A Litany Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABABCDCD AAEAECDCD AFAGAHIHI AFAGAHEHE ABBBBJCJC AEEEEJCJC AKLKLMKMK BNBNBKBK AKLKLMKMK BNBNBKBK AKEKEOKOK KKKKKOKO PQPQAKAK AKEKEOKOK KKKKKOKO PEPEAKAK| FIRST ANTIPHONE | A |
| ALL the bright lights of heaven | A |
| I will make dark over thee | B |
| One night shall be as seven | A |
| That its skirts may cover thee | B |
| I will send on thy strong men a sword | C |
| On thy remnant a rod | D |
| Ye shall know that I am the Lord | C |
| Saith the Lord God | D |
| - | |
| SECOND ANTIPHONE | A |
| All the bright lights of heaven | A |
| Thou hast made dark over us | E |
| One night has been as seven | A |
| That its skirt might cover us | E |
| Thou hast sent on our strong men a sword | C |
| On our remnant a rod | D |
| We know that thou art the Lord | C |
| O Lord our God | D |
| - | |
| THIRD ANTIPHONE | A |
| As the tresses and wings of the wind | F |
| Are scattered and shaken | A |
| I will scatter all them that have sinned | G |
| There shall none be taken | A |
| As a sower that scattereth seed | H |
| So will I scatter them | I |
| As one breaketh and shattereth a reed | H |
| I will break and shatter them | I |
| - | |
| FOURTH ANTIPHONE | A |
| As the wings and the locks of the wind | F |
| Are scattered and shaken | A |
| Thou hast scattered all them that have sinned | G |
| There was no man taken | A |
| As a sower that scattereth seed | H |
| So hast thou scattered us | E |
| As one breaketh and shattereth a reed | H |
| Thou hast broken and shattered us | E |
| - | |
| FIFTH ANTIPHONE | A |
| From all thy lovers that love thee | B |
| I God will sunder thee | B |
| I will make darkness above thee | B |
| And thick darkness under thee | B |
| Before me goeth a light | J |
| Behind me a sword | C |
| Shall a remnant find grace in my sight | J |
| I am the Lord | C |
| - | |
| SIXTH ANTIPHONE | A |
| From all our lovers that love us | E |
| Thou God didst sunder us | E |
| Thou madest darkness above us | E |
| And thick darkness under us | E |
| Thou hast kindled thy wrath for a light | J |
| And made ready thy sword | C |
| Let a remnant find grace in thy sight | J |
| We beseech thee O Lord | C |
| - | |
| SEVENTH ANTIPHONE | A |
| Wilt thou bring fine gold for a payment | K |
| For sins on this wise | L |
| For the glittering of raiment | K |
| And the shining of eyes | L |
| For the painting of faces | M |
| And the sundering of trust | K |
| For the sins of thine high places | M |
| And delight of thy lust | K |
| - | |
| For your high things ye shall have lowly | B |
| Lamentation for song | N |
| For behold I God am holy | B |
| I the Lord am strong | N |
| Ye shall seek me and shall not reach me | B |
| Till the wine press be trod | K |
| In that hour ye shall turn and beseech me | B |
| Saith the Lord God | K |
| - | |
| EIGHTH ANTIPHONE | A |
| Not with fine gold for a payment | K |
| But with coin of sighs | L |
| But with rending of raiment | K |
| And with weeping of eyes | L |
| But with shame of stricken faces | M |
| And with strewing of dust | K |
| For the sin of stately places | M |
| And lordship of lust | K |
| - | |
| With voices of men made lowly | B |
| Made empty of song | N |
| O Lord God most holy | B |
| O God most strong | N |
| We reach out hands to reach thee | B |
| Ere the wine press be trod | K |
| We beseech thee O Lord we beseech thee | B |
| O Lord our God | K |
| - | |
| NINTH ANTIPHONE | A |
| In that hour thou shalt say to the night | K |
| Come down and cover us | E |
| To the cloud on thy left and thy right | K |
| Be thou spread over us | E |
| A snare shall be as thy mother | O |
| And a curse thy bride | K |
| Thou shalt put her away and another | O |
| Shall lie by thy side | K |
| - | |
| Thou shalt neither rise up by day | K |
| Nor lie down by night | K |
| Would God it were dark thou shalt say | K |
| Would God it were light | K |
| And the sight of thine eyes shall be made | K |
| As the burning of fire | O |
| And thy soul shall be sorely afraid | K |
| For thy soul s desire | O |
| - | |
| Ye whom your lords loved well | P |
| Putting silver and gold on you | Q |
| The inevitable hell | P |
| Shall surely take hold on you | Q |
| Your gold shall be for a token | A |
| Your staff for a rod | K |
| With the breaking of bands ye are broken | A |
| Saith the Lord God | K |
| - | |
| TENTH ANTIPHONE | A |
| In our sorrow we said to the night | K |
| Fall down and cover us | E |
| To the darkness at left and at right | K |
| Be thou shed over us | E |
| We had breaking of spirit to mother | O |
| And cursing to bride | K |
| And one was slain and another | O |
| Stood up at our side | K |
| - | |
| We could not arise by day | K |
| Nor lie down by night | K |
| Thy sword was sharp in our way | K |
| Thy word in our sight | K |
| The delight of our eyelids was made | K |
| As the burning of fire | O |
| And our souls became sorely afraid | K |
| For our soul s desire | O |
| - | |
| We whom the world loved well | P |
| Laying silver and gold on us | E |
| The kingdom of death and of hell | P |
| Riseth up to take hold on us | E |
| Our gold is turned to a token | A |
| Our staff to a rod | K |
| Yet shalt thou bind them up that were broken | A |
| O Lord our God | K |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
(1)
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About A Litany
A Litany is a poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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