Admetus: To My Friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHBIJKLM NOPPPIPIPQ PRSTPPPUQPVPWXYZA2B2 KVPC2PIOD2E2F2E2PF2G 2E2H2I2 E2PJ2E2E2E2E2IK2PE2P PPPE2L2KM2N2F2H2PPPP HO2L2KP2F2Q2PPPE2E2 UF2E2E2R2PHE2F2PM2E2 E2U S2T2UF2E2PU2PE2UT2G2 V2PP2PPF2N2E2PPF2E2B F2J2PPPE2E2GPW2G IX2IE2E2E2F2F2E2UE2E 2E2HE2PAE2PJ2E2K PB2F2PD2E2PM2AIHe who could beard the lion in his lair | A