The Masque Of Queen Bersabe: A Miracle-play Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Algernon Charles Swinburne

The Masque Of Queen Bersabe: A Miracle-play Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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KING DAVID	A
Knights mine all that be in hall	B
I have a counsel to you all	B
Because of this thing God lets fall	B
Among us for a sign	C
For some days hence as I did eat	D
From kingly dishes my good meat	D
There flew a bird between my feet	D
As red as any wine	C
This bird had a long bill of red	E
And a gold ring above his head	E
Long time he sat and nothing said	E
Put softly down his neck and fed	E
From the gilt patens fine	C
And as I marvelled at the last	F
He shut his two keen ey n fast	F
And suddenly woxe big and brast	F
Ere one should tell to nine	C
	-
PRIMUS MILES	G
Sir note this that I will say	H
That Lord who maketh corn with hay	H
And morrows each of yesterday	H
He hath you in his hand	F
	-
SECUNDUS MILES Paganus quidam	I
By Satan I hold no such thing	J
For if wine swell within a king	J
Whose ears for drink are hot and ring	J
The same shall dream of wine bibbing	J
Whilst he can lie or stand	F
	-
QUEEN BERSABE	K
Peace now lords for Godis head	F
Ye chirk as starlings that be fed	F
And gape as fishes newly dead	F
The devil put your bones to bed	F
Lo this is all to say	H
	-
SECUNDUS MILES	G
By Mahound lords I have good will	L
This devil s bird to wring and spill	L
For now meseems our game goes ill	L
Ye have scant hearts to play	H
	-
TERTIUS MILES	G
Lo sirs this word is there said	F
That Urias the knight is dead	F
Through some ill craft by Poulis head	F
I doubt his blood hath made so red	F
This bird that flew from the queen s bed	F
Whereof ye have such fear	M
	-
KING DAVID	F
Yea my good knave and is it said	F
That I can raise men from the dead	F
By God I think to have his head	F
Who saith words of my lady s bed	F
For any thief to hear	N
	-
Et percutiat eum in capite	F
	-
QUEEN BERSABE	K
I wis men shall spit at me	I
And say it were but right for thee	I
That one should hang thee on a tree	I
Ho it were a fair thing to see	I
The big stones bruise her false body	I
Fie who shall see her dead	F
	-
KING DAVID	F
I rede you have no fear of this	O
For as ye wot the first good kiss	O
I had must be the last of his	P
Now are ye queen of mine I wis	O
And lady of a house that is	P
Full rich of meat and bread	F
	-
PRIMUS MILES	G
I bid you make good cheer to be	I
So fair a queen as all men see	I
And hold us for your lieges free	I
By Peter s soul that hath the key	I
Ye have good hap of it	F
	-
SECUNDUS MILES	G
I would that he were hanged and dead	F
Who hath no joy to see your head	F
With gold about it barred on red	F
I hold him as a sow of lead	F
That is so scant of wit	F
	-
Tunc dicat NATHAN propheta	F
	-
O king I have a word to thee	I
The child that is in Bersabe	I
Shall wither without light to see	I
This word is come of God by me	I
For sin that ye have done	Q
Because herein ye did not right	F
To take the fair one lamb to smite	F
That was of Urias the knight	F
Ye wist he had but one	Q
Full many sheep I wot ye had	F
And many women when ye bade	F
To do your will and keep you glad	F
And a good crown about your head	F
With gold to show thereon	R
This Urias had one poor house	S
With low barred latoun shot windows	T
And scant of corn to fill a mouse	S
And rusty basnets for his brows	U
To wear them to the bone	V
Yea the roofs also as men sain	W
Were thin to hold against the rain	W
Therefore what rushes were there lain	W
Grew wet withouten foot of men	X
The stancheons were all gone in twain	W
As sick man s flesh is gone	R
Nathless he had great joy to see	I
The long hair of this Bersabe	I
Fall round her lap and round her knee	I
Even to her small soft feet that be	I
Shod now with crimson royally	I
And covered with clean gold	F
Likewise great joy he had to kiss	O
Her throat where now the scarlet is	P
Against her little chin I wis	O
That then was but cold	F
No scarlet then her kirtle had	F
And little gold about it sprad	F
But her red mouth was alway glad	F
To kiss albeit the eyes were sad	F
With love they had to hold	F
	-
SECUNDUS MILES	G
