The Duellist - Book I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ KKLLMMNNCCGGEEOOPPCC QRSSTTUUFFVVWWXXYYZZ A2A2B2B2OOC2C2MD2E2E 2B2B2F2G2H2H2JJB2B2K KI2I2J2J2K2K2FFCCBBW WL2L2M2M2GGN2N2PPO2O 2P2P2Q2Q2KKR2R2UUS2S 2KKIIT2T2U2U2A2V2L2L 2W2W2X2Y2WWEEJ2J2IIZ 2Z2A3A3XXP2P2FFB3B3C 3C3W2W2D3D3E3E3FFF3F 3J2J2G3G3H3H3I3I3J3J 3L2L2K3K3OOB2L3M3M3N 3N3O3O3P3P3Q3Q3MMUUR 3R3C3C3B2L3S3T3FFU3U 3L3L3V3V3W3W3UUL2OThe clock struck twelve o'er half the globe | A |
Darkness had spread her pitchy robe | A |
Morpheus his feet with velvet shod | B |
Treading as if in fear he trod | B |
Gentle as dews at even tide | C |
Distill'd his poppies far and wide | C |
Ambition who when waking dreams | D |
Of mighty but fantastic schemes | D |
Who when asleep ne'er knows that rest | E |
With which the humbler soul is blest | E |
Was building castles in the air | F |
Goodly to look upon and fair | F |
But on a bad foundation laid | G |
Doom'd at return of morn to fade | G |
Pale Study by the taper's light | H |
Wearing away the watch of night | H |
Sat reading but with o'ercharged head | I |
Remember'd nothing that he read | I |
Starving 'midst plenty with a face | J |
Which might the court of Famine grace | J |
Ragged and filthy to behold | K |
Gray Avarice nodded o'er his gold | K |
Jealousy his quick eye half closed | L |
With watchings worn reluctant dozed | L |
And mean Distrust not quite forgot | M |
Slumber'd as if he slumber'd not | M |
Stretch'd at his length on the bare ground | N |
His hardy offspring sleeping round | N |
Snored restless Labour by his side | C |
Lay Health a coarse but comely bride | C |
Virtue without the doctor's aid | G |
In the soft arms of Sleep was laid | G |
Whilst Vice within the guilty breast | E |
Could not be physic'd into rest | E |
Thou bloody man whose ruffian knife | O |
Is drawn against thy neighbour's life | O |
And never scruples to descend | P |
Into the bosom of a friend | P |
A firm fast friend by vice allied | C |
And to thy secret service tied | C |
In whom ten murders breed no awe | Q |
If properly secured from law | R |
Thou man of lust whom passion fires | S |
To foulest deeds whose hot desires | S |
O'er honest bars with ease make way | T |
Whilst idiot beauty falls a prey | T |
And to indulge thy brutal flame | U |
A Lucrece must be brought to shame | U |
Who dost a brave bold sinner bear | F |
Rank incest to the open air | F |
And rapes full blown upon thy crown | V |
Enough to weigh a nation down | V |
Thou simular of lust vain man | W |
Whose restless thoughts still form the plan | W |
Of guilt which wither'd to the root | X |
Thy lifeless nerves can't execute | X |
Whilst in thy marrowless dry bones | Y |
Desire without enjoyment groans | Y |
Thou perjured wretch whom falsehood clothes | Z |
E'en like a garment who with oaths | Z |
Dost trifle as with brokers meant | A2 |
To serve thy every vile intent | A2 |
In the day's broad and searching eye | B2 |
Making God witness to a lie | B2 |
Blaspheming heaven and earth for pelf | O |
And hanging friends to save thyself | O |
Thou son of Chance whose glorious soul | C2 |
On the four aces doom'd to roll | C2 |
Was never yet with Honour caught | M |
Nor on poor Virtue lost one thought | D2 |
Who dost thy wife thy children set | E2 |
Thy all upon a single bet | E2 |
Risking the desperate stake to try | B2 |
Here and hereafter on a die | B2 |
Who thy own private fortune lost | F2 |
Dost game on at thy country's cost | G2 |
And grown expert in sharping rules | H2 |
First fool'd thyself now prey'st on fools | H2 |
Thou noble gamester whose high place | J |
Gives too much credit to disgrace | J |
Who with the motion of a die | B2 |
Dost make a mighty island fly | B2 |
The sums I mean of good French gold | K |
For which a mighty island sold | K |
Who dost betray intelligence | I2 |
Abuse the dearest confidence | I2 |
And private fortune to create | J2 |
Most falsely play the game of state | J2 |
Who dost within the Alley sport | K2 |
Sums which might beggar a whole court | K2 |
And make us bankrupts all if Care | F |
With good Earl Talbot was not there | F |
Thou daring infidel whom pride | C |
And sin have drawn from Reason's side | C |
Who fearing his avengeful rod | B |
Dost wish not to believe a God | B |
Whose hope is founded on a plan | W |
Which should distract the soul of man | W |
And make him curse his abject birth | L2 |
Whose hope is once return'd to earth | L2 |
There to lie down for worms a feast | M2 |
To rot and perish like a beast | M2 |
Who dost of punishment afraid | G |
And by thy crimes a coward made | G |
To every generous soul a curse | N2 |
Than Hell and all her torments worse | N2 |
When crawling to thy latter end | P |
Call on Destruction as a friend | P |
Choosing to crumble into dust | O2 |
Rather than rise though rise you must | O2 |
Thou hypocrite who dost profane | P2 |
