Birthday Ode For The Anniversary Festival Of Victor Hugo Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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StropheA
Spring born in heaven ere many a springtime flownB
Dead spring that sawest on earthC
A babe of deathless birthC
A flower of rosier flowerage than thine ownB
A glory of goodlier godhead even this dayD
That floods the mist of February with MayD
And strikes death dead with sunlight and the breathE
Whereby the deadly doers are done to deathE
They that in day's despiteF
Would crown the imperial nightF
And in deep hate of insubmissive springG
Rethrone the royal winter for a kingG
This day that casts the days of darkness downH
Low as a broken crownH
We call thee from the gulf of deeds and daysI
Deathless and dead to hear us whom we praiseI
-
AntistropheA
A light of many lights about thine headJ
Lights manifold and oneK
Stars molten in a sunK
A sun of divers beams incorporatedL
Compact of confluent aureoles each more fairM
Than man save only at highest of man may wearM
So didst thou rise when this our grey grown ageN
Had trod two paces of his pilgrimageO
Two paces through the gloomP
From his fierce father's tombP
Led by cross lights of lightnings and the flameQ
That burned in darkness round one darkling nameQ
So didst thou rise nor knewest thy glory O thouR
Re risen upon us nowR
The glory given thee for a grace to giveA
And take the praise of all men's hearts that liveA
-
EpodeL
First in the dewy rayD
Ere dawn be slain of dayD
The fresh crowned lilies of discrowned kings' primeS
Sprang splendid as of oldL
With moonlight coloured goldL
And rays refract from the oldworld heaven of timeS
Pale with proud light of stars decreasedL
In westward wane reluctant from the conquering eastL
-
StrD
But even between their golden olden bloomP
Strange flowers of wildwood gloryD
With frost and moonshine hoaryD
Thrust up the new growths of their green leaved gloomP
Red buds of ballad blossom where the dewL
Blushed as with bloodlike passion and its hueL
Was as the life and love of hearts on flameQ
And fire from forth of each live chalice cameQ
Young sprays of elder songT
Stem straight and petal strongT
Bright foliage with dark frondage overlaidL
And light the lovelier for its lordlier shadeL
And morn and even made loud in woodland loneB
With cheer of clarions blownB
And through the tournay's clash and clarion's cheerD
Laugh to laugh echoing tear washed off by tearD
-
AntL
Then eastward far past northland lea and lawnU
Beneath a heavier lightL
Of stormier day and nightL
Began the music of the heaven of dawnU
Bright sound of battle along the Grecian wavesV
Loud light of thunder above the Median gravesV
New strife new song on schylean seasW
Canaris risen above ThemistoclesW
Old glory of warrior ghostsW
Shed fresh on filial hostsW
With dewfall redder than the dews of dayD
And earth born lightnings out of bloodbright sprayD
Then through the flushed grey gloom on shadowy sheavesW
Low flights of falling leavesW
And choirs of birds transfiguring as they throngT
All the world's twilight and the soul's to songT
-
EpX
Voices more dimly deepX
Than the inmost heart of sleepX
And tenderer than the rose mouthed morning's lipsW
And midmost of them heardL
The viewless water's wordL
The sea's breath in the wind's wing and the ship'sW
That bids one swell and sound and smiteL
And rend that other in sunder as with fangs by nightL
-
StrD
But ah the glory of shadow and mingling rayD
The story of morn and evenY
Whose tale was writ in heavenK
And had for scroll the night for scribe the dayD
For scribe the prophet of the morning farD
Exalted over twilight and her starD
For scroll beneath his Apollonian handL
The dim twin wastes of sea and glimmering landL
Hark on the hill wind clearD
For all men's hearts to hearD
Sound like a stream at nightfall from the steepX
That all time's depths might answer deep to deepX
With trumpet measures of triumphal wailZ
From windy vale to valeZ
The crying of one for love that strayed and sinnedL
Whose brain took madness of the mountain windL
-
AntL
-
Between the birds of brighter and duskier wingG
What mightier moulded formsW
Girt with red clouds and stormsW
Mix their strong hearts with theirs that soar and singG
Before the storm blast blown of death's dark hornA2
