The Voyage Of Maeldune Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABBCCDDEE AFF AGGHIJJKKLLMMAANN OPPAAQQRRAA OSSTTUUVWOOXXAAAAAA OYYAAZZA2A2B2B2QQRRA A OC2C2AAAAZZD2D2AA OAAAAAAE2E2F2F2G2G2A A E2OOE2E2UUAA E2E2E2E2E2H2H2E2E2AA E2GGAAA2A2OOA AA E2E2E2XXI | A |
I WAS the chief of the race he had stricken my father dead | B |
But I gather'd my fellows together I swore I would strike off his head | B |
Each of them look'd like a king and was noble in birth as in worth | C |
And each of them boasted he sprang from the oldest race upon earth | C |
Each was as brave in the light as the bravest hero of song | D |
And each of them liefer had died than have done one another a wrong | D |
He lived on an isle in the ocean we sail'd on a Friday morn | E |
He that had slain my father the day before I was born | E |
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II | A |
And we came to the isle in the ocean and there on the shore was he | F |
But a sudden blast blew us out and away thro' a boundless sea | F |
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III | A |
And we came to the Silent Isle that we never had touch'd at before | G |
Where a silent ocean always broke on a silent shore | G |
And the brooks glitter'd on in the light without sound and the long waterfall | H |
Pour'd in a thunderless plunge to the base of the mountain walls | I |
And the poplar and cypress unshaken by storm flourish'd up beyond sight | J |
And the pine shot aloft from the crag to an unbelievable height | J |
And high in the heaven above it there flicker'd a songless lark | K |
And the cock couldn't crow and the bull couldn't low and the dog couldn't bark | K |
And round it we went and thro' it but never a murmur a breath | L |
It was all of it fair as life it was all of it quiet as death | L |
And we hated the beautiful Isle for whenever we strove to speak | M |
Our voices were thinner and fainter than any flittermouse shriek | M |
And the men that were mighty of tongue and could raise such a battle cry | A |
That a hundred who heard it would rush on a thousand lances and die | A |
O they to be dumb'd by the charm so fluster'd with anger were they | N |
They almost fell on each other but after we sail'd away | N |
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IV | O |
And we carne to the Isle of Shouting we landed a score of wild birds | P |
Cried from the topmost summit with human voices and words | P |
Once in an hour they cried and whenever their voices peal'd | A |
The steer fell down at the plow and the harvest died from the field | A |
And the men dropt dead in the valleys and half of the cattle went lame | Q |
And the roof sank in on the hearth and the dwelling broke into flame | Q |
And the shouting of these wild birds ran into the hearts of my crew | R |
Till they shouted along with the shouting and seized one another and slew | R |
But I drew them the one from the other I saw that we could not stay | A |
And we left the dead to the birds and we sail'd with our wounded away | A |
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V | O |
And we came to the Isle of Flowers their breath met us out on the seas | S |
For the Spring and the middle Summer sat each on the lap of the breeze | S |
And the red passion flower to the cliffs and the dark blue clematis clung | T |
And starr'd with a myriad blossom the long convolvulus hung | T |
And the topmost spire of the mountain was lilies in lieu of snow | U |
And the lilies like glaciers winded down running out below | U |
Thro' the fire of the tulip and poppy the blaze of gorse and the blush | V |
Of millions of roses that sprang without leaf or a thorn from the bush | W |
And the whole isle side flashing down from the peak without ever a tree | O |
Swept like a torrent of gems from the sky to the blue of the sea | O |
And we roll'd upon capes of crocus and vaunted our kith and our kin | X |
And we wallow'd in beds of lilies and chanted the triumph of Finn | X |
Till each like a golden image was pollen'd from head to feet | A |
And each was as dry as a cricket with thirst in the middle day heat | A |
Blossom and blossom and promise of blossom but never a fruit | A |
And we hated the Flowering Isle as we hated the isle that was mute | A |
And we tore up the flowers by the million and flung them in bight and bay | A |
And we left but a naked rock and in anger we sail'd away | A |
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VI | O |
And we came to the Isle of Fruits all round from the cliffs and the capes | Y |
Purple or amber dangled a hundred fathom of grapes | Y |
And the warm melon lay like a little sun on the tawny sand | A |
And the fig ran up from the beach and rioted over the land | A |
And the mountain arose like a jewell'd throne thro' the fragrant air | Z |
Glowing with all colour'd plums and with golden masses of pear | Z |
And the crimson and scarlet of berries that flamed upon bine and vine | A2 |
But in every berry and fruit was the poisonous pleasure of wine | A2 |
And the peak of the mountain was apples the hugest that ever were seen | B2 |
And they prest as they grew on each other with hardly a leaflet between | B2 |
