Tristram Of Lyonesse - Vii - The Wife's Vigil Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Algernon Charles Swinburne

Tristram Of Lyonesse - Vii - The Wife's Vigil Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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But all that year in Brittany forlorn	A
More sick at heart with wrath than fear of scorn	A
And less in love with love than grief and less	B
With grief than pride of spirit and bitterness	C
Till all the sweet life of her blood was changed	D
And all her soul from all her past estranged	D
And all her will with all itself at strife	E
And all her mind at war with all her life	E
Dwelt the white handed Iseult maid and wife	E
A mourner that for mourning robes had on	F
Anger and doubt and hate of things foregone	G
For that sweet spirit of old which made her sweet	H
Was parched with blasts of thought as flowers with heat	H
And withered as with wind of evil will	I
Though slower than frosts or fires consume or kill	I
That bleak black wind vexed all her spirit still	I
As ripples reddening in the roughening breath	J
Of the eager east when dawn does night to death	J
So rose and stirred and kindled in her thought	K
Fierce barren fluctuant fires that lit not aught	K
But scorched her soul with yearning keen as hate	K
And dreams that left her wrath disconsolate	K
When change came first on that first heaven where all	L
Life's hours were flowers that dawn's light hand let fall	L
The sun that smote her dewy cloud of days	M
Wrought from its showery folds his rainbow's rays	M
For love the red for hope the gentle green	N
But yellow jealousy glared pale between	N
Ere yet the sky grew heavier and her head	K
Bent flowerwise chill with change and fancies fled	K
She saw but love arch all her heaven across with red	K
A burning bloom that seemed to breathe and beat	K
And waver only as flame with rapturous heat	K
Wavers and all the world therewith smelt sweet	K
As incense kindling from the rose red flame	O
And when that full flush waned and love became	O
Scarce fainter though his fading horoscope	P
From certitude of sight receded hope	P
Held yet her April coloured light aloft	K
As though to lure back love a lamp sublime and soft	K
But soon that light paled as a leaf grows pale	Q
And fluttered leaf like in the gathering gale	Q
And melted even as dew flakes whose brief sheen	N
The sun that gave despoils of glittering green	N
Till harder shone 'twixt hope and love grown cold	K
A sallow light like withering autumn's gold	K
The pale strong flame of jealous thought that glows	R
More deep than hope's green bloom or love's enkindled rose	R
As though the sunflower's faint fierce disk absorbed	K
The spirit and heart of starrier flowers disorbed	K
	-
That same full hour of twilight's doors unbarred	K
To let bright night behold in Joyous Gard	K
The glad grave eyes of lovers far away	S
Watch with sweet thoughts of death the death of day	S
Saw lonelier by the narrower opening sea	T
Sit fixed at watch Iseult of Brittany	T
As darkness from deep valleys void and bleak	U
Climbs till it clothe with night the sunniest peak	U
Where only of all a mystic mountain land	K
Day seems to cling yet with a trembling hand	K
And yielding heart reluctant to recede	K
So till her soul was clothed with night indeed	K
Rose the slow cloud of envious will within	V
And hardening hate that held itself no sin	V
Veiled heads of vision eyes of evil gleam	W
Dim thought on thought and darkling dream on dream	W
Far off she saw in spirit and seeing abhorred	K
The likeness wrought on darkness of her lord	K
Shine and the imperial semblance at his side	K
Whose shadow from her seat cast down the bride	K
Whose power and ghostly presence thrust her forth	X
Beside that unknown other sea far north	X
She saw them clearer than in present sight	K
Rose on her eyes the starry shadow of night	K
And on her heart that heaved with gathering fate	K
Rose red with storm the starless shadow of hate	K
And eyes and heart made one saw surge and swell	Y
The fires of sunset like the fires of hell	Y
As though God's wrath would burn up sin with shame	O
The incensed red gold of deepening heaven grew flame	O
The sweet green spaces of the soft low sky	Z
Faded as fields that withering wind leaves dry	Z
The sea's was like a doomsman's blasting breath	J
From lips afoam with ravenous lust of death	J
A night like desolation sombre starred	K
Above the great walled girth of Joyous Gard	K
Spread forth its wide sad strength of shadow and gloom	A2
Wherein those twain were compassed round with doom	A2
Hell from beneath called on them and she heard	K
Reverberate judgment in the wild wind's word	K
Cry till the sole sound of their names that rang	B2
Clove all the sea mist with a clarion's clang	B2
And clouds to clouds and flames to clustering flames	C2
Beat back the dark noise of the direful names	C2
Fear and strong exultation caught her breath	J
And triumph like the bitterness of death	J
And rapture like the rage of hate allayed	K
With ruin and ravin that its might hath made	K
And her heart swelled and strained itself to hear	D2
What may be heard of no man's hungering ear	D2
And as a soil that cleaves in twain for drouth	J
Thirsted for judgment given of God's own mouth	J
Against them till the strength of dark desire	E2
Was in her as a flame of hell's own fire	E2
Nor seemed the wrath which held her spirit in stress	B
Aught else or worse than passionate holiness	C
Nor the ardent hate which called on judgment's rod	K
More hateful than the righteousness of God	K
	-
How long till thou do justice and my wrong	F2
Stand expiate O long suffering judge how long	F2
Shalt thou not put him in mine hand one day	S