The marriage moonlight withers that the mornA2
For two made one may find three made by deathE
One ruin at the blasting of its breathE
Clothed with heart's flame renewedL
And strange new maidenhoodL
Faith lightens on the lips that bloomed for hireD
Pure as the lightning of love's first born fireD
Wide eyed and patient ever till the curseW
Find where to fall and pierceW
Keen expiation whets with edge more dreadL
A father's wrong to smite a father's headL
-
EpX
Borgia supreme from birthC
As loveliest born on earthC
Since earth bore ever women that were fairD
Scarce known of her own houseW
If daughter or sister or spouseW
Who holds men's hearts yet helpless with her hairD
The direst of divine things madeL
Bows down her amorous aureole half suffused with shadeL
-
StrD
As red the fire scathed royal northland bloomP
That left our story a nameQ
Dyed through with blood and flameQ
Ere her life shrivelled from a fierier doomP
Than theirs her priests bade pass from earth in fireD
To slake the thirst of God their Lord's desireD
As keen the blast of love enkindled fateL
That burst the Paduan tyrant's guarded gateL
As sad the softer moanB
Made one with music's ownB
For one whose feet made music as they fellB2
On ways by loveless love made hot from hellB2
But higher than these and all the song thereofA
The perfect heart of loveA
The heart by fraud and hate once crucifiedL
That dying gave thanks and in thanksgiving diedL
-
AntL
Above the windy walls that rule the RhineC2
A noise of eagles' wingsW
And wintry war time ringsW
With roar of ravage trampling corn and vineC2
And storm of wrathful wassail dashed with songT
And under these the watch of wreakless wrongT
With fire of eyes anhungered and aboveA
These the light of the stricken eyes of loveA
The faint sweet eyes that followD2
The wind outwinging swallowD2
And face athirst with young wan yearning mouthE2
Turned after toward the unseen all golden southE2
Hopeless to see the birds back ere life waneF2
Or the leaves born againG2
And still the might and music mastering fateL
Of life more strong than death and love than hateL
-
EpX
In spectral strength biformP
Stand the twin sons of stormP
Transfigured by transmission of one handL
That gives the new born timeP
Their semblance more sublimeP
Than once it lightened over each man's landL
There Freedom's winged and wide mouthed houndL
And here our high Dictator in his son discrownedL
-
StrD
What strong limbed shapes of kindred throng round theseW
Before between behindL
Sons born of one man's mindL
Fed at his hands and fostered round his kneesW
Fear takes the spirit in thraldom at his nodL
And pity makes it as the spirit of GodL
As his own soul that from her throne aboveA
Sheds on all souls of men her showers of loveA
On all earth's evil and painF2
Pours mercy forth as rainF2
And comfort as the dewfall on dry landL
And feeds with pity from a faultless handL
All by their own fault stricken all cast outL
By all men's scorn or doubtL
Or with their own hands wounded or by fateL
Brought into bondage of men's fear or hateL
-
AntL
In violence of strange visions north and southE2
Confronted east and westL
With frozen or fiery breastL
Eyes fixed or fevered pale or bloodred mouthE2
Kept watch about his dawn enkindled dreamsW
But ere high noon a light of nearer beamsW
Made his young heaven of manhood more benignC2
And love made soft his lips with spiritual wineC2
And left them fired and fedL
With sacramental breadL
And sweet with honey of tenderer words than tearsW
To feed men's hopes and fortify men's fearsW
And strong to silence with benignant breathE
The lips that doom to deathE
And swift with speech like fire in fiery landsW
To melt the steel's edge in the headsman's handsW
-
EpX
Higher than they rose of oldL
New builded now beholdL
The live great likeness of Our Lady's towersW
And round them like a doveA
Wounded and sick with loveA
One fair ghost moving crowned with fateful flowersW
Watched yet with eyes of bloodred lustL
And eyes of love's heart broken and unbroken trustL
-
StrD
But sadder always under shadowier skiesW
More pale and sad and clearD
Waxed always drawn more nearD
The face of Duty lit with Love's own eyesW
Till the awful hands that culled in rosier hoursW
From fairy footed fields of wild old flowersW
And sorcerous woods of Rhineland green and hoaryD
