Author: Algernon Charles Swinburne

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    Broad-based, broad-fronted, bounteous, multiform,
    With many a valley impleached with ivy and vine,
    Wherein the springs of all the streams run wine,
    And many a crag full-faced against the storm,
    The mountain where thy Muses feet made warm
    Those lawns that revelled with her dance divine
    Shines yet with fire as it was wont to shine
    From tossing torches round the dance aswarm.

    Nor less, high-stationed on the grey grave heights,
    High-thoughted seers with heavens heart-kindling lights
    Hold converse: and the herd of meaner things
    Knows or by fiery scourge or fiery shaft
    When wrath on thy broad brows has risen, and laughed,
    Darkening thy soul with shadow of thunderous wings.

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Type of Poem: Sonnet

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: The poem under analysis is a rich tapestry of vivid imagery and classical allusions. The central theme appears to be the contrast between the divine and the mortal, and the power and beauty of nature, which seems to be personified in the form of a mountainous entity. The poem's tone shifts from celebratory and reverential in the first half, to ominous and contemplative in the second, reflecting the dual aspects of the natural world.

The poem is structured as a Petrarchan sonnet, which divides the poem into an octave (first eight lines) and a sestet (final six lines). The octave paints an idyllic picture of the natural world, filled with vine-wrapped valleys where wine flows like water, mountains that stand strong against storms, and divine Muses who warm the land with their dance. The imagery is lush and celebratory, invoking a sense of fantastical beauty. The sestet, however, takes a darker turn. It speaks of high-thoughted seers and meaner things that know the wrath of this personified nature. The shift in tone is deftly handled, and the contrast between the two halves of the poem adds depth and complexity to the overall piece.

The poem is also notable for its rich use of literary devices. The alliteration in "broad-based, broad-fronted, bounteous, multiform" adds a musical quality to the poem, while the metaphor of the mountain as a divine entity with "broad brows" is particularly striking. The poet's use of personification throughout the poem helps to create a sense of a living, breathing landscape that is both beautiful and terrifying. This, combined with the vivid imagery and the sonnet’s structured format, makes for a powerful and evocative piece of poetry.