Les Noyades Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL FMFM NONO PGPG QRQR SKSK TFTF BUBU KSKS EVEV HWHW JXJY KNKN ZA2ZA2 B2NB2N| WHATEVER a man of the sons of men | A |
| Shall say to his heart of the lords above | B |
| They have shown man verily once and again | A |
| Marvellous mercies and infinite love | B |
| - | |
| In the wild fifth year of the change of things | C |
| When France was glorious and blood red fair | D |
| With dust of battle and deaths of kings | C |
| A queen of men with helmeted hair | D |
| - | |
| Carrier came down to the Loire and slew | E |
| Till all the ways and the waves waxed red | F |
| Bound and drowned slaying two by two | E |
| Maidens and young men naked and wed | F |
| - | |
| They brought on a day to his judgment place | G |
| One rough with labour and red with fight | H |
| And a lady noble by name and face | G |
| Faultless a maiden wonderful white | H |
| - | |
| She knew not being for shame s sake blind | I |
| If his eyes were hot on her face hard by | J |
| And the judge bade strip and ship them and bind | I |
| Bosom to bosom to drown and die | J |
| - | |
| The white girl winced and whitened but he | K |
| Caught fire waxed bright as a great bright flame | L |
| Seen with thunder far out on the sea | K |
| Laughed hard as the glad blood went and came | L |
| - | |
| Twice his lips quailed with delight then said | F |
| I have but a word to you all one word | M |
| Bear with me surely I am but dead | F |
| And all they laughed and mocked him and heard | M |
| - | |
| Judge when they open the judgment roll | N |
| I will stand upright before God and pray | O |
| Lord God have mercy on one man s soul | N |
| For his mercy was great upon earth I say | O |
| - | |
| Lord if I loved thee Lord if I served | P |
| If these who darkened thy fair Son s face | G |
| I fought with sparing not one nor swerved | P |
| A hand s breadth Lord in the perilous place | G |
| - | |
| I pray thee say to this man O Lord | Q |
| Sit thou for him at my feet on a throne | R |
| I will face thy wrath though it bite as a sword | Q |
| And my soul shall burn for his soul and atone | R |
| - | |
| For Lord thou knowest O God most wise | S |
| How gracious on earth were his deeds towards me | K |
| Shall this be a small thing in thine eyes | S |
| That is greater in mine than the whole great sea | K |
| - | |
| I have loved this woman my whole life long | T |
| And even for love s sake when have I said | F |
| I love you when have I done you wrong | T |
| Living but now I shall have you dead | F |
| - | |
| Yea now do I bid you love me love | B |
| Love me or loathe we are one not twain | U |
| But God be praised in his heaven above | B |
| For this my pleasure and that my pain | U |
| - | |
| For never a man being mean like me | K |
| Shall die like me till the whole world dies | S |
| I shall drown with her laughing for love and she | K |
| Mix with me touching me lips and eyes | S |
| - | |
| Shall she not know me and see me all through | E |
| Me on whose heart as a worm she trod | V |
| You have given me God requite it you | E |
| What man yet never was given of God | V |
| - | |
| O sweet one love O my life s delight | H |
| Dear though the days have divided us | W |
| Lost beyond hope taken far out of sight | H |
| Not twice in the world shall the gods do thus | W |
| - | |
| Had it been so hard for my love but I | J |
| Though the gods gave all that a god can give | X |
| I had chosen rather the gift to die | J |
| Cease and be glad above all that live | Y |
| - | |
| For the Loire would have driven us down to the sea | K |
| And the sea would have pitched us from shoal to shoal | N |
| And I should have held you and you held me | K |
| As flesh holds flesh and the soul the soul | N |
| - | |
| Could I change you help you to love me sweet | Z |
| Could I give you the love that would sweeten death | A2 |
| We should yield go down locked hands and feet | Z |
| Die drown together and breath catch breath | A2 |
| - | |
| But you would have felt my soul in a kiss | B2 |
| And known that once if I loved you well | N |
| And I would have given my soul for this | B2 |
| To burn for ever in burning hell | N |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
(1)
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