The Convent Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHI JKLMNO PQLLRLSMTMUISVWXYG ZA2B2 GC2D2E2F2GG2ML H2I2J2K2L2K2G I2MJB2 M2OLN2O2GGP2LEL SQ2R2BBI2NS2MT2L U2V2BKW2T2P2T2W2GX2P GMBY2GLN2 MOZ2GA3B3C3SGD3T2 GE3F3GE2G3H3I3J3 K3ML3GLM3N3K3O3N3P3Q 3UR3GS3T3GG3U3GV3U3P U3LLGU3W3GGX3U3SN3Y3 LQ U3Z3A4GMGGLE2B4C4L GC2GU3D4U3LE4N3GLF4U 3K2E2G4H4GK2GLU3SI4J 4

Elenor Murray stole away from NiceA
Before her furlough ended tense to seeB
Something of Italy and planned to goC
To Genoa explore the ancient townD
Of Christopher Columbus if she mightE
Elude the regulation as she didF
In leaving Nice for Italy But for herG
Always the dream and always the defeatH
Of what she dreamedI
-
She found herself in FlorenceJ
And saw the city But the wearinessK
Of labor and her illness came againL
At intervals and on such days she layM
And heard the hours toll wished for death and weptN
Being alone and sorrowfulO
-
On a morningP
She rose and looked for galleries came at lastQ
Into the Via Gino CapponiL
And saw a little church and entered inL
And saw amid the darkness of the churchR
A woman kneeling knelt beside the womanL
And put her hand upon the woman's foreheadS
To find that it was wrinkled strange to sayM
A scar upon the forehead like a crossT
Elenor Murray rose and walked awayM
Sobs gathering in her throat her body weakU
And reeled against the wall for so it seemedI
Against which hung thick curtains velvet redS
A little grimed and worn And as she leanedV
Against the curtains clung to them she feltW
A giving parted them and found a doorX
Pushed on the door which yielded opened itY
And saw a yard before herG
-
It was walledZ
A garden of old urns and ancient growthsA2
Some flowering plants around the wallB2
-
Before herG
And in the garden's center stood a statueC2
With outstretched arms the Virgin without the childD2
And suddenly on Elenor Murray cameE2
Great sorrow like a madness seeing thereF2
The pitying Virgin stretching arms to herG
And so she ran along the pebbly walkG2
Fell fainting at the Virgin's feet and layM
Unconscious in the gardenL
-
When she wokeH2
Two nuns were standing by and one was dressedI2
In purest white and held within her handsJ2
A tray of gold and on the tray of goldK2
There was a glass of wine and in a cupL2
Some broth of beef and on a plate of goldK2
A waferG
-
And the other nun was dressedI2
In purest white but over her shoulders layM
A cape of blue blue as the sky of FlorenceJ
Above the garden wallB2
-
Then as she sawM2
The nuns before her in the intervalO
Of gathering thought re limning life againL
From wonder if she had not died and theseN2
Were guides or ministrants of another worldO2
The nun with cape of blue to ElenorG
Said Drink this wine this broth and ElenorG
Drank and arose being lifted up by themP2
And taken through the convent door and givenL
A little room as white and clean as lightE
And a bed of snowy linenL
-
Then they saidS
This is the Convent where we send up prayersQ2
Prayers for the souls who do not pray for selfR2
Rest child and be at peace and if there beB
Friends you would tell that you are here then weB
Will send the word for you sleep now and restI2
And listening to their voices Elenor sleptN
And when she woke a nurse was at her sideS2
And food was served her broths and fruit Each dayM
A doctor came to tell her all was wellT2
And health would soon returnL
-
So for a monthU2
Elenor Murray lay and heard the bellsV2
And breathed the fragrance of the flowering cityB
That floated through her window in the stillnessK
Of the convent dreamed and said to self This placeW2
Is good to die in who is there to tellT2
That I am here There was no one To themP2
She gave her name but said Till I am wellT2
Let me remain and if I die some placeW2
Must be for me for burial put me thereG
And if I live to go again to FranceX2
And join my unit let me have a writingP
That I did not desert was stricken hereG
And could not leave For while I stole awayM
From Nice to get a glimpse of ItalyB
I might have done so in my furlough timeY2
And not stayed over it And to ElenorG
The nuns said We will help you but for nowL
Rest and put by anxietiesN2
