The Legend Of La Brea [1] Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCB DEDE FEEE FGEG FHIH JKLK FMNM OPQR STJT UVWV XYZY CBFB JJEF A2EEE EB2C2B2 CD2DD2 B DF D2A2DA2 EFF CD2F D2A2E2A2 BFFF D2D2F2D2 CG2EG2 D2FFF AFD2F D2GDG CED2E H2FE2F BD2FD2 CCEC EEEE D2ED2F FCD2C AD2DD2 ED2F2D2 I2FEF EFD FJ2EK2E B

Down beside the loathly Pitch LakeA
In the stately MorichalB
Sat an ancient Spanish IndianC
Peering through the columns tallB
-
Watching vainly for the flashingD
Of the jewelled colibrisE
Listening vainly for their hummingD
Round the honey blossomed treesE
-
'Few ' he sighed 'they come and fewerF
To the cocorite bowersE
Murdered madly through the forestsE
Which of yore were theirs and oursE
-
By there came a negro hunterF
Lithe and lusty sleek and strongG
Rolling round his sparkling eyeballsE
As he loped and lounged alongG
-
Rusty firelock on his shoulderF
Rusty cutlass on his thighH
Never jollier British subjectI
Rollicked underneath the skyH
-
British law to give him safetyJ
British fleets to guard his shoreK
And a square of British freeholdL
He had all we have and moreK
-
Fattening through the endless summerF
Like his own provision groundM
He had reached the summum bonumN
Which our latest wits have foundM
-
So he thought and in his hammockO
Gnawed his junk of sugar caneP
Toasted plantains at the fire stickQ
Gnawed and dozed and gnawed againR
-
Had a wife in his ajoupaS
Or at least what did insteadT
Children too who died so earlyJ
He'd no need to earn their breadT
-
Never stole save what he neededU
From the Crown woods round aboutV
Never lied except when summonedW
Let the warden find him outV
-
Never drank except at marketX
Never beat his sturdy mateY
She could hit as hard as he couldZ
And had just as hard a pateY
-
Had no care for priest nor parsonC
Hope of heaven nor fear of hellB
And in all his views of natureF
Held with Comte and Peter BellB
-
Healthy happy silly kindlyJ
Neither care nor toil had heJ
Save to work an hour at sunriseE
And then hunt the colibriF
-
Not a bad man not a good manA2
Scarce a man at all one fearsE
If the Man be that within usE
Which is born of fire and tearsE
-
Round the palm stems round the creepersE
Flashed a feathered jewel pastB2
Ruby crested topaz throatedC2
Plucked the cocorite bastB2
-
Plucked the fallen ceiba cottonC
Whirred away to build his nestD2
Hung at last with happy hummingD
Round some flower he fancied bestD2
-
Up then went the rusty muzzleB
'Dat de tenth I shot to day '-
But out sprang the Indian shoutingD
Balked the negro of his preyF
-
'Eh you Senor TrinidadaD2
What dis new ondacent planA2
Spoil a genl'man's chance ob shootingD
I as good as any manA2
-
'Dese not your woods dese de Queen's woodsE
You seem not know whar you arF
Gibbin' yuself dese buckra airs hereF
You black Indian Papist Dar '-
-
Stately courteous stood the IndianC
Pointed through the palm tree shadeD2
'Does the gentleman of colourF
Know how yon Pitch Lake was made '-
-
Grinned the negro grinned and trembledD2
Through his nerves a shudder ranA2
Saw a snake like eye that held himE2
Saw he'd met an Obeah manA2
-
Saw a fetish such a bottleB
Buried at his cottage doorF
Toad and spider dirty waterF
Rusty nails and nine charms moreF
-
Saw in vision such a cock's headD2
In the path and it was whiteD2
Saw Brinvilliers in his pottageF2
Faltered cold and damp with frightD2
-
Fearful is the chance of poisonC
Fearful too the great unknownG2
Magic brings some positivistsE
Humbly on their marrow boneG2
-
Like the wedding guest enchantedD2
There he stood a trembling curF
While the Indian told his storyF
Like the Ancient MarinerF
-
Told how 'Once that loathly Pitch LakeA
Was a garden bright and fairF
How the Chaymas off the mainlandD2
Built their palm ajoupas thereF
-
'How they throve and how they fattenedD2
Hale and happy safe and strongG
Passed the livelong days in feastingD
Passed the nights in dance and songG
-
'Till they cruel grew and wantonC
Till they killed the colibrisE
Then outspake the great Good SpiritD2
Who can see through all the treesE
-
'Said And what have I not sent youH2
Wanton Chaymas many a yearF
Lapp agouti cachicameE2
Quenc and guazu pita deerF
-
' Fish I sent you sent you turtleB
Chip chip conch flamingo redD2
Woodland paui horned screamerF
And blue ramier overheadD2
-
' Plums from balata and mombinC
Tania manioc water vineC
Let you fell my slim manacquesE
Tap my sweet moriche wineC
-
' Sent rich plantains food of angelsE
Rich ananas food of kingsE
Grudged you none of all my treasuresE
Save these lovely useless thingsE
-
'But the Chaymas' ears were deafenedD2
Blind their eyes and could not seeE
How a blissful Indian's spiritD2
Lived in every colibriF
-
'Lived forgetting toil and sorrowF
Ever fair and ever newC
Whirring round the dear old woodlandD2
Feeding on the honey dewC
-
'Till one evening roared the earthquakeA
Monkeys howled and parrots screamedD2
And the Guaraons at morningD
Gathered here as men who dreamedD2
-
'Sunk were gardens sunk ajoupasE
Hut and hammock man and houndD2
And above the Chayma villageF2
Boiled with pitch the cursed groundD2
-
'Full and too full safe and too safeI2
Negro man take care take careF
He that wantons with God's bountiesE
Of God's wrath had best bewareF
-
'For the saucy reckless heartlessE
Evil days are sure in storeF
You may see the Negro sinkingD
As the Chayma sank of yore '-
-
Loudly laughed that stalwart hunterF
'Eh what superstitious talkJ2
Nyam am nyam an' maney maneyE
Birds am birds like park am parkK2
An' dere's twenty thousand birdskinsE
Ardered jes' now fram New Yark '-
-
EversleyB

Charles Kingsley



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