish weapons for the bandsOf Umfraville or Percy ere they marchedTo Scotland's heaths; or those that crossed the seaAnd drew their sounding bows at Azincour,Perhaps at earlier Crecy, or Poictiers.Of vast circumference and gloom profoundThis solitary Tree! a living thingProduced too slowly ever to decay;Of form and aspect too magnificentTo be destroyed. But worthier still of noteAre those fraternal Four of Borrowdale,Joined in one solemn and capacious grove;Huge trunks! and each particular trunk a growthOf intertwisted fibres serpentineUp-coiling, and inveterately convolved;Nor uninformed with Phantasy, and looksThat threaten the profane;--a pillared shade,Upon whose grassless floor of red-brown hue,By sheddings from the pining umbrage tingedPerennially--beneath whose sable roofOf boughs, as if for festal purpose, deckedWith unrejoicing berries--ghostly ShapesMay meet at noontide; Fear and trembling Hope,Silence and Foresight; Death the SkeletonAnd Time the Shadow;--there to celebrate,As in a natural temple scattered o'erWith altars undisturbed of mossy stone,United worship; or in mute reposeTo lie, and listen to the mountain floodMurmuring from Glaramara's inmost caves.
'a living thingProduced too slowly ever to decay;Of form and aspect too magnificentTo be destroyed--'
'Vestibulum ante ipsum primisque in faucibus OrciLuctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curæ;Pallentesque habitant Morbi, tristisque Senectus,Et Metus, et malesuada Fames, ac turpis Egestas,Terribiles visu formæ, Letumque, Labosque;Tum consanguineus Leti Sopor, et mala mentisGaudia, mortiferumque adverso in limine Bellum,Ferreique Eumenidum thalami, et Discordia demens,Vipereum crinem vittis innexa cruentis.In medio ramos annosaque bracchia panditUlmus opaca, ingens, quam sedem Somnia volgoVana tenere ferunt, foliisque sub omnibus hærent.'
In Crabb Robinson's 'Diary', a reference to the Yew-trees of Lorton andBorrowdale will be found under date Sept. 16 and 20, 1816.
"... fraternal Four of Borrowdale,Joined in one solemn and capacious grove;Huge trunks! and each particular trunk a growthOf intertwisted fibres serpentineUp-coiling, and inveterately convolved."
"Produced too slowly ever to decay;Of form and aspect too magnificentTo be destroyed,"
Words in this poem 18
- vale n.
- A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
- yore adv.
- In time long past; in old time; long since. [OE. , yare, , AS. geára;akin to geár a year, E. year. Year.]
- fraternal a.
- Pf, pertaining to, or involving, brethren; becoming to brothers; brotherly; as, fraternal affection; a fraternal embrace. [F. fraternel, LL. fraternalis, fr. L. fraternus, fr. frater brother. See Brother.]
- inveterately adv.
- In an inveterate manner or degree.
- pillared a.
- Supported or ornamented by pillars; resembling a pillar, or pillars.
- grassless a.
- Destitute of grass.
- umbrage n.
- Shade; shadow; obscurity; hence, that which affords a shade, as a screen of trees or foliage. [F. ombrage shade, suspicion, umbrage, L. umbraticus belonging to shade, fr. umbra a shade. Cf. Umber, Umbratic.]
- sable n.
- A carnivorous animal of the Weasel family (Mustela zibellina) native of the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and America, -- noted for its fine, soft, and valuable fur. [OF. sable, F. zibeline sable (in sense 4), LL. sabellum; cf. D. sabel, Dan. sabel, zobel, Sw. sabel, sobel, G. zobel; all fr. Russ. sóbole.]
- festal a.
- Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive. [L. festum holiday, feast. See feast.]
- ghostly a.
- Relating to the soul; not carnal or secular; spiritual; as, a ghostly confessor. [OE. gastlich, gostlich, AS. gastlic. See Ghost.]
- noontide n.
- The time of noon; midday. [From noon + tide time; cf. AS. n the ninth hour.]
- inmost a.
- Deepest within; farthest from the surface or external part; innermost. [OE. innemest, AS. innemest, a double superlative form fr. inne within, fr. in in. The modern form is due to confusion with most. See In, and cf. Aftermost, Fore]
- habitant n.
- An inhabitant; a dweller. Milton. [F. habitant. See Habit, v.t]
- sopor n.
- Profound sleep from which a person can be roused only with difficulty. [L.]
- mala n.
- Evils; wrongs; offenses against right and law. Mala in se Etym: [L.] (Law), offenses which are such from their own nature, at common law, irrespective of statute. [L.]
- ulmus n.
- A genus of trees including the elm. [L., an elm.]
- omnibus n.
- A long four-wheeled carriage, having seats for many people; especially, one with seats running lengthwise, used in conveying passengers short distances. [L., for all, dat. pl. from omnis all. Cf. Bus.]
- sept n.
