On The Downs Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABCBB DDEDEF GGHGHH IIJIJJ KKLKLL MMMMMM NNMNMM MMOMOO MMMMMM MMPMQP JJRJRR MMMM M SSTSTT MMUMUU M MMMM VVSVSS WWUWUU XXRXR MMYMYY XXMXMM RRXRXX MMZMZZ A2A2NA2NN UUMUMM NNMNMM B2SSSSS

A faint sea without wind or sunA
A sky like flameless vapour dunA
A valley like an unsealed graveB
That no man cares to weep uponC
Bare without boon to craveB
Or flower to saveB
-
And on the lip's edge of the downD
Here where the bent grass burns to brownD
In the dry sea wind and the heathE
Crawls to the cliff side and looks downD
I watch and hear beneathE
The low tide breatheF
-
Along the long lines of the cliffG
Down the flat sea line without skiffG
Or sail or back blown fume for markH
Through wind worn heads of heath and stiffG
Stems blossomless and starkH
With dry sprays darkH
-
I send mine eyes out as for newsI
Of comfort that all these refuseI
Tidings of light or living airJ
From windward where the low clouds museI
And the sea blind and bareJ
Seems full of careJ
-
So is it now as it was thenK
And as men have been such are menK
There as I stood I seem to standL
Here sitting chambered and againK
Feel spread on either handL
Sky sea and landL
-
As a queen taken and stripped and boundM
Sat earth discoloured and discrownedM
As a king's palace empty and deadM
The sky was without light or soundM
And on the summer's headM
Were ashes shedM
-
Scarce wind enough was on the seaN
Scarce hope enough there moved in meN
To sow with live blown flowers of whiteM
The green plain's sad serenityN
Or with stray thoughts of lightM
Touch my soul's sightM
-
By footless ways and sterile wentM
My thought unsatisfied and bentM
With blank unspeculative eyesO
On the untracked sands of discontentM
Where watched of helpless skiesO
Life hopeless liesO
-
East and west went my soul to findM
Light and the world was bare and blindM
And the soil herbless where she trodM
And saw men laughing scourge mankindM
Unsmitten by the rodM
Of any GodM
-
Out of time's blind old eyes were shedM
Tears that were mortal and left deadM
The heart and spirit of the yearsP
And on mans fallen and helmless headM
Time's disanointing tearsQ
Fell cold as fearsP
-
Hope flowering had but strength to bearJ
The fruitless fruitage of despairJ
Grief trod the grapes of joy for wineR
Whereof love drinking unawareJ
Died as one undivineR
And made no signR
-
And soul and body dwelt apartM
And weary wisdom without heartM
Stared on the dead round heaven and sighedM
'Is death too hollow as thou artM
Or as man's living pride '-
And saying so diedM
-
And my soul heard the songs and groansS
That are about and under thronesS
And felt through all time's murmur thrillT
Fate's old imperious semitonesS
That made of good and illT
One same tune stillT
-
Then 'Where is God and where is aidM
Or what good end of these ' she saidM
'Is there no God or end at allU
Nor reason with unreason weighedM
Nor force to disenthralU
Weak feet that fallU
-
'No light to lighten and no rodM
To chasten men Is there no God '-
So girt with anguish iron zonedM
Went my soul weeping as she trodM
Between the men enthronedM
And men that groanedM
-
O fool that for brute cries of wrongV
Heard not the grey glad mother's songV
Ring response from the hills and wavesS
But heard harsh noises all day longV
Of spirits that were slavesS
And dwelt in gravesS
-
The wise word of the secret earthW
Who knows what life and death are worthW
And how no help and no controlU
Can speed or stay things come to birthW
Nor all worlds' wheels that rollU
Crush one born soulU
-
With all her tongues of life and deathX
With all her bloom and blood and breathX
From all years dead and all things doneR
In the ear of man the mother saithX
'There is no God O sonR
If thou be none '-
-
So my soul sick with watching heardM
That day the wonder of that wordM
And as one springs out of a dreamY
Sprang and the stagnant wells were stirredM
Whence flows through gloom and gleamY
Thought's soundless streamY
-
Out of pale cliff and sunburnt healthX
Out of the low sea curled beneathX
In the land's bending arm embayedM
Out of all lives that thought hears breatheX
Life within life inlaidM
Was answer madeM
-
A multitudinous monotoneR
Of dust and flower and seed and stoneR
In the deep sea rock's mid sea slothX
In the live water's trembling zoneR
In all men love and loatheX
One God at growthX
-
One forceful nature uncreateM
That feeds itself with death and fateM
Evil and good and change and timeZ
That within all men lies at waitM
Till the hour shall bid them climbZ
And live sublimeZ
-
For all things come by fate to flowerA2
At their unconquerable hourA2
And time brings truth and truth makes freeN
And freedom fills time's veins with powerA2
As brooding on that seaN
My thought filled meN
-
And the sun smote the clouds and slewU
And from the sun the sea's breath blewU
And white waves laughed and turned and fledM
The long green heaving sea field throughU
And on them overheadM
The sky burnt redM
-
Like a furled flag that wind sets freeN
On the swift summer coloured seaN
Shook out the red lines of the lightM
The live sun's standard blown to leeN
Across the live sea's whiteM
And green delightM
-
And with divine triumphant aweB2
My spirit moved within me sawS
With burning passion of stretched eyesS
Clear as the light's own firstborn lawS
In windless wastes of skiesS
Time's deep dawn riseS

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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