The Song Of The Little Baltung: A.d. 395 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCB AADA EFGH AIJ IKJ LHFH FIA IFMF NAA AIII AAI IBNH AFF COLO LKLK LBAB CFAF ILLL FF F LAL LPAH ALAL BAI LHL Q L Q H RFL LHSH LHL LFLF AAHA N IB TAAA ABBB AFLF LHL LHAH FALA LFLF AFLF FALA UFAF H

A harper came over the Danube so wideA
And he came into Alaric's hallB
And he sang the song of the little BaltungC
To him and his heroes allB
-
How the old old Balt and the young young BaltA
Rode out of CaucalandA
With the royal elephant's trunk on helmD
And the royal lance in handA
-
Thuringer heroes counts and knightsE
Pricked proud in their meinieF
For they were away to the great KaiserG
In Byzant beside the seaH
-
And when they came to the Danube so wideA
They shouted from off the shoreI
'Come over come over ye Roman slavesJ
And ferry your masters o'er '-
-
And when they came to Adrian's burghI
With its towers so smooth and highK
'Come out come out ye Roman knavesJ
And see your lords ride by '-
-
But when they came lo the long long wallsL
That stretch from sea to seaH
That old old Balt let down his chinF
And a thoughtful man grew heH
-
'Oh oft have I scoffed at brave FridigernF
But never will I scoff moreI
If these be the walls which kept him outA
From the Micklegard there on the shore '-
-
Then out there came the great KaiserI
With twice ten thousand menF
But never a Thuring was coward enoughM
To wish himself home againF
-
'Bow down thou rebel old AthanarichN
And beg thy life this dayA
The Kaiser is lord of all the worldA
And who dare say him nay '-
-
'I never came out of CaucalandA
To beg for less nor moreI
But to see the pride of the great KaiserI
In his Micklegard here by the shoreI
-
'I never came out of CaucalandA
To bow to mortal wightA
But to shake the hand of the great KaiserI
And God defend my right '-
-
He shook his hand that cunning KaiserI
And he kissed him courteouslieB
And he has ridden with AthanarichN
That wonder town to seeH
-
He showed him his walls of marble whiteA
A mile o'erhead they shoneF
Quoth the Balt 'Who would leap into that gardenF
King Siegfried's boots must own '-
-
He showed him his engines of arsmetrickC
And his wells of quenchless flameO
And his flying rocks that guarded his wallsL
From all that against him cameO
-
He showed him his temples and pillared hallsL
And his streets of houses highK
And his watch towers tall where his star gazersL
Sit reading the signs of the skyK
-
He showed him his ships with their hundred oarsL
And their sides like a castle wallB
That fetch home the plunder of all the worldA
At the Kaiser's beck and callB
-
He showed him all nations of every tongueC
That are bred beneath the sunF
How they flowed together in Micklegard streetA
As the brooks flow all into oneF
-
He showed him the shops of the china wareI
And of silk and sendal alsoL
And he showed him the baths and the waterpipesL
On arches aloft that goL
-
He showed him ostrich and unicornF
Ape lion and tiger keenF
And elephants wise roared 'Hail Kaiser '-
As though they had Christians beenF
-
He showed him the hoards of the dragons and trollsL
Rare jewels and heaps of goldA
'Hast thou seen in all thy hundred yearsL
Such as these thou king so old '-
-
Now that cunning Kaiser was a scholar wiseL
And could of gramaryeP
And he cast a spell on that old old BaltA
Till lowly and meek spake heH
-
'Oh oft have I heard of the MicklegardA
What I held for chapmen's liesL
But now do I know of the MicklegardA
By the sight of mine own eyesL
-
'Woden in ValhallaB
But thou on earth art GodA
And he that dare withstand thee KaiserI
On his own head lies his blood '-
-
Then out and spake that little BaltungL
Rode at the king's right kneeH
Quoth 'Fridigern slew false Kaiser ValensL
And he died like you or me '-
-
'And who art thou thou pretty bold boyQ
Rides at the king's right knee '-
'Oh I am the Baltung boy AlaricL
And as good a man as thee '-
-
'As good as me thou pretty bold boyQ
With down upon thy chin '-
'Oh a spae wife laid a doom on meH
The best of thy realm to win '-
-
'If thou be so fierce thou little wolf cubR
Or ever thy teeth be grownF
Then I must guard my two young sonsL
Lest they should lose their own '-
-
'Oh it's I will guard your two lither ladsL
In their burgh beside the seaH
And it's I will prove true man to themS
If they will prove true to meH
-
'But it's you must warn your two lither ladsL
And warn them bitterlyH
That if I shall find them two false KaisersL
High hanged they both shall be '-
-
Now they are gone into the Kaiser's palaceL
To eat the peacock fineF
And they are gone into the Kaiser's palaceL
To drink the good Greek wineF
-
The Kaiser alone and the old old BaltA
They sat at the cedar boardA
And round them served on the bended kneeH
Full many a Roman lordA
-
'What ails thee what ails thee friend AthanarichN
What makes thee look so pale '-
'I fear I am poisoned thou cunning KaiserI
For I feel my heart strings failB
-
'Oh would I had kept that great great oathT
I swore by the horse's headA
I would never set foot on Roman groundA
Till the day that I lay deadA
-
'Oh would I were home in CaucalandA
To hear my harpers playB
And to drink my last of the nut brown aleB
While I gave the gold rings awayB
-
'Oh would I were home in CaucalandA
To hear the Gothmen's hornF
And watch the waggons and brown brood maresL
And the tents where I was bornF
-
'But now I must die between four stone wallsL
In Byzant beside the seaH
And as thou shalt deal with my little BaltungL
So God shall deal with thee '-
-
The Kaiser he purged himself with oathsL
And he buried him royallyH
And he set on his barrow an idol of goldA
Where all Romans must bow the kneeH
-
And now the Goths are the Kaiser's menF
And guard him with lance and swordA
And the little Baltung is his sworn son at armsL
And eats at the Kaiser's boardA
-
And the Kaiser's two sons are two false white ladsL
That a clerk may beat with caneF
The clerk that should beat that little BaltungL
Would never sing mass againF
-
Oh the gates of Rome they are steel withoutA
And beaten gold withinF
But they shall fly wide to the little BaltungL
With the down upon his chinF
-
Oh the fairest flower in the Kaiser's gardenF
Is Rome and Italian landA
But it all shall fall to the little BaltungL
When he shall take lance in handA
-
And when he is parting the plunder of RomeU
He shall pay for this song of mineF
Neither maiden nor land neither jewel nor goldA
But one cup of Italian wineF
-
-
EversleyH

Charles Kingsley



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