Tristram Of Lyonesse - Iii - Tristram In Brittany Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDDEEFFGGHHHIIJJK KKLLMMNNOFPPQQRRSSCC EEKKTTUUVVBBKKWWXXYY IICCZA2VVB2C2D2D2E2E 2UUOFKKF2F2G2G2VVTTK KH2H2QQCCI2I2J2J2K2K 2EEL2BBM2E2H2H2N2N2D DO2O2P2Q2BBCCTTE2E2R 2R2RRS2S2HHT2T2G2G2U 2U2V2V2TTW2W2F2F2K2K 2B2C2X2X2QQCCY2Y2Z2Z 2DDIIJ2J2A3A3VVB3B3C CQQC3H2D3D3E3E3BBF3F 3NNQQFOG3G3H3H3I3I3V VJ3J3B3B3K3K3L3M3N3N 3O2O2PPO3O3VVP3P3J3J 3BBO2O2A2A2K3K3HHQ3Q 3R3R3VVCCS3S3SSBBT3T 3U3U3A3A3QQV3W3QQX3X 3VVK3K3Q2Y3Z3Z3BBG2G 2TTB3B3UUA4A4CCL3M3B 4B4BBC4C4D4D4KBCCE4E 4Y2Y2B3B3VVN2N2O3O3Y 2Y2OFZ2Z2F4F4G4G4H4H 4I4I4B2B2HHG4G4G4G4G 4G4RRG4G4D4D4G4G4G4Q 2Q2G4G4O3O3B3B3J4J4G 4G4G4G4G4Q2Q2QQQW2W2 G4G4O3O3ZA2K4K4K4 L4L4O3L4O3 BBO3BO3 G4G4O3G4O3 KKO3KO3 E2E2O3E2O3 G4G4O3G4O3 G4G4B3B3G4G4V2V2V2G4 G4G4BBBE2M2E2G4G4

'As the dawn loves the sunlight I love thee '	A
As men that shall be swallowed of the sea	B
Love the sea's lovely beauty as the night	C
That wanes before it loves the young sweet light	C
And dies of loving as the worn out noon	D
Loves twilight and as twilight loves the moon	D
That on its grave a silver seal shall set	E
We have loved and slain each other and love yet	E
Slain for we live not surely being in twain	F
In her I lived and in me she is slain	F
Who loved me that I brought her to her doom	G
Who loved her that her love might be my tomb	G
As all the streams on earth and all fresh springs	H
And sweetest waters every brook that sings	H
Each fountain where the young year dips its wings	H
First and the first fledged branches of it wave	I
Even with one heart's love seek one bitter grave	I
From hills that first see bared the morning's breast	J
And heights the sun last yearns to from the west	J
All tend but toward the sea all born most high	K
Strive downward passing all things joyous by	K
Seek to it and cast their lives in it and die	K
So strive all lives for death which all lives win	L
So sought her soul to my soul and therein	L
Was poured and perished O my love and mine	M
Sought to thee and died of thee and died as thine	M
As the dawn loves the sunlight that must cease	N
Ere dawn again may rise and pass in peace	N
Must die that she being dead may live again	O
To be by his new rising nearly slain	F
So rolls the great wheel of the great world round	P
And no change in it and no fault is found	P
And no true life of perdurable breath	Q
And surely no irrevocable death	Q
Day after day night comes that day may break	R
And day comes back for night's reiterate sake	R
Each into each dies each of each is born	S
Day past is night shall night past not be morn	S
Out of this moonless and faint hearted night	C
That love yet lives in shall there not be light	C
Light strong as love that love may live in yet	E
Alas but how shall foolish hope forget	E
How all these loving things that kill and die	K
Meet not but for a breath's space and pass by	K
Night is kissed once of dawn and dies and day	T
But touches twilight and is rapt away	T
So may my love and her love meet once more	U
And meeting be divided as of yore	U
Yea surely as the day star loves the sun	V
And when he hath risen is utterly undone	V
So is my love of her and hers of me	B
And its most sweetness bitter as the sea	B
Would God yet dawn might see the sun and die	K
Three years had looked on earth and passed it by	K
Since Tristram looked on Iseult when he stood	W
So communing with dreams of evil and good	W
And let all sad thoughts through his spirit sweep	X
As leaves through air or tears through eyes that weep	X
Or snowflakes through dark weather and his soul	Y
That had seen all those sightless seasons roll	Y
One after one wave over weary wave	I
Was in him as a corpse is in its grave	I
Yet for his heart was mighty and his might	C
Through all the world as a great sound and light	C
The mood was rare upon him save that here	Z
In the low sundawn of the lightening year	A2
With all last year's toil and its triumph done	V
He could not choose but yearn for that set sun	V
Which at this season saw the firstborn kiss	B2
That made his lady's mouth one fire with his	C2
Yet his great heart being greater than his grief	D2
Kept all the summer of his strength in leaf	D2
