The Litany Of Nations Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCCBDEFDGHHGIFFIJKKJ CKKCLGGLKJJKLKKLJJJJ J JMJMNJNJOLOL J JOJOPQPQJJJJ R JJJJJJJJJLJL J LSLSJJJJJJJJ J JJJJJTJTLLLL J GRRRJJJJJJJJ R JJJJJUJURLRL J RRRRJJJJJJJJ J LLLLPJPJRJRJRJRJVJVJ WJWJRJRJVXVXYJYJRJRJ

CHORUSA
-
If with voice of words or prayers thy sons may reach theeB
We thy latter sons the men thine after birthC
We the children of thy grey grown age O EarthC
O our mother everlasting we beseech theeB
By the sealed and secret ages of thy lifeD
By the darkness wherein grew thy sacred forcesE
By the songs of stars thy sisters in their coursesF
By thine own song hoarse and hollow and shrill with strifeD
By thy voice distuned and marred of modulationG
By the discord of thy measure's march with theirsH
By the beauties of thy bosom and the caresH
By thy glory of growth and splendour of thy stationG
By the shame of men thy children and the prideI
By the pale cheeked hope that sleeps and weeps and passesF
As the grey dew from the morning mountain grassesF
By the white lipped sightless memories that abideI
By the silence and the sound of many sorrowsJ
By the joys that leapt up living and fell deadK
By the veil that hides thy hands and breasts and headK
Wrought of divers coloured days and nights and morrowsJ
Isis thou that knowest of God what worlds are worthC
Thou the ghost of God the mother uncreatedK
Soul for whom the floating forceless ages waitedK
As our forceless fancies wait on thee O EarthC
Thou the body and soul the father God and motherL
If at all it move thee knowing of all things doneG
Here where evil things and good things are not oneG
But their faces are as fire against each otherL
By thy morning and thine evening night and dayK
By the first white light that stirs and strives and hoversJ
As a bird above the brood her bosom coversJ
By the sweet last star that takes the westward wayK
By the night whose feet are shod with snow or thunderL
Fledged with plumes of storm or soundless as the dewK
By the vesture bound of many folded blueK
Round her breathless breasts and all the woven wonderL
By the golden growing eastern stream of seaJ
By the sounds of sunrise moving in the mountainsJ
By the forces of the floods and unsealed fountainsJ
Thou that badest man be born bid man be freeJ
-
GREECEJ
-
I am she that made thee lovely with my beautyJ
From north to southM
Mine the fairest lips took first the fire of dutyJ
From thine own mouthM
Mine the fairest eyes sought first thy laws and knew themN
Truths undefiledJ
Mine the fairest hands took freedom first into themN
A weanling childJ
By my light now he lies sleeping seen above himO
Where none sees otherL
By my dead that loved and living men that love himO
Cho Hear us O motherL
-
ITALYJ
-
I am she that was the light of thee enkindledJ
When Greece grew dimO
She whose life grew up with man's free life and dwindledJ
With wane of himO
She that once by sword and once by word imperialP
Struck bright thy gloomQ
And a third time casting off these years funerealP
Shall burst thy tombQ
By that bond 'twixt thee and me whereat affrightedJ
Thy tyrants fear usJ
By that hope and this remembrance reunitedJ
Cho O mother hear usJ
-
SPAINR
-
I am she that set my seal upon the namelessJ
West worlds of seasJ
And my sons as brides took unto them the tamelessJ
HesperidesJ
Till my sins and sons through sinless lands dispersedJ
With red flame shodJ
Made accurst the name of man and thrice accursedJ
The name of GodJ
Lest for those past fires the fires of my repentanceJ
Hell's fume yet smotherL
Now my blood would buy remission of my sentenceJ
Cho Hear us O motherL
-
FRANCEJ
-
I am she that was thy sign and standard bearerL
Thy voice and cryS
She that washed thee with her blood and left thee fairerL
The same was IS
Were not these the hands that raised thee fallen and fed theeJ
These hands defiledJ
Was not I thy tongue that spake thine eye that led theeJ
Not I thy childJ
By the darkness on our dreams and the dead errorsJ
Of dead times near usJ
By the hopes that hang around thee and the terrorsJ
Cho O mother hear usJ
-
RUSSIAJ
-
I am she whose hands are strong and her eyes blindedJ
And lips athirstJ
Till upon the night of nations many mindedJ
One bright day burstJ
Till the myriad stars be molten into one lightJ
And that light thineT
Till the soul of man be parcel of the sunlightJ
And thine of mineT
By the snows that blanch not him nor cleanse from slaughterL
Who slays his brotherL
By the stains and by the chains on me thy daughterL
Cho Hear us O motherL
-
SWITZERLANDJ
-
I am she that shews on mighty limbs and maidenG
Nor chain nor stainR
For what blood can touch these hands with gold unladenR
These feet what chainR
By the surf of spears one shieldless bosom breastedJ
And was my shieldJ
Till the plume plucked Austrian vulture heads twin crestedJ
Twice drenched the fieldJ
By the snows and souls untrampled and untroubledJ
That shine to cheer usJ
Light of those to these responsive and redoubledJ
Cho O mother hear usJ
-
GERMANYR
-
I am she beside whose forest hidden fountainsJ
Slept freedom armedJ
By the magic born to music in my mountainsJ
Heart chained and charmedJ
By those days the very dream whereof deliversJ
My soul from wrongU
By the sounds that make of all my ringing riversJ
None knows what songU
By the many tribes and names of my divisionR
One from anotherL
By the single eye of sun compelling visionR
Cho Hear us O motherL
-
ENGLANDJ
-
I am she that was and was not of thy chosenR
Free and not freeR
She that fed thy springs till now her springs are frozenR
Yet I am sheR
By the sea that clothed and sun that saw me splendidJ
And fame that crownedJ
By the song fires and the sword fires mixed and blendedJ
That robed me roundJ
By the star that Milton's soul for Shelley's lightedJ
Whose rays insphere usJ
By the beacon bright Republic far off sightedJ
Cho O mother hear usJ
-
CHORUSJ
-
Turn away from us the cross blown blasts of errorL
That drown each otherL
Turn away the fearful cry the loud tongued terrorL
O Earth O motherL
Turn away their eyes who track their hearts who followP
The pathless pastJ
Shew the soul of man as summer shews the swallowP
The way at lastJ
By the sloth of men that all too long endure menR
On man to treadJ
By the cry of men the bitter cry of poor menR
That faint for breadJ
By the blood sweat of the people in the gardenR
Inwalled of kingsJ
By his passion interceding for their pardonR
Who do these thingsJ
By the sightless souls and fleshless limbs that labourV
For not their fruitJ
By the foodless mouth with foodless heart for neighbourV
That mad is muteJ
By the child that famine eats as worms the blossomW
Ah God the childJ
By the milkless lips that strain the bloodless bosomW
Till woe runs wildJ
By the pastures that give grass to feed the lamb inR
Where men lack meatJ
By the cities clad with gold and shame and famineR
By field and streetJ
By the people by the poor man by the masterV
That men call slaveX
By the cross winds of defeat and of disasterV
By wreck by waveX
By the helm that keeps us still to sunwards drivingY
Still eastward boundJ
Till as night watch ends day burn on eyes revivingY
And land be foundJ
We thy children that arraign not nor impeach theeR
Though no star steer usJ
By the waves that wash the morning we beseech theeR
O mother hear usJ

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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