Idylls Of The King: The Last Tournament (excerpt) Poem Rhyme Scheme

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 39 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

A Simple Gift Of Clarity
by Michael Mcguire
Ring Of Fire
by N. Khanyile
A Disturbing Dream
by Marlon Pitter
Crab Lice
by Marlon Pitter
Biography Of The Anonymous
by Gilbert Sordebabari
Lost In Search Of A Saved Child
by Michael Mcguire
Dark Lens
by Gilbert Sordebabari
The Ship
by Pieter Sanders
Rose Bush
by Aubrie J Chellman
Between Condemning Bad Acts And Doing Bad Things, Which One Is Worse?
by Marlon Pitter

Popular Poets

1. Emily Dickinson(2415 poems)
2. Madison Julius Cawein(1231 poems)
3. Ella Wheeler Wilcox(1136 poems)
4. William Wordsworth(1016 poems)
5. Robert Burns(986 poems)
6. Edgar Albert Guest(945 poems)
7. Thomas Moore(849 poems)
8. Robert Service(831 poems)

Dagonet the fool whom Gawain in his mood	A
Had made mock knight of Arthur's Table Round	B
At Camelot high above the yellowing woods	C
Danced like a wither'd leaf before the hall	D
And toward him from the hall with harp in hand	E
And from the crown thereof a carcanet	E
Of ruby swaying to and fro the prize	F
Of Tristram in the jousts of yesterday	E
Came Tristram saying Why skip ye so Sir Fool	G
	-
For Arthur and Sir Lancelot riding once	H
Far down beneath a winding wall of rock	I
Heard a child wail A stump of oak half dead	E
From roots like some black coil of carven snakes	J
Clutch'd at the crag and started thro' mid air	K
Bearing an eagle's nest and thro' the tree	L
Rush'd ever a rainy wind and thro' the wind	E
Pierced ever a child's cry and crag and tree	L
Scaling Sir Lancelot from the perilous nest	E
This ruby necklace thrice around her neck	M
And all unscarr'd from beak or talon brought	E
A maiden babe which Arthur pitying took	N
Then gave it to his Queen to rear the Queen	O
But coldly acquiescing in her white arms	P
Received and after loved it tenderly	L
And named it Nestling so forgot herself	Q
A moment and her cares till that young life	R
Being smitten in mid heaven with mortal cold	E
Past from her and in time the carcanet	E
Vext her with plaintive memories of the child	E
So she delivering it to Arthur said	E
Take thou the jewels of this dead innocence	H
And make them an thou wilt a tourney prize	F
	-
To whom the King Peace to thine eagle borne	S
Dead nestling and this honour after death	T
Following thy will but O my Queen I muse	U
Why ye not wear on arm or neck or zone	V
Those diamonds that I rescued from the tarn	V
And Lancelot won methought for thee to wear	K
	-
Would rather you had let them fall she cried	E
Plunge and be lost ill fated as they were	W
A bitterness to me ye look amazed	E
Not knowing they were lost as soon as given	V
Slid from my hands when I was leaning out	E
Above the river that unhappy child	E
Past in her barge but rosier luck will go	X
With these rich jewels seeing that they came	Y
Not from the skeleton of a brother slayer	W
But the sweet body of a maiden babe	Z
Perchance who knows the purest of thy knights	A2
May win them for the purest of my maids	B2
	-
She ended and the cry of a great jousts	B2
With trumpet blowings ran on all the ways	B2
From Camelot in among the faded fields	B2
To furthest towers and everywhere the knights	B2
Arm'd for a day of glory before the King	C2
	-
But on the hither side of that loud morn	V
Into the hall stagger'd his visage ribb'd	E
From ear to ear with dogwhip weals his nose	B2
Bridge broken one eye out and one hand off	D2
And one with shatter'd fingers dangling lame	Y
A churl to whom indignantly the King	C2
	-
My churl for whom Christ died what evil beast	E
Hath drawn his claws athwart thy face or fiend	E
Man was it who marr'd heaven's image in thee thus	B2
	-
Then sputtering thro' the hedge of splinter'd teeth	E2
Yet strangers to the tongue and with blunt stump	F2
Pitch blacken'd sawing the air said the maim'd churl	L
	-
He took them and he drave them to his tower	W
Some hold he was a table knight of thine	V
A hundred goodly ones the Red Knight he	L
Lord I was tending swine and the Red Knight	E
Brake in upon me and drave them to his tower	W
And when I cal'd upon thy name as one	V
That doest right by gentle and by churl	L
Maim'd me and maul'd and would outright have slain	V
Save that he aware me to a message saying	C2
'Tell thou the King and all his liars that I	G2