- A clan, tribe, or family, proceeding from a common progenitor; -- used especially of the ancient clans in Ireland. [A corruption of sect, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Yew-Trees 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, Yew-Trees, in The Poetical Works, Volume II (1798–1807), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12145, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/wordsworth-vol2/yew-trees.html, id L17378.
Form and metre
Yew-Trees is 59 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%). 88% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.4 syllables. 6 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 49% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter, other poems in blank verse.
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--- vale · midst · yore · bands · marched · sea · azincour · poictiers · profound · thing · decay · magnificent · note · borrowdale · grove · growth · serpentine · convolved · looks · shade · hue · tinged · roof · decked · shapes · hope · skeletonA · celebrate · o'er · stoneA · repose · flood · caves
- 3 -----A--A--- orci · curæ · senectus · egestas · labosque · mentisA · bellum · demens · cruentisA · pandit · volgo · hærent
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 |
|---|---|---|
| There is a Yew-tree, pride of Lorton Vale, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Which to this day stands single, in the midst | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Of its own darkness, as it stood of yore: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Not loth to furnish weapons for the bands | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Of Umfraville or Percy ere they marched | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| To Scotland's heaths; or those that crossed the sea | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And drew their sounding bows at Azincour, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Perhaps at earlier Crecy, or Poictiers. | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| Of vast circumference and gloom profound | 9 | ··˘/˘··˘/ |
| This solitary Tree! a living thing | 10 | ·/˘·˘··/˘· |
| Produced too slowly ever to decay; | 9 | ˘/·/˘/·˘/ |
| Of form and aspect too magnificent | 9 | ···/··˘/˘ |
| To be destroyed. But worthier still of note | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Are those fraternal Four of Borrowdale, | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| Joined in one solemn and capacious grove; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Huge trunks! and each particular trunk a growth | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Of intertwisted fibres serpentine | 9 | ·····//˘· |
| Up-coiling, and inveterately convolved; | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘˘·· |
| Nor uninformed with Phantasy, and looks | 10 | ··˘/·/˘˘·· |
| That threaten the profane;--a pillared shade, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| Upon whose grassless floor of red-brown hue, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| By sheddings from the pining umbrage tinged | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Perennially--beneath whose sable roof | 9 | ˘/˘···/˘· |
| Of boughs, as if for festal purpose, decked | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| With unrejoicing berries--ghostly Shapes | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| May meet at noontide; Fear and trembling Hope, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Silence and Foresight; Death the Skeleton | 9 | /˘·/···/˘ |
| And Time the Shadow;--there to celebrate, | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| As in a natural temple scattered o'er | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| With altars undisturbed of mossy stone, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| United worship; or in mute repose | 10 | ˘/˘/˘···˘/ |
| To lie, and listen to the mountain flood | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Murmuring from Glaramara's inmost caves. | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| 'a living thing | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Produced too slowly ever to decay; | 9 | ˘/·/˘/·˘/ |
| Of form and aspect too magnificent | 9 | ···/··˘/˘ |
| To be destroyed--' | 5 | ··˘/· |
| 'Vestibulum ante ipsum primisque in faucibus Orci | 16 | ˘/˘˘/˘·········· |
| Luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curæ; | 12 | ············ |
| Pallentesque habitant Morbi, tristisque Senectus, | 13 | ············· |
| Et Metus, et malesuada Fames, ac turpis Egestas, | 16 | ·········//····· |
| Terribiles visu formæ, Letumque, Labosque; | 10 | ·········· |
| Tum consanguineus Leti Sopor, et mala mentis | 14 | ·······/˘·/˘·· |
| Gaudia, mortiferumque adverso in limine Bellum, | 14 | ··········˘//˘ |
| Ferreique Eumenidum thalami, et Discordia demens, | 15 | ··············· |
| Vipereum crinem vittis innexa cruentis. | 12 | ············ |
| In medio ramos annosaque bracchia pandit | 12 | ·/˘/˘·····/˘ |
| Ulmus opaca, ingens, quam sedem Somnia volgo | 14 | /˘············ |
| Vana tenere ferunt, foliisque sub omnibus hærent.' | 13 | /˘·······/˘·· |
| In Crabb Robinson's 'Diary', a reference to the Yew-trees of Lorton and | 17 | ··/˘/˘·/˘·····/˘· |
| Borrowdale will be found under date Sept. 16 and 20, 1816. | 12 | ············ |
| "... fraternal Four of Borrowdale, | 9 | ˘/˘······ |
| Joined in one solemn and capacious grove; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Huge trunks! and each particular trunk a growth | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Of intertwisted fibres serpentine | 9 | ·····//˘· |
| Up-coiling, and inveterately convolved." | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘˘·· |
| "Produced too slowly ever to decay; | 9 | ˘/·/˘/·˘/ |
| Of form and aspect too magnificent | 9 | ···/··˘/˘ |
| To be destroyed," | 4 | ··˘/ |
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