Whom I so loved to spare not but to slay	S
Shalt thou not cast her down for me to tread	K
Me on the pale pride of her humbled head	K
Do I not well being angry doth not hell	Y
Require them yea thou knowest that I do well	Y
Is not thy seal there set of bloodred light	K
For witness on the brows of day and night	K
Who shall unseal it what shall melt away	S
Thy signet from the doors of night and day	S
No man nor strength of any spirit above	G2
Nor prayer nor ardours of adulterous love	G2
Thou art God the strong lord over body and soul	H2
Hast thou not in the terrors of thy scroll	H2
All names of all men written as with fire	E2
Thine only breath bids time and space respire	E2
And are not all things evil in them done	I2
More clear in thine eyes than in ours the sun	I2
Hast thou not sight stretched wide enough to see	T
These that offend it these at once and me	T
Is thine arm shortened or thine hand struck down	J2
As palsied have thy brows not strength to frown	J2
Are thine eyes blind with film of withering age	K2
Burns not thine heart with righteousness of rage	K2
Yet and the royal rancour toward thy foes	R
Retributive of ruin Time should close	L2
Thou said'st and earth fade as a leaf grows grey	E2
Ere one word said of thine should pass away	E2
Was this then not thy word thou God most high	Z
That sin shall surely bring forth death and die	Z
Seeing how these twain live and have joy of life	E
His harlot and the man that made me wife	E
For is it I perchance I that have sinned	K
Me peradventure should thy wasting wind	K
Smite and thy sun blast and thy storms devour	E2
Me with keen fangs of lightning should thy power	E2
Put forth on me the weight of its awakening hour	E2
Shall I that bear this burden bear that weight	K
Of judgment is my sin against thee great	K
If all my heart against them burn with all its hate	K
Thine and not mine should hate be nay but me	T
They have spoiled and scoffed at who can touch not thee	T
Me me the fullness of their joy drains dry	Z
Their fruitfulness makes barren thou not I	Z
Lord is it whom their wrongdoing clothes with shame	O
That all who speak shoot tongues out at thy name	O
As all who hear mock mine Make me thy sword	K
At least if even thou too be wronged O Lord	K
At all of these that wrong me make mine hand	K
As lightning or my tongue a fiery brand	K
To burn or smite them with thy wrath behold	K
I have nought on earth save thee for hope or hold	K
Fail me not thou I have nought but this to crave	M2
Make me thy mean to give them to the grave	M2
Thy sign that all men seeing may speak thee just	K
Thy word which turns the strengths of sin to dust	K
Thy blast which burns up towers and thrones with fire	E2
Lord is this gift this grace that I require	E2
So great a gift Lord for thy grace to give	N2
And bid me bear thy part retributive	N2
That I whom scorn makes mouths at I might be	T
Thy witness if loud sin may mock at thee	T
For lo my life is as a barren ear	E2
Plucked from the sheaf dark days drive past me here	E2
Downtrodden while joy's reapers pile their sheaves	O2
A thing more vile than autumn's weariest leaves	O2
For these the sun filled once with sap of life	N2
O thou my lord that hadst me to thy wife	N2
Dost thou not fear at all remembering me	T
The love that bowed my whole soul down to thee	T
Is this so wholly nought for man to dread	K
Man whose life walks between the quick and dead	K
Naked and warred about with wind and sea	T
That one should love and hate as I do thee	T
That one should live in all the world his foe	N2
So mortal as the hate that loves him so	N2
Nought is it nought O husband O my knight	K
O strong man and indomitable in fight	K
That one more weak than foam bells on the sea	T
Should have in heart such thoughts as I of thee	T
Thou art bound about with stately strengths for bands	P2
What strength shall keep thee from my strengthless hands	P2
Thou art girt about with goodly guards and great	K
What fosse may fence thee round as deep as hate	K
Thou art wise will wisdom teach thee fear of me	T
Thou art great of heart shall this deliver thee	T
What wall so massive or what tower so high	N2
Shall be thy surety that thou shouldst not die	N2
If that which comes against thee be but I	N2
Who shall rise up of power to take thy part	K
What skill find strength to save what strength find art	K
If that which wars against thee be my heart	K
Not iron nor the might of force afield	K
Nor edge of sword nor sheltering weight of shield	K
Nor all thy fame since all thy praise began	Q2
Nor all the love and laud thou hast of man	Q2
Nor though his noiseless hours with wool be shod	K
Shall God's love keep thee from the wrath of God	K
O son of sorrows hast thou said at heart	K
Haply God loves thee God shall take thy part	K
Who hath all these years endured thee since thy birth	J
From sorrow's womb bade sin be born on earth	J
So long he hath cast his buckler over thee	T
Shall he not surely guard thee even from me	T
Yea but if yet he give thee while I live	N2
Into mine hands as he shall surely give	N2
Ere death at last bring darkness on thy face	R2
Call then on him call not on me for grace	R2
Cast not away one prayer one suppliant breath	J
On me that commune all this while with death	J
For I that was not and that was thy wife	N2
Desire not but one hour of all thy life	N2
Wherein to triumph till that hour be past	K
But this mine hour I look for is thy last	K
	-
So mused she till the fire in sea and sky	N2
Sank and the northwest wind spake harsh on high	N2
And like the sea's heart waxed her heart that heard	K
Strong dark and bitter till the keen wind's word	K
Seemed of her own soul spoken and the breath	J
All round her not of darkness but of death	J