A Royal Princess Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAA BBB CCC DDD EFF AAA GGG GGG AAA HHH GGG AAA III GGG EFF JKJ AAA ELF AA MMN O III PP F AA Q RR AAA SSS AA TUT AA VVV AAA WXY CCCI a princess king descended decked with jewels gilded drest | A |
Would rather be a peasant with her baby at her breast | A |
For all I shine so like the sun and am purple like the west | A |
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Two and two my guards behind two and two before | B |
Two and two on either hand they guard me evermore | B |
Me poor dove that must not coo eagle that must not soar | B |
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All my fountains cast up perfumes all my gardens grow | C |
Scented woods and foreign spices with all flowers in blow | C |
That are costly out of season as the seasons go | C |
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All my walls are lost in mirrors whereupon I trace | D |
Self to right hand self to left hand self in every place | D |
Self same solitary figure self same seeking face | D |
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Then I have an ivory chair high to sit upon | E |
Almost like my father's chair which is an ivory throne | F |
There I sit uplift and upright there I sit alone | F |
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Alone by day alone by night alone days without end | A |
My father and my mother give me treasures search and spend | A |
O my father O my mother have you ne'er a friend | A |
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As I am a lofty princess so my father is | G |
A lofty king accomplished in all kingly subtilties | G |
Holding in his strong right hand world kingdoms' balances | G |
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He has quarrelled with his neighbours he has scourged his foes | G |
Vassal counts and princes follow where his pennon goes | G |
Long descended valiant lords whom the vulture knows | G |
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On whose track the vulture swoops when they ride in state | A |
To break the strength of armies and topple down the great | A |
Each of these my courteous servant none of these my mate | A |
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My father counting up his strength sets down with equal pen | H |
So many head of cattle head of horses head of men | H |
These for slaughter these for breeding with the how and when | H |
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Some to work on roads canals some to man his ships | G |
Some to smart in mines beneath sharp overseers' whips | G |
Some to trap fur beasts in lands where utmost winter nips | G |
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Once it came into my heart and whelmed me like a flood | A |
That these too are men and women human flesh and blood | A |
Men with hearts and men with souls though trodden down like mud | A |
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Our feasting was not glad that night our music was not gay | I |
On my mother's graceful head I marked a thread of grey | I |
My father frowning at the fare seemed every dish to weigh | I |
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I sat beside them sole princess in my exalted place | G |
My ladies and my gentlemen stood by me on the dais | G |
A mirror showed me I look old and haggard in the face | G |
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It showed me that my ladies all are fair to gaze upon | E |
Plump plenteous haired to every one love's secret lore is known | F |
They laugh by day they sleep by night ah me what is a throne | F |
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The singing men and women sang that night as usual | J |
The dancers danced in pairs and sets but music had a fall | K |
A melancholy windy fall as at a funeral | J |
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Amid the toss of torches to my chamber back we swept | A |
My ladies loosed my golden chain meantime I could have wept | A |
To think of some in galling chains whether they waked or slept | A |
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I took my bath of scented milk delicately waited on | E |
They burned sweet things for my delight cedar and cinnamon | L |
They lit my shaded silver lamp and left me there alone | F |
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A day went by a week went by One day I heard it said | A |
'Men are clamouring women children clamouring to be fed | A |
Men like famished dogs are howling in the streets for bread ' | - |
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So two whispered by my door not thinking I could hear | M |
Vulgar naked truth ungarnished for a royal ear | M |
Fit for cooping in the background not to stalk so near | N |
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But I strained my utmost sense to catch this truth and mark | O |
'There are families out grazing like cattle in the park ' | - |
'A pair of peasants must be saved even if we build an ark ' | - |
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A merry jest a merry laugh each strolled upon his way | I |
One was my page a lad I reared and bore with day by day | I |
One was my youngest maid as sweet and white as cream in May | I |
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Other footsteps followed softly with a weightier tramp | P |
Voices said 'Picked soldiers have been summoned from the camp | P |
To quell these base born ruffians who make free to howl and stamp ' | - |
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'Howl and stamp ' one answered 'They made free to hurl a stone | F |
At the minister's state coach well aimed and stoutly thrown ' | - |
'There's work then for the soldiers for this rank crop must be mown ' | - |
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'One I saw a poor old fool with ashes on his head | A |
Whimpering because a girl had snatched his crust of bread | A |
Then he dropped when some one raised him it turned out he was dead ' | - |
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'After us the deluge ' was retorted with a laugh | Q |
'If bread's the staff of life they must walk without a staff ' | - |
'While I've a loaf they're welcome to my blessing and the chaff ' | - |
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These passed The king stand up Said my father with a smile | R |
'Daughter mine your mother comes to sit with you awhile | R |
She's sad to day and who but you her sadness can beguile ' | - |
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He too left me Shall I touch my harp now while I wait | A |
I hear them doubling guard below before our palace gate | A |
Or shall I work the last gold stitch into my veil of state | A |
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Or shall my woman stand and read some unimpassioned scene | S |
There's music of a lulling sort in words that pause between | S |
Or shall she merely fan me while I wait here for the queen | S |
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Again I caught my father's voice in sharp word of command | A |
'Charge ' a clash of steel 'Charge again the rebels stand | A |
Smite and spare not hand to hand smite and spare not hand to hand ' | - |
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There swelled a tumult at the gate high voices waxing higher | T |
A flash of red reflected light lit the cathedral spire | U |
I heard a cry for faggots then I heard a yell for fire | T |
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'Sit and roast there with your meat sit and bake there with your bread | A |
You who sat to see us starve ' one shrieking woman said | A |
'Sit on your throne and roast with your crown upon your head ' | - |
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Nay this thing will I do while my mother tarrieth | V |
I will take my fine spun gold but not to sew therewith | V |
I will take my gold and gems and rainbow fan and wreath | V |
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With a ransom in my lap a king's ransom in my hand | A |
I will go down to this people will stand face to face will stand | A |
Where they curse king queen and princess of this cursed land | A |
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They shall take all to buy them bread take all I have to give | W |
I if I perish perish they to day shall eat and live | X |
I if I perish perish that's the goal I half conceive | Y |
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Once to speak before the world rend bare my heart and show | C |
The lesson I have learned which is death is life to know | C |
I if I perish perish in the name of God I go | C |
Christina Georgina Rossetti
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