How We Beat The Favourite Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCDC DEDE FGEG HIJK DEDE LAF MNFN OJFJ PEOE QRSR PCTC PUDU PPEP DVPV DWIW DEPE DFDF EOPO DLSL EPDP DX X EIOI JO C JY P ZA2

A Lay of the Loamshire Hunt CupA
-
'Aye squire ' said Stevens 'they back him at evensB
The race is all over bar shouting they sayC
The Clown ought to beat her Dick Neville is sweeterD
Than ever he swears he can win all the wayC
-
'A gentleman rider well I'm an outsiderD
But if he's a gent who the mischief's a jockE
You swells mostly blunder Dick rides for the plunderD
He rides too like thunder he sits like a rockE
-
'He calls 'hunted fairly' a horse that has barelyF
Been stripp'd for a trot within sight of the houndsG
A horse that at Warwick beat Birdlime and YorickE
And gave Abdelkader at Aintree nine poundsG
-
'They say we have no test to warrant a protestH
Dick rides for a lord and stands in with a stewardI
The light of their faces they show him his case isJ
Prejudged and his verdict already securedK
-
'But none can outlast her and few travel fasterD
She strides in her work clean away from The DragE
You hold her and sit her she couldn't be fitterD
Whenever you hit her she'll spring like a stagE
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'And p'rhaps the green jacket at odds though they back itL
May fall or there's no knowing what may turn upA
The mare is quite ready sit still and ride steadyF
Keep cool and I think you may just win the Cup '-
-
Dark brown with tan muzzle just stripped for the tussleM
Stood Iseult arching her neck to the curbN
A lean head and fiery strong quarters and wiryF
A loin rather light but a shoulder superbN
-
Some parting injunction bestowed with great unctionO
I tried to recall but forgot like a dunceJ
When Reginald Murray full tilt on White SurreyF
Came down in a hurry to start us at onceJ
-
'Keep back in the yellow Come up on OthelloP
Hold hard on the chestnut Turn round on The DragE
Keep back there on Spartan Back you sir in tartanO
So steady there easy ' and down went the flagE
-
We started and Kerr made strong running on MermaidQ
Through furrows that led to the first stake and boundR
The crack half extended look'd bloodlike and splendidS
Held wide on the right where the headland was soundR
-
I pulled hard to baffle her rush with the snaffleP
Before her two thirds of the field got awayC
All through the wet pasture where floods of the last yearT
Still loitered they clotted my crimson with clayC
-
The fourth fence a wattle floor'd Monk and BluebottleP
The Drag came to grief at the blackthorn and ditchU
The rails toppled over Redoubt and Red RoverD
The lane stopped Lycurgus and Leicestershire WitchU
-
She passed like an arrow Kildare and Cock SparrowP
And Mantrap and Mermaid refused the stone wallP
And Giles on The Greyling came down at the palingE
And I was left sailing in front of them allP
-
I took them a burster nor eased her nor nursed herD
Until the Black Bullfinch led into the ploughV
And through the strong bramble we bored with a scrambleP
My cap was knock'd off by the hazel tree boughV
-
Where furrows looked lighter I drew the rein tighterD
Her dark chest all dappled with flakes of white foamW
Her flanks mud bespattered a weak rail she shatteredI
We landed on turf with our heads turn'd for homeW
-
Then crash'd a low binder and then close behind herD
The sward to the strokes of the favourite shookE
His rush roused her mettle yet ever so littleP
She shortened her stride as we raced at the brookE
-
She rose when I hit her I saw the stream glitterD
A wide scarlet nostril flashed close to my kneeF
Between sky and water The Clown came and caught herD
The space that he cleared was a caution to seeF
-
And forcing the running discarding all cunningE
A length to the front went the rider in greenO
A long strip of stubble and then the big doubleP
Two stiff flights of rails with a quickset betweenO
-
She raced at the rasper I felt my knees grasp herD
I found my hands give to her strain on the bitL
She rose when The Clown did our silks as we boundedS
Brush'd lightly our stirrups clash'd loud as we litL
-
A rise steeply sloping a fence with stone copingE
The last we diverged round the base of the hillP
His path was the nearer his leap was the clearerD
I flogg'd up the straight and he led sitting stillP
-
She came to his quarter and on still I brought herD
And up to his girth to his breastplate she drewX
A short prayer from Neville just reach'd me 'The Devil '-
He muttered lock'd level the hurdles we flewX
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A hum of hoarse cheering a dense crowd careeringE
All sights seen obscurely all shouts vaguely heardI
'The green wins ' 'The crimson ' The multitude swims onO
And figures are blended and features are blurr'dI
-
'The horse is her master ' 'The green forges past her '-
'The Clown will outlast her ' 'The Clown wins ' 'The Clown '-
The white railing races with all the white facesJ
The chestnut outpaces outstretches the brownO
-
On still past the gateway she strains in the straightwayC
Still struggles 'The Clown by a short neck at most '-
He swerves the green scourges the stand rocks and surgesJ
And flashes and verges and flits the white postY
-
Aye so ends the tussle I knew the tan muzzleP
Was first though the ring men were yelling 'Dead heat '-
A nose I could swear by but Clarke said 'The mare byZ
A short head ' And that's how the favourite was beatA2

Adam Lindsay Gordon



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