Young children's chaplets of enchanted storyD
The great kind hands that showedL
Exile its homeward roadL
And as man's helper made his foeman GodL
Of pity and mercy wrought themselves a rodL
And opened for Napoleon's wandering kinY
France and bade enter inY
And threw for all the doors of refuge wideL
Took to them lightning in the thunder tideL
-
AntL
For storm on earth above had risen from underD
Out of the hollow of hellB2
Such storm as never fellB2
From darkest deeps of heaven distract with thunderD
A cloud of cursing past all shape of thoughtL
More foul than foulest dreams and overfraughtL
With all obscene things and obscure of birthC
That ever made infection of man's earthC
Having all hell for cloakH2
Wrapped round it as a smokeH2
And in its womb such offspring so defiledL
As earth bare never for her loathliest childL
Rose brooded reddened broke and with its breathE
-
Put France to poisonous death Yea far as heaven's red labouring eye could glanceW
France was not save in men cast forth of FranceW
-
EpX
Then while the plague sore grewD
Two darkling decades throughD
And rankled in the festering flesh of timeP
Where darkness binds and freesW
The wildest of wild seasW
In fierce mutations of the unslumbering climeP
There sleepless too o'er shuddering wrongT
One hand appointed shook the reddening scourge of songT
-
StrD
And through the lightnings of the apparent wordL
Dividing shame's dense nightL
Sounds lovelier than the lightL
And light more sweet than song from night's own birdL
Mixed each their hearts with other till the gloomP
Was glorious as with all the stars in bloomP
Sonorous as with all the spheres in chimeP
Heard far through flowering heaven the sea sublimeP
Once only with its ownB
Old winds' and waters' toneB
Sad only or glad with its own glory and crownedL
With its own light and thrilled with its own soundL
Learnt now their song more sweet than heaven's may beD
Who pass away by seaD
The song that takes of old love's land farewellB2
With pulse of plangent water like a knellB2
-
AntL
And louder ever and louder and yet more loudL
Till night be shamed of mornA2
Rings the Black Huntsman's hornA2
Through darkening deeps beneath the covering cloudL
Till all the wild beasts of the darkness hearD
Till the Czar quake till Austria cower for fearD
Till the king breathe not till the priest wax paleZ
Till spies and slayers on seats of judgment quailZ
Till mitre and cowl bow downH
And crumble as a crownH
Till C sar driven to lair and hounded PopeX
Reel breathless and drop heartless out of hopeX
And one the uncleanest kinless beast of allI2
Lower than his fortune fallI2
The wolfish waif of casual empire bornA2
To turn all hate and horror cold with scornA2
-
EpX
Yea even at night's full noonJ2
Light's birth song brake in tuneJ2
Spake witnessing that with us one must beD
God naming so by nameP
That priests have brought to shameP
The strength whose scourge sounds on the smitten seaD
The mystery manifold of mightL
Which bids the wind give back to night the things of nightL
-
StrD
Even God the unknown of all time force or thoughtL
Nature or fate or willK2
Clothed round with good and illK2
Veiled and revealed of all things and of noughtL
Hooded and helmed with mystery girt and shodL
With light and darkness unapparent GodL
Him the high prophet o'er his wild work bentL
Found indivisible ever and immanentL
At hidden heart of truthL2
In forms of age and youthL2
Transformed and transient ever masked and crownedL
From all bonds loosened and with all bonds boundL
Diverse and one with all things love and hateL
Earth and the starry stateL
Of heaven immeasurable and years that fleeD
As clouds and winds and rays across the seaD
-
AntL
But higher than stars and deeper than the wavesW
Of day and night and morrowD
That roll for all time sorrowD
Keeps ageless watch over perpetual gravesW
From dawn to morning of the soul in flowerD
Through toils and dreams and visions to that hourD
When all the deeps were opened and one doomP
Took two sweet lives to embrace them and entombP
The strong song plies its wingG
That makes the darkness ringG
And the deep light reverberate sound as deepX
Song soft as flowers or grass more soft than sleepX
Song bright as heaven above the mounting birdL
Song like a God's tears heardL
Falling fulfilled of life and death and lightL