And all the rose of his sweet spirit in flower	E2
Still his soul fed upon the sovereign hour	E2
That had been or that should be and once more	U
He looked through drifted sea and drifting shore	U
That crumbled in the wave breach and again	O
Spake sad and deep within himself What pain	F
Should make a man's soul wholly break and die	K
Sapped as weak sand by water How shall I	K
Be less than all less things are that endure	F2
And strive and yield when time is Nay full sure	F2
All these and we are parts of one same end	G2
And if through fire or water we twain tend	G2
To that sure life where both must be made one	V
If one we be what matter Thou O sun	V
The face of God if God thou be not nay	T
What but God should I think thee what should say	T
Seeing thee rerisen but very God should I	K
I fool rebuke thee sovereign in thy sky	K
The clouds dead round thee and the air alive	H2
The winds that lighten and the waves that strive	H2
Toward this shore as to that beneath thy breath	Q
Because in me my thoughts bear all towards death	Q
O sun that when we are dead wilt rise as bright	C
Air deepening up toward heaven and nameless light	C
And heaven immeasurable and faint clouds blown	I2
Between us and the lowest aerial zone	I2
And each least skirt of their imperial state	J2
Forgive us that we held ourselves so great	J2
What should I do to curse you I indeed	K2
Am a thing meaner than this least wild weed	K2
That my foot bruises and I know not yet	E
Would not be mean enough for worms to fret	E
Before their time and mine was	L2
Ah and ye	B
Light washing weeds blind waifs of dull blind sea	B
Do ye so thirst and hunger and aspire	M2
Are ye so moved with such long strong desire	E2
In the ebb and flow of your sad life and strive	H2
Still toward some end ye shall not see alive	H2
But at high noon ye know it by light and heat	N2
Some half hour till ye feel the fresh tide beat	N2
Up round you and at night's most bitter noon	D
The ripples leave you naked to the moon	D
And this dim dusty heather that I tread	O2
These half born blossoms born at once and dead	O2
Sere brown as funeral cloths and purple as pall	P2
What if some life and grief be in them all	Q2
Ay what of these but O strong sun O sea	B
I bid not you divine things comfort me	B
I stand not up to match you in your sight	C
Who hath said ye have mercy toward us ye who have might	C
And though ye had mercy I think I would not pray	T
That ye should change your counsel or your way	T
To make our life less bitter if such power	E2
Be given the stars on one deciduous hour	E2
And such might be in planets to destroy	R2
Grief and rebuild and break and build up joy	R2
What man would stretch forth hand on them to make	R
Fate mutable God foolish for his sake	R
For if in life or death be aught of trust	S2
And if some unseen just God or unjust	S2
Put soul into the body of natural things	H
And in time's pauseless feet and worldwide wings	H
Some spirit of impulse and some sense of will	T2
That steers them through the seas of good and ill	T2
To some incognizable and actual end	G2
Be it just or unjust foe to man or friend	G2
How should we make the stable spirit to swerve	U2
How teach the strong soul of the world to serve	U2
The imperious will in time and sense in space	V2
That gives man life turn back to give man place	V2
The conscious law lose conscience of its way	T
The rule and reason fail from night and day	T
The streams flow back toward whence the springs began	W2
That less of thirst might sear the lips of man	W2
Let that which is be and sure strengths stand sure	F2
And evil or good and death or life endure	F2
Not alterable and rootless but indeed	K2
A very stem born of a very seed	K2
That brings forth fruit in season how should this	B2
Die that was sown and that not be which is	C2
And the old fruit change that came of the ancient root	X2
And he that planted bid it not bear fruit	X2
And he that watered smite his vine with drouth	Q
Because its grapes are bitter in our mouth	Q
And he that kindled quench the sun with night	C
Because its beams are fire against our sight	C
And he that tuned untune the sounding spheres	Y2
Because their song is thunder in our ears	Y2
How should the skies change and the stars and time	Z2
