Enoch Arden Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHF IJKLMNOPLQRST UVWXY NZA2B2LC2D2 E2LF2G2H2I2J2K2ZK2L2 K2LM2K2N2O2P2Q2LTL2R E K2K2R2K2I2ELS2K2T2DK 2U2K2P2K2C2K2K2 V2W2X2Y2C2Z2K2RK2LX2 X2A3Y2X2X2LLRR2C2 B3K2K2X2K2C3I2P2LK2C 3LU2K2OD3K2 RX2I2K2C2K2X2K2S2 K2K2LP2K2X2C3DX2K2K2 X2LC2X2E3K2P2K2L R2F3LG3X2X2C2X2C2 K2EX2S2K2K2K2C2DLD K2K2U2X2L2X2DC2K2R2X 2X2K2L C3X2X2Long lines of cliff breaking have left a chasm | A |
And in the chasm are foam and yellow sands | B |
Beyond red roofs about a narrow wharf | C |
In cluster then a moulder'd church and higher | D |
A long street climbs to one tall tower'd mill | E |
And high in heaven behind it a gray down | F |
With Danish barrows and a hazelwood | G |
By autumn nutters haunted flourishes | H |
Green in a cuplike hollow of the down | F |
- | |
Here on this beach a hundred years ago | I |
Three children of three houses Annie Lee | J |
The prettiest little damsel in the port | K |
And Philip Ray the miller's only son | L |
And Enoch Arden a rough sailor's lad | M |
Made orphan by a winter shipwreck play'd | N |
Among the waste and lumber of the shore | O |
Hard coils of cordage swarthy fishing nets | P |
Anchors of rusty fluke and boats updrawn | L |
And built their castles of dissolving sand | Q |
To watch them overflow'd or following up | R |
And flying the white breaker daily left | S |
The little footprint daily wash'd away | T |
- | |
A narrow cave ran in beneath the cliff | U |
In this the children play'd at keeping house | V |
Enoch was host one day Philip the next | W |
While Annie still was mistress but at times | X |
Enoch would hold possession for a week | Y |
This is my house and this my little wife ' | - |
Mine too' said Philip turn and turn about ' | - |
When if they quarrell'd Enoch stronger made | N |
Was master then would Philip his blue eyes | Z |
All flooded with the helpless wrath of tears | A2 |
Shriek out I hate you Enoch ' and at this | B2 |
The little wife would weep for company | L |
And pray them not to quarrel for her sake | C2 |
And say she would be little wife to both | D2 |
- | |
But when the dawn of rosy childhood past | E2 |
And the new warmth of life's ascending sun | L |
Was felt by either either fixt his heart | F2 |
On that one girl and Enoch spoke his love | G2 |
But Philip loved in silence and the girl | H2 |
Seem'd kinder unto Philip than to him | I2 |
But she loved Enoch tho' she knew it not | J2 |
And would if ask'd deny it Enoch set | K2 |
A purpose evermore before his eyes | Z |
To hoard all savings to the uttermost | K2 |
To purchase his own boat and make a home | L2 |
For Annie and so prosper'd that at last | K2 |
A luckier or a bolder fisherman | L |
A carefuller in peril did not breathe | M2 |
For leagues along that breaker beaten coast | K2 |
Than Enoch Likewise had he served a year | N2 |
On board a merchantman and made himself | O2 |
Full sailor and he thrice had pluck'd a life | P2 |
From the dread sweep of the down streaming seas | Q2 |
And all me look'd upon him favorably | L |
And ere he touch'd his one and twentieth May | T |
He purchased his own boat and made a home | L2 |
For Annie neat and nestlike halfway up | R |
The narrow street that clamber'd toward the mill | E |
- | |
Then on a golden autumn eventide | K2 |
The younger people making holiday | K2 |
With bag and sack and basket great and small | R2 |
Went nutting to the hazels Philip stay'd | K2 |
His father lying sick and needing him | I2 |
An hour behind but as he climb'd the hill | E |
Just where the prone edge of the wood began | L |
To feather toward the hollow saw the pair | S2 |
Enoch and Annie sitting hand in hand | K2 |
His large gray eyes and weather beaten face | T2 |
All kindled by a still and sacred fire | D |
That burn'd as on an altar Philip look'd | K2 |
And in their eyes and faces read his doom | U2 |
Then as their faces drew together groan'd | K2 |
And slipt aside and like a wounded life | P2 |
Crept down into the hollows of the wood | K2 |
There while the rest were loud in merrymaking | C2 |
Had his dark hour unseen and rose and past | K2 |
Bearing a lifelong hunger in his heart | K2 |
- | |
So these were wed and merrily rang the bells | V2 |
And merrily ran the years seven happy years | W2 |
Seven happy years of health and competence | X2 |
And mutual love and honorable toil | Y2 |
With children first a daughter In him woke | C2 |
With his first babe's first cry the noble wish | Z2 |
To save all earnings to the uttermost | K2 |
And give his child a better bringing up | R |
Than his had been or hers a wish renew'd | K2 |
When two years after came a boy to be | L |
