Helena - Scansion

 

x     /      x    /

1.                                                      Then, I / confess,[1]

 

                 x     /       x     /          x  /         /         /              x      /

2.           Here on / my knee, / before / high heaven[2] / and you,

 

                 x     /       x     /         x      /       x  /       x        /      

3.           That be / fore you, / and next / unto / high heaven[3],

 

  x   /         x      /

4.           I love / your son.[4]

 

                x      /            x       /         x     /        x     /        x     /   

5.           My friends / were poor, / but hon / est; so's / my love:

 

                x     /       x   /      x     /     x   /         x    /

6.           Be not / offend / ed; for / it hurts / not him

 

                  x    /     x    /         x   /      x   /       x    x     /

7.           That he / is loved / of me: / I foll / ow him not[5]

 

                x    /     x  /       x  /       x     /          x       /

8.           By an / y tok / en of / presump / tuous suit;

 

                x      /         x    /         x    /     x  /       x   /       x

9.           Nor would / I have / him till / I do / deserve him;[6]

 

               x    /       x     /          x     /        x   /         x       /

10.        Yet ne / ver know / how that / desert / should be.

 

x     /      x   /       x     /           /    x       x        /

11.        I know / I love / in vain, / strive a[7] / gainst hope;

 

               x     /      x      /        x      /       x  /       x      /

12.        Yet in / this cap / tious and / inten / ible sieve

 

x   /       x     /      x      /       x   /     x     /

13.        I still / pour in / the wat / ers of / my love

 

               x       /       x    /      x      /        x     /        x     /

14.        And lack / not to / lose still: / thus, In / dian-like,

 

               x   /       x    /        x    /      x    /   x   /

15.        Relig / ious in / mine e / rror, I / adore

 

                x     /          x     /         x  /       x     /        x   /

16.        The sun, / that looks / upon / his wor / shipper,

 

                x      /          x    /       x     /           x         /          x    /

17.        But knows / of him / no more.[8] / My dearest / madam,[9]

 

                x    /        x      /       x     /        x     /      x     /

18.        Let not / your hate / encount / er with / my love

 

                x    /        x      /          x    /       x   /      x     /

19.        For lov / ing where / you do: / but if / yourself,

 

                 x        /      x      /       x      /     x    /      x        /

20.        Whose ag / ed  hon / our cites / a vir / tuous youth,

 

               x    /      x  /     x    /       x    /        x   /   x

21.        Did e / ver in / so true / a flame / of liking[10]

 

                 /         /              x   x             /       /            x    /        x       /

22.        Wish chastel[11] / y and[12] / love dear[13] / ly, that / your Dian

 

                 x      /         x   /       x      /        /     x            x      / x

23.        Was both / herself / and love: / O, then,[14] / give pity[15]

 

                x    /          x       /      x    /         x      /      x      /

24.        To her, / whose state / is such / that can / not choose

 

                 x     /        x      /         x       /      x    /       x    /

25.        But lend / and give / where she / is sure / to lose;

 

                 x      /          x   x          x     /        x       /          x     /

26.        That seeks / not to[16] / find that / her search / implies,

 

                 x    /     x     /        x        /         x     /          x      /

27.        But rid / dle-like / lives sweet / ly where / she dies!

 

 

 

[1] Line 1:  Shared Line

[2] Line 2:  Spondee & Elision (heav’n)

[3] Line 3:  Elision (heav’n)

[4] Line 4:  Short Line!

[5] Line 7:  could be anapest, could be elision on “follow him” to Follow’m

[6] Line 9: Feminine Ending

[7] Line 11:  Trochee

[8] Line 17:   Midline Stop

[9] Line 17:  Funny finish here.  Could read My dear’st madam (as shown) or My dearest ma’m. Also madam begs a feminine ending (MADam) or a stilted sound (maDAM).

[10] Line 21:  Feminine Ending

[11] Line 22:  Spondee

[12] Line 22:  Pyrrhic

[13] Line 22:  Spondee

[14] Line 23:  Trochee

[15] Line 23:  Feminine Ending

[16] Line 26:  Pyrrhic