Epilogue Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBABACC DDEFDFDGG HHIIHIHJJ KKLLKLKMM IINNINIJJ JJOOJOJII IIPQIQIRR SSTUSUSQS JJVVJVJII WWSSWSWXX IIIIIIISS YVZZYZYRR IIJJIJIJJ XXA2A2XA2XSS IIJJIJIII B2B2C2C2B2C2B2GG IIJJIJIII VVIIVIVJJ JJD2D2JD2JSS E2E2F2F2E2F2E2II G2G2IIG2IG2II SSIISISJJ JJNNJNJII JJIIJJ

Between the wave ridge and the strandA
I let you forth in sight of landA
Songs that with storm crossed wings and eyesB
Strain eastward till the darkness diesB
Let signs and beacons fall or standA
And stars and balefires set and riseB
Ye till some lordlier lyric handA
Weave the beloved brows their crownC
At the beloved feet lie downC
-
O whatsoever of life or lightD
Love hath to give you what of mightD
Or heart or hope is yours to liveE
I charge you take in trust to giveF
For very love's sake in whose sightD
Through poise of hours alternativeF
And seasons plumed with light or nightD
Ye live and move and have your breathG
To sing with on the ridge of deathG
-
I charge you faint not all night throughH
For love's sake that was breathed on youH
To be to you as wings and feetI
For travel and as blood to heatI
And sense of spirit to renewH
And bloom of fragrance to keep sweetI
And fire of purpose to keep trueH
The life if life in such things beJ
That I would give you forth of meJ
-
Out where the breath of war may bearK
Out in the rank moist reddened airK
That sounds and smells of death and hathL
No light but death's upon its pathL
Seen through the black wind's tangled hairK
I send you past the wild time's wrathL
To find his face who bade you bearK
Fruit of his seed to faith and loveM
That he may take the heart thereofM
-
By day or night by sea or streetI
Fly till ye find and clasp his feetI
And kiss as worshippers who bringN
Too much love on their lips to singN
But with hushed heads accept and greetI
The presence of some heavenlier thingN
In the near air so may ye meetI
His eyes and droop not utterlyJ
For shame's sake at the light you seeJ
-
Not utterly struck spiritlessJ
For shame's sake and unworthinessJ
Of these poor forceless hands that comeO
Empty these lips that should be dumbO
This love whose seal can but impressJ
These weak word offerings wearisomeO
Whose blessings have not strength to blessJ
Nor lightnings fire to burn up aughtI
Nor smite with thunders of their thoughtI
-
One thought they have even love one lightI
Truth that keeps clear the sun by nightI
One chord of faith as of a lyreP
One heat of hope as of a fireQ
One heart one music and one mightI
One flame one altar and one choirQ
And one man's living head in sightI
Who said when all time's sea was foamR
Let there be Rome and there was RomeR
-
As a star set in space for tokenS
Like a live word of God's mouth spokenS
Visible sound light audibleT
In the great darkness thick as hellU
A stanchless flame of love unslokenS
A sign to conquer and compelU
A law to stand in heaven unbrokenS
Whereby the sun shines and wherethroughQ
Time's eldest empires are made newS
-
So rose up on our generationsJ
That light of the most ancient nationsJ
Law life and light on the world's wayV
The very God of very dayV
The sun god from their star like stationsJ
Far down the night in disarrayV
Fled crowned with fires of tribulationsJ
The suns of sunless years whose lightI
And life and law were of the nightI
-
The naked kingdoms quenched and starkW
Drave with their dead things down the darkW
Helmless their whole world throne by throneS
Fell and its whole heart turned to stoneS
Hopeless their hands that touched our arkW
Withered and lo aloft aloneS
On time's white waters man's one barkW
Where the red sundawn's open eyeX
Lit the soft gulf of low green skyX
-
So for a season pilotedI
It sailed the sunlight and struck redI
With fire of dawn reverberateI
The wan face of incumbent fateI
That paused half pitying overheadI
And almost had foregone the freightI
Of those dark hours the next day bredI
For shame and almost had forswornS
Service of night for love of mornS
-
Then broke the whole night in one blowY
Thundering then all hell with one throeV
Heaved and brought forth beneath the strokeZ
Death and all dead things moved and wokeZ
