The Ship Of Death Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BC DE FGH A DG IJ KGLMK A NO NPK QN P RSK N P NC TD UGK VKK WXC P LK YKZ YKA2P P DB2P C2KL KLD2KKE2VF2G2 RH2A2I2J2K2PL2M2M2 P K2K2QB2K2 C K N2KN2W O2QK2PC B2P2K2 RK Q2 K FPYA2Q2K KC GGD

IA
-
Now it is autumn and the falling fruitB
and the long journey towards oblivionC
-
The apples falling like great drops of dewD
to bruise themselves an exit from themselvesE
-
And it is time to go to bid farewellF
to one's own self and find an exitG
from the fallen selfH
-
IIA
-
Have you built your ship of death O have youD
O build your ship of death for you will need itG
-
The grim frost is at hand when the apples will fallI
thick almost thundrous on the hardened earthJ
-
And death is on the air like a smell of ashesK
Ah can't you smell itG
And in the bruised body the frightened soulL
finds itself shrinking wincing from the coldM
that blows upon it through the orificesK
-
IIIA
-
And can a man his own quietus makeN
with a bare bodkinO
-
With daggers bodkins bullets man can makeN
a bruise or break of exit for his lifeP
but is that a quietus O tell me is it quietusK
-
Surely not so for how could murder even self murderQ
ever a quietus makeN
-
IVP
-
O let us talk of quiet that we knowR
that we can know the deep and lovely quietS
of a strong heart at peaceK
-
How can we this our own quietus makeN
-
VP
-
Build then the ship of death for you must takeN
the longest journey to oblivionC
-
And die the death the long and painful deathT
that lies between the old self and the newD
-
Already our bodies are fallen bruised badly bruisedU
already our souls are oozing through the exitG
of the cruel bruiseK
-
Already the dark and endless ocean of the endV
is washing in through the breaches of our woundsK
Already the flood is upon usK
-
Oh build your ship of death your little arkW
and furnish it with food with little cakes and wineX
for the dark flight down oblivionC
-
VIP
-
Piecemeal the body dies and the timid soulL
has her footing washed away as the dark flood risesK
-
We are dying we are dying we are all of us dyingY
and nothing will stay the death flood rising within usK
and soon it will rise on the world on the outside worldZ
-
We are dying we are dying piecemeal our bodies are dyingY
and our strength leaves usK
and our soul cowers naked in the dark rain over the floodA2
cowering in the last branches of the tree of our lifeP
-
VIIP
-
We are dying we are dying so all we can doD
is now to be willing to die and to build the shipB2
of death to carry the soul on the longest journeyP
-
A little ship with oars and foodC2
and little dishes and all accoutrementsK
fitting and ready for the departing soulL
-
Now launch the small ship now as the body diesK
and life departs launch out the fragile soulL
in the fragile ship of courage the ark of faithD2
with its store of food and little cooking pansK
and change of clothesK
upon the flood's black wasteE2
upon the waters of the endV
upon the sea of death where still we sailF2
darkly for we cannot steer and have no portG2
-
There is no port there is nowhere to goR
only the deepening blackness darkening stillH2
blacker upon the soundless ungurgling floodA2
darkness at one with darkness up and downI2
and sideways utterly dark so there is no direction any moreJ2
and the little ship is there yet she is goneK2
She is not seen for there is nothing to see her byP
She is gone gone and yetL2
somewhere she is thereM2
NowhereM2
-
VIIIP
-
And everything is gone the body is goneK2
completely under gone entirely goneK2
The upper darkness is heavy as the lowerQ
between them the little shipB2
is goneK2
-
It is the end it is oblivionC
-
IXK
-
And yet out of eternity a threadN2
separates itself on the blacknessK
a horizontal threadN2
that fumes a little with pallor upon the darkW
-
Is it illusion or does the pallor fumeO2
A little higherQ
Ah wait wait for there's the dawnK2
the cruel dawn of coming back to lifeP
out of oblivionC
-
Wait wait the little shipB2
drifting beneath the deathly ashy greyP2
of a flood dawnK2
-
Wait wait even so a flush of yellowR
and strangely O chilled wan soul a flush of roseK
-
A flush of rose and the whole thing starts againQ2
-
XK
-
The flood subsides and the body like a worn sea shellF
emerges strange and lovelyP
And the little ship wings home faltering and lapsingY
on the pink floodA2
and the frail soul steps out into the house againQ2
filling the heart with peaceK
-
Swings the heart renewed with peaceK
even of oblivionC
-
Oh build your ship of death Oh build itG
for you will need itG
For the voyage of oblivion awaits youD

David Herbert Lawrence



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