Merlin And Vivien Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABBCD ECFGDBHIJJB BCKB BBBHLBMM NMOMPQ HBRPPCBSBMHTQBQIBCMB MBTB CBDHB BMMBBCBMCBBTKBCUMM MMBMBIIRCKBB CVMIM BBWBCTBXMCYMIITIHBR ZBQM M UMNA2BIB LBBBBBB2BDI BC2B BBD2UME2BMBF2CSMG2CZ MMMMBCME2BA storm was coming but the winds were still | A |
And in the wild woods of Broceliande | B |
Before an oak so hollow huge and old | B |
It looked a tower of ivied masonwork | C |
At Merlin's feet the wily Vivien lay | D |
- | |
For he that always bare in bitter grudge | E |
The slights of Arthur and his Table Mark | C |
The Cornish King had heard a wandering voice | F |
A minstrel of Caerlon by strong storm | G |
Blown into shelter at Tintagil say | D |
That out of naked knightlike purity | B |
Sir Lancelot worshipt no unmarried girl | H |
But the great Queen herself fought in her name | I |
Sware by her vows like theirs that high in heaven | J |
Love most but neither marry nor are given | J |
In marriage angels of our Lord's report | B |
- | |
He ceased and then for Vivien sweetly said | B |
She sat beside the banquet nearest Mark | C |
'And is the fair example followed Sir | K |
In Arthur's household ' answered innocently | B |
- | |
'Ay by some few ay truly youths that hold | B |
It more beseems the perfect virgin knight | B |
To worship woman as true wife beyond | B |
All hopes of gaining than as maiden girl | H |
They place their pride in Lancelot and the Queen | L |
So passionate for an utter purity | B |
Beyond the limit of their bond are these | M |
For Arthur bound them not to singleness | M |
Brave hearts and clean and yet God guide them young ' | - |
- | |
Then Mark was half in heart to hurl his cup | N |
Straight at the speaker but forbore he rose | M |
To leave the hall and Vivien following him | O |
Turned to her 'Here are snakes within the grass | M |
And you methinks O Vivien save ye fear | P |
The monkish manhood and the mask of pure | Q |
Worn by this court can stir them till they sting ' | - |
- | |
And Vivien answered smiling scornfully | H |
'Why fear because that fostered at THY court | B |
I savour of thy virtues fear them no | R |
As Love if Love is perfect casts out fear | P |
So Hate if Hate is perfect casts out fear | P |
My father died in battle against the King | C |
My mother on his corpse in open field | B |
She bore me there for born from death was I | S |
Among the dead and sown upon the wind | B |
And then on thee and shown the truth betimes | M |
That old true filth and bottom of the well | H |
Where Truth is hidden Gracious lessons thine | T |
And maxims of the mud This Arthur pure | Q |
Great Nature through the flesh herself hath made | B |
Gives him the lie There is no being pure | Q |
My cherub saith not Holy Writ the same | I |
If I were Arthur I would have thy blood | B |
Thy blessing stainless King I bring thee back | C |
When I have ferreted out their burrowings | M |
The hearts of all this Order in mine hand | B |
Ay so that fate and craft and folly close | M |
Perchance one curl of Arthur's golden beard | B |
To me this narrow grizzled fork of thine | T |
Is cleaner fashioned Well I loved thee first | B |
That warps the wit ' | - |
- | |
Loud laughed the graceless Mark | C |
But Vivien into Camelot stealing lodged | B |
Low in the city and on a festal day | D |
When Guinevere was crossing the great hall | H |
Cast herself down knelt to the Queen and wailed | B |
- | |
'Why kneel ye there What evil hath ye wrought | B |
Rise ' and the damsel bidden rise arose | M |
And stood with folded hands and downward eyes | M |
Of glancing corner and all meekly said | B |
'None wrought but suffered much an orphan maid | B |
My father died in battle for thy King | C |
My mother on his corpse in open field | B |
The sad sea sounding wastes of Lyonnesse | M |
Poor wretch no friend and now by Mark the King | C |
For that small charm of feature mine pursued | B |
If any such be mine I fly to thee | B |
Save save me thou Woman of women thine | T |
The wreath of beauty thine the crown of power | K |
Be thine the balm of pity O Heaven's own white | B |
Earth angel stainless bride of stainless King | C |
Help for he follows take me to thyself | U |
O yield me shelter for mine innocency | M |
Among thy maidens | M |
- | |
Here her slow sweet eyes | M |
Fear tremulous but humbly hopeful rose | M |
Fixt on her hearer's while the Queen who stood | B |
All glittering like May sunshine on May leaves | M |
