Les Casquets Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDEDAFAFAGAGDDDD GDGDAHAHBABAGGGGGBGB IIIIAJAJKLKLMAMAAGAG DADAABABIGIGNBNBADAD GDGD GDGDDODOAPAPADADIQIR STSTMDMDILILIDIDDDDD SGSGADADGDGDDDDDIUIU AGAGDADAGDGDAVAVKGKG SISIKDKDGDGDIHIHASAS IAIAIAIAALALSDSDKGKG SSSS

From the depths of the waters that lighten and darkenA
With change everlasting of life and of deathB
Where hardly by noon if the lulled ear hearkenA
It hears the sea's as a tired child's breathB
Where hardly by night if an eye dare scan itC
The storm lets shipwreck be seen or heardD
As the reefs to the waves and the foam to the graniteE
Respond one merciless wordD
Sheer seen and far in the sea's live heavenA
A seamew's flight from the wild sweet landF
White plumed with foam if the wind wake sevenA
Black helms as of warriors that stir not standF
From the depths that abide and the waves that environA
Seven rocks rear heads that the midnight masksG
And the strokes of the swords of the storm are as ironA
On the steel of the wave worn casquesG
Be night's dark word as the word of a wizardD
Be the word of dawn as a god's glad wordD
Like heads of the spirits of darkness visoredD
That see not for ever nor ever have heardD
These basnets plumed as for fight or plumelessG
Crowned of the storm and by storm discrownedD
Keep ward of the lists where the dead lie tomblessG
And the tale of them is not foundD
Nor eye may number nor hand may reckonA
The tithes that are taken of life by the darkH
Or the ways of the path if doom's hand beckonA
For the soul to fare as a helmless barkH
Fare forth on a way that no sign showethB
Nor aught of its goal or of aught betweenA
A path for her flight which no fowl knowethB
Which the vulture's eye hath not seenA
Here still though the wave and the wind seem loversG
Lulled half asleep by their own soft wordsG
A dream as of death in the sun's light hoversG
And a sign in the motions and cries of the birdsG
Dark auguries and keen from the sweet sea swallowsG
Strike noon with a sense as of midnight's breathB
And the wing that flees and the wing that followsG
Are as types of the wings of deathB
For here when the night roars round and underI
The white sea lightens and leaps like fireI
Acclaimed of storm and applauded in thunderI
Sits death on the throne of his crowned desireI
Yea hardly the hand of the god might fashionA
A seat more strong for his strength to takeJ
For the might of his heart and the pride of his passionA
To rejoice in the wars they makeJ
When the heart in him brightens with blitheness of battleK
And the depth of its thirst is fulfilled with strifeL
And his ear with the ravage of bolts that rattleK
And the soul of death with the pride of lifeL
Till the darkness is loud with his dark thanksgivingM
And wind and cloud are as chords of his hymnA
There is nought save death in the deep night livingM
And the whole night worships himA
Heaven's height bows down to him signed with his tokenA
And the sea's depth moved as a heart that yearnsG
Heaves up to him strong as a heart half brokenA
A heart that breaks in a prayer that burnsG
Of cloud is the shrine of his worship mouldedD
But the altar therein is of sea shaped stoneA
Whereon with the strength of his wide wings foldedD
Sits death in the dark aloneA
He hears the word of his servant spokenA
The word that the wind his servant saithB
Storm writes on the front of the night his tokenA
That the skies may seem to bow down to deathB
But the clouds that stoop and the storms that ministerI
Serve but as thralls that fulfil their tasksG
And his seal is not set save here on the sinisterI
Crests reared of the crownless casquesG
Nor flame nor plume of the storm that crowned themN
Gilds or quickens their stark black strengthB
Life lightens and murmurs and laughs right round themN
At peace with the noon's whole breadth and lengthB
At one with the heart of the soft souled heavenA
At one with the life of the kind wild landD
But its touch may unbrace not the strengths of the sevenA
Casques hewn of the storm wind's handD
No touch may loosen the black braced helmletsG
For the wild elves' heads of the wild waves wroughtD
As flowers on the sea are her small green realmletsG
Like heavens made out of a child's heart's thoughtD
-
But these as thorns of her desolate placesG
Strong fangs that fasten and hold lives fastD
And the vizors are framed as for formless facesG
That a dark dream sees go pastD
Of fear and of fate are the frontlets fashionedD
And the heads behind them are dire and dumbO
When the heart of the darkness is scarce impassionedD
Thrilled scarce with sense of the wrath to comeO
They bear the sign from of old engravenA
Though peace be round them and strife seem farP
That here is none but the night wind's havenA
With death for the harbour barP
Of the iron of doom are the casquets carvenA
That never the rivets thereof should burstD
When the heart of the darkness is hunger starvenA