Break the large concord of the years that chime	Z2
Answering as wave to wave beneath the moon	D
That draws them shoreward mar the whole tide's tune	D
For the instant foam's sake on one turning wave	I
For man's sake that is grass upon a grave	I
How should the law that knows not soon or late	J2
For whom no time nor space is how should fate	J2
That is not good nor evil wise nor mad	A3
Nor just nor unjust neither glad nor sad	A3
How should the one thing that hath being the one	V
That moves not as the stars move or the sun	V
Or any shadow or shape that lives or dies	B3
In likeness of dead earth or living skies	B3
But its own darkness and its proper light	C
Clothe it with other names than day or night	C
And its own soul of strength and spirit of breath	Q
Feed it with other powers than life or death	Q
How should it turn from its great way to give	C3
Man that must die a clearer space to live	H2
Why should the waters of the sea be cleft	D3
The hills be molten to his right and left	D3
That he from deep to deep might pass dry shod	E3
Or look between the viewless heights on God	E3
Hath he such eyes as when the shadows flee	B
The sun looks out with to salute the sea	B
Is his hand bounteous as the morning's hand	F3
Or where the night stands hath he feet to stand	F3
Will the storm cry not when he bids it cease	N
Is it his voice that saith to the east wind Peace	N
Is his breath mightier than the west wind's breath	Q
Doth his heart know the things of life and death	Q
Can his face bring forth sunshine and give rain	F
Or his weak will that dies and lives again	O
Make one thing certain or bind one thing fast	G3
That as he willed it shall be at the last	G3
How should the storms of heaven and kindled lights	H3
And all the depths of things and topless heights	H3
And air and earth and fire and water change	I3
Their likeness and the natural world grow strange	I3
And all the limits of their life undone	V
Lose count of time and conscience of the sun	V
And that fall under which was fixed above	J3
That man might have a larger hour for love	J3
So musing with close lips and lifted eyes	B3
That smiled with self contempt to live so wise	B3
With silent heart so hungry now so long	K3
So late grown clear so miserably made strong	K3
About the wolds a banished man he went	L3
The brown wolds bare and sad as banishment	M3
By wastes of fruitless flowerage and grey downs	N3
That felt the sea wind shake their wild flower crowns	N3
As though fierce hands would pluck from some grey head	O2
The spoils of majesty despised and dead	O2
And fill with crying and comfortless strange sound	P
Their hollow sides and heights of herbless ground	P
Yet as he went fresh courage on him came	O3
Till dawn rose too within him as a flame	O3
The heart of the ancient hills and his were one	V
The winds took counsel with him and the sun	V
Spake comfort in his ears the shout of birds	P3
Was as the sound of clear sweet spirited words	P3
The noise of streams as laughter from above	J3
Of the old wild lands and as a cry of love	J3
Spring's trumpet blast blown over moor and lea	B
The skies were red as love is and the sea	B
Was as the floor of heaven for love to tread	O2
So went he as with light about his head	O2
And in the joyous travail of the year	A2
Grew April hearted since nor grief nor fear	A2
Can master so a young man's blood so long	K3
That it shall move not to the mounting song	K3
Of that sweet hour when earth replumes her wings	H
And with fair face and heart set heavenward sings	H
As an awakened angel unaware	Q3
That feels his sleep fall from him and his hair	Q3
By some new breath of wind and music stirred	R3
Till like the sole song of one heavenly bird	R3
Sounds all the singing of the host of heaven	V
And all the glories of the sovereign Seven	V
Are as one face of one incorporate light	C
And as that host of singers in God's sight	C
Might draw toward one that slumbered and arouse	S3
The lips requickened and rekindling brows	S3
So seemed the earthly host of all things born	S
In sight of spring and eyeshot of the morn	S
All births of land or waifs of wind and sea	B
To draw toward him that sorrowed and set free	B
From presage and remembrance of all pains	T3