That the dawn's arrows had brought lowY
At the great sound of night that brokeZ
Thundering and all the old world wide woeY
And under night's loud sounding domeR
Men sought her and she was not RomeR
-
Still with blind hands and robes blood wetI
Night hangs on heaven reluctant yetI
With black blood dripping from her eyesJ
On the soiled lintels of the skiesJ
With brows and lips that thirst and threatI
Heart sick with fear lest the sun riseJ
And aching with her fires that setI
And shuddering ere dawn bursts her barsJ
Burns out with all her beaten starsJ
-
In this black wind of war they flyX
Now ere that hour be in the skyX
That brings back hope and memory backA2
And light and law to lands that lackA2
That spiritual sweet hour wherebyX
The bloody handed night and blackA2
Shall be cast out of heaven to dieX
Kingdom by kingdom crown by crownS
The fires of darkness are blown downS
-
Yet heavy grievous yet the weightI
Sits on us of imperfect fateI
From wounds of other days and deedsJ
Still this day's breathing body bleedsJ
Still kings for fear and slaves for hateI
Sow lives of men on earth like seedsJ
In the red soil they saturateI
And we with faces eastward setI
Stand sightless of the morning yetI
-
And many for pure sorrow's sakeB2
Look back and stretch back hands to takeB2
Gifts of night's giving ease and sleepC2
Flowers of night's grafting strong to steepC2
The soul in dreams it will not breakB2
Songs of soft hours that sigh and sweepC2
Its lifted eyelids nigh to wakeB2
With subtle plumes and lulling breathG
That soothe its weariness to deathG
-
And many called of hope and prideI
Fall ere the sunrise from our sideI
Fresh lights and rumours of fresh famesJ
That shift and veer by night like flamesJ
Shouts and blown trumpets ghosts that glideI
Calling and hail them by dead namesJ
Fears angers memories dreams divideI
Spirit from spirit and wear outI
Strong hearts of men with hope and doubtI
-
Till time beget and sorrow bearV
The soul sick eyeless child despairV
That comes among us mad and blindI
With counsels of a broken mindI
Tales of times dead and woes that wereV
And prophesying against mankindI
Shakes out the horror of her hairV
To take the sunlight with its coilsJ
And hold the living soul in toilsJ
-
By many ways of death and moodsJ
Souls pass into their servitudesJ
Their young wings weaken plume by plumeD2
Drops and their eyelids gather gloomD2
And close against man's frauds and feudsJ
And their tongues call they know not whomD2
To help in their vicissitudesJ
For many slaveries are but oneS
Liberty single as the sunS
-
One light one law that burns up strifeE2
And one sufficiency of lifeE2
Self stablished the sufficing soulF2
Hears the loud wheels of changes rollF2
Sees against man man bare the knifeE2
Sees the world severed and is wholeF2
Sees force take dowerless fraud to wifeE2
And fear from fraud's incestuous bedI
Crawl forth and smite his father deadI
-
Sees death made drunk with war sees timeG2
Weave many coloured crime with crimeG2
State overthrown on ruining stateI
And dares not be disconsolateI
Only the soul hath feet to climbG2
Only the soul hath room to waitI
Hath brows and eyes to hold sublimeG2
Above all evil and all goodI
All strength and all decrepitudeI
-
She only she since earth beganS
The many minded soul of manS
From one incognizable rootI
That bears such divers coloured fruitI
Hath ruled for blessing or for banS
The flight of seasons and pursuitI
She regent she republicanS
With wide and equal eyes and wingsJ
Broods on things born and dying thingsJ
-
Even now for love or doubt of usJ
The hour intense and hazardousJ
Hangs high with pinions vibratingN
Whereto the light and darkness clingN
Dividing the dim season thusJ
And shakes from one ambiguous wingN
Shadow and one is luminousJ
And day falls from it so the pastI
Torments the future to the lastI
-
And we that cannot hear or seeJ
The sounds and lights of libertyJ
The witness of the naked GodI
That treads on burning hours unshodI
With instant feet unwounded weJ
That can traceJ

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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