And the throats of the gulfs are agape for thirstD
And stars are as flowers that the wind bids witherI
And dawn is as hope struck dead by fearQ
The rage of the ravenous night sets hitherI
And the crown of her work is hereR
All shores about and afar lie lonelyS
But lonelier are these than the heart of griefT
These loose linked rivets of rock whence onlyS
Strange life scarce gleams from the sheer main reefT
With a blind wan face in the wild wan morningM
With a live lit flame on its brows by nightD
That the lost may lose not its word's mute warningM
And the blind by its grace have sightD
Here walled in with the wide waste waterI
Grew the grace of a girl's lone lifeL
The sea's and the sea wind's foster daughterI
And peace was hers in the main mid strifeL
For her were the rocks clothed round with thunderI
And the crests of them carved by the storm smith's craftD
For her was the mid storm rent in sunderI
As with passion that wailed and laughedD
For her the sunrise kindled and scatteredD
The red rose leaflets of countless cloudD
For her the blasts of the springtide shatteredD
The strengths reluctant of waves back bowedD
For her would winds in the mid sky levyS
Bright wars that hardly the night bade ceaseG
At noon when sleep on the sea lies heavyS
For her would the sun make peaceG
Peace rose crowned with the dawn on goldenA
Lit leagues of triumph that flamed and smiledD
Peace lay lulled in the moon beholdenA
Warm darkness making the world's heart mildD
For all the wide waves' troubles and treasonsG
One word only her soul's ear heardD
Speak from stormless and storm rent seasonsG
And nought save peace was the wordD
All her life waxed large with the light of itD
All her heart fed full on the soundD
Spirit and sense were exalted in sight of itD
Compassed and girdled and clothed with it roundD
Sense was none but a strong still raptureI
Spirit was none but a joy sublimeU
Of strength to curb and of craft to captureI
The craft and the strength of TimeU
Time lay bound as in painless prisonA
There closed in with a strait small spaceG
Never thereon as a strange light risenA
Change had unveiled for her grief's far faceG
Three white walls flung out from the basementD
Girt the width of the world whereonA
Gazing at night from her flame lit casementD
She saw where the dark sea shoneA
Hardly the breadth of a few brief pacesG
Hardly the length of a strong man's strideD
The small court flower lit with children's facesG
Scarce held scope for a bud to hideD
Yet here was a man's brood reared and hiddenA
Between the rocks and the towers and the foamV
Where peril and pity and peace were biddenA
As guests to the same sure homeV
Here would pity keep watch for perilK
And surety comfort his heart with peaceG
No flower save one where the reefs lie sterileK
Gave of the seed of its heart's increaseG
Pity and surety and peace most lowlyS
Were the root and the stem and the bloom of the flowerI
And the light and the breath of the buds kept holyS
That maid's else blossomless bowerI
With never a leaf but the seaweed's tangleK
Never a bird's but the seamew's noteD
It heard all round it the strong storms wrangleK
Watched far past it the waste wrecks floatD
But her soul was stilled by the sky's enduranceG
And her heart made glad with the sea's contentD
And her faith waxed more in the sun's assuranceG
For the winds that came and wentD
Sweetness was brought for her forth of the bitterI
Sea's strength and light of the deep sea's darkH
From where green lawns on Alderney glitterI
To the bastioned crags of the steeps of SarkH
These she knew from afar beholdenA
And marvelled haply what life would beS
On moors that sunset and dawn leave goldenA
In dells that smile on the seaS
And forth she fared as a stout souled roverI
For a brief blithe raid on the bounding brineA
And light winds ferried her light bark overI
To the lone soft island of fair limbed kineA
But the league long length of its wild green borderI
And the small bright streets of serene St AnneA
Perplexed her sense with a strange disorderI
At sight of the works of manA
The world was here and the world's confusionA
And the dust of the wheels of revolving lifeL
Pain labour change and the fierce illusionA
Of strife more vain than the sea's old strifeL
And her heart within her was vexed and dizzyS
The sense of her soul as a wheel that whirledD
She might not endure for a space that busyS
Loud coil of the troublous worldD
Too full she said was the world of troubleK
Too dense with noise of contentious thingsG
And shews less bright than the blithe foam's bubbleK
As home she fared on the smooth wind's wingsG
For joy grows loftier in air more lonelyS
Where only the sea's brood fain would beS
Where only the heart may receive in it onlyS
The love of the heart of the seaS

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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