A Year's Burden -- 1870 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAAB CCCB DDDB EEEB FFFB GGGB HHIB JJJB KKKB LLLL MMML NNNL OPPL LLLL QQQL LLLL RRRL SSSL LLLL OOOL GGGL| Fire and wild light of hope and doubt and fear | A |
| Wind of swift change and clouds and hours that veer | A |
| As the storm shifts of the tempestuous year | A |
| Cry wellaway but well befall the right | B |
| - | |
| Hope sits yet hiding her war wearied eyes | C |
| Doubt sets her forehead earthward and denies | C |
| But fear brought hand to hand with danger dies | C |
| Dies and is burnt up in the fire of fight | B |
| - | |
| Hearts bruised with loss and eaten through with shame | D |
| Turn at the time's touch to devouring flame | D |
| Grief stands as one that knows not her own name | D |
| Nor if the star she sees bring day or night | B |
| - | |
| No song breaks with it on the violent air | E |
| But shrieks of shame defeat and brute despair | E |
| Yet something at the star's heart far up there | E |
| Burns as a beacon in our shipwrecked sight | B |
| - | |
| O strange fierce light of presage unknown star | F |
| Whose tongue shall tell us what thy secrets are | F |
| What message trembles in thee from so far | F |
| Cry wellaway but well befall the right | B |
| - | |
| From shores laid waste across an iron sea | G |
| Where the waifs drift of hopes that were to be | G |
| Across the red rolled foam we look for thee | G |
| Across the fire we look up for the light | B |
| - | |
| From days laid waste across disastrous years | H |
| From hopes cut down across a world of fears | H |
| We gaze with eyes too passionate for tears | I |
| Where faith abides though hope be put to flight | B |
| - | |
| Old hope is dead the grey haired hope grown blind | J |
| That talked with us of old things out of mind | J |
| Dreams deeds and men the world has left behind | J |
| Yet though hope die faith lives in hope's despite | B |
| - | |
| Ay with hearts fixed on death and hopeless hands | K |
| We stand about our banner while it stands | K |
| Above but one field of the ruined lands | K |
| Cry wellaway but well befall the right | B |
| - | |
| Though France were given for prey to bird and beast | L |
| Though Rome were rent in twain of king and priest | L |
| The soul of man the soul is safe at least | L |
| That gives death life and dead men hands to smite | L |
| - | |
| Are ye so strong O kings O strong men Nay | M |
| Waste all ye will and gather all ye may | M |
| Yet one thing is there that ye shall not slay | M |
| Even thought that fire nor iron can affright | L |
| - | |
| The woundless and invisible thought that goes | N |
| Free throughout time as north or south wind blows | N |
| Far throughout space as east or west sea flows | N |
| And all dark things before it are made bright | L |
| - | |
| Thy thought thy word O soul republican | O |
| O spirit of life O God whose name is man | P |
| What sea of sorrows but thy sight shall span | P |
| Cry wellaway but well befall the right | L |
| - | |
| With all its coils crushed all its rings uncurled | L |
| The one most poisonous worm that soiled the world | L |
| Is wrenched from off the throat of man and hurled | L |
| Into deep hell from empire's helpless height | L |
| - | |
| Time takes no more infection of it now | Q |
| Like a dead snake divided of the plough | Q |
| The rotten thing lies cut in twain but thou | Q |
| Thy fires shall heal us of the serpent's bite | L |
| - | |
| Ay with red cautery and a burning brand | L |
| Purge thou the leprous leaven of the land | L |
| Take to thee fire and iron in thine hand | L |
| Till blood and tears have washed the soiled limbs white | L |
| - | |
| We have sinned against thee in dreams and wicked sleep | R |
| Smite we will shrink not strike we will not weep | R |
| Let the heart feel thee let thy wound go deep | R |
| Cry wellaway but well befall the right | L |
| - | |
| Wound us with love pierce us with longing make | S |
| Our souls thy sacrifices turn and take | S |
| Our hearts for our sin offerings lest they break | S |
| And mould them with thine hands and give them might | L |
| - | |
| Then when the cup of ills is drained indeed | L |
| Will we come to thee with our wounds that bleed | L |
| With famished mouths and hearts that thou shalt feed | L |
| And see thee worshipped as the world's delight | L |
| - | |
| There shall be no more wars nor kingdoms won | O |
| But in thy sight whose eyes are as the sun | O |
| All names shall be one name all nations one | O |
| All souls of men in man's one soul unite | L |
| - | |
| O sea whereon men labour O great sea | G |
| That heaven seems one with shall these things not be | G |
| O earth our earth shall time not make us free | G |
| Cry wellaway but well befall the right | L |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
(1)
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