A Litany Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABABCDCD AAEAECDCD AFAGAHIHI AFAGAHEHE ABBBBJCJC AEEEEJCJC AKLKLMKMK BNBNBKBK AKLKLMKMK BNBNBKBK AKEKEOKOK KKKKKOKO PQPQAKAK AKEKEOKOK KKKKKOKO PEPEAKAKFIRST 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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