Tristram Of Lyonesse - Iv - The Maiden Marriage Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFEEGGHHII JJKKEELLLMMNNOOEEPPQ QRRSSTTEEEUUVVEEEECC EEWWDXEEEEEELLEEERRE EYYZZA2A2RRREEB2C2NN YYRRREEEEEEED2D2EEE2 E2EEF2F2OONNZZEEDDRR IG2WWEED2D2H2I2EEDDE EJ2J2XXXK2K2RREEH2H2 EEEEEXXXNNNRRGGNNRRL 2L2ZZA2A2EEKKDDEEEEG GEEM2M2RRHHIG2N2N2NN O2O2NNJJEEHHHNNXXEEE EESpring watched her last moon burn and fade with May | A |
While the days deepened toward a bridal day | A |
And on her snowbright hand the ring was set | B |
While in the maiden's ear the song's word yet | B |
Hovered that hailed as love's own queen by name | C |
Iseult and in her heart the word was flame | C |
A pulse of light a breath of tender fire | D |
Too dear for doubt too driftless for desire | D |
Between her father's hand and brother's led | E |
From hall to shrine from shrine to marriage bed | E |
She saw not how by hap at home coming | F |
Fell from her new lord's hand a royal ring | F |
Whereon he looked and felt the pulse astart | E |
Speak passion in his faith forsaken heart | E |
For this was given him of the hand wherein | G |
That heart's pledge lay for ever so the sin | G |
That should be done if truly he should take | H |
This maid to wife for strange love's faithless sake | H |
Struck all his mounting spirit abashed and fear | I |
Fell cold for shame's sake on his changing cheer | I |
Yea shame's own fire that burned upon his brow | J |
To bear the brand there of a broken vow | J |
Was frozen again for very fear thereof | K |
That wrung his heart with keener pangs than love | K |
And all things rose upon him all things past | E |
Ere last they parted cloven in twain at last | E |
Iseult from Tristram Tristram from the queen | L |
And how men found them in the wild woods green | L |
Sleeping but sundered by the sword between | L |
Dividing breast from amorous breast a span | M |
But scarce in heart the woman from the man | M |
As far as hope from joy or sleep from truth | N |
And Mark that saw them held for sacred sooth | N |
These were no fleshly lovers by that sign | O |
That severed them still slumbering so divine | O |
He deemed it how at waking they beheld | E |
The king's folk round the king and uncompelled | E |
Were fain to follow and fare among them home | P |
Back to the towers washed round with rolling foam | P |
And storied halls wherethrough sea music rang | Q |
And how report thereafter swelled and sprang | Q |
A full mouthed serpent hissing in men's ears | R |
Word of their loves and one of all his peers | R |
That most he trusted being his kinsman born | S |
A man base moulded for the stamp of scorn | S |
Whose heart with hate was keen and cold and dark | T |
Gave note by midnight whisper to King Mark | T |
Where he might take them sleeping how ere day | E |
Had seen the grim next morning all away | E |
Fast bound they brought him down a weary way | E |
With forty knights about him and their chief | U |
That traitor who for trust had given him grief | U |
To the old hoar chapel like a strait stone tomb | V |
Sheer on the sea rocks there to take his doom | V |
How seeing he needs must die he bade them yet | E |
Bethink them if they durst for shame forget | E |
What deeds for Cornwall had he done and wrought | E |
For all their sake what rescue when he fought | E |
Against the fierce foul Irish foe that came | C |
To take of them for tribute in their shame | C |
Three hundred heads of children whom in fight | E |
His hand redeeming slew Moraunt the knight | E |
That none durst lift his eyes against not one | W |
Had heart but he who now had help of none | W |
To take the battle whence great shame it were | D |
To knighthood yea foul shame on all men there | X |
To see him die so shamefully nor durst | E |
One man look up nor one make answer first | E |
Save even the very traitor who defied | E |
And would have slain him naked in his pride | E |
But he that saw the sword plucked forth to slay | E |
Looked on his hands and wrenched their bonds away | E |
Haling those twain that he went bound between | L |
Suddenly to him and kindling in his mien | L |
Shone lion fashion forth with eyes alight | E |
And lion wise leapt on that kinsman knight | E |
And wrung forth of his felon hands with might | E |
The sword that should have slain him weaponless | R |
And smote him sheer down then came all the press | R |
All raging in upon him but he wrought | E |
So well for his deliverance as they fought | E |
That ten strong knights rejoicingly he slew | Y |
And took no wound nor wearied then the crew | Y |
Waxed greater and their cry on him but he | Z |
Had won the chapel now above the sea | Z |
That chafed right under then the heart in him | A2 |
Sprang seeing the low cliff clear to leap and swim | A2 |
Right out by the old blithe way the sea mew takes | R |
Across the bounding billow belt that breaks | R |
For ever but the loud bright chain it makes | R |
To bind the bridal bosom of the land | E |
Time shall unlink not ever till his hand | E |
Fall by its own last blow dead thence again | B2 |
Might he win forth into the green great main | C2 |
Far on beyond and there yield up his breath | N |
At least with God's will by no shameful death | N |
Or haply save himself and come anew | Y |
Some long day later ere sweet life were through | Y |
And as the sea gull hovers high and turns | R |
With eyes wherein the keen heart glittering yearns | R |
Down toward the sweet green sea whereon the broad noon burns | R |
And suddenly soul stricken with delight | E |
Drops and the glad wave gladdens and the light | E |
Sees wing and wave confuse their fluttering white | E |
So Tristram one brief breathing space apart | E |
Hung and gazed down then with exulting heart | E |
Plunged and the fleet foam round a joyous head | E |
Flashed that shot under and ere a shaft had sped | E |
Rose again radiant a rejoicing star | D2 |
And high along the water ways afar | D2 |
Triumphed and all they deemed he needs must die | E |
But Gouvernayle his squire that watched hard by | E |
Sought where perchance a man might win ashore | E2 |
