The Witch Of Hebron Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Charles Harpur

The Witch Of Hebron Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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A Rabbinical Legend	A
	-
	-
Part I	B
From morn until the setting of the sun	C
The rabbi Joseph on his knees had prayed	D
And as he rose with spirit meek and strong	E
An Indian page his presence sought and bowed	F
Before him saying that a lady lay	G
Sick unto death tormented grievously	H
Who begged the comfort of his holy prayers	I
The rabbi ever to the call of grief	J
Open as day arose and girding straight	K
His robe about him with the page went forth	L
Who swiftly led him deep into the woods	M
That hung heap over heap like broken clouds	N
On Hebron s southern terraces when lo	O
Across a glade a stately pile he saw	P
With gleaming front and many pillared porch	Q
Fretted with sculptured vinage flowers and fruit	R
And carven figures wrought with wondrous art	S
As by some Phidian hand	T
	-
But interposed	T
For a wide space in front and belting all	U
The splendid structure with a finer grace	V
A glowing garden smiled its breezes bore	W
Airs as from paradise so rich the scent	T
That breathed from shrubs and flowers and fair the growths	X
Of higher verdure gemm d with silver blooms	Y
Which glassed themselves in fountains gleaming light	T
Each like a shield of pearl	Z
	-
Within the halls	A2
Strange splendour met the rabbi s careless eyes	B2
Halls wonderful in their magnificance	B2
With pictured walls and columns gleaming white	T
Like Carmel s snow or blue veined as with life	C2
Through corridors he passed with tissues hung	D2
Inwrought with threaded gold by Sidon s art	T
Or rich as sunset clouds with Tyrian dye	B
Past lofty chambers where the gorgeous gleam	E2
Of jewels and the stain d radiance	B2
	-
Of golden lamps showed many a treasure rare	F2
Of Indian and Armenian workmanship	G2
Which might have seemed a wonder of the world	T
And trains of servitors of every clime	E2
Greeks Persians Indians Ethiopians	B2
In richest raiment thronged the spacious halls	B2
	-
The page led on the rabbi following close	B2
And reached a still and distant chamber where	F2
In more than orient pomp and dazzling all	U
The else unrivalled splendour of the rest	T
A queenly woman lay so beautiful	H2
That though upon her moon bright visage pain	I2
And langour like eclipsing shadows gloomed	T
The rabbi s aged heart with tremor thrilled	T
Then o er her face a hectic colour passed	T
Only to leave that pallor which portends	B2
The nearness of the tomb	E2
	-
From youth to age	J2
The rabbi Joseph still had sought in herbs	B2
And minerals the virtues they possess	B2
And now of his medicaments he chose	B2
What seemed most needful in her sore estate	T
Alas not these the dying woman said	T
A malady like mine thou canst not cure	K2
Tis fatal as the funeral march of Time	E2
But that I might at length discharge my mind	T
Of a dread secret that hath been to me	E2
An ever haunting and most ghostly fear	L2
Darkening my whole life like an ominous cloud	T
And which must end it ere the morning come	E2
Therefore did I entreat thy presence here	M2
	-
The rabbi answered If indeed it stand	T
Within my power to serve thee speak at once	B2
All that thy heart would say But if tis vain	I2
If this thy sin hath any mortal taint	T
Forbear O woman to acquaint my soul	N2
With aught that could thenceforth with horror chase	B2
The memory of a man of Israel	H2
	-
I am she said the daughter of thy friend	T
Rabbi Ben Bachai be his memory blest	T
Once at thy side a laughing child I played	T
I married with an Arab Prince a man	O2
Of lofty lineage one of Ishmael s race	B2
Not great in gear Behold st thou this abode	T
Did ever yet the tent born Arab build	T
Thus for his pride or pleasure See st thou	P2
These riches An no Such were ne er amassed	T
By the grey desert s wild and wandering son	C
Deadly the game by which I won them all	U
And with a burning bitterness at best	T
Have I enjoyed them And how gladly now	P2
Would I too late forego them all to mend	T
