Domesday Book Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDE FGHIBJKLGMN OPQRBSTRUVH WXYZWA2 B2OWC2D2EE2F2G2H2KWI 2WJ2WW K2L2C2M2HRWRN2O2WWP2 B2Q2NHR2HS2T2NU2B2L2 L2HR2WR2V2H W2EX2Y2I2Z2RA3B3WC3M D3S2Q2Take any life you choose and study it | A |
It gladdens troubles changes many lives | B |
The life goes out how many things result | C |
Fate drops a stone and to the utmost shores | D |
The circles spread | E |
- | |
Now such a book were endless | F |
If every circle riffle should be traced | G |
Of any life and so of Elenor Murray | H |
Whose life was humble and whose death was tragic | I |
And yet behold the riffles spread the lives | B |
That are affected and the secrets gained | J |
Of lives she never knew of as for that | K |
For even the world could not contain the books | L |
That should be written if all deeds were traced | G |
Effects results gains losses of her life | M |
And of her death | N |
- | |
Concretely said in brief | O |
A man and woman have produced this child | P |
What was the child's pre natal circumstance | Q |
How did her birth affect the father mother | R |
What did their friends old women relatives | B |
Take from the child in feeling joy or pain | S |
What of her childhood friends her days at school | T |
Her teachers girlhood sweethearts lovers later | R |
When she became a woman What of these | U |
And what of those who got effects because | V |
They knew this Elenor Murray | H |
- | |
Then she dies | W |
Read how the human secrets are exposed | X |
In many lives because she died not all | Y |
Lives by her death affected written here | Z |
The reader may trace out such other riffles | W |
As come to him this book must have an end | A2 |
- | |
Enough is shown to show what could be told | B2 |
If we should write a world of books In brief | O |
One feature of the plot elaborates | W |
The closeness of one life however humble | C2 |
With every life upon this globe In truth | D2 |
I sit here in Chicago housed and fed | E |
And think the world secure at peace the clock | E2 |
Just striking three in Europe striking eight | F2 |
And in some province in some palace hut | G2 |
Some words are spoken or a fisticuff | H2 |
Results between two brawlers and for that | K |
A blue eyed boy my grandson we may say | W |
Not even yet in seed but to be born | I2 |
A half a century hence is by those words | W |
That fisticuff drawn into war in Europe | J2 |
Shrieks from a bullet through the groin and lies | W |
Under the sod of France | W |
- | |
But to return | K2 |
To Elenor Murray I have made a book | L2 |
Called Domesday Book a census spiritual | C2 |
Taken of our America or in part | M2 |
Taken not wholly taken it may be | H |
For William Merival the coroner | R |
Who probed the death of Elenor Murray goes | W |
As far as may be and beyond his power | R |
In diagnosis of America | N2 |
While finding out the cause of death In short | O2 |
Becomes a William the Conqueror that way | W |
In making up a Domesday Book for us | W |
Of this a little later But before | P2 |
We touch upon the Domesday book of old | B2 |
We take up Elenor Murray show her birth | Q2 |
Then skip all time between and show her death | N |
Then take up Coroner Merival who was he | H |
Then trace the life of Elenor Murray through | R2 |
The witnesses at the inquest on the body | H |
Of Elenor Murray also letters written | S2 |
And essays written conversations heard | T2 |
But all evoked by Elenor Murray's death | N |
And by the way trace riffles here and there | U2 |
A word now on the Domesday book of old | B2 |
Remember not a book of doom but a book | L2 |
Of houses domus house so domus book | L2 |
And this book of the death of Elenor Murray | H |
Is not a book of doom though showing too | R2 |
How fate was woven round her and the souls | W |
That touched her soul but is a house book too | R2 |
Of riches poverty and weakness strength | V2 |
Of this our country | H |
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If you take St Luke | W2 |
You find an angel came to Mary said | E |
Hail thou art highly favored shalt conceive | X2 |
Bring forth a son a king for David's throne | Y2 |
So tracing life before the life was born | I2 |
We do the same for Elenor Murray though | Z2 |
No man or angel said to Elenor's mother | R |
You have found favor you are blessed of God | A3 |
You shall conceive bring forth a daughter blest | B3 |
And blessing you Quite otherwise the case | W |
As being blest or blessing something like | C3 |
Perhaps in that desire or flame of life | M |
Which gifts new souls with passion strength and love | D3 |
This is the manner of the girl's conception | S2 |
And of her birth | Q2 |
Edgar Lee Masters
(1)
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