The Question Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABBABCDECDFGGFGHIIJI JKKJLMNNMNOPPOPDJJDJ QPPQPRJJRJSTTSTJAAJA UVVUVNPPNPWMMWMXJJXJ YJJYJJJJJJZOOZOA2JJA 2J

Shall England consummate the crimeA
That binds the murderer's hand and leavesB
No surety for the trust of thievesB
Time pleads against it truth and timeA
And pity frowns and grievesB
The hoary henchman of the gangC
Lifts hands that never dew nor rainD
May cleanse from Gordon's blood againE
Appealing pity's tenderest pangC
Thrills his pure heart with painD
Grand helmsman of the clamorous crewF
The good grey recreant quakes and weepsG
To think that crime no longer creepsG
Safe toward its end that murderers tooF
May die when mercy sleepsG
While all the lives were innocentH
That slaughter drank and laughed with rageI
Bland virtue sighed A former ageI
Taught murder souls long discontentJ
Can aught save blood assuageI
You blame not Russian hands that smiteJ
By fierce and secret ways the powerK
That leaves not life one chainless hourK
Have these than they less natural rightJ
To claim life's natural dowerL
The dower that freedom brings the slaveM
She weds is vengeance why should weN
Whom equal laws acclaim as freeN
Think shame if men too blindly braveM
Steal murder skulk and fleeN
At kings they strike in Russia thereO
Men take their life in hand who slayP
Kings these that have not heart to layP
Hand save on girls whose ravaged hairO
Is made the patriot's preyP
These whom the sight of old men slainD
Makes bold to bid their children dieJ
Starved if they hold not peace nor lieJ
Claim loftier praise could others deignD
To stand in shame so highJ
Could others deign to dare such deedsQ
As holiest Ireland hallows NayP
But justice then makes plain our wayP
Be laws burnt up like burning weedsQ
That vex the face of dayP
Shall bloodmongers be held of usR
Blood guilty Hands reached out for goldJ
Whereon blood rusts not yet we holdJ
Bloodless and blameless ever thusR
Have good men held of oldJ
Fair Freedom fledged and imped with liesS
Takes flight by night where murder lurksT
And broods on murderous ways and worksT
Yet seems not hideous in our eyesS
As Austrians or as TurksT
Be it ours to undo a woful pastJ
To bid the bells of concord chimeA
To break the bonds of suffering crimeA
Slack now that some would make more fastJ
Such teaching comes of timeA
So pleads the gentlest heart that livesU
Whose pity pitiless for allV
Whom darkling terror holds in thrallV
Toward none save miscreants yearns and givesU
Alms of warm tears and gallV
Hear England and obey for heN
Who claims thy trust again to dayP
Is he who left thy sons a preyP
To shame whence only death sets freeN
Hear England and obeyP
Thy spoils he gave to deck the DutchW
Thy noblest pride most pure most braveM
To death forlorn and sure he gaveM
Nor now requires he overmuchW
Who bids thee dig thy graveM
Dig deep the grave of shame whereinX
Thy fame thy commonweal must lieJ
Put thought of aught save terror byJ
To strike and slay the slayer is sinX
And Murder must not dieJ
Bind fast the true man loose the thiefY
Shamed were the land the laws accursedJ
Were guilt not innocence amercedJ
And dark the wrong and sore the griefY
Were tyrants too coercedJ
The fiercest cowards that ever skulkedJ
The cowardliest hounds that ever lappedJ
Blood if their horde be tracked and trappedJ
And justice claim their lives for mulctJ
Gnash teeth that flashed and snappedJ
Bow down for fear then England bowZ
Lest worse befall thee yet and swearO
That nought save pity conscience careO
For truth and mercy moves thee nowZ
To call foul falsehood fairO
So shalt thou live in shame and hearA2
The lips of all men laugh thee deadJ
The wide world's mockery round thy headJ
Shriek like a storm wind and a bierA2
Shall be thine honour's bedJ

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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