Pelleas And Ettarre Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEF G GHIJIGK LMNOPJQRSTUVTWXYZA2B 2C2D2E2F2G2H2I2H2IH2 J2K2RL2H2D2UD2D2XD2D 2 M2D2D2H2D2N2XO2 D2 P2Q2D2R2S2T2D2U2XD2D 2D2V2FXW2X2LY2N D2O2O2Z2O2D2H2D2 A3B3V O2P2C3X D2HD3HD2XD2E3HD2O2FD 2HFO2 D2O2D2O2H D2 D2H2HH2 H D2HH2XHHD2HO2 HD2O2HD2D2F3D2H2D2 H D2HG3O2HJ2D2HXD2HD2 D2XHF3F J2D2D2King Arthur made new knights to fill the gap | A |
Left by the Holy Quest and as he sat | B |
In hall at old Caerleon the high doors | C |
Were softly sundered and through these a youth | D |
Pelleas and the sweet smell of the fields | E |
Past and the sunshine came along with him | F |
- | |
Make me thy knight because I know Sir King | G |
All that belongs to knighthood and I love ' | - |
Such was his cry for having heard the King | G |
Had let proclaim a tournament the prize | H |
A golden circlet and a knightly sword | I |
Full fain had Pelleas for his lady won | J |
The golden circlet for himself the sword | I |
And there were those who knew him near the King | G |
And promised for him and Arthur made him knight | K |
- | |
And this new knight Sir Pelleas of the isles | L |
But lately come to his inheritance | M |
And lord of many a barren isle was he | N |
Riding at noon a day or twain before | O |
Across the forest called of Dean to find | P |
Caerleon and the King had felt the sun | J |
Beat like a strong knight on his helm and reeled | Q |
Almost to falling from his horse but saw | R |
Near him a mound of even sloping side | S |
Whereon a hundred stately beeches grew | T |
And here and there great hollies under them | U |
But for a mile all round was open space | V |
And fern and heath and slowly Pelleas drew | T |
To that dim day then binding his good horse | W |
To a tree cast himself down and as he lay | X |
At random looking over the brown earth | Y |
Through that green glooming twilight of the grove | Z |
It seemed to Pelleas that the fern without | A2 |
Burnt as a living fire of emeralds | B2 |
So that his eyes were dazzled looking at it | C2 |
Then o'er it crost the dimness of a cloud | D2 |
Floating and once the shadow of a bird | E2 |
Flying and then a fawn and his eyes closed | F2 |
And since he loved all maidens but no maid | G2 |
In special half awake he whispered Where | H2 |
O where I love thee though I know thee not | I2 |
For fair thou art and pure as Guinevere | H2 |
And I will make thee with my spear and sword | I |
As famous O my Queen my Guinevere | H2 |
For I will be thine Arthur when we meet ' | - |
- | |
Suddenly wakened with a sound of talk | J2 |
And laughter at the limit of the wood | K2 |
And glancing through the hoary boles he saw | R |
Strange as to some old prophet might have seemed | L2 |
A vision hovering on a sea of fire | H2 |
Damsels in divers colours like the cloud | D2 |
Of sunset and sunrise and all of them | U |
On horses and the horses richly trapt | D2 |
Breast high in that bright line of bracken stood | D2 |
And all the damsels talked confusedly | X |
And one was pointing this way and one that | D2 |
Because the way was lost | D2 |
- | |
And Pelleas rose | M2 |
And loosed his horse and led him to the light | D2 |
There she that seemed the chief among them said | D2 |
In happy time behold our pilot star | H2 |
Youth we are damsels errant and we ride | D2 |
Armed as ye see to tilt against the knights | N2 |
There at Caerleon but have lost our way | X |
To right to left straight forward back again | O2 |
Which tell us quickly ' | - |
- | |
Pelleas gazing thought | D2 |
Is Guinevere herself so beautiful ' | - |
For large her violet eyes looked and her bloom | P2 |
A rosy dawn kindled in stainless heavens | Q2 |
And round her limbs mature in womanhood | D2 |
And slender was her hand and small her shape | R2 |
And but for those large eyes the haunts of scorn | S2 |
She might have seemed a toy to trifle with | T2 |
And pass and care no more But while he gazed | D2 |
The beauty of her flesh abashed the boy | U2 |
As though it were the beauty of her soul | X |
For as the base man judging of the good | D2 |
Puts his own baseness in him by default | D2 |
Of will and nature so did Pelleas lend | D2 |
All the young beauty of his own soul to hers | V2 |
Believing her and when she spake to him | F |
Stammered and could not make her a reply | X |
For out of the waste islands had he come | W2 |
Where saving his own sisters he had known | X2 |
Scarce any but the women of his isles | L |
Rough wives that laughed and screamed against the gulls | Y2 |