My broken peace with a repentant heed	T
In abject poverty	E2
	-
She ceased and lay	G
Calm in her loveliness with dreamy looks	B2
Roaming perhaps in thought the fateful past	T
Then suddenly her beauteous countenance grew	Q2
Bedimm d and drear then dark with mortal pangs	B2
While fierce convulsions shook her tortured frame	E2
And from her foaming lips such words o erran	P2
That rabbi Joseph sank upon his knees	B2
And bowed his head a space in horror down	P2
While ardent pitying prayers for her great woe	O
Rose from his soul when lo The woman s face	B2
Was cloudless as a summer heaven The late	T
Dark brow was bright the late pale cheek suffused	T
With roseate bloom and wondrous more than all	U
Here weary eyes were changed to splendours now	P2
That shot electric influence and her lips	B2
Were full and crimson curled with stormy pride	T
The doubting rabbi stood in wild amaze	B2
To see the dying woman bold and fierce	B2
In bright audacity of passion s power	R2
These are the common changes then she said	T
Of the fell ailment that with torments strange	S2
Which search my deepest life is tearing up	T2
The dark foundations of my mortal state	T
And sinking all its structures hour by hour	R2
Into the dust of death For nothing now	P2
Is left me but to meet my nearing doom	E2
As best I may in silent suffering	U2
	-
Then as he heard her words and saw her face	B2
The rabbi in his wisdom knew some strong	E
Indwelling evil spirit troubled her	R2
And straighway for an unction sent wherewith	P2
The famous ancestor whose name he bore	W
Herod the Great s chief hakim had expelled	T
The daemon haunter of the dying king	U2
With this he touched her forehead and her eyes	B2
And all her finger tips Forthwith he made	T
Within a consecrated crucible	H2
A fire of citron wood and cinnamon	P2
Then splashed the flames with incense mingling all	U
With the strong influence of fervent prayer	F2
And as the smoke arose he bowed her head	T
Into its coils that so she might inhale	V2
Its salutary odour till the fiend	T
That dwelt within her should be exorcised	T
	-
Her face once more grew pale with pain she writhed	T
In burning torment uttering many words	B2
Of most unhallowed meaning Yet her eyes	B2
Were fixed the while and motionless her lips	B2
Whereby the rabbi certainly perceived	T
Twas not the woman of herself that spake	W2
But the dread spirit that possessed her soul	N2
And thus it cried aloud	T
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
Part II	B
WHY am I here in this my last resort	T
Perturbed with incense and anointings Why	B
Compelled to listen to the sound of prayers	B2
That smite me through as with the fire of God	T
O pain pain pain Is not this chamber full	X2
Of the implacable stern punishers	B2
Full of avenging angels holding each	Y2
A scourge of thunder in his potent hand	T
Ready to lighten forth And then thus armed	T
For ever chase and wound us as we fly	B
Nor end with this but in each wound they make	W2
Pour venom sweltered from that tree As gard	T
Whose deadly shadow in its blackness falls	B2
Over the lake of everlasting doom	E2
Five hundred years ago I who thus speak	Z2
Was an Egyptian of the splendid court	T
Of Ptolemy Philadelphus To the top	A3
Of mountainous power though roughened with unrest	T
And girt with dangers as with thunder clouds	B2
Had I resolved by all resorts to climb	E2
By truth and falsehood right and wrong alike	B3
And I did climb Then firmly built in power	R2
Second alone to my imperial lord s	B2
I crowned with its impunity my lust	T
Of beauty sowing broadcast everywhere	F2
Such sensual baits wide round me as should lure	K2
Through pleasure or through interest entrap	C3
The fairest daughters of the land and lo	O
Their lustrous eyes surcharged with passionate light	T
The chambers of my harem But at length	P2
Wearied of these though sweet I set my heart	T
On riches heaped to such a fabulous sum	E2
As never one man s hoard in all the world	T
Might match and to acquire them steeped my life	C2
In every public every private wrong	E
In lies frauds secret murders till at l	D3