The life that leapt and lightened in his veins	T3
So with no sense abashed nor sunless look	U3
But with exalted eyes and heart he took	U3
His part of sun or storm wind and was glad	A3
For all things lost of these good things he had	A3
And the spring loved him surely being from birth	Q
One made out of the better part of earth	Q
A man born as at sunrise one that saw	V3
Not without reverence and sweet sense of awe	W3
But wholly without fear of fitful breath	Q
The face of life watched by the face of death	Q
And living took his fill of rest and strife	X3
Of love and change and fruit and seed of life	X3
And when his time to live in light was done	V
With unbent head would pass out of the sun	V
A spirit as morning fair and clear and strong	K3
Whose thought and work were as one harp and song	K3
Heard through the world as in a strange king's hall	Q2
Some great guest's voice that sings of festival	Y3
So seemed all things to love him and his heart	Z3
In all their joy of life to take such part	Z3
That with the live earth and the living sea	B
He was as one that communed mutually	B
With naked heart to heart of friend to friend	G2
And the star deepening at the sunset's end	G2
And the moon fallen before the gate of day	T
As one sore wearied with vain length of way	T
And the winds wandering and the streams and skies	B3
As faces of his fellows in his eyes	B3
Nor lacked there love where he was evermore	U
Of man and woman friend of sea or shore	U
Not measurable with weight of graven gold	A4
Free as the sun's gift of the world to hold	A4
Given each day back to man's reconquering sight	C
That loses but its lordship for a night	C
And now that after many a season spent	L3
In barren ways and works of banishment	M3
Toil of strange fights and many a fruitless field	B4
Ventures of quest and vigils under shield	B4
He came back to the strait of sundering sea	B
That parts green Cornwall from grey Brittany	B
Where dwelt the high king's daughter of the lands	C4
Iseult named alway from her fair white hands	C4
She looked on him and loved him but being young	D4
Made shamefastness a seal upon her tongue	D4
And on her heart that none might hear its cry	K
Set the sweet signet of humility	B
Yet when he came a stranger in her sight	C
A banished man and weary no such knight	C
As when the Swallow dipped her bows in foam	E4
Steered singing that imperial Iseult home	E4
This maiden with her sinless sixteen years	Y2
Full of sweet thoughts and hopes that played at fears	Y2
Cast her eyes on him but in courteous wise	B3
And lo the man's face burned upon her eyes	B3
As though she had turned them on the naked sun	V
And through her limbs she felt sweet passion run	V
As fire that flowed down from her face and beat	N2
Soft through stirred veins on even to her hands and feet	N2
As all her body were one heart on flame	O3
Athrob with love and wonder and sweet shame	O3
And when he spake there sounded in her ears	Y2
As 'twere a song out of the graves of years	Y2
Heard and again forgotten and again	O
Remembered with a rapturous pulse of pain	F
But as the maiden mountain snow sublime	Z2
Takes the first sense of April's trembling time	Z2
Soft on a brow that burns not though it blush	F4
To feel the sunrise hardly half aflush	F4
So took her soul the sense of change nor thought	G4
That more than maiden love was more than nought	G4
Her eyes went hardly after him her cheek	H4
Grew scarce a goodlier flower to hear him speak	H4
Her bright mouth no more trembled than a rose	I4
May for the least wind's breathless sake that blows	I4
Too soft to sue save for a sister's kiss	B2
And if she sighed in sleep she knew not this	B2
Yet in her heart hovered the thoughts of things	H
Past that with lighter or with heavier wings	H
Beat round about her memory till it burned	G4
With grief that brightened and with hope that yearned	G4
Seeing him so great and sad nor knowing what fate	G4
Had bowed and crowned a head so sad and great	G4
Nor might she guess but little first or last	G4
Though all her heart so hung upon his past	G4
Of what so bowed him for what sorrow's sake	R
For scarce of aught at any time he spake	R
That from his own land oversea had sent	G4
His lordly life to barren banishment	G4