Have founded my Round Table in the North	H2
And whatsoever his own knights have sworn	V
My knights have sworn the counter to it and say	B2
My tower is full of harlots like his court	E
But mine are worthier seeing they profess	B2
To be none other than themselves and say	B2
My knights are all adulterers like his own	V
But mine are truer seeing they profess	B2
To be none other and say his hour is come	I2
The heathen are upon him his long lance	B2
Broken and his Excalibur a straw '	-
	-
Then Arthur turn'd to Kay the seneschal	L
Take thou my churl and tend him curiously	L
Like a king's heir till all his hurts be whole	L
The heathen but that ever climbing wave	J2
Hurl'd back again so often in empty foam	K2
Hath lain for years at rest and renegades	B2
Thieves bandits leavings of confusion whom	L2
The wholesome realm is purged of otherwhere	W
Friends thro' your manhood and your fealty now	V
Make their last head like Satan in the North	H2
My younger knights new made in whom your flower	W
Waits to be solid fruit of golden deeds	B2
Move with me toward their quelling which achieved	E
The loneliest ways are safe from shore to shore	W
But thou Sir Lancelot sitting in my place	B2
Enchair'd to morrow arbitrate the field	E
For wherefore shouldst thou care to mingle with it	E
Only to yield my Queen her own again	V
Speak Lancelot thou art silent is it well	L
	-
	-
Thereto Sir Lancelot answer'd It is well	L
Yet better if the King abide and leave	M2
The leading of his younger knights to me	L
Else for the King has will'd it it is well	L
	-
	-
Then Arthur rose and Lancelot follow'd him	N2
And while they stood without the doors the King	C2
Turn'd to him saying Is it then so well	L
Or mine the blame that oft I seem as he	L
Of whom was written 'A sound is in his ears'	B2
The foot that loiters bidden go the glance	B2
That only seems half loyal to command	E
A manner somewhat fall'n from reverence	B2
Or have I dream'd the bearing of our knights	B2
Tells of a manhood ever less and lower	W
Or whence the fear lest this my realm uprear'd	E
By noble deeds at one with noble vows	B2
From flat confusion and brute violence s	B2
Reel back into the beast and be no more	W
	-
	-
He spoke and taking all his younger knights	B2
Down the slope city rode and sharply turn'd	E
North by the gate In her high bower the Queen	V
Working a tapestry lifted up her head	E
Watch'd her lord pass and knew not that she sigh'd	E
Then ran across her memory the strange rhyme	O2
Of bygone Merlin Where is he who knows	B2
From the great deep to the great deep he goes	B2
	-
	-
But when the morning of a tournament	E
By these in earnest those in mockery call'd	E
The Tournament of the Dead Innocence	B2
Brake with a wet wind blowing Lancelot	E
Round whose sick head all night like birds of prey	W
The words of Arthur flying shriek'd arose	B2
And down a streetway hung with folds of pure	W
White samite and by fountains running wine	V
Where children sat in white with cups of gold	E
Moved to the lists and there with slow sad steps	B2
Ascending fill'd his double dragon'd chair	W
	-
	-
He glanced and saw the stately galleries	B2
Dame damsel each thro' worship of their Queen	V
White robed in honour of the stainless child	E
And some with scatter'd jewels like a bank	P2
Of maiden snow mingled with sparks of fire	W
He look'd but once and vail'd his eyes again	V
	-
	-
The sudden trumpet sounded as in a dream	Q2
To ears but half awaked then one low roll	L
Of Autumn thunder and the jousts began	V
And ever the wind blew and yellowing leaf	R2
And gloom and gleam and shower and shorn plume	L2
Went down it Sighing weariedly as one	V
Who sits and gazes on a faded fire	W
When all the goodlier guests are past away	W
Sat their great umpire looking o'er the lists	B2
He saw the laws that ruled the tournament	E
Broken but spake not once a knight cast down	V
Before his throne of arbitration cursed	E
The dead babe and the follies of the King	C2
And once the laces of a helmet crack'd	E
And show'd him like a vermin in its hole	L

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Idylls Of The King: The Last Tournament (excerpt) Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

About Idylls Of The King: The Last Tournament (excerpt)

Write your comment about Idylls Of The King: The Last Tournament (excerpt) poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Recent Interactions*

New Poems

Popular Poets