The Halt Before Rome Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Algernon Charles Swinburne

The Halt Before Rome Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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Is it so that the sword is broken	A
Our sword that was halfway drawn	B
Is it so that the light was a spark	C
That the bird we hailed as the lark	C
Sang in her sleep in the dark	C
And the song we took for a token	A
Bore false witness of dawn	B
	-
Spread in the sight of the lion	A
Surely we said is the net	D
Spread but in vain and the snare	E
Vain for the light is aware	E
And the common the chainless air	E
Of his coming whom all we cry on	F
Surely in vain is it set	D
	-
Surely the day is on our side	G
And heaven and the sacred sun	A
Surely the stars and the bright	H
Immemorial inscrutable night	H
Yea the darkness because of our light	H
Is no darkness but blooms as a bower side	G
When the winter is over and done	A
	-
Blooms underfoot with young grasses	I
Green and with leaves overhead	J
Windflowers white and the low	K
New dropped blossoms of snow	K
And or ever the May winds blow	K
And or ever the March wind passes	I
Flames with anemones red	J
	-
We are here in the world's bower garden	A
We that have watched out the snow	K
Surely the fruitfuller showers	L
The splendider sunbeams are ours	L
Shall winter return on the flowers	L
And the frost after April harden	A
And the fountains in May not flow	K
	-
We have in our hands the shining	M
And the fire in our hearts of a star	N
Who are we that our tongues should palter	N
Hearts bow down hands falter	N
Who are clothed as with flame from the altar	N
That the kings of the earth repining	M
Far off watch from afar	N
	-
Woe is ours if we doubt or dissemble	O
Woe if our hearts not abide	G
Are our chiefs not among us we said	J
Great chiefs living and dead	J
To lead us glad to be led	J
For whose sake if a man of us tremble	O
He shall not be on our side	G
	-
What matter if these lands tarry	N
That tarried we said not of old	P
France made drunken by fate	Q
England that bore up the weight	Q
Once of men's freedom a freight	Q
Holy but heavy to carry	N
For hands overflowing with gold	P
	-
Though this be lame and the other	N
Fleet but blind from the sun	A
And the race be no more to these	R
Alas nor the palm to seize	R
Who are weary and hungry of ease	R
Yet O Freedom we said O our mother	N
Is there not left to thee one	A
	-
Is there not left of thy daughters	L
Is there not one to thine hand	S
Fairer than these and of fame	T
Higher from of old by her name	T
Washed in her tears and in flame	T
Bathed as in baptism of waters	L
Unto all men a chosen land	S
	-
Her hope in her heart was broken	A
Fire was upon her and clomb	T
Hiding her high as her head	J
And the world went past her and said	J
We heard it say she was dead	J
And now behold she bath spoken	A
She that was dead saying Rome	T
	-
O mother of all men's nations	U
Thou knowest if the deaf world heard	V
Heard not now to her lowest	W
Depths where the strong blood slowest	W
Beats at her bosom thou knowest	W
In her toils in her dim tribulations	U
Rejoiced not hearing the word	W
	-
The sorrowful bound unto sorrow	N
The woe worn people and all	X
That of old were discomforted	W
And men that famish for bread	W
And men that mourn for their dead	W
She bade them be glad on the morrow	N
Who endured in the day of her thrall	X
	-
The blind and the people in prison	A
Souls without hope without home	T
How glad were they all that heard	W
When the winged white flame of the word	W
Passed over men's dust and stirred	W
Death for Italia was risen	A
And risen her light upon Rome	T
	-
The light of her sword in the gateway	Y
Shone an unquenchable flame	T
Bloodless a sword to release	Z
A light from the eyes of peace	Z
To bid grief utterly cease	Z
And the wrong of the old world straightway	Y