Yet still or soft or keen remembrance clung	D4
Close round her of the least word from his tongue	D4
That fell by chance of courtesy to greet	G4
With grace of tender thanks her pity sweet	G4
As running streams to men's way wearied feet	G4
And when between strange words her name would fall	Q2
Suddenly straightway to that lure's recall	Q2
Back would his heart bound as the falconer's bird	G4
And tremble and bow down before the word	G4
Iseult and all the cloudlike world grew flame	O3
And all his heart flashed lightning at her name	O3
Iseult and all the wan waste weary skies	B3
Shone as his queen's own love enkindled eyes	B3
And seeing the bright blood in his face leap up	J4
As red wine mantling in a royal cup	J4
To hear the sudden sweetness of the sound	G4
Ring but ere well his heart had time to bound	G4
His cheek would change and grief bow down his head	G4
Haply the girl's heart though she spake not said	G4
This name of mine was worn of one long dead	G4
Some sister that he loved and therewithal	Q2
Would pity bring her heart more deep in thrall	Q2
But once when winds about the world made mirth	Q
And March held revel hard on April's birth	Q
Till air and sea were jubilant as earth	Q
Delight and doubt in sense and soul began	W2
And yearning of the maiden toward the man	W2
Harping on high before her for his word	G4
Was fire that kindled in her heart that heard	G4
And alway through the rhymes reverberate came	O3
The virginal soft burden of her name	O3
And ere the full song failed upon her ear	Z
Joy strove within her till it cast out fear	A2
And all her heart was as his harp and rang	K4
Swift music made of hope whose birthnote sprang	K4
Bright in the blood that kindled as he sang	K4
	-
Stars know not how we call them nor may flowers	L4
Know by what happy name the hovering hours	L4
Baptize their new born heads with dew and flame	O3
And Love adored of all time as of ours	L4
Iseult knew nought for ages of his name	O3
	-
With many tongues men called on him but he	B
Wist not which word of all might worthiest be	B
To sound for ever in his ear the same	O3
Till heart of man might hear and soul might see	B
Iseult the radiance ringing from thy name	O3
	-
By many names men called him as the night	G4
By many a name calls many a starry light	G4
Her several sovereigns of dividual fame	O3
But day by one name only calls aright	G4
Iseult the sun that bids men praise his name	O3
	-
In many a name of man his name soared high	K
And song shone round it soaring till the sky	K
Rang rapture and the world's fast founded frame	O3
Trembled with sense of triumph even as I	K
Iseult with sense of worship at thy name	O3
	-
In many a name of woman smiled his power	E2
Incarnate as all summer in a flower	E2
Till winter bring forgetfulness or shame	O3
But thine the keystone of his topless tower	E2
Iseult is one with Love's own lordliest name	O3
	-
Iseult my love Iseult my queen twice crowned	G4
In thee my death in thee my life lies bound	G4
Names are there yet that all men's hearts acclaim	O3
But Love's own heart rings answer to the sound	G4
Iseult that bids it bow before thy name	O3
	-
There ceased his voice yearning upon the word	G4
Struck with strong passion dumb but she that heard	G4
Quailed to the heart and trembled ere her eyes	B3
Durst let the loving light within them rise	B3
And yearn on his for answer yet at last	G4
Albeit not all her fear was overpast	G4
Hope kindling even the frost of fear apace	V2
With sweet fleet bloom and breath of gradual grace	V2
Flushed in the changing roses of her face	V2
And ere the strife took truce of white with red	G4
Or joy for soft shame's sake durst lift up head	G4
Something she would and would not fain have said	G4
And wist not what the fluttering word would be	B
But rose and reached forth to him her hand and he	B
Heart stricken bowed his head and dropped his knee	B
And on her fragrant hand his lips were fire	E2
And their two hearts were as one trembling lyre	M2
Touched by the keen wind's kiss with brief desire	E2
And music shuddering at its own delight	G4
So dawned the moonrise of their marriage night	G4

Algernon Charles Swinburne

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