The Forsaken Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHFIHJKBLMLNOG PPGPOPQRSBIPGTLUPBGG PHVGPOWBXPYPZA2 A BB2GBBCBC2PPBD2PE2B2 AGF2G2PGPH2GOOI2I2J2 GBK2BGPL2GGA2PA2I | A |
Once in the winter | B |
Out on a lake | C |
In the heart of the north land | D |
Far from the Fort | E |
And far from the hunters | F |
A Chippewa woman | G |
With her sick baby | H |
Crouched in the last hours | F |
Of a great storm | I |
Frozen and hungry | H |
She fished through the ice | J |
With a line of the twisted | K |
Bark of the cedar | B |
And a rabbit bone hook | L |
Polished and barbed | M |
Fished with the bare hook | L |
All through the wild day | N |
Fished and caught nothing | O |
While the young chieftain | G |
Tugged at her breasts | P |
Or slept in the lacings | P |
Of the warm tikanagan | G |
All the lake surface | P |
Streamed with the hissing | O |
Of millions of iceflakes | P |
Hurled by the wind | Q |
Behind her the round | R |
Of a lonely island | S |
Roared like a fire | B |
With the voice of the storm | I |
In the deeps of the cedars | P |
Valiant unshaken | G |
She took of her own flesh | T |
Baited the fish hook | L |
Drew in a gray trout | U |
Drew in his fellows | P |
Heaped them beside her | B |
Dead in the snow | G |
Valiant unshaken | G |
She faced the long distance | P |
Wolf haunted and lonely | H |
Sure of her goal | V |
And the life of her dear one | G |
Tramped for two days | P |
On the third in the morning | O |
Saw the strong bulk | W |
Of the Fort by the river | B |
Saw the wood smoke | X |
Hand soft in the spruces | P |
Heard the keen yelp | Y |
Of the ravenous huskies | P |
Fighting for whitefish | Z |
Then she had rest | A2 |
- | |
II | A |
- | |
Years and years after | B |
When she was old and withered | B2 |
When her son was an old man | G |
And his children filled with vigour | B |
They came in their northern tour on the verge of winter | B |
To an island in a lonely lake | C |
There one night they camped and on the morrow | B |
Gathered their kettles and birch bark | C2 |
Their rabbit skin robes and their mink traps | P |
Launched their canoes and slunk away through the islands | P |
Left her alone forever | B |
Without a word of farewell | D2 |
Because she was old and useless | P |
Like a paddle broken and warped | E2 |
Or a pole that was splintered | B2 |
Then without a sigh | A |
Valiant unshaken | G |
She smoothed her dark locks under her kerchief | F2 |
Composed her shawl in state | G2 |
Then folded her hands ridged with sinews and corded with veins | P |
Folded them across her breasts spent with the nourishment of children | G |
Gazed at the sky past the tops of the cedars | P |
Saw two spangled nights arise out of the twilight | H2 |
Saw two days go by filled with the tranquil sunshine | G |
Saw without pain or dread or even a moment of longing | O |
Then on the third great night there came thronging and thronging | O |
Millions of snowflakes out of a windless cloud | I2 |
They covered her close with a beautiful crystal shroud | I2 |
Covered her deep and silent | J2 |
But in the frost of the dawn | G |
Up from the life below | B |
Rose a column of breath | K2 |
Through a tiny cleft in the snow | B |
Fragile delicately drawn | G |
Wavering with its own weakness | P |
In the wilderness a sign of the spirit | L2 |
Persisting still in the sight of the sun | G |
Till day was done | G |
Then all light was gathered up by the hand of God and hid in His breast | A2 |
Then there was born a silence deeper than silence | P |
Then she had rest | A2 |
Duncan Campbell Scott
(1)
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