Grace Darling Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCDEFEFGHGHCICI JKJKLMLMNONOPQPQRSRS TUTUVWXWYNYNWZWA2CB2 CB2C2D2C2D2E2F2E2F2F G2FG2B2H2B2H2I2J2I2J 2K2D2K2D2J2DJ2DL2G2L 2G2M2N2M2N2LO2LO2I2K 2I2K2J2AJ2A| Take O star of all our seas from not an alien hand | A |
| Homage paid of song bowed down before thy glory's face | B |
| Thou the living light of all our lovely stormy strand | A |
| Thou the brave north country's very glory of glories Grace | B |
| Loud and dark about the lighthouse rings and glares the night | C |
| Glares with foam lit gloom and darkling fire of storm and spray | D |
| Rings with roar of winds in chase and rage of waves in flight | C |
| Howls and hisses as with mouths of snakes and wolves at bay | D |
| Scarce the cliffs of the islets scarce the walls of Joyous Gard | E |
| Flash to sight between the deadlier lightnings of the sea | F |
| Storm is lord and master of a midnight evil starred | E |
| Nor may sight or fear discern what evil stars may be | F |
| Dark as death and white as snow the sea swell scowls and shines | G |
| Heaves and yearns and pants for prey from ravening lip to lip | H |
| Strong in rage of rapturous anguish lines on hurtling lines | G |
| Ranks on charging ranks that break and rend the battling ship | H |
| All the night is mad and murderous who shall front the night | C |
| Not the prow that labours helpless as a storm blown leaf | I |
| Where the rocks and waters darkling depth and beetling height | C |
| Rage with wave on shattering wave and thundering reef on reef | I |
| Death is fallen upon the prisoners there of darkness bound | J |
| Like as thralls with links of iron fast in bonds of doom | K |
| How shall any way to break the bands of death be found | J |
| Any hand avail to pluck them from that raging tomb | K |
| All the night is great with child of death no stars above | L |
| Show them hope in heaven no lights from shores ward help on earth | M |
| Is there help or hope to seaward is there help in love | L |
| Hope in pity where the ravening hounds of storm make mirth | M |
| Where the light but shows the naked eyeless face of Death | N |
| Nearer laughing dumb and grim across the loud live storm | O |
| Not in human heart or hand or speech of human breath | N |
| Surely nor in saviours found of mortal face or form | O |
| Yet below the light between the reefs a skiff shot out | P |
| Seems a sea bird fain to breast and brave the strait fierce pass | Q |
| Whence the channelled roar of waters driven in raging rout | P |
| Pent and pressed and maddened speaks their monstrous might and mass | Q |
| Thunder heaves and howls about them lightning leaps and flashes | R |
| Hard at hand not high in heaven but close between the walls | S |
| Heaped and hollowed of the storms of old whence reels and crashes | R |
| All the rage of all the unbaffled wave that breaks and falls | S |
| Who shall thwart the madness and the gladness of it laden | T |
| Full with heavy fate and joyous as the birds that whirl | U |
| Nought in heaven or earth if not one mortal moulded maiden | T |
| Nought if not the soul that glorifies a northland girl | U |
| Not the rocks that break may baffle not the reefs that thwart | V |
| Stay the ravenous rapture of the waves that crowd and leap | W |
| Scarce their flashing laughter shows the hunger of their heart | X |
| Scarce their lion throated roar the wrath at heart they keep | W |
| Child and man and woman in the grasp of death clenched fast | Y |
| Tremble clothed with darkness round about and scarce draw breath | N |
| Scarce lift eyes up toward the light that saves not scarce may cast | Y |
| Thought or prayer up caught and trammelled in the snare of death | N |
| Not as sea mews cling and laugh or sun their plumes and sleep | W |
| Cling and cower the wild night's waifs of shipwreck blind with fear | Z |
| Where the fierce reef scarce yields foothold that a bird might keep | W |
| And the clamorous darkness deadens eye and deafens ear | A2 |
| Yet beyond their helpless hearing out of hopeless sight | C |
| Saviours armed and girt upon with strength of heart fare forth | B2 |
| Sire and daughter hand on oar and face against the night | C |
| Maid and man whose names are beacons ever to the North | B2 |
| Nearer now but all the madness of the storming surf | C2 |
| Hounds and roars them back but roars and hounds them back in vain | D2 |
| As a pleasure skiff may graze the lake embanking turf | C2 |
| So the boat that bears them grates the rock where toward they strain | D2 |
| Dawn as fierce and haggard as the face of night scarce guides | E2 |
| Toward the cries that rent and clove the darkness crying for aid | F2 |
| Hours on hours across the engorged reluctance of the tides | E2 |
| Sire and daughter high souled man and mightier hearted maid | F2 |
| Not the bravest land that ever breasted war's grim sea | F |
| Hurled her foes back harried on the lowlands whence they came | G2 |
| Held her own and smote her smiters down while such durst be | F |
| Shining northward shining southward as the aurorean flame | G2 |
| Not our mother not Northumberland brought ever forth | B2 |
| Though no southern shore may match the sons that kiss her mouth | H2 |
| Children worthier all the birthright given of the ardent north | B2 |
| Where the fire of hearts outburns the suns that fire the south | H2 |
| Even such fire was this that lit them not from lowering skies | I2 |
| Where the darkling dawn flagged stricken in the sun's own shrine | J2 |
| Down the gulf of storm subsiding till their earnest eyes | I2 |
| Find the relics of the ravening night that spared but nine | J2 |
| Life by life the man redeems them head by storm worn head | K2 |
| While the girl's hand stays the boat whereof the waves are fain | D2 |
| Ah but woe for one the mother clasping fast her dead | K2 |
| Happier had the surges slain her with her children slain | D2 |
| Back they bear and bring between them safe the woful nine | J2 |
| Where above the ravenous Hawkers fixed at watch for prey | D |
| Storm and calm behold the Longstone's towering signal shine | J2 |
| Now as when that labouring night brought forth a shuddering day | D |
| Now as then though like the hounds of storm against her snarling | L2 |
| All the clamorous years between us storm down many a fame | G2 |
| As our sires beheld before us we behold Grace Darling | L2 |
| Crowned and throned our queen and as they hailed we hail her name | G2 |
| Nay not ours alone her kinsfolk born though chiefliest ours | M2 |
| East and west and south acclaim her queen of England's maids | N2 |
| Star more sweet than all their stars and flower than all their flowers | M2 |
| Higher in heaven and earth than star that sets or flower that fades | N2 |
| How should land or sea that nurtured her forget or love | L |
| Hold not fast her fame for us while aught is borne in mind | O2 |
| Land and sea beneath us sun and moon and stars above | L |
| Bear the bright soul witness seen of all but souls born blind | O2 |
| Stars and moon and sun may wax and wane subside and rise | I2 |
| Age on age as flake on flake of showering snows be shed | K2 |
| Not till earth be sunless not till death strike blind the skies | I2 |
| May the deathless love that waits on deathless deeds be dead | K2 |
| Years on years have withered since beside the hearth once thine | J2 |
| I too young to have seen thee touched thy father's hallowed hand | A |
| Thee and him shall all men see for ever stars that shine | J2 |
| While the sea that spared thee girds and glorifies the land | A |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
(1)
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