Balin And Balan Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJ KLMN OPQ RSTTLUVTWTX LYTZ YA2T UB2 TC2TTA2 T LD2E2XF2TTG2A2F2F2H2 A2LF2TLE2TT I2F2J2K2LA2 F2L2M2A2TLN2TTTL2 TA2T TF2A2TO2LA2TTA2GTA2A 2LTP2A2TXTTRXQ2D2 TTA2XA2A2ZTF2R2A2Q2T D2S2D2T2TXRA2TU2Q2TA 2V2W2F2Q2Q2 TTF2A2Q2D2TF2TU2A2TL XTXQ2TTQ2A2E2F2TX2Pellam the King who held and lost with Lot | A |
In that first war and had his realm restored | B |
But rendered tributary failed of late | C |
To send his tribute wherefore Arthur called | D |
His treasurer one of many years and spake | E |
'Go thou with him and him and bring it to us | F |
Lest we should set one truer on his throne | G |
Man's word is God in man ' | H |
His Baron said | I |
'We go but harken there be two strange knights | J |
- | |
Who sit near Camelot at a fountain side | K |
A mile beneath the forest challenging | L |
And overthrowing every knight who comes | M |
Wilt thou I undertake them as we pass | N |
And send them to thee ' | - |
Arthur laughed upon him | O |
'Old friend too old to be so young depart | P |
Delay not thou for aught but let them sit | Q |
Until they find a lustier than themselves ' | - |
- | |
So these departed Early one fair dawn | R |
The light winged spirit of his youth returned | S |
On Arthur's heart he armed himself and went | T |
So coming to the fountain side beheld | T |
Balin and Balan sitting statuelike | L |
Brethren to right and left the spring that down | U |
From underneath a plume of lady fern | V |
Sang and the sand danced at the bottom of it | T |
And on the right of Balin Balin's horse | W |
Was fast beside an alder on the left | T |
Of Balan Balan's near a poplartree | X |
'Fair Sirs ' said Arthur 'wherefore sit ye here ' | - |
Balin and Balan answered 'For the sake | L |
Of glory we be mightier men than all | Y |
In Arthur's court that also have we proved | T |
For whatsoever knight against us came | Z |
Or I or he have easily overthrown ' | - |
'I too ' said Arthur 'am of Arthur's hall | Y |
But rather proven in his Paynim wars | A2 |
Than famous jousts but see or proven or not | T |
Whether me likewise ye can overthrow ' | - |
And Arthur lightly smote the brethren down | U |
And lightly so returned and no man knew | B2 |
- | |
Then Balin rose and Balan and beside | T |
The carolling water set themselves again | C2 |
And spake no word until the shadow turned | T |
When from the fringe of coppice round them burst | T |
A spangled pursuivant and crying 'Sirs | A2 |
Rise follow ye be sent for by the King ' | - |
They followed whom when Arthur seeing asked | T |
'Tell me your names why sat ye by the well ' | - |
Balin the stillness of a minute broke | L |
Saying 'An unmelodious name to thee | D2 |
Balin the Savage that addition thine | E2 |
My brother and my better this man here | X |
Balan I smote upon the naked skull | F2 |
A thrall of thine in open hall my hand | T |
Was gauntleted half slew him for I heard | T |
He had spoken evil of me thy just wrath | G2 |
Sent me a three years' exile from thine eyes | A2 |
I have not lived my life delightsomely | F2 |
For I that did that violence to thy thrall | F2 |
Had often wrought some fury on myself | H2 |
Saving for Balan those three kingless years | A2 |
Have past were wormwood bitter to me King | L |
Methought that if we sat beside the well | F2 |
And hurled to ground what knight soever spurred | T |
Against us thou would'st take me gladlier back | L |
And make as ten times worthier to be thine | E2 |
Than twenty Balins Balan knight I have said | T |
Not so not all A man of thine today | T |
Abashed us both and brake my boast Thy will ' | - |
Said Arthur 'Thou hast ever spoken truth | I2 |
Thy too fierce manhood would not let thee lie | F2 |
Rise my true knight As children learn be thou | J2 |
Wiser for falling walk with me and move | K2 |
To music with thine Order and the King | L |
Thy chair a grief to all the brethren stands | A2 |
Vacant but thou retake it mine again ' | - |
- | |
Thereafter when Sir Balin entered hall | F2 |
The Lost one Found was greeted as in Heaven | L2 |
With joy that blazed itself in woodland wealth | M2 |
Of leaf and gayest garlandage of flowers | A2 |
Along the walls and down the board they sat | T |
And cup clashed cup they drank and some one sang | L |
Sweet voiced a song of welcome whereupon | N2 |
Their common shout in chorus mounting made | T |
Those banners of twelve battles overhead | T |
Stir as they stirred of old when Arthur's host | T |