And all the stars and all the shadow of nightL
-
EpX
Till when its flight hath pastL
Time's loftiest mark and lastL
The goal where good kills evil with a kissW
And Darkness in God's sightL
Grows as his brother LightL
And heaven and hell one heart whence all the abyssW
Throbs with love's music from his tranceW
Love waking leads it home to her who stayed in FranceW
-
StrD
But now from all the world old winds of the airD
One blast of record ringsW
As from time's hidden springsW
With roar of rushing wings and fires that bearD
Toward north and south sonorous east and westL
Forth of the dark wherein its records restL
The story told of the ages writ nor sungM2
By man's hand ever nor by mortal tongueM2
Till godlike with desireD
One tongue of man took fireD
One hand laid hold upon the lightning oneK
Rose up to bear time witness what the sunK
Had seen and what the moon and stars of nightL
Beholding lost not lightL
From dawn to dusk what ways man wandering trodL
Even through the twilight of the gods to GodL
-
AntL
From dawn of man and woman twain and oneK
When the earliest dews impearledL
The front of all the worldL
Ringed with aurorean aureole of the sunK
To days that saw Christ's tears and hallowing breathE
Put life for love's sake in the lips of deathE
And years as waves whose brine was fire whose foamP
Blood and the ravage of Neronian RomeP
And the eastern crescent's hornA2
Mightier awhile than mornA2
And knights whose lives were flights of eagles' wingsW
And lives like snakes' lives of engendering kingsW
And all the ravin of all the swords that reapX
Lives cast as sheaves on heapX
From all the billowing harvest fields of fightL
And sounds of love songs lovelier than the lightL
-
EpX
The grim dim thrones of the eastL
Set for death's riotous feastL
Round the bright board where darkling centuries waitL
And servile slaughter muteL
Feeds power with fresh red fruitL
Glitter and groan with mortal food of fateL
And throne and cup and lamp's bright breathE
Bear witness to their lord of only night and deathE
-
StrD
Dead freedom by live empire lies defiledL
And murder at his feetL
Plies lust with wine and meatL
With offering of an old man and a childL
With holy body and blood inexpiableD
Communion in the sacrament of hellD
Till reeking from their monstrous eucharistL
The lips wax cold that murdered where they kissedL
And empire in mid feastL
Fall as a slaughtered beastL
Headless and ease men's hungering hearts of fearD
Lest God were none in heaven to see nor hearD
And purge his own pollution with the floodL
Poured of his black base bloodL
So first found healing poisonous as it pouredL
And on the clouds the archangel cleanse his swordL
-
AntL
As at the word unutterable that madeL
Of day and night divisionK
From vision on to visionK
From dream to dream from darkness into shadeL
From sunshine into sunlight moves and livesW
The steersman's eye the helming hand that givesW
Life to the wheels and wings that whirl alongT
The immeasurable impulse of the sphere of songT
Through all the eternal yearsW
Beyond all stars and spheresW
Beyond the washing of the waves of timeP
Beyond all heights where no thought else may climbP
Beyond the darkling dust of suns that wereD
Past height and depth of airD
And in the abyss whence all things move that areD
Finds only living Love the sovereign starD
-
EpX
Nor less the weight and worthC
Found even of love on earthC
To wash all stain of tears and sins awayD
On dying lips alitL
That living knew not itL
In the winged shape of song with death to playD
To warm young children with its wingsW
And try with fire the heart elect for godlike thingsW
-
StrD
For all worst wants of all most miserableD
With divine hands to dealD
All balms and herbs that healD
Among all woes whereunder poor men dwellD
Our Master sent his servant Love to beD
On earth his witness but the strange deep seaD
Mother of life and death inextricateL
What work should Love do there to war with fateL
Yet there must Love too keepX
At heart of the eyeless deepX
Watch and wage war wide eyed with all its wondersW
Lower than the lightnings of its waves and thundersW
Of seas less monstrous than the births they bredL
Keep high there heart and headL
And conquer then for prize of all toils pastL
Feel the sea close them in again at lastL
-
AntL
A day of direr doom arisen thereafterD