And take the patriot's name in vain | P2 |
Then most thy country's foe when most | Q2 |
Of love and loyalty you boast | Q2 |
Who for the love of filthy gold | K |
Thy friend thy king thy God hast sold | K |
And mocking the just claim of Hell | R2 |
Were bidders found thyself wouldst sell | R2 |
Ye villains of whatever name | U |
Whatever rank to whom the claim | U |
Of Hell is certain on whose lids | S2 |
That worm which never dies forbids | S2 |
Sweet sleep to fall come and behold | K |
Whilst envy makes your blood run cold | K |
Behold by pitiless Conscience led | I |
So Justice wills that holy bed | I |
Where Peace her full dominion keeps | T2 |
And Innocence with Holland sleeps | T2 |
Bid Terror posting on the wind | U2 |
Affray the spirits of mankind | U2 |
Bid Earthquakes heaving for a vent | A2 |
Rive their concealing continent | V2 |
And forcing an untimely birth | L2 |
Through the vast bowels of the earth | L2 |
Endeavour in her monstrous womb | W2 |
At once all Nature to entomb | W2 |
Bid all that's horrible and dire | X2 |
All that man hates and fears conspire | Y2 |
To make night hideous as they can | W |
Still is thy sleep thou virtuous man | W |
Pure as the thoughts which in thy breast | E |
Inhabit and insure thy rest | E |
Still shall thy Ayliffe taught though late | J2 |
Thy friendly justice in his fate | J2 |
Turn'd to a guardian angel spread | I |
Sweet dreams of comfort round thy head | I |
Dark was the night by Fate decreed | Z2 |
For the contrivance of a deed | Z2 |
More black than common which might make | A3 |
This land from her foundations shake | A3 |
Might tear up Freedom by the root | X |
Destroy a Wilkes and fix a Bute | X |
Deep Horror held her wide domain | P2 |
The sky in sullen drops of rain | P2 |
Forewept the morn and through the air | F |
Which opening laid its bosom bare | F |
Loud thunders roll'd and lightning stream'd | B3 |
The owl at Freedom's window scream'd | B3 |
The screech owl prophet dire whose breath | C3 |
Brings sickness and whose note is death | C3 |
The churchyard teem'd and from the tomb | W2 |
All sad and silent through the gloom | W2 |
The ghosts of men in former times | D3 |
Whose public virtues were their crimes | D3 |
Indignant stalk'd sorrow and rage | E3 |
Blank'd their pale cheeks in his own age | E3 |
The prop of Freedom Hampden there | F |
Felt after death the generous care | F |
Sidney by grief from heaven was kept | F3 |
And for his brother patriot wept | F3 |
All friends of Liberty when Fate | J2 |
Prepared to shorten Wilkes's date | J2 |
Heaved deeply hurt the heartfelt groan | G3 |
And knew that wound to be their own | G3 |
Hail Liberty a glorious word | H3 |
In other countries scarcely heard | H3 |
Or heard but as a thing of course | I3 |
Without or energy or force | I3 |
Here felt enjoy'd adored she springs | J3 |
Far far beyond the reach of kings | J3 |
Fresh blooming from our mother Earth | L2 |
With pride and joy she owns her birth | L2 |
Derived from us and in return | K3 |
Bids in our breasts her genius burn | K3 |
Bids us with all those blessings live | O |
Which Liberty alone can give | O |
Or nobly with that spirit die | B2 |
Which makes death more than victory | L3 |
Hail those old patriots on whose tongue | M3 |
Persuasion in the senate hung | M3 |
Whilst they the sacred cause maintain'd | N3 |
Hail those old chiefs to honour train'd | N3 |
Who spread when other methods fail'd | O3 |
War's bloody banner and prevail'd | O3 |
Shall men like these unmention'd sleep | P3 |
Promiscuous with the common heap | P3 |
And Gratitude forbid the crime | Q3 |
Be carried down the stream of time | Q3 |
In shoals unnoticed and forgot | M |
On Lethe's stream like flags to rot | M |
No they shall live and each fair name | U |
Recorded in the book of Fame | U |
Founded on Honour's basis fast | R3 |
As the round earth to ages last | R3 |
Some virtues vanish with our breath | C3 |
Virtue like this lives after death | C3 |
Old Time himself his scythe thrown by | B2 |
Himself lost in eternity | L3 |
An everlasting crown shall twine | S3 |
To make a Wilkes and Sidney join | T3 |
But should some slave got villain dare | F |
Chains for his country to prepare | F |
And by his birth to slavery broke | U3 |
Make her too feel the galling yoke | U3 |
May he be evermore accursed | L3 |
Amongst bad men be rank'd the worst | L3 |
May he be still himself and still | V3 |
Go on in vice and perfect ill | V3 |
May his broad crimes each day increase | W3 |
Till he can't live nor die in peace | W3 |
May he be plunged so deep in shame | U |
That Satan mayn't endure his name | U |
And hear scarce crawling on the earth | L2 |
His children curse him fo | O |
Charles Churchill
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about The Duellist - Book I poem by Charles Churchill
Best Poems of Charles Churchill