And all of them redder than rosiest health or than utterest shame | Q |
And setting when Even descended the very sunset aflame | Q |
And we stay'd three days and we gorged and we madden'd till every one drew | R |
His sword on his fellow to slay him and ever they struck and they slew | R |
And myself I had eaten but sparely and fought till I sunder'd the fray | A |
Then I bad them remember my father's death and we sail'd away | A |
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VII | O |
And we came to the Isle of Fire we were lured by the light from afar | C2 |
For the peak sent up one league of fire to the Northern Star | C2 |
Lured by the glare and the blare but scarcely could stand upright | A |
For the whole isle shudder'd and shook like a man in a mortal affright | A |
We were giddy besides with the fruits we had gorged and so crazed that at last | A |
There were some leap'd into the fire and away we sail'd and we past | A |
Over that undersea isle where the water is clearer than air | Z |
Down we look'd what a garden O bliss what a Paradise there | Z |
Towers of a happier time low down in a rainbow deep | D2 |
Silent palaces quiet fields of eternal sleep | D2 |
And three of the gentlest and best of my people whate'er I could say | A |
Plunged head down in the sea and the Paradise trembled away | A |
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VIII | O |
And we came to the Bounteous Isle where the heavens lean low on the land | A |
And ever at dawn from the cloud glitter'd o'er us a sunbright hand | A |
Then it open'd and dropt at the side of each man as he rose from his rest | A |
Bread enough for his need till the labourless day dipt under the West | A |
And we wander'd about it and thro' it O never was time so good | A |
And we sang of the triumphs of Finn and the boast of our ancient blood | A |
And we gazed at the wandering wave as we sat by the gurgle of springs | E2 |
And we chanted the songs of the Bards and the glories of fairy kings | E2 |
But at length we began to be weary to sigh and to stretch and yawn | F2 |
Till we hated the Bounteous Isle and the sunbright hand of the dawn | F2 |
For there was not an enemy near but the whole green Isle was our own | G2 |
And we took to playing at ball and we took to throwing the stone | G2 |
And we took to playing at battle but that was a perilous play | A |
For the passion of battle was in us we slew and we sail'd away | A |
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IX | E2 |
And we past to the Isle of Witches and heard their musical cry | O |
'Come to us O come come' in the stormy red of a sky | O |
Dashing the fires and the shadows of dawn on the beautiful shapes | E2 |
For a wild witch naked as heaven stood on each of the loftiest capes | E2 |
And a hundred ranged on the rock like white sea birds in a row | U |
And a hundred gamboll'd and pranced on the wrecks in the sand below | U |
And a hundred splash'd from the ledges and bosom'd the burst of the spray | A |
But I knew we should fall on each other and hastily sail'd away | A |
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X | E2 |
And we came in an evil time to the Isle of the Double Towers | E2 |
One was of smooth cut stone one carved all over with flowers | E2 |
But an earthquake always moved in the hollows under the dells | E2 |
And they shock'd on each other and butted each other with clashing of bells | E2 |
And the daws flew out of the Towers and jangled and wrangled in vain | H2 |
And the clash and boom of the bells rang into the heart and the brain | H2 |
Till the passion of battle was on us and all took sides with the Towers | E2 |
There were some for the clean cut stone there were more for the careen flowers | E2 |
And the wrathful thunder of God peal'd over us all the day | A |
For the one half slew the other and after we sail'd away | A |
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XI | E2 |
And we came to the Isle of a Saint who had sail'd with St Brendan of yore | G |
He had lived ever since on the Isle and his winters were fifteen score | G |
And his voice was low as from other worlds and his eyes were sweet | A |
And his white hair sank to his heels and his white beard fell to his feet | A |
And he spake to me 'O Maeldune let be this purpose of thine | A2 |
Remember the words of the Lord when he told us Vengeance is mine | A2 |
His fathers have slain thy fathers in war or in single strife | O |
Thy fathers have slain his fathers each taken a life for a life | O |
Thy father had slain his father how long shall the murder last | A |
Go back to the Isle of Finn and suffer the Past to be Past ' | - |
And we kiss'd the fringe of his beard and we pray'd as we heard him pray | A |
And the Holy man he assoil'd us and sadly we sail'd away | A |
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XII | E2 |
And we came to the Isle we were blown from and thereon the shore was he | E2 |
The man that had slain my father I saw him and let him be | E2 |
O weary was I of the travel the trouble the strife and the sin | X |
When I landed again with a tithe of my men on the Isle of Finn | X |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
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