Sabrina Fair (from Comus)(1634)
John Milton
Sabrina fair,
MeterSabrina fair,
Listen where thou art sitting
MeterListen where thou art sitting
Under the glassie, cool, translucent wave,
MeterUnder the glassie, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of Lillies knitting
MeterIn twisted braids of Lillies knitting
The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair,
MeterThe loose train of thy amber-dropping hair,
Listen for dear honour’s sake,
MeterListen for dear honour’s sake,
Goddess of the silver lake,
MeterGoddess of the silver lake,
Listen and save.
MeterListen and save.
By the rushy-fringèd bank,
MeterBy the rushy-fringèd bank,
Where grows the Willow and the Osier dank,
MeterWhere grows the Willow and the Osier dank,
My sliding Chariot stayes,
MeterMy sliding Chariot stayes,
Thick set with Agat, and the azure sheen
MeterThick set with Agat, and the azure sheen
Of Turkis blew, and Emrauld green,
MeterOf Turkis blew, and Emrauld green,
That in the channell strayes;
MeterThat in the channell strayes;
Whilst from off the waters fleet
MeterWhilst from off the waters fleet
Thus I set my printless feet
MeterThus I set my printless feet
O’er the Cowslip’s Velvet head,
MeterO’er the Cowslip’s Velvet head,
That bends not as I tread,
MeterThat bends not as I tread,
Gentle swain at thy request
MeterGentle swain at thy request
Note on line 19: Sabrina treads very daintily. In a wonderful effect set up by three consecutive lines of unvarying catalectic tetrameter (classically the meter of incantation in English), this line’s medial trochee gets us to imagine the bending that the sense of the words denies. Milton wrote these two call-and-response speeches for oral delivery in a courtly masque, so Sabrina’s measured feet were indeed technically “printless” guides to recitation in performance. But then he printed them anyhow: too good to lose.
I am here.
MeterI am here.
Rhyme
Show
Stress
Foot division
Syncopation
List of Poems
By Title
- A Forsaken Garden (ll. 57-80)
- A Musical Instrument
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Amoretti 75
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella: 31
- Beppo: Stanza XLIV
- Bright Star
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Despayre in Praise of Suicide (Faerie Queene 1.9.39-40)
- Dover Beach
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Echo
- Elegy
- Enoch Arden
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Eternity
- Even Such is Time
- God’s Grandeur
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Here Dead Lie We
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Hyperion I. 1-14
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- I Look Into My Glass
- Idylls of the King (X.454-76)
- In Memoriam; section 7
- In Neglect
- In Tenebris
- Jabberwocky
- Jordan
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Kubla Khan
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Meeting at Night
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- Mowing
- My Spirit Will Not Haunt the Mound
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- On His Blindness
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Ozymandias
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Pertinax
- Piano
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- Renouncement
- Resume
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- Roses Are Red
- Sabrina Fair (from Comus) (1634)
- She Dotes on What the Wild Birds Say
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- Since There’s No Help
- Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount
- Snow-Flakes
- Song: Go, Lovely Rose
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- Sudden Light
- Thaw
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Cold Heaven
- The Eagle
- The Good-Morrow
- The Kraken
- The Lowest Place
- The Night is Freezing Fast
- The Oxen
- The Prelude (I.326-39)
- The Roundel
- The Sick Rose
- The Sonnet
- The Span of Life
- The Swifts
- The Tyger
- The Voice
- The Witch
- The Wood Pile
- Though I am Young and Cannot Tell
- To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
- To Daffodils
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
- Upon Julia’s Clothes
- Westron Wynde
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
By Difficulty
WARMING UP
- A Forsaken Garden (ll. 57-80)
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Amoretti 75
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Beppo: Stanza XLIV
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Despayre in Praise of Suicide (Faerie Queene 1.9.39-40)
- Dover Beach
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Elegy
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Even Such is Time
- Here Dead Lie We
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- I Look Into My Glass
- Jabberwocky
- Meeting at Night
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- My Spirit Will Not Haunt the Mound
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Pertinax
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- Roses Are Red
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- Snow-Flakes
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Eagle
- The Kraken
- The Lowest Place
- The Night is Freezing Fast
- The Span of Life
- The Witch
- To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
- To Daffodils
- Upon Julia’s Clothes
- Westron Wynde
MOVING ALONG
- A Musical Instrument
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella: 31
- Bright Star
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Enoch Arden
- Eternity
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Hyperion I. 1-14
- Idylls of the King (X.454-76)
- In Memoriam; section 7
- In Neglect
- In Tenebris
- Jordan
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Mowing
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- Ozymandias
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- Renouncement
- Resume
- Since There’s No Help
- Song: Go, Lovely Rose
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- Thaw
- The Good-Morrow
- The Prelude (I.326-39)
- The Roundel
- The Sick Rose
- The Sonnet
- The Swifts
- The Tyger
- The Wood Pile
- Though I am Young and Cannot Tell
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
SPECIAL CHALLENGE
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Echo
- God’s Grandeur
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Kubla Khan
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- On His Blindness
- Piano
- Sabrina Fair (from Comus) (1634)
- She Dotes on What the Wild Birds Say
- Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount
- Sudden Light
- The Cold Heaven
- The Oxen
- The Voice
By Type
BALLAD
- Echo
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Oxen
BLANK VERSE
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Enoch Arden
- Hyperion I. 1-14
- Idylls of the King (X.454-76)
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- The Prelude (I.326-39)
- The Wood Pile
CINQUAIN
COUPLET
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- The Span of Life
OCTAVE
- A Forsaken Garden (ll. 57-80)
- Beppo: Stanza XLIV
- Even Such is Time
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Resume
ODE
QUATRAIN
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Eternity
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Here Dead Lie We
- I Look Into My Glass
- In Memoriam; section 7
- In Tenebris
- Jabberwocky
- On His Blindness
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Piano
- Roses Are Red
- Thaw
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Lowest Place
- The Sick Rose
- The Tyger
- The Voice
- Westron Wynde
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
ROUNDEL
SIXAIN
- A Musical Instrument
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Meeting at Night
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- Snow-Flakes
- The Night is Freezing Fast
SONG
SONNET
- Amoretti 75
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella: 31
- Bright Star
- God’s Grandeur
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Mowing
- Ozymandias
- Renouncement
- Since There’s No Help
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- The Sonnet
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
SPENSERIAN STANZA
TERCET
By Author
ANONYMOUS
MATTHEW ARNOLD
WILLIAM BLAKE
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING
ROBERT BROWNING
LORD BYRON
LORD GEORGE BYRON
THOMAS CAMPION
LEWIS CARROLL
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
EMILY DICKINSON
JOHN DONNE
MICHAEL DRAYTON
ROBERT FROST
THOMAS HARDY
GEORGE HERBERT
ROBERT HERRICK
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS
A. E. HOUSMAN
SAMUEL JOHNSON
BEN JONSON
JOHN KEATS
WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR
D. H. LAWRENCE
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
W.S. MERWIN
ALICE MEYNELL
JOHN MILTON
WILFRED OWEN
DOROTHY PARKER
ALEXANDER POPE
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
WALTER RALEGH
CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- Ozymandias