The House Of Dust: Part 02: 10: Sudden Death Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCD EFGFHAH IJKLJ MNN OOPDP NNDQPD RSTUT VLGRGWXYX PZA2Z B2PC2P MD2B2 VE2WE2EE2 E2F2AF2 FE2WE2E2EG2E| 'Number four mdash the girl who died on the table mdash | A |
| The girl with golden hair mdash ' | B |
| The purpling body lies on the polished marble | C |
| We open the throat and lay the thyroid bare | D |
| - | |
| One who held the ether cone remembers | E |
| Her dark blue frightened eyes | F |
| He heard the sharp breath quiver and saw her breast | G |
| More hurriedly fall and rise | F |
| Her hands made futile gestures she turned her head | H |
| Fighting for breath her cheeks were flushed to scarlet mdash | A |
| And suddenly she lay dead | H |
| - | |
| And all the dreams that hurried along her veins | I |
| Came to the darkness of a sudden wall | J |
| Confusion ran among them they whirled and clamored | K |
| They fell they rose they struck they shouted | L |
| Till at last a pallor of silence hushed them all | J |
| - | |
| What was her name Where had she walked that morning | M |
| Through what dark forest came her feet | N |
| Along what sunlit walls what peopled street | N |
| - | |
| Backward he dreamed along a chain of days | O |
| He saw her go her strange and secret ways | O |
| Waking and sleeping noon and night | P |
| She sat by a mirror braiding her golden hair | D |
| She read a story by candlelight | P |
| - | |
| Her shadow ran before her along the street | N |
| She walked with rhythmic feet | N |
| Turned a corner descended a stair | D |
| She bought a paper held it to scan the headlines | Q |
| Smiled for a moment at sea gulls high in sunlight | P |
| And drew deep breaths of air | D |
| - | |
| Days passed bright clouds of days Nights passed And music | R |
| Murmured within the walls of lighted windows | S |
| She lifted her face to the light and danced | T |
| The dancers wreathed and grouped in moving patterns | U |
| Clustered receded streamed advanced | T |
| - | |
| Her dress was purple her slippers were golden | V |
| Her eyes were blue and a purple orchid | L |
| Opened its golden heart on her breast | G |
| She leaned to the surly languor of lazy music | R |
| Leaned on her partner's arm to rest | G |
| The violins were weaving a weft of silver | W |
| The horns were weaving a lustrous brede of gold | X |
| And time was caught in a glistening pattern | Y |
| Time too elusive to hold | X |
| - | |
| Shadows of leaves fell over her face mdash and sunlight | P |
| She turned her face away | Z |
| Nearer she moved to a crouching darkness | A2 |
| With every step and day | Z |
| - | |
| Death who at first had thought of her only an instant | B2 |
| At a great distance across the night | P |
| Smiled from a window upon her and followed her slowly | C2 |
| From purple light to light | P |
| - | |
| Once in her dreams he spoke out clearly crying | M |
| 'I am the murderer death | D2 |
| I am the lover who keeps his appointment | B2 |
| At the doors of breath ' | - |
| - | |
| She rose and stared at her own reflection | V |
| Half dreading there to find | E2 |
| The dark eyed ghost waiting beside her | W |
| Or reaching from behind | E2 |
| To lay pale hands upon her shoulders | E |
| Or was this in her mind | E2 |
| - | |
| She combed her hair The sunlight glimmered | E2 |
| Along the tossing strands | F2 |
| Was there a stillness in this hair mdash | A |
| A quiet in these hands | F2 |
| - | |
| Death was a dream It could not change these eyes | F |
| Blow out their light or turn this mouth to dust | E2 |
| She combed her hair and sang She would live forever | W |
| Leaves flew past her window along a gust | E2 |
| And graves were dug in the earth and coffins passed | E2 |
| And music ebbed with the ebbing hours | E |
| And dreams went along her veins and scattering clouds | G2 |
| Threw streaming shadows on walls and towers | E |
Conrad Potter Aiken
(1)
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