Proclaimed him Victor and the day was won | L2 |
- | |
Then Balan added to their Order lived | T |
A wealthier life than heretofore with these | A2 |
And Balin till their embassage returned | T |
- | |
'Sir King' they brought report 'we hardly found | T |
So bushed about it is with gloom the hall | F2 |
Of him to whom ye sent us Pellam once | A2 |
A Christless foe of thine as ever dashed | T |
Horse against horse but seeing that thy realm | O2 |
Hath prospered in the name of Christ the King | L |
Took as in rival heat to holy things | A2 |
And finds himself descended from the Saint | T |
Arimathan Joseph him who first | T |
Brought the great faith to Britain over seas | A2 |
He boasts his life as purer than thine own | G |
Eats scarce enow to keep his pulse abeat | T |
Hath pushed aside his faithful wife nor lets | A2 |
Or dame or damsel enter at his gates | A2 |
Lest he should be polluted This gray King | L |
Showed us a shrine wherein were wonders yea | T |
Rich arks with priceless bones of martyrdom | P2 |
Thorns of the crown and shivers of the cross | A2 |
And therewithal for thus he told us brought | T |
By holy Joseph thither that same spear | X |
Wherewith the Roman pierced the side of Christ | T |
He much amazed us after when we sought | T |
The tribute answered I have quite foregone | R |
All matters of this world Garlon mine heir | X |
Of him demand it which this Garlon gave | Q2 |
With much ado railing at thine and thee | D2 |
- | |
'But when we left in those deep woods we found | T |
A knight of thine spear stricken from behind | T |
Dead whom we buried more than one of us | A2 |
Cried out on Garlon but a woodman there | X |
Reported of some demon in the woods | A2 |
Was once a man who driven by evil tongues | A2 |
From all his fellows lived alone and came | Z |
To learn black magic and to hate his kind | T |
With such a hate that when he died his soul | F2 |
Became a Fiend which as the man in life | R2 |
Was wounded by blind tongues he saw not whence | A2 |
Strikes from behind This woodman showed the cave | Q2 |
From which he sallies and wherein he dwelt | T |
We saw the hoof print of a horse no more ' | - |
- | |
Then Arthur 'Let who goes before me see | D2 |
He do not fall behind me foully slain | S2 |
And villainously who will hunt for me | D2 |
This demon of the woods ' Said Balan 'I' | T2 |
So claimed the quest and rode away but first | T |
Embracing Balin 'Good my brother hear | X |
Let not thy moods prevail when I am gone | R |
Who used to lay them hold them outer fiends | A2 |
Who leap at thee to tear thee shake them aside | T |
Dreams ruling when wit sleeps yea but to dream | U2 |
That any of these would wrong thee wrongs thyself | Q2 |
Witness their flowery welcome Bound are they | T |
To speak no evil Truly save for fears | A2 |
My fears for thee so rich a fellowship | V2 |
Would make me wholly blest thou one of them | W2 |
Be one indeed consider them and all | F2 |
Their bearing in their common bond of love | Q2 |
No more of hatred than in Heaven itself | Q2 |
No more of jealousy than in Paradise ' | - |
- | |
So Balan warned and went Balin remained | T |
Who for but three brief moons had glanced away | T |
From being knighted till he smote the thrall | F2 |
And faded from the presence into years | A2 |
Of exile now would strictlier set himself | Q2 |
To learn what Arthur meant by courtesy | D2 |
Manhood and knighthood wherefore hovered round | T |
Lancelot but when he marked his high sweet smile | F2 |
In passing and a transitory word | T |
Make knight or churl or child or damsel seem | U2 |
From being smiled at happier in themselves | A2 |
Sighed as a boy lame born beneath a height | T |
That glooms his valley sighs to see the peak | L |
Sun flushed or touch at night the northern star | X |
For one from out his village lately climed | T |
And brought report of azure lands and fair | X |
Far seen to left and right and he himself | Q2 |
Hath hardly scaled with help a hundred feet | T |
Up from the base so Balin marvelling oft | T |
How far beyond him Lancelot seemed to move | Q2 |
Groaned and at times would mutter 'These be gifts | A2 |
Born with the blood not learnable divine | E2 |
Beyond MY reach Well had I foughten well | F2 |
In those fierce wars struck hard and had I crowned | T |
With my slain self the heaps o | X2 |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1)
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