With cloud and fire in strifeA
Lightens and darkens lifeA
Round one by man's hand masked with living laughterD
A man by men bemonstered but by loveA
Watched with blind eyes as of a wakeful doveA
And wooed by lust that in her rosy denG2
As fire on flesh feeds on the souls of menG2
To take the intense impureD
Burnt offering of her lureD
Divine and dark and bright and naked strangeN2
With ravenous thirst of life reversed and changeN2
As though the very heaven should shrivel and swellD
With hunger after hellD
Run mad for dear damnation and desireD
To feel its light thrilled through with stings of fireD
-
EpX
Above a windier seaD
The glory of Ninety threeD
Fills heaven with blood red and with rose red beamsW
That earth beholding growsW
Herself one burning roseW
Flagrant and fragrant with strange deeds and dreamsW
Dreams dyed as love's own flower and deedsW
Stained as with love's own life blood that for love's sake bleedsW
-
StrD
And deeper than all deeps of seas and skiesW
Wherein the shadows areD
Called sun and moon and starD
That rapt conjecture metes with mounting eyesW
Loud with strange waves and lustrous with new spheresW
Shines masked at once and manifest of yearsW
Shakespeare a heaven of heavenly eyes beholdenK
And forward years as backward years grow goldenK
With light of deeds and wordsW
And flight of God's fleet birdsW
Angels of wrath and love and truth and pityD
And higher on exiled eyes their natural cityD
Dawns down the depths of vision more sublimeP
Than all truths born of timeP
And eyes that wept above two dear sons deadL
Grow saving stars to guard one hopeless headL
-
AntL
Bright round the brows of banished age had shoneB
In vision flushed with truthL2
The rosy glory of youthL2
On streets and woodlands where in days long goneU
Sweet love sang light and loud and deep and dearD
And far the trumpets of the dreadful yearD
Had pealed and wailed in darkness last aroseW
The song of children kindling as a roseW
At breath of sunrise bornA2
Of the red flower of mornA2
Whose face perfumes deep heaven with odorous lightL
And thrills all through the wings of souls in flightL
Close as the press of children at His kneeD
Whom if the high priest seeD
Dreaming as homeless on dark earth he trodL
The lips that praise him shall not know for GodL
-
EpX
O sovereign spirit aboveA
All offering but man's loveA
All praise and prayer and incense undefiledL
The one thing stronger foundL
Than towers with iron boundL
The one thing lovelier than a little childL
And deeper than the seas are deepX
And tenderer than such tears of love as angels weepX
-
StrD
Dante the seer of all things evil and goodL
Beheld two ladies BeautyL
And high life hallowing DutyL
That strove for sway upon his mind and moodL
And held him in alternating accordL
Fast bound at feet of either but our lordL
The seer and singer of righteousness and wrongT
Who stands now master of all the keys of songT
Sees both as dewdrops runK
Together in the sunK
For him not twain but one thing twice divineC2
Even as his speech and song are bread and wineC2
For all souls hungering and all hearts athirstL
At best of days and worstL
And both one sacrament of Love's great givingG
To feed the spirit and sense of all souls livingG
-
AntL
The seventh day in the wind's month ten years goneU
Since heaven espousing earthC
Gave the Republic birthC
The mightiest soul put mortal raiment onO2
That came forth singing ever in man's earsW
Of all souls with us and through all these yearsW
Rings yet the lordliest waxen yet more strongT
That on our souls hath shed itself in songT
Poured forth itself like rainF2
On souls like springing grainF2
That with its procreant beams and showers were fedL
For living wine and sacramental breadL
Given all itself as air gives life and lightL
Utterly as of rightL
The goodliest gift our age hath given to beL
Ours while the sun gives glory to the seaL
-
EpX
Our Father and Master and LordL
Who hast thy song for swordL
For staff thy spirit and our hearts for throneB
As in past years of wrongT
Take now my subject songT
To no crowned head made humble but thine ownB
That on thy day of worldly birthC
Gives thanks for all thou hast given past thanks of all on earthC

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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