An Autumn Vision Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABBCAACDDCEEC AFGFGAHAHIJIJKLKLMNM NOPOP AQRSSTTUUVVWWNNXX INNYCIIZZA2A2B2B2C2C 2XXD2D2E2E2 NSWSWSWF2F2F2F2SG2SG 2SG2H2H2H2H2SXSXSXI2 I2I2I2I2J2I2J2I2J2NN NN II2I2WWK2K2NNL2L2M2M 2N2N2I2I2I2I2F2F2O2O 2IIP2P2K2K2Q2Q2R2R2S 2S2T2T2U2U2V2V2W2W2X 2X2Y2Y2Z2Z2I2I2WWF2F 2I2I2D2D2IIKKK2K2A3A 3B3B3C3D3DDE3E3F3F3I IB3B3G3H3I2I2 IZZI3I3M2M2B3B3J3CK3 K3R2R2HHL3L3III | A |
Is it Midsummer here in the heavens that illumine October on earth | B |
Can the year when his heart is fulfilled with desire of the days of his mirth | B |
Redeem them recall or remember | C |
For a memory recalling the rapture of earth and redeeming the sky | A |
Shines down from the heights to the depths will the watchword of dawn be July | A |
When to morrow acclaims November | C |
The stern salutation of sorrow to death or repentance to shame | D |
Was all that the season was wont to accord her of grace or acclaim | D |
No lightnings of love and of laughter | C |
But here in the laugh of the loud west wind from around and above | E |
In the flash of the waters beneath him what sound or what light but of love | E |
Rings round him or leaps forth after | C |
- | |
II | A |
Wind beloved of earth and sky and sea beyond all winds that blow | F |
Wind whose might in fight was England's on her mightiest warrior day | G |
South west wind whose breath for her was life and fire to scourge her foe | F |
Steel to smite and death to drive him down an unreturning way | G |
Well beloved and welcome sounding all the clarions of the sky | A |
Rolling all the marshalled waters toward the charge that storms the shore | H |
We receive acclaim salute thee we who live and dream and die | A |
As the mightiest mouth of song that ever spake acclaimed of yore | H |
We that live as they that perish praise thee lord of cloud and wave | I |
Wind of winds clothed on with darkness whence as lightning light comes forth | J |
We that know thee strong to guard and smite to scatter and to save | I |
We to whom the south west wind is dear as Athens held the north | J |
He for her waged war as thou for us against all powers defiant | K |
Fleets full fraught with storm from Persia laden deep with death from Spain | L |
Thee the giant god of song and battle hailed as god and giant | K |
Yet not his but ours the land is whence thy praise should ring and rain | L |
Rain as rapture shed from song and ring as trumpets blown for battle | M |
Sound and sing before thee loud and glad as leaps and sinks the sea | N |
Yea the sea's white steeds are curbed and spurred of thee and pent as cattle | M |
Yet they laugh with love and pride to live subdued not save of thee | N |
Ears that hear thee hear in heaven the sound of widening wings gigantic | O |
Eyes that see the cloud lift westward see thy darkening brows divine | P |
Wings whose measure is the limit of the limitless Atlantic | O |
Brows that bend and bid the sovereign sea submit her soul to thine | P |
- | |
III | A |
Twelve days since is it twelve days gone | Q |
Lord of storm that a storm bow shone | R |
Higher than sweeps thy sublime dark wing | S |
Fair as dawn is and sweet like spring | S |
Never dawn in the deep wide east | T |
Spread so splendid and strange a feast | T |
Whence the soul as it drank and fed | U |
Felt such rapture of wonder shed | U |
Never spring in the wild wood's heart | V |
Felt such flowers at her footfall start | V |
Born of earth as arose on sight | W |
Born of heaven and of storm and light | W |
Stern and sullen the grey grim sea | N |
Swelled and strove as in toils though free | N |
Free as heaven and as heaven sublime | X |
Clear as heaven of the toils of time | X |
- | |
IV | I |
Suddenly sheer from the heights to the depths of the sky and the sea | N |
Sprang from the darkness alive as a vision of life to be | N |
Glory triune and transcendent of colour afar and afire | Y |
Arching and darkening the darkness with light as of dream or desire | C |
Heaven in the depth of its height shone wistful and wan from above | I |
Earth from beneath and the sea shone stricken and breathless with love | I |
As a shadow may shine so shone they as ghosts of the viewless blest | Z |
That sleep hath sight of alive in a rapture of sunbright rest | Z |
The green earth glowed and the grey sky gleamed for a wondrous while | A2 |
And the storm's full frown was crossed by the light of its own deep smile | A2 |
