The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe - Edgar Allan Poe [926]
God bless the happy mariner!
A homely garb wears he,
And he goeth with a rolling gait,
Like a ship before the sea.
He hath piped the loud “ay, ay, Sir!”
O’er the voices of the main
Till his deep tones have the hoarseness
Of the rising hurricane.
But oh, a spirit looketh
From out his clear blue eye,
With a truthful childlike earnestness,
Like an angel from the sky.
A venturous life the sailor leads
Between the sky and sea,
But, when the hour of dread is past,
A merrier who than he?
The tone of some quatrains entitled “Alone,” differs materially from that usual with Mrs. Hewitt. The idea is happy and well managed.
Mrs. Hewitt’s sonnets are upon the whole, her most praiseworthy compositions. One entitled “Hercules and Omphale” is noticeable for the vigor of its rhythm.
Reclined, enervate, on the couch of ease,
No more he pants for deeds of high emprize;
For Pleasure holds in soft voluptuous ties
Enthralled, great Jove-descended Hercules.
The hand that bound the Erymanthean boar,
Hesperia’s dragon slew with bold intent,
That from his quivering side in triumph rent
The skin the Cleonœan lion wore,
Holds forth the goblet — while the Lydian queen,
Robed like a nymph, her brow enwreathed with vine,
Lifts high the amphora brimmed with rosy wine,
And pours the draught the crownéd cup within.
And thus the soul, abased to sensual sway,
Its worth forsakes — its might foregoes for aye.
The unusual force of the line italicized, will be observed. This force arises first, from the directness, or colloquialism without vulgarity, of its expression: — (the relative pronoun “which” is very happily omitted between “skin” and “the”) — and, secondly, to the musical repetition of the vowel in “Cleonœ an,” together with the alliterative terminations in “Cleonœan “ and “lion.” The effect, also, is much aided by the sonorous conclusion “wore.”
Another and better instance of fine versification occurs in “Forgotten Heroes.”
And the peasant mother at her door,
To the babe that climbed her knee,
Sang aloud the land’s heroic songs —
Sang of Thermopylæ —
Sang of Mycale — of Marathon —
Of proud Platæa’s day —
Till the wakened hills from peak to peak
Echoed the glorious lay.
Oh, god like name! — oh, god like deed!
Song-borne afar on every breeze,
Ye are sounds to thrill like a battle shout,
Leonidas! Miltiades!
The general intention here is a line of four iambuses alternating with a line of three; but, less through rhythmical skill than a musical ear, the poetess has been led into some exceedingly happy variations of the theme. For example; — in place of the ordinary iambus as the first foot of the first, of the second, and of the third line, a bastard iambus has been employed. These lines are thus scanned:
An4d th4e peas | a2nt moth | e2r at | he2r door |
To4 th4e babe | tha2t climbed | he2r knee |
Sa4ng al4oud | the2 land’s | he2ro | i2c songs |
The fourth line,
Sang o2f | The2rmo | py2læ,
is well varied by a trochee, instead of an iambus, in the first foot; and the variation expresses forcibly the enthusiasm excited by the topic of the supposed songs, “Thermophylæ”. The fifth line is scanned as the three first. The sixth is the general intention, and consists simply of iambuses. The seventh is like the three first and the fifth. The eighth is like the fourth; and here again the opening trochee is admirably adapted to the movement of the topic. The ninth is the general intention, and is formed of four iambuses. The tenth is an alternating line and yet has four iambuses, instead of the usual three; as has also the final line — and alternating one, too. A fuller volume is in this manner given to the close of the subject; and this volume is fully in keeping with the rising enthusiasm. The last line but one has two bastard iambuses, thus:
Ye4 ar4e sounds | to2 thrill | lik4e a4 bat