In green and gold and plumed with green replied | B |
'Peace child of overpraise and overblame | I |
We choose the last Our noble Arthur him | I |
Ye scarce can overpraise will hear and know | R |
Nay we believe all evil of thy Mark | C |
Well we shall test thee farther but this hour | K |
We ride a hawking with Sir Lancelot | B |
He hath given us a fair falcon which he trained | B |
We go to prove it Bide ye here the while ' | - |
- | |
She past and Vivien murmured after 'Go | C |
I bide the while ' Then through the portal arch | V |
Peering askance and muttering broken wise | M |
As one that labours with an evil dream | I |
Beheld the Queen and Lancelot get to horse | M |
- | |
'Is that the Lancelot goodly ay but gaunt | B |
Courteous amends for gauntness takes her hand | B |
That glance of theirs but for the street had been | W |
A clinging kiss how hand lingers in hand | B |
Let go at last they ride away to hawk | C |
For waterfowl Royaller game is mine | T |
For such a supersensual sensual bond | B |
As that gray cricket chirpt of at our hearth | X |
Touch flax with flame a glance will serve the liars | M |
Ah little rat that borest in the dyke | C |
Thy hole by night to let the boundless deep | Y |
Down upon far off cities while they dance | M |
Or dream of thee they dreamed not nor of me | I |
These ay but each of either ride and dream | I |
The mortal dream that never yet was mine | T |
Ride ride and dream until ye wake to me | I |
Then narrow court and lubber King farewell | H |
For Lancelot will be gracious to the rat | B |
And our wise Queen if knowing that I know | R |
Will hate loathe fear but honour me the more ' | - |
- | |
Yet while they rode together down the plain | Z |
Their talk was all of training terms of art | B |
Diet and seeling jesses leash and lure | Q |
'She is too noble' he said 'to check at pies | M |
Nor will she rake there is no baseness in her ' | - |
Here when the Queen demanded as by chance | M |
'Know ye the stranger woman ' 'Let her be ' | - |
Said Lancelot and unhooded casting off | U |
The goodly falcon free she towered her bells | M |
Tone under tone shrilled and they lifted up | N |
Their eager faces wondering at the strength | A2 |
Boldness and royal knighthood of the bird | B |
Who pounced her quarry and slew it Many a time | I |
As once of old among the flowers they rode | B |
- | |
But Vivien half forgotten of the Queen | L |
Among her damsels broidering sat heard watched | B |
And whispered through the peaceful court she crept | B |
And whispered then as Arthur in the highest | B |
Leavened the world so Vivien in the lowest | B |
Arriving at a time of golden rest | B |
And sowing one ill hint from ear to ear | B2 |
While all the heathen lay at Arthur's feet | B |
And no quest came but all was joust and play | D |
Leavened his hall They heard and let her be | I |
- | |
Thereafter as an enemy that has left | B |
Death in the living waters and withdrawn | C2 |
The wily Vivien stole from Arthur's court | B |
- | |
She hated all the knights and heard in thought | B |
Their lavish comment when her name was named | B |
For once when Arthur walking all alone | D2 |
Vext at a rumour issued from herself | U |
Of some corruption crept among his knights | M |
Had met her Vivien being greeted fair | E2 |
Would fain have wrought upon his cloudy mood | B |
With reverent eyes mock loyal shaken voice | M |
And fluttered adoration and at last | B |
With dark sweet hints of some who prized him more | F2 |
Than who should prize him most at which the King | C |
Had gazed upon her blankly and gone by | S |
But one had watched and had not held his peace | M |
It made the laughter of an afternoon | G2 |
That Vivien should attempt the blameless King | C |
And after that she set herself to gain | Z |
Him the most famous man of all those times | M |
Merlin who knew the range of all their arts | M |
Had built the King his havens ships and halls | M |
Was also Bard and knew the starry heavens | M |
The people called him Wizard whom at first | B |
She played about with slight and sprightly talk | C |
And vivid smiles and faintly venomed points | M |
Of slander glancing here and grazing there | E2 |
And yielding to his kindlier mood | B |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about Merlin And Vivien poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Best Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson