Via Dolorosa Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABBAABBACCDEDD A FGGFFGGFHIHIHI F JAAJJAAJIKGFGF L MHNOMHHMPPFQFQ MP ABBAABBABAABRR BF FPPFFPPFFFSTTS MF AUUAAUUAAPPAMM MP VBBVVBBVPPWFFWThe days of a man are threescore years and ten | A |
The days of his life were half a man's whom we | B |
Lament and would yet not bid him back to be | B |
Partaker of all the woes and ways of men | A |
Life sent him enough of sorrow not again | A |
Would anguish of love beholding him set free | B |
Bring back the beloved to suffer life and see | B |
No light but the fire of grief that scathed him then | A |
We know not at all we hope and do not fear | C |
We shall not again behold him late so near | C |
Who now from afar above with eyes alight | D |
And spirit enkindled haply toward us here | E |
Looks down unforgetful yet of days like night | D |
And love that has yet his sightless face in sight | D |
- | |
I | - |
TRANSFIGURATION | A |
- | |
But half a man's days and his days were nights | F |
What hearts were ours who loved him should we pray | G |
That night would yield him back to darkling day | G |
Sweet death that soothes to life that spoils and smites | F |
For now perchance life lovelier than the light's | F |
That shed no comfort on his weary way | G |
Shows him what none may dream to see or say | G |
Ere yet the soul may scale those topless heights | F |
Where death lies dead and triumph Haply there | H |
Already may his kindling eyesight find | I |
Faces of friends no face than his more fair | H |
And first among them found of all his kind | I |
Milton with crowns from Eden on his hair | H |
And eyes that meet a brother's now not blind | I |
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II | - |
DELIVERANCE | F |
- | |
O Death fair Death sole comforter and sweet | J |
Nor Love nor Hope can give such gifts as thine | A |
Sleep hardly shows us round thy shadowy shrine | A |
What roses hang what music floats what feet | J |
Pass and what wings of angels We repeat | J |
Wild words or mild disastrous or divine | A |
Blind prayer blind imprecation seeing no sign | A |
Nor hearing aught of thee not faint and fleet | J |
As words of men or snowflakes on the wind | I |
But if we chide thee saying Thou hast sinned thou hast sinned | K |
Dark Death to take so sweet a light away | G |
As shone but late though shadowed in our skies | F |
We hear thine answer Night has given what day | G |
Denied him darkness hath unsealed his eyes | F |
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III | - |
THANKSGIVING | L |
- | |
Could love give strength to thank thee Love can give | M |
Strong sorrow heart to suffer what we bear | H |
We would not put away albeit this were | N |
A burden love might cast aside and live | O |
Love chooses rather pain than palliative | M |
Sharp thought than soft oblivion May we dare | H |
So trample down our passion and our prayer | H |
That fain would cling round feet now fugitive | M |
And stay them so remember so forget | P |
What joy we had who had his presence yet | P |
What griefs were his while joy in him was ours | F |
And grief made weary music of his breath | Q |
As even to hail his best and last of hours | F |
With love grown strong enough to thank thee Death | Q |
- | |
IV | M |
LIBITINA VERTICORDIA | P |
- | |
Sister of sleep healer of life divine | A |
As rest and strong as very love may be | B |
To set the soul that love could set not free | B |
To bid the skies that day could bid not shine | A |
To give the gift that life withheld was thine | A |
With all my heart I loved one borne from me | B |
And all my heart bows down and praises thee | B |
Death that hast now made grief not his but mine | A |
O Changer of men's hearts we would not bid thee | B |
Turn back our hearts from sorrow this alone | A |
We bid we pray thee from thy sovereign throne | A |
And sanctuary sublime where heaven has hid thee | B |
Give grace to know of those for whom we weep | R |
That if they wake their life is sweet as sleep | R |
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V | B |
THE ORDER OF RELEASE | F |
- | |
Thou canst not give it Grace enough is ours | F |
To know that pain for him has fallen on rest | P |
The worst we know was his on earth the best | P |
We fain would think a thought no fear deflowers | F |
Is his released from bonds of rayless hours | F |
Ah turn our hearts from longing bid our quest | P |
Cease as content with failure This thy guest | P |
Sleeps vexed no more of time's imperious powers | F |
The spirit of hope the spirit of change and loss | F |
The spirit of love bowed down beneath his cross | F |
Nor now needs comfort from the strength of song | S |
Love should he wake bears now no cross for him | T |
Dead hope whose living eyes like his were dim | T |
Has brought forth better comfort strength more strong | S |
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VI | M |
PSYCHAGOGOS | F |
- | |
As Greece of old acclaimed thee God and man | A |
So Death our tongue acclaims thee yet wast thou | U |
Hailed of old Rome as Romans hail thee now | U |
Goddess and woman Since the sands first ran | A |
That told when first man's life and death began | A |
The shadows round thy blind ambiguous brow | U |
Have mocked the votive plea the pleading vow | U |
That sought thee sorrowing fain to bless or ban | A |
But stronger than a father's love is thine | A |
And gentler than a mother's Lord and God | P |
Thy staff is surer than the wizard rod | P |
That Hermes bare as priest before thy shrine | A |
And herald of thy mercies We could give | M |
Nought when we would have given thou bidst him live | M |
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VII | M |
THE LAST WORD | P |
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So many a dream and hope that went and came | V |
So many and sweet that love thought like to be | B |
Of hours as bright and soft as those for me | B |
That made our hearts for song's sweet love the same | V |
Lie now struck dead that hope seems one with shame | V |
O Death thy name is Love we know it and see | B |
The witness yet for very love's sake we | B |
Can hardly bear to mix with thine his name | V |
Philip how hard it is to bid thee part | P |
Thou knowest if aught thou knowest where now thou art | P |
Of us that loved and love thee None may tell | W |
What none but knows how hard it is to say | F |
The word that seals up sorrow darkens day | F |
And bids fare forth the soul it bids farewell | W |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
(1)
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