Makers of nets and living from the sea | N |
- | |
Then with a slow smile turned the lady round | D2 |
And looked upon her people and as when | O2 |
A stone is flung into some sleeping tarn | O2 |
The circle widens till it lip the marge | Z2 |
Spread the slow smile through all her company | O2 |
Three knights were thereamong and they too smiled | D2 |
Scorning him for the lady was Ettarre | H2 |
And she was a great lady in her land | D2 |
- | |
Again she said O wild and of the woods | A3 |
Knowest thou not the fashion of our speech | B3 |
Or have the Heavens but given thee a fair face | V |
Lacking a tongue ' | - |
- | |
O damsel ' answered he | O2 |
I woke from dreams and coming out of gloom | P2 |
Was dazzled by the sudden light and crave | C3 |
Pardon but will ye to Caerleon I | X |
Go likewise shall I lead you to the King ' | - |
- | |
Lead then ' she said and through the woods they went | D2 |
And while they rode the meaning in his eyes | H |
His tenderness of manner and chaste awe | D3 |
His broken utterances and bashfulness | H |
Were all a burthen to her and in her heart | D2 |
She muttered I have lighted on a fool | X |
Raw yet so stale ' But since her mind was bent | D2 |
On hearing after trumpet blown her name | E3 |
And title Queen of Beauty ' in the lists | H |
Cried and beholding him so strong she thought | D2 |
That peradventure he will fight for me | O2 |
And win the circlet therefore flattered him | F |
Being so gracious that he wellnigh deemed | D2 |
His wish by hers was echoed and her knights | H |
And all her damsels too were gracious to him | F |
For she was a great lady | O2 |
- | |
And when they reached | D2 |
Caerleon ere they past to lodging she | O2 |
Taking his hand O the strong hand ' she said | D2 |
See look at mine but wilt thou fight for me | O2 |
And win me this fine circlet Pelleas | H |
That I may love thee ' | - |
- | |
Then his helpless heart | D2 |
Leapt and he cried Ay wilt thou if I win ' | - |
Ay that will I ' she answered and she laughed | D2 |
And straitly nipt the hand and flung it from her | H2 |
Then glanced askew at those three knights of hers | H |
Till all her ladies laughed along with her | H2 |
- | |
O happy world ' thought Pelleas all meseems | H |
Are happy I the happiest of them all ' | - |
Nor slept that night for pleasure in his blood | D2 |
And green wood ways and eyes among the leaves | H |
Then being on the morrow knighted sware | H2 |
To love one only And as he came away | X |
The men who met him rounded on their heels | H |
And wondered after him because his face | H |
Shone like the countenance of a priest of old | D2 |
Against the flame about a sacrifice | H |
Kindled by fire from heaven so glad was he | O2 |
- | |
Then Arthur made vast banquets and strange knights | H |
From the four winds came in and each one sat | D2 |
Though served with choice from air land stream and sea | O2 |
Oft in mid banquet measuring with his eyes | H |
His neighbour's make and might and Pelleas looked | D2 |
Noble among the noble for he dreamed | D2 |
His lady loved him and he knew himself | F3 |
Loved of the King and him his new made knight | D2 |
Worshipt whose lightest whisper moved him more | H2 |
Than all the rangd reasons of the world | D2 |
- | |
Then blushed and brake the morning of the jousts | H |
And this was called The Tournament of Youth ' | - |
For Arthur loving his young knight withheld | D2 |
His older and his mightier from the lists | H |
That Pelleas might obtain his lady's love | G3 |
According to her promise and remain | O2 |
Lord of the tourney And Arthur had the jousts | H |
Down in the flat field by the shore of Usk | J2 |
Holden the gilded parapets were crowned | D2 |
With faces and the great tower filled with eyes | H |
Up to the summit and the trumpets blew | X |
There all day long Sir Pelleas kept the field | D2 |
With honour so by that strong hand of his | H |
The sword and golden circlet were achieved | D2 |
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Then rang the shout his lady loved the heat | D2 |
Of pride and glory fired her face her eye | X |
Sparkled she caught the circlet from his lance | H |
And there before the people crowned herself | F3 |
So for the last time she was gracious to him | F |
- | |
Then at Caerleon for a space her look | J2 |
Bright for all others cloudier on her knight | D2 |
Lingered Ettarre and | D2 |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1)
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