The Lotos-eaters Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABBCBCC DEDEEFEFF EGEGGHGHH IJIJJKJKK ALALLMLMM N FFFFFFFOOOO FFFEFEEFFPFPF QRSSEGSTGTFFGG J F FUVUVUJFJJFF F CCCTTWXWXFFFFFF FFYZYA2ZFA2FGEGEB2EB 2FF FFGFFGC2EC2EEE D2D2EEEFFFE2E2E2F2F2 F2FFFNNNGGGGGGLLLCourage he said and pointed toward the land | A |
This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon | B |
In the afternoon they came unto a land | A |
In which it seemed always afternoon | B |
All round the coast the languid air did swoon | B |
Breathing like one that hath a weary dream | C |
Full faced above the valley stood the moon | B |
And like a downward smoke the slender stream | C |
Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem | C |
- | |
A land of streams some like a downward smoke | D |
Slow dropping veils of thinnest lawn did go | E |
And some thro' wavering lights and shadows broke | D |
Rolling a slumbrous sheet of foam below | E |
They saw the gleaming river seaward flow | E |
From the inner land far off three mountain tops | F |
Three silent pinnacles of aged snow | E |
Stood sunset flush'd and dew'd with showery drops | F |
Up clomb the shadowy pine above the woven copse | F |
- | |
The charmed sunset linger'd low adown | E |
In the red West thro' mountain clefts the dale | G |
Was seen far inland and the yellow down | E |
Border'd with palm and many a winding vale | G |
And meadow set with slender galingale | G |
A land where all things always seem'd the same | H |
And round about the keel with faces pale | G |
Dark faces pale against that rosy flame | H |
The mild eyed melancholy Lotos eaters came | H |
- | |
Branches they bore of that enchanted stem | I |
Laden with flower and fruit whereof they gave | J |
To each but whoso did receive of them | I |
And taste to him the gushing of the wave | J |
Far far away did seem to mourn and rave | J |
On alien shores and if his fellow spake | K |
His voice was thin as voices from the grave | J |
And deep asleep he seem'd yet all awake | K |
And music in his ears his beating heart did make | K |
- | |
They sat them down upon the yellow sand | A |
Between the sun and moon upon the shore | L |
And sweet it was to dream of Fatherland | A |
Of child and wife and slave but evermore | L |
Most weary seem'd the sea weary the oar | L |
Weary the wandering fields of barren foam | M |
Then some one said We will return no more | L |
And all at once they sang Our island home | M |
Is far beyond the wave we will no longer roam | M |
- | |
CHORIC SONG | N |
- | |
I | - |
- | |
There is sweet music here that softer falls | F |
Than petals from blown roses on the grass | F |
Or night dews on still waters between walls | F |
Of shadowy granite in a gleaming pass | F |
Music that gentlier on the spirit lies | F |
Than tir'd eyelids upon tir'd eyes | F |
Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies | F |
Here are cool mosses deep | O |
And thro' the moss the ivies creep | O |
And in the stream the long leaved flowers weep | O |
And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep | O |
- | |
II | - |
- | |
Why are we weigh'd upon with heaviness | F |
And utterly consumed with sharp distress | F |
While all things else have rest from weariness | F |
All things have rest why should we toil alone | E |
We only toil who are the first of things | F |
And make perpetual moan | E |
Still from one sorrow to another thrown | E |
Nor ever fold our wings | F |
And cease from wanderings | F |
Nor steep our brows in slumber's holy balm | P |
Nor harken what the inner spirit sings | F |
There is no joy but calm | P |
Why should we only toil the roof and crown of things | F |
- | |
III | - |
- | |
Lo in the middle of the wood | Q |
The folded leaf is woo'd from out the bud | R |
With winds upon the branch and there | S |
Grows green and broad and takes no care | S |
Sun steep'd at noon and in the moon | E |
Nightly dew fed and turning yellow | G |
Falls and floats adown the air | S |
Lo sweeten'd with the summer light | T |
The full juiced apple waxing over mellow | G |
Drops in a silent autumn night | T |
All its allotted length of days | F |
The flower ripens in its place | F |
Ripens and fades and falls and hath no toil | G |
Fast rooted in the fruitful soil | G |
- | |
IV | J |
- | |
Hateful is the dark blue sky | - |
Vaulted o'er the dark blue sea | F |
Death is the end of life ah why | - |
Should life all labour be | F |
Let us alone Time driveth onward fast | U |
And in a little while our lips are dumb | V |
Let us alone What is it that will last | U |