Pass from the face of her fame	T
	-
Hers whom we turn to and cry on	F
Italy mother of men	A2
From the light of the face of her glory	N
At the sound of the storm of her story	N
That the sanguine shadows and hoary	N
Should flee from the foot of the lion	A
Lion like forth of his den	A2
	-
As the answering of thunder to thunder	N
Is the storm beaten sound of her past	W
As the calling of sea unto sea	N
Is the noise of her years yet to be	N
For this ye knew not is she	N
Whose bonds are broken in sunder	N
This is she at the last	W
	-
So spake we aloud high minded	W
Full of our will and behold	W
The speech that was halfway spoken	A
Breaks as a pledge that is broken	A
As a king's pledge leaving in token	A
Grief only for high hopes blinded	W
New grief grafted on old	W
	-
We halt by the walls of the city	N
Within sound of the clash of her chain	B2
Hearing we know that in there	N
The lioness chafes in her lair	N
Shakes the storm of her hair	N
Struggles in hands without pity	N
Roars to the lion in vain	B2
	-
Whose hand is stretched forth upon her	N
Whose curb is white with her foam	T
Clothed with the cloud of his deeds	C2
Swathed in the shroud of his creeds	C2
Who is this that has trapped her and leads	C2
Who turns to despair and dishonour	N
Her name her name that was Rome	T
	-
Over fields without harvest or culture	N
Over hordes without honour or love	D2
Over nations that groan with their kings	E2
As an imminent pestilence flings	E2
Swift death from her shadowing wings	E2
So he who hath claws as a vulture	N
Plumage and beak as a dove	D2
	-
He saith I am pilot and haven	A
Light and redemption I am	T
Unto souls overlaboured he saith	F2
And to all men the blast of his breath	F2
Is a savour of death unto death	F2
And the Dove of his worship a raven	A
And a wolf cub the life giving Lamb	T
	-
He calls his sheep as a shepherd	W
Calls from the wilderness home	T
Come unto me and be fed	W
To feed them with ashes for bread	W
And grass from the graves of the dead	W
Leaps on the fold as a leopard	W
Slays and says I am Rome	T
	-
Rome having rent her in sunder	N
With the clasp of an adder he clasps	E2
Swift to shed blood are his feet	W
And his lips that have man for their meat	W
Smoother than oil and more sweet	W
Than honey but hidden thereunder	N
Festers the poison of asps	E2
	-
As swords are his tender mercies	E2
His kisses as mortal stings	E2
Under his hallowing hands	E2
Life dies down in all lands	E2
Kings pray to him prone where he stands	E2
And his blessings as other men's curses	E2
Disanoint where they consecrate kings	E2
	-
With an oil of unclean consecration	A
With effusion of blood and of tears	E2
With uplifting of cross and of keys	E2
Priest though thou hallow us these	E2
Yet even as they cling to thy knees	E2
Nation awakens by nation	A
King by king disappears	E2
	-
How shall the spirit be loyal	O
To the shell of a spiritless thing	M
Erred once in only a word	W
The sweet great song that we heard	W
Poured upon Tuscany erred	W
Calling a crowned man royal	O
That was no more than a king	M
	-
Sea eagle of English feather	N
A song bird beautiful souled	W
She knew not them that she sang	M
The golden trumpet that rang	M
From Florence in vain for them sprang	M
As a note in the nightingales' weather	N
Far over Fiesole rolled	W
	-
She saw not happy not seeing	M
Saw not as we with her eyes	E2
Aspromonte she felt	W
Never the heart in her melt	W
As in us when the news was dealt	W
Melted all hope out of being	M
Dropped all dawn from the skies	E2
	-
In that weary funereal season	A
In that heart stricken grief ridden time	T
The weight of a king and the worth	F2
With anger and sorrowful mirth	F2
We weighed in the balance of earth	F2
And light was his word as a treason	A
And heavy his crown as a crime	T
	-
Banners of kings shall ye follow	N
None and have thrones on your side	W
None ye shall gather and grow	N