Striving with strong limbs labouring long and sore | E2 |
And there abode an hour till as from fight | E |
Crowned with hard conquest won by mastering might | E |
Hardly but happier for the imperious toil | F2 |
Swam the knight in forth of the close waves' coil | F2 |
Sea satiate bruised with buffets of the brine | O |
Laughing and flushed as one afire with wine | O |
All this came hard upon him in a breath | N |
And how he marvelled in his heart that death | N |
Should be no bitterer than it seemed to be | Z |
There in the strenuous impulse of the sea | Z |
Borne as to battle deathward and at last | E |
How all his after seasons overpast | E |
Had brought him darkling to this dark sweet hour | D |
Where his foot faltered nigh the bridal bower | D |
And harder seemed the passage now to pass | R |
Though smoother seeming than the still sea's glass | R |
More fit for very manhood's heart to fear | I |
Than all straits past of peril Hardly here | G2 |
Might aught of all things hearten him save one | W |
Faith and as men's eyes quail before the sun | W |
So quailed his heart before the star whose light | E |
Put out the torches of his bridal night | E |
So quailed and shrank with sense of faith's keen star | D2 |
That burned as fire beheld by night afar | D2 |
Deep in the darkness of his dreams for all | H2 |
The bride house now seemed hung with heavier pall | I2 |
Than clothes the house of mourning Yet at last | E |
Soul sick with trembling at the heart he passed | E |
Into the sweet light of the maiden bower | D |
Where lay the lonely lily featured flower | D |
That lying within his hand to gather yet | E |
Might not be gathered of it Fierce regret | E |
And bitter loyalty strove hard at strife | J2 |
With amorous pity toward the tender wife | J2 |
That wife indeed might never be to wear | X |
The very crown of wedlock never bear | X |
Children to watch and worship her white hair | X |
When time should change with hand more soft than snow | K2 |
The fashion of its glory never know | K2 |
The loveliness of laughing love that lives | R |
On little lips of children all that gives | R |
Glory and grace and reverence and delight | E |
To wedded woman by her bridal right | E |
All praise and pride that flowers too fair to fall | H2 |
Love that should give had stripped her of them all | H2 |
And left her bare for ever So his thought | E |
Consumed him as a fire within that wrought | E |
Visibly ravening till its wrath were spent | E |
So pale he stood so bowed and passion rent | E |
Before the blithe faced bride folk ere he went | E |
Within the chamber heavy eyed and there | X |
Gleamed the white hands and glowed the glimmering hair | X |
That might but move his memory more of one more fair | X |
More fair than all this beauty but in sooth | N |
So fair she too shone in her flower of youth | N |
That scarcely might man's heart hold fast its truth | N |
Though strong who gazed upon her for her eyes | R |
Were emerald soft as evening coloured skies | R |
And a smile in them like the light therein | G |
Slept or shone out in joy that knew not sin | G |
Clear as a child's own laughter and her mouth | N |
Albeit no rose full hearted from the south | N |
And passion coloured for the perfect kiss | R |
That signs the soul for love and stamps it his | R |
Was soft and bright as any bud new blown | L2 |
And through her cheek the gentler lifebloom shone | L2 |
Of mild wild roses nigh the northward sea | Z |
So in her bride bed lay the bride and he | Z |
Drew nigh and all the high sad heart in him | A2 |
Yearned on her seeing the twilight meek and dim | A2 |
Through all the soft alcove tremblingly lit | E |
With hovering silver as a heart in it | E |
Beating that burned from one deep lamp above | K |
Fainter than fire of torches as the love | K |
Within him fainter than a bridegroom's fire | D |
No marriage torch red with the heart's desire | D |
But silver soft a flameless light that glowed | E |
Starlike along night's dark and starry road | E |
Wherein his soul was traveller And he sighed | E |
Seeing and with eyes set sadly toward his bride | E |
Laid him down by her and spake not but within | G |
His heart spake saying how sore should be the sin | G |
To break toward her that of all womankind | E |
Was faithfullest faith plighted or unbind | E |
The bond first linked between them when they drank | M2 |
The love draught and his quick blood sprang and sank | M2 |
Remembering in the pulse of all his veins | R |
That red swift rapture all its fiery pains | R |
And all its fierier pleasures and he spake | H |
Aloud one burning word for love's keen sake | H |
Iseult and full of love and lovelier fear | I |
A virgin voice gave answer I am here | G2 |
And a pang rent his heart at root but still | N2 |
For spirit and flesh were vassals to his will | N2 |
Strong faith held mastery on them and the breath | N |
Felt on his face did not his will to death | N |
Nor glance nor lute like voice nor flower soft touch | O2 |
Might so prevail upon it overmuch | O2 |
That constancy might less prevail than they | N |
For all he looked and loved her as she lay | N |
Smiling and soft as bird alights on bough | J |
He kissed her maiden mouth and blameless brow | J |
Once and again his heart within him sighed | E |
But all his young blood's yearning toward his bride | E |
How hard soe'er it held his life awake | H |
For passion and sweet nature's unforbidden sake | H |
And will that strove unwillingly with will it might not break | H |
Fell silent as a wind abashed whose breath | N |
Dies out of heaven suddenly done to death | N |
When in between them on the dumb dusk air | X |
Floated the bright shade of a face more fair | X |
Than hers that hard beside him shrank and smiled | E |
And wist of all no more than might a child | E |
So had she all her heart's will all she would | E |
For love's sake that sufficed her glad and good | E |
All night safe sleeping in her maidenhood | E |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
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