The Dance At Darmstadt Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLL MMBB NMNBBGGOPQQRRSSTTUUV VWWVVB XXHHBBXXYYZZA2A2B2B2 C2C2D2D2E2E2EE F2F2BBMMG2 IIH2H2YYXXI2 J2J2K2K2L2L2BBCCDDKK EE M2N2OPQQLLTTUUL2L2WW EEL2L2O2O2MMPPP2P2R EEIn the city of Darmstadt the Sabbath morn | A |
Shone over the broad Cathedral Square | B |
And to nobly richly and lowly born | A |
The belfry carilloned call to prayer | B |
- | |
Then banker and burgher and learn'd in law | C |
With clean cut forehead and firm set jaw | C |
Master and prentice and tradesman trim | D |
Pikemen stalwart of port and limb | D |
Pledged to die for their native town | E |
Scholars stately in cap and gown | E |
Splendid and simple halt and hale | F |
Rosy tapster and student pale | F |
Stepped from their thresholds and gravely trod | G |
The streets that lead to the House of God | G |
And hurrying after them maid and dame | H |
Wives and daughters and sweethearts came | H |
All in their Sabbath best arrayed | I |
Delicate ribbon and dainty braid | I |
Creaseless corset and kirtle clean | J |
Of sombre homespun or silken sheen | J |
Rustling by with looks demure | K |
As bright as posies and just as pure | K |
And tight to their kirtles their children clung | L |
With ambling footstep and nimble tongue | L |
Prattled and questioned them all the way | M |
Forgetting quite 'twas the Sabbath Day | M |
Till they came to the great Cathedral Square | B |
Where the organ pealed through the House of Prayer | B |
- | |
Now why do you waste the summer day '' | - |
Cried a velveted stripling with locks of gold | N |
And eyes like forget me nots in May | M |
When the milch cows stream from the wintry fold | N |
Week after week you troop in there | B |
To mutter and mumble the self same prayer | B |
Through the self same psalmody drowse and nod | G |
And that's what you sooth call praising God | G |
Look the sun is shining on roof and spire | O |
And the wings of the swallow never tire | P |
The stork hovers over her callow nest | Q |
And Spring is folded to Summer's breast | Q |
There's a flutter of love in the lime tree leaves | R |
And the starlings flute on the Rathhaus eaves | R |
Come away come away where the sycamore swings | S |
Its tassels of gold and the blackbird sings | S |
Where the river swirls past a tangled ledge | T |
Of willow weed meadow sweet thyme and sedge | T |
Where the veins of the vine are flushed with juice | U |
And the trout in the stream past the miller's sluice | U |
Cast wavering shadows on stone and sand | V |
And when we have rambled through all the land | V |
We will halt at the Inn with the Jocund Sign | W |
And freshen our throats with the Mosel wine | W |
But ere ever we go let us hand in hand | V |
Be comrades sworn of a joyous band | V |
And while they jabber and wail in there | B |
Have a dance in the sunny Cathedral Square '' | - |
- | |
Then tabor and viol began to sound | X |
And ribald and losel to beat the ground | X |
Boys who mocked at the Sacred Name | H |
And wantons brazening out their shame | H |
With languishing eyes and streaming hair | B |
They footed it all about the Square | B |
Footed and frolicked and revelled round | X |
To the viol's twang and the tabor's sound | X |
Shouted and clapped their hands for glee | Y |
Was never such madcap company | Y |
Forward backward forward once more | Z |
Like ebb and flow on a tidal shore | Z |
Trooped together more near and near | A2 |
Like a troop of colts at a sound they fear | A2 |
Then scampered away and scattered wide | B2 |
Again to draw to each other's side | B2 |
Hand within hand and face to face | C2 |
Twirled and circled in lewd embrace | C2 |
Hurried slackened then swept along | D2 |
Trilling and trolling a shameful song | D2 |
Hurtful and hateful to godly ears | E2 |
Never I ween in all the years | E2 |
Since the Autumn woods waxed sere and brown | E |
Was danced such a dance in Darmstadt town | E |
- | |
Now the sermon was over the service done | F2 |
And the grave faced worshippers one by one | F2 |
Poured into the bright Cathedral Square | B |
And beheld the ungodly dancing there | B |
Then they cried Now shame on you Stay O stay | M |
Surely ye know 'tis the Sabbath Day | M |
The day of the merciful mighty Lord | G2 |
If ye flaunt His mercy yet dread His sword '' | - |
Yet never an instant the dancing stayed | I |
But ribald stripling and wanton maid | I |
Gasped out Don't you see we are nigh to drop | H2 |
With panting and pain but we cannot stop | H2 |
The demons have entered our limbs and we | Y |
No longer have power to pause or flee | Y |
They force us to hammer the hard hot ground | X |
And make us pirouette round and round | X |
Will never some Christian soul advance | I2 |
And break the spell of this demon dance '' | - |
- | |
Then the sober and godly would fain have heard | J2 |
Piteous cry and panting word | J2 |
But a something stronger than human will | K2 |
Fettered their feet and kept them still | K2 |
Helplessly watching the ghastly crew | L2 |
So swiftly they whirled and so fast they flew | L2 |
It made one giddy to see them there | B |
So out of the broad Cathedral Square | B |
Banker and burgher and learn'd in law | C |
With clean cut forehead and firm set jaw | C |
Master and prentice and tradesman trim | D |
Pikemen stalwart of port and limb | D |
Sister and sweetheart and wife demure | K |
As fresh as posies and just as pure | K |
With children clutching their mother's gown | E |
Homeward walked through the awestruck town | E |
- | |
But still when the godly crowd had gone | M2 |
The derelict band went dancing on | N2 |
The sunlight glittered on roof and spire | O |
And the wings of the swallow did never tire | P |
The stork hovered over her callow nest | Q |
And Spring was folded to Summer's breast | Q |
Far away in the woodland the sycamore swung | L |
Its tassels of gold and the blackbird sung | L |
The river went swirling past tangled ledge | T |
Of willow weed meadow sweet thyme and sedge | T |
The veins of the vine were flushed with juice | U |
And the trout poised still by the miller's sluice | U |
But though longer and longer the shadows grew | L2 |
Still gambolled and anticked the ribald crew | L2 |
Wavered and wantoned in broken line | W |
As though mad drunk with the Mosel wine | W |
Reeled and rolled till the sun went down | E |
And the stars shone over the darkened town | E |
Golden stars in a dome of blue | L2 |
Careered and capered the whole night through | L2 |
Till their loose flesh flapped on their creaking bones | O2 |
And they staggered and dropped on the hard dry stones | O2 |
And when at last in a heap they lay | M |
Like refuse the scavenger carts away | M |
They throbbed up still as at farmyard pyre | P |
The flickering flames of an unfed fire | P |
Nor yet from their ghastly gambols ceased | P2 |
Till the sun ensanguined the pallid East | P2 |
And the starlings piped on the Rathhaus eaves | R |
- | |
Never never since wintry woods waxed brown | E |
Was danced such a dance in Darmstadt town | E |
Alfred Austin
(1)
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