How old thief thy wits are lame	I
To clip such it is no shame	I
I rede you in the devil s name	I
Ye come not here to make men game	I
By Termagaunt that maketh grame	I
I shall to bete thine head	F
	-
Hic Diabolus capiat eum	I
	-
This knave hath sharp fingers perfay	Y
Mahound you thank and keep alway	Z
And give you good knees to pray	H
What man hath no lust to play	H
The devil wring his ears I say	H
There is no more but wellaway	Z
For now am I dead	F
	-
KING DAVID	F
Certes his mouth is wried and black	J
Full little pence be in his sack	J
This devil hath him by the back	J
It is no boot to lie	A2
	-
NATHAN	Q
Sitteth now still and learn of me	I
A little while and ye shall see	I
The face of God s strength presently	I
All queens made as this Bersabe	I
All that were fair and foul ye be	I
Come hither it am I	A2
	-
Et h c omnes cantabunt	F
	-
HERODIAS	I
I am the queen Herodias	I
This headband of my temples was	I
King Herod s gold band woven me	I
This broken dry staff in my hand	F
Was the queen s staff of a great land	F
Betwixen Perse and Samarie	H
For that one dancing of my feet	F
The fire is come in my green wheat	F
From one sea to the other sea	I
	-
AHOLIBAH	I
I am the queen Aholibah	I
My lips kissed dumb the word of Ah	B2
Sighed on strange lips grown sick thereby	I
God wrought to me my royal bed	F
The inner work thereof was red	F
The outer work was ivory	I
My mouth s heat was the heat of flame	I
For lust towards the kings that came	I
With horsemen riding royally	I
	-
CLEOPATRA	H
I am the queen of Ethiope	C2
Love bade my kissing eyelids ope	C2
That men beholding might praise love	Y
My hair was wonderful and curled	F
My lips held fast the mouth o the world	F
To spoil the strength and speech thereof	Y
The latter triumph in my breath	D2
Bowed down the beaten brows of death	D2
Ashamed they had not wrath enough	Y
	-
ABIHAIL	I
I am the queen of Tyrians	I
My hair was glorious for twelve spans	I
That dried to loose dust afterward	F
My stature was a strong man s length	E2
My neck was like a place of strength	E2
Built with white walls even and hard	F
Like the first noise of rain leaves catch	F2
One from another snatch by snatch	F2
Is my praise hissed against and marred	F
	-
AZUBAH	I
I am the queen of Amorites	I
My face was like a place of lights	I
With multitudes at festival	I
The glory of my gracious brows	I
Was like God s house made glorious	I
With colours upon either wall	I
Between my brows and hair there was	I
A white space like a space of glass	I
With golden candles over all	I
	-
AHOLAH	I
I am the queen of Amalek	J
There was no tender touch or fleck	J
To spoil my body or bared feet	F
My words were soft like dulcimers	I
And the first sweet of grape flowers	I
Made each side of my bosom sweet	F
My raiment was as tender fruit	F
Whose rind smells sweet of spice tree root	F
Bruised balm blossom and budded wheat	F
	-
AHINOAM	I
I am the queen Ahinoam	I
Like the throat of a soft slain lamb	I
Was my throat softer veined than his	I
My lips were as two grapes the sun	Q
Lays his whole weight of heat upon	G2
Like a mouth heavy with a kiss	I
My hair s pure purple a wrought fleece	I
My temples therein as a piece	I
Of a pomegranate s cleaving is	I
	-
ATARAH	H
I am the queen Sidonian	G2
My face made faint the face of man	G2
And strength was bound between my brows	I
Spikenard was hidden in my ships	I
Honey and wheat and myrrh in strips	I
White wools that shine as colour does	I
Soft linen dyed upon the fold	F
Split spice and cores of scented gold	F
Cedar and broken calamus	I
	-
SEMIRAMIS	I
I am the queen Semiramis	I
The whole world and the sea that is	I
In fashion like a chrysopras	I
The noise of all men labouring	J
The priest s mouth tired through thanksgiving	J
The sound of love in the blood s pause	I
The strength of love in the blood s beat	F
All these were cast beneath my feet	F
And all found lesser than I was	I
	-
HESIONE	G2
I am the queen Hesione	G2
The seasons that increased in me	I
Made my face fairer than all men s	I
I had the summer in my hair	H
And all the pale gold autumn air	H
Was as the habit of my sense	I
My body was as fire that shone	G2
God s beauty that makes all things one	G2
Was one among my	I