As the darkness of thought and of passion is touched by the light that gives | B2 |
Life deathless as love from the depth of a spirit that sees and lives | B2 |
From the soul of a seer and a singer wherein as a scroll unfurled | C2 |
Lies open the scripture of light and of darkness the word of the world | C2 |
So shapeless and measureless lurid as anguish and haggard as crime | X |
Pale as the front of oblivion and dark as the heart of time | X |
The wild wan heaven at its height was assailed and subdued and made | D2 |
More fair than the skies that know not of storm and endure not shade | D2 |
The grim sea swell grey sleepless and sad as a soul estranged | E2 |
Shone smiled took heart and was glad of its wrath and the world's face changed | E2 |
- | |
V | N |
Up from moorlands northward gleaming | S |
Even to heaven's transcendent height | W |
Clothed with massive cloud and seeming | S |
All one fortress reared of night | W |
Down to where the deep sea dreaming | S |
Angry dreams lay dark and white | W |
White as death and dark as fate | F2 |
Heaving with the strong wind's weight | F2 |
Sad with stormy pride of state | F2 |
One full rainbow shone elate | F2 |
Up from inmost memory's dwelling | S |
Where the light of life abides | G2 |
Where the past finds tongue foretelling | S |
Time that comes and grace that guides | G2 |
Power that saves and sways compelling | S |
Souls that ebb and flow like tides | G2 |
Shone or seemed to shine and swim | H2 |
Through the cloud surf great and grim | H2 |
Thought's live surge the soul of him | H2 |
By whose light the sun looks dim | H2 |
In what synod were they sitting | S |
All the gods and lords of time | X |
Whence they watched as fen fires flitting | S |
Years and names of men sublime | X |
When their counsels found it fitting | S |
One should stand where none might climb | X |
None of man begotten none | I2 |
Born of men beneath the sun | I2 |
Till the race of time be run | I2 |
Save this heaven enfranchised one | I2 |
With what rapture of creation | I2 |
Was the soul supernal thrilled | J2 |
With what pride of adoration | I2 |
Was the world's heart fired and filled | J2 |
Heaved in heavenward exaltation | I2 |
Higher than hopes or dreams might build | J2 |
Grave with awe not known while he | N |
Was not mad with glorious glee | N |
As the sun saluted sea | N |
When his hour bade Shakespeare be | N |
- | |
VI | I |
There clear as night beholds her crowning seven | I2 |
The sea beheld his likeness set in heaven | I2 |
The shadow of his spirit full in sight | W |
Shone for the shadow of that soul is light | W |
Nor heaven alone bore witness earth avowed | K2 |
Him present and acclaimed of storm aloud | K2 |
From the arching sky to the ageless hills and sea | N |
The whole world visible audible was he | N |
Each part of all that wove that wondrous whole | L2 |
The raiment of the presence of his soul | L2 |
The sun that smote and kissed the dark to death | M2 |
Spake smiled and strove like song's triumphant breath | M2 |
The soundless cloud whose thunderous heart was dumb | N2 |
Swelled lowered and shrank to feel its conqueror come | N2 |
Yet high from heaven its empire vast and vain | I2 |
Frowned and renounced not night's reluctant reign | I2 |
The serpentine swift sounds and shapes wherein | I2 |
The stainless sea mocks earth and death and sin | I2 |
Crawls dark as craft or flashes keen as hate | F2 |
Subdued and insubmissive strong like fate | F2 |
And weak like man bore wrathful witness yet | O2 |
That storms and sins are more than suns that set | O2 |
That evil everlasting girt for strife | I |
Eternal wars with hope as death with life | I |
The dark sharp shifting wind that bade the waves | P2 |
Falter lose heart bow down like foes made slaves | P2 |
And waxed within more bitter as they bowed | K2 |
Baffling the sea swallowing the sun with cloud | K2 |
Devouring fast as fire on earth devours | Q2 |
And hungering hard as frost that feeds on flowers | Q2 |
Clothed round with fog that reeked as fume from hell | R2 |
And darkening with its miscreative spell | R2 |
Light glad and keen and splendid as the sword | S2 |
Whose heft had known Othello's hand its lord | S2 |
Spake all the soul that hell drew back to greet | T2 |
And felt its fire shrink shuddering from his feet | T2 |
Far off the darkness darkened and recoiled | U2 |
And neared again and triumphed and the coiled | U2 |