-
On a dayM
Elenor Murray made confessionalO
And to the nuns told bit by bit her lifeZ2
Her childhood schooling travels work in the warG
What fate had followed her what sufferingsA3
And Sister Mary she who saw her firstB3
And held the tray of gold with wine and brothC3
Sat often with her read to her and saidS
Letters will go ahead of you to clearG
Your absence over time be not afraidD3
All will be wellT2
-
And so when Elenor MurrayG
Arose to leave she found all things preparedE3
A cab to take her to the train compartmentsF3
Reserved for her from place to place her fareG
And tickets paid for till at last she cameE2
To Brest and joined her unit in three daysG3
Looked at the rolling waters as the shipH3
Drove to America such a coming homeI3
To what and whomJ3
-
-
-
Loveridge Chase returned and brought the lettersK3
To Coroner Merival from New York That dayM
The chemical analysis was finished showedL3
No ricin and no poison Elenor MurrayG
Died how What were the circumstances ThenL
When Coroner Merival broke the seals of waxM3
And cut the twine that bound the package foundN3
The man was Barrett Bays who wrote the lettersK3
There were a hundred then he cast aboutO3
To lay his hands on Barrett Bays and foundN3
That Barrett Bays lived in Chicago taughtP3
Was a professor aged some forty yearsQ3
Why did this Barrett Bays emerge not speakU
Come forward Was it simply to concealR3
A passion written in these letters hereG
For his sake or his wife's Or was it guiltS3
For some complicity in Elenor's deathT3
And on this day the coroner had a letterG
From Margery Camp which said Where's Barrett BaysG3
Why have you not arrested him He knowsU3
Something perhaps about the death of ElenorG
So Coroner Merival sent process forthV3
To bring in Barrett Bays non est inventusU3
He had not visited his place of teachingP
Been seen in haunts accustomed for some daysU3
Not since the death of Elenor Murray noneL
Knew where to find him and none seemed to knowL
What lay between this man and Elenor MurrayG
This was the more suspicious Then the TimesU3
Made headlines of the letters published someW3
Wherein this Barrett Bays had written ElenorG
You are my hope in life my morning starG
My love at last my all From coast to coastX3
The word was flashed about this Barrett BaysU3
And Mrs Bays at Martha's Vineyard readS
Turned up her nose continued on the roundN3
Of gaieties but to a chum relievedY3
Her loathing with these words Another womanL
He's soiled himself at lastQ
-
And Barrett BaysU3
Who roughed it in the Adirondacks hopedZ3
The inquest's end would leave him undisclosedA4
In Elenor Murray's life though wracked with fearG
About the letters in the vault some dayM
To be unearthed or taken it might beG
By Margery Camp for uses sinisterG
He reading that the letters had been givenL
To Coroner Merival and seeing his nameE2
Printed in every sheet saw no escapeB4
In any nook of earth returned and walkedC4
In Merival's office trembling white as snowL
-
So Barrett Bays was sworn before the juryG
Sat and replied to questions said he knewC2
Elenor Murray in the fall beforeG
She went to France saw much of her for weeksU3
Had written her these letters before she leftD4
Had followed her in the war and gone to FranceU3
Had seen her for some days in Paris whenL
She had a furlough Had come back and partedE4
With Elenor Murray broken with her foundN3
A cause for crushing out his love for herG
Came back to win forgetfulness had writtenL
No word to her since leaving Paris letF4
Her letters lie unanswered brought her lettersU3
And gave them to the coroner Then he toldK2
Of the day before her death and how she cameE2
By motor to Chicago with her auntG4
Named Irma Leese and telephoned him beggedH4
An hour for talk Come meet me by the riverG
She had said And so went to meet her Then he toldK2
Why he relented after he had left herG
In Paris with no word beside this oneL
This is the end Now he was curiousU3
To know what she would say what could be saidS
Beyond what she had written so he wentI4
Out of a curious but hardened heartJ4

Edgar Lee Masters



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