A Commuted Sentence Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABBABCCDCDEE FGGFGHHIJIEE KLLKLMMNMNO PQQPQRRSRSL TEUT VVQVQWW XCCXCTTYTYZZ| Boruck and Waterman upon their grills | A |
| In Hades lay with many a sigh and groan | B |
| Hotly disputing for each swore his own | B |
| Were clearly keener than the other's ills | A |
| And truly each had much to boast of bone | B |
| And sinew muscle tallow nerve and skin | C |
| Blood in the vein and marrow in the shin | C |
| Teeth eyes and other organs for the soul | D |
| Has all of these and even a wagging chin | C |
| Blazing and coruscating like a coal | D |
| For Lower Sacramento you remember | E |
| Has trying weather even in mid December | E |
| - | |
| Now this occurred in the far future All | F |
| Mankind had been a million ages dead | G |
| And each to her reward above had sped | G |
| Each to his punishment below I call | F |
| That quite a just arrangement As I said | G |
| Boruck and Waterman in warmest pain | H |
| Crackled and sizzed with all their might and main | H |
| For when on earth they'd freed a scurvy host | I |
| Of crooks from the State prison who again | J |
| Had robbed and ravaged the Pacific Coast | I |
| And such the felon's predatory nature | E |
| Even got themselves into the Legislature | E |
| - | |
| So Waterman and Boruck lay and roared | K |
| In Hades It is true all other males | L |
| Felt the like flames and uttered equal wails | L |
| But did not suffer them whereas they bored | K |
| Each one the other But indeed my tale's | L |
| Not getting on at all They lay and browned | M |
| Till Boruck who long since his teeth had ground | M |
| Away and spoke Gum Arabic and made | N |
| Stump speeches even in praying looked around | M |
| And said to Bob's incinerated shade | N |
| 'Your Excellency this is mighty hard on | O |
| The inventors of the unpardonable pardon ' | - |
| - | |
| The other soul his right hand all aflame | P |
| For 'twas with that he'd chiefly sinned although | Q |
| His tongue too like a wick was working woe | Q |
| To the reserve of tallow in his frame | P |
| Said with a sputtering uncertain flow | Q |
| And with a gesture like a shaken torch | R |
| 'Yes but I'm sure we'll not much longer scorch | R |
| Although this climate is not good for Hope | S |
| Whose joyous wing 'twould singe I think the porch | R |
| Of Hell we'll quit with a pacific slope | S |
| Last century I signified repentance | L |
| And asked for commutation of our sentence ' | - |
| - | |
| Even as he spoke the form of Satan loomed | T |
| In sight all crimson with reflections's fire | E |
| Like some tall tower or cathedral spire | U |
| Touched by the dawn while all the earth is gloomed | T |
| In mists and shadows of the night time 'Sire ' | - |
| Said Waterman his agitable wick | V |
| Still sputtering 'what calls you back so quick | V |
| It scarcely was a century ago | Q |
| You left us ' 'I have come to bring ' said Nick | V |
| 'St Peter's answer he is never slow | Q |
| In correspondence to your application | W |
| For pardon pardon me for commutation | W |
| - | |
| 'He says that he's instructed to reply | X |
| And he has so instructed me that sin | C |
| Like yours and this poor gentleman's who's in | C |
| For bad advice to you comes rather high | X |
| But since apparently you both begin | C |
| To feel some pious promptings to the right | T |
| And fain would turn your faces to the light | T |
| Eternity seems all too long a term | Y |
| So 'tis commuted to one half I'm quite | T |
| Prepared when that expires to free the worm | Y |
| And quench the fire ' And civilly retreating | Z |
| He left them holding their protracted meeting | Z |
Ambrose Bierce
(1)
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