The rosy idol of her solitudes | X2 |
While Enoch was abroad on wrathful seas | X2 |
Or often journeying landward for in truth | A3 |
Enoch's white horse and Enoch's ocean spoil | Y2 |
In ocean smelling osier and his face | X2 |
Rough redden'd with a thousand winter gales | X2 |
Not only to the market cross were known | L |
But in the leafy lanes behind the down | L |
Far as the portal warding lion whelp | R |
And peacock yewtree of the lonely Hall | R2 |
Whose Friday fare was Enoch's ministering | C2 |
- | |
Then came a change as all things human change | B3 |
Ten miles to northward of the narrow port | K2 |
Open'd a larger haven thither used | K2 |
Enoch at times to go by land or sea | X2 |
And once when there and clambering on a mast | K2 |
In harbor by mischance he slipt and fell | C3 |
A limb was broken when they lifted him | I2 |
And while he lay recovering there his wife | P2 |
Bore him another son a sickly one | L |
Another hand crept too across his trade | K2 |
Taking her bread and theirs and on him fell | C3 |
Altho' a grave and staid God fearing man | L |
Yet lying thus inactive doubt and gloom | U2 |
He seem'd as in a nightmare of the night | K2 |
To see his children leading evermore | O |
Low miserable lives of hand to mouth | D3 |
And her he loved a beggar then he pray'd | K2 |
Save them from this whatever comes to me ' | - |
And while he pray'd the master of that ship | R |
Enoch had served in hearing his mischance | X2 |
Came for he knew the man and valued him | I2 |
Reporting of his vessel China bound | K2 |
And wanting yet a boatswain Would he go | C2 |
There yet were many weeks before she sail'd | K2 |
Sail'd from this port Would Enoch have the place | X2 |
And Enoch all at once assented to it | K2 |
Rejoicing at that answer to his prayer | S2 |
- | |
So now that the shadow of mischance appear'd | K2 |
No graver than as when some little cloud | K2 |
Cuts off the fiery highway of the sun | L |
And isles a light in the offing yet the wife | P2 |
When he was gone the children what to do | K2 |
Then Enoch lay long pondering on his plans | X2 |
To sell the boat and yet he loved her well | C3 |
How many a rough sea had he weather'd in her | D |
He knew her as a horseman knows his horse | X2 |
And yet to sell her then with what she brought | K2 |
Buy goods and stores set Annie forth in trade | K2 |
With all that seamen needed or their wives | X2 |
So might she keep the house while he was gone | L |
Should he not trade himself out yonder go | C2 |
This voyage more than once yea twice or thrice | X2 |
As oft as needed last returning rich | E3 |
Become the master of a larger craft | K2 |
With fuller profits lead an easier life | P2 |
Have all his pretty young ones educated | K2 |
And pass his days in peace among his own | L |
- | |
Thus Enoch in his heart determined all | R2 |
Then moving homeward came on Annie pale | F3 |
Nursing the sickly babe her latest born | L |
Forward she started with a happy cry | G3 |
And laid the feeble infant in his arms | X2 |
Whom Enoch took and handled all his limbs | X2 |
Appraised his weight and fondled fatherlike | C2 |
But had no heart to break his purposes | X2 |
To Annie till the morrow when he spoke | C2 |
- | |
Then first since Enoch's golden ring had girt | K2 |
Her finger Annie fought against his will | E |
Yet not with brawling opposition she | X2 |
But manifold entreaties many a tear | S2 |
Many a sad kiss by day and night renew'd | K2 |
Sure that all evil would come out of it | K2 |
Besought him supplicating if he cared | K2 |
For here or his dear children not to go | C2 |
He not for his own self caring but her | D |
Her and her children let her plead in vain | L |
So grieving held his will and bore it thro' | D |
- | |
For Enoch parted with his old sea friend | K2 |
Bought Annie goods and stores and set his hand | K2 |
To fit their little streetward sitting room | U2 |
With shelf and corner for the goods and stores | X2 |
So all day long till Enoch's last at home | L2 |
Shaking their pretty cabin hammer and axe | X2 |
Auger and saw while Annie seem'd to hear | D |
Her own death scaffold raising shrill'd and rang | C2 |
Till this was ended and his careful hand | K2 |
The space was narrow having order'd all | R2 |
Almost as neat and close as Nature packs | X2 |
Her blossom or her seedling paused and he | X2 |
Who needs would work for Annie to the last | K2 |
Ascending tired heavily slept till morn | L |
- | |
And Enoch faced this morning of farewell | C3 |
Brightly and boldly All his Annie's fears | X2 |
Save as his | X2 |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1)
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