Silently row upon row	N
Chosen of Freedom to go	N
Gladly where darkness may swallow	N
Gladly where death may divide	W
	-
Have we not men with us royal	O
Men the masters of things	E2
In the days when our life is made new	G2
All souls perfect and true	G2
Shall adore whom their forefathers slew	G2
And these indeed shall be loyal	O
And those indeed shall be kings	E2
	-
Yet for a space they abide with us	E2
Yet for a little they stand	W
Bearing the heat of the day	W
When their presence is taken away	W
We shall wonder and worship and say	W
Was not a star on our side with us	E2
Was not a God at our hand	W
	-
These O men shall ye honour	G2
Liberty only and these	E2
For thy sake and for all men's and mine	H2
Brother the crowns of them shine	H2
Lighting the way to her shrine	H2
That our eyes may be fastened upon her	G2
That our hands may encompass her knees	E2
	-
In this day is the sign of her shown to you	G2
Choose ye to live or to die	W
Now is her harvest in hand	W
Now is her light in the land	W
Choose ye to sink or to stand	W
For the might of her strength is made known to you	G2
Now and her arm is on high	W
	-
Serve not for any man's wages	E2
Pleasure nor glory nor gold	W
Not by her side are they won	A
Who saith unto each of you Son	A
Silver and gold have I none	A
I give but the love of all ages	E2
And the life of my people of old	W
	-
Fear not for any man's terrors	E2
Wait not for any man's word	W
Patiently each in his place	E2
Gird up your loins to the race	E2
Following the print of her pace	E2
Purged of desires and of errors	E2
March to the tune ye have heard	W
	-
March to the tune of the voice of her	G2
Breathing the balm of her breath	F2
Loving the light of her skies	E2
Blessed is he on whose eyes	E2
Dawns but her light as he dies	E2
Blessed are ye that make choice of her	G2
Equal to life and to death	F2
	-
Ye that when faith is nigh frozen	A
Ye that when hope is nigh gone	B
Still over wastes over waves	E2
Still among wrecks among graves	E2
Follow the splendour that saves	E2
Happy her children her chosen	A
Loyally led of her on	F
	-
The sheep of the priests and the cattle	O
That feed in the penfolds of kings	E2
Sleek is their flock and well fed	W
Hardly she giveth you bread	W
Hardly a rest for the head	W
Till the day of the blast of the battle	O
And the storm of the wind of her wings	E2
	-
Ye that have joy in your living	M
Ye that are careful to live	I2
You her thunders go by	W
Live let men be let them lie	W
Serve your season and die	W
Gifts have your masters for giving	M
Gifts hath not Freedom to give	J2
	-
She without shelter or station	A
She beyond limit or bar	G2
Urges to slumberless speed	W
Armies that famish that bleed	W
Sowing their lives for her seed	W
That their dust may rebuild her a nation	A
That their souls may relight her a star	G2
	-
Happy are all they that follow her	G2
Them shall no trouble cast down	K2
Though she slay them yet shall they trust in her	G2
For unsure there is nought nor unjust in her	G2
Blemish is none neither rust in her	G2
Though it threaten the night shall not swallow her	G2
Tempest and storm shall not drown	K2
	-
Hither O strangers that cry for her	G2
Holding your lives in your hands	E2
Hither for here is your light	W
Where Italy is and her might	W
Strength shall be given you to fight	W
Grace shall be given you to die for her	G2
For the flower for the lady of lands	E2
	-
Turn ye whose anguish oppressing you	G2
Crushes asleep and awake	M
For the wrong which is wrought as of yore	G2
That Italia may give of her store	G2
Having these things to give and no more	G2
Only her hands on you blessing you	G2
Only a pang for her sake	M
	-
Only her bosom to die on	F
Only her heart for a home	T
And a name with her children to be	N
From Calabrian to Adrian sea	N
Famous in cities made free	N
That ring to the roar of the lion	A
Proclaiming republican Rome	T