Colourless cloud and sea discoloured grew | V2 |
Conscious of horror huge as heaven and knew | V2 |
Where Goneril's soul made chill and foul the mist | W2 |
And all the leprous life in Regan hissed | W2 |
Fierce homeless ghosts rejected of the pit | X2 |
From hell to hell of storm fear watched them flit | X2 |
About them and before the dull grey gloom | Y2 |
Shuddered and heaven seemed hateful as the tomb | Y2 |
That shrinks from resurrection and from out | Z2 |
That sullen hell which girt their shades about | Z2 |
The nether soul that lurks and lowers within | I2 |
Man made of dust and fire and shame and sin | I2 |
Breathed all the cloud that felt it breathe and blight | W |
Was blue as plague or black as thunderous night | W |
Elect of hell the children of his hate | F2 |
Thronged as to storm sweet heaven's triumphal gate | F2 |
The terror of his giving rose and shone | I2 |
Imminent life had put its likeness on | I2 |
But higher than all its horrent height of shade | D2 |
Shone sovereign seen by light itself had made | D2 |
Above the woes of all the world above | I |
Life sin and death his myriad minded love | I |
From landward heights whereon the radiance leant | K |
Full fraught from heaven intense and imminent | K |
To depths wherein the seething strengths of cloud | K2 |
Scarce matched the wrath of waves whereon they bowed | K2 |
From homeborn pride and kindling love of home | A3 |
To the outer skies and seas of fire and foam | A3 |
From splendour soft as dew that sundawn thrills | B3 |
To gloom that shudders round the world it fills | B3 |
From midnights murmuring round Titania's ear | C3 |
To midnights maddening round the rage of Lear | D3 |
The wonder woven of storm and sun became | D |
One with the light that lightens from his name | D |
The music moving on the sea that felt | E3 |
The storm wind even as snows of springtide melt | E3 |
Was blithe as Ariel's hand or voice might make | F3 |
And bid all grief die gladly for its sake | F3 |
And there the soul alive in ear and eye | I |
That watched the wonders of an hour pass by | I |
Saw brighter than all stars that heaven inspheres | B3 |
The silent splendour of Cordelia's tears | B3 |
Felt in the whispers of the quickening wind | G3 |
The radiance of the laugh of Rosalind | H3 |
And heard in sounds that melt the souls of men | I2 |
With love of love the tune of Imogen | I2 |
- | |
VII | I |
For the strong north east is not strong to subdue and to slay the divine south west | Z |
And the darkness is less than the light that it darkens and dies in reluctant rest | Z |
It hovers and hangs on the labouring and trembling ascent of the dawn from the deep | I3 |
Till the sun's eye quicken the world and the waters and smite it again into sleep | I3 |
Night holy and starry the fostress of souls with the fragrance of heaven in her breath | M2 |
Subdues with the sense of her godhead the forces and mysteries of sorrow and death | M2 |
Eternal as dawn's is the comfort she gives but the mist that beleaguers and slays | B3 |
Comes passes and is not the strength of it withers appalled or assuaged by the day's | B3 |
Faith haggard as Fear that had borne her and dark as the sire that begat her Despair | J3 |
Held rule on the soul of the world and the song of it saddening through ages that were | C |
Dim centuries that darkened and brightened and darkened again and the soul of their song | K3 |
Was great as their grief and sublime as their suffering and strong as their sorrows were strong | K3 |
It knew not it saw not but shadows triune and evoked by the strength of their spell | R2 |
Dark hell and the mountain of anguish and heaven that was hollower and harder than hell | R2 |
These are not the womb of the darkness that bare them rejects them and knows them no more | H |
Thought fettered in misery and iron revives in the light that it lived in of yore | H |
For the soul that is wisdom and freedom the spirit of England redeemed from her past | L3 |
Speaks life through the lips of the master and lord of her children the first and the last | L3 |
Thought touched by his hand and redeemed by his breath sees hears and accepts from above | I |
The limitless lightnings of vision and passion the measureless music of love | I |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about An Autumn Vision poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
Best Poems of Algernon Charles Swinburne