All things are taken from us and become | V |
Portions and parcels of the dreadful past | U |
Let us alone What pleasure can we have | J |
To war with evil Is there any peace | F |
In ever climbing up the climbing wave | J |
All things have rest and ripen toward the grave | J |
In silence ripen fall and cease | F |
Give us long rest or death dark death or dreamful ease | F |
- | |
V | F |
- | |
How sweet it were hearing the downward stream | C |
With half shut eyes ever to seem | C |
Falling asleep in a half dream | C |
To dream and dream like yonder amber light | T |
Which will not leave the myrrh bush on the height | T |
To hear each other's whisper'd speech | W |
Eating the Lotos day by day | X |
To watch the crisping ripples on the beach | W |
And tender curving lines of creamy spray | X |
To lend our hearts and spirits wholly | F |
To the influence of mild minded melancholy | F |
To muse and brood and live again in memory | F |
With those old faces of our infancy | F |
Heap'd over with a mound of grass | F |
Two handfuls of white dust shut in an urn of brass | F |
- | |
VI | - |
- | |
Dear is the memory of our wedded lives | F |
And dear the last embraces of our wives | F |
And their warm tears but all hath suffer'd change | Y |
For surely now our household hearths are cold | Z |
Our sons inherit us our looks are strange | Y |
And we should come like ghosts to trouble joy | A2 |
Or else the island princes over bold | Z |
Have eat our substance and the minstrel sings | F |
Before them of the ten years' war in Troy | A2 |
And our great deeds as half forgotten things | F |
Is there confusion in the little isle | G |
Let what is broken so remain | E |
The Gods are hard to reconcile | G |
'Tis hard to settle order once again | E |
There is confusion worse than death | B2 |
Trouble on trouble pain on pain | E |
Long labour unto aged breath | B2 |
Sore task to hearts worn out by many wars | F |
And eyes grown dim with gazing on the pilot stars | F |
- | |
VII | - |
- | |
But propt on beds of amaranth and moly | F |
How sweet while warm airs lull us blowing lowly | F |
With half dropt eyelid still | G |
Beneath a heaven dark and holy | F |
To watch the long bright river drawing slowly | F |
His waters from the purple hill | G |
To hear the dewy echoes calling | C2 |
From cave to cave thro' the thick twined vine | E |
To watch the emerald colour'd water falling | C2 |
Thro' many a wov'n acanthus wreath divine | E |
Only to hear and see the far off sparkling brine | E |
Only to hear were sweet stretch'd out beneath the pine | E |
- | |
VIII | - |
- | |
The Lotos blooms below the barren peak | D2 |
The Lotos blows by every winding creek | D2 |
All day the wind breathes low with mellower tone | E |
Thro' every hollow cave and alley lone | E |
Round and round the spicy downs the yellow Lotos dust is blown | E |
We have had enough of action and of motion we | F |
Roll'd to starboard roll'd to larboard when the surge was seething free | F |
Where the wallowing monster spouted his foam fountains in the sea | F |
Let us swear an oath and keep it with an equal mind | E2 |
In the hollow Lotos land to live and lie reclined | E2 |
On the hills like Gods together careless of mankind | E2 |
For they lie beside their nectar and the bolts are hurl'd | F2 |
Far below them in the valleys and the clouds are lightly curl'd | F2 |
Round their golden houses girdled with the gleaming world | F2 |
Where they smile in secret looking over wasted lands | F |
Blight and famine plague and earthquake roaring deeps and fiery sands | F |
Clanging fights and flaming towns and sinking ships and praying hands | F |
But they smile they find a music centred in a doleful song | N |
Steaming up a lamentation and an ancient tale of wrong | N |
Like a tale of little meaning tho' the words are strong | N |
Chanted from an ill used race of men that cleave the soil | G |
Sow the seed and reap the harvest with enduring toil | G |
Storing yearly little dues of wheat and wine and oil | G |
Till they perish and they suffer some 'tis whisper'd down in hell | G |
Suffer endless anguish others in Elysian valleys dwell | G |
Resting weary limbs at last on beds of asphodel | G |
Surely surely slumber is more sweet than toil the shore | L |
Than labour in the deep mid ocean wind and wave and oar | L |
O rest ye brother mariners we will not wander more | L |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about The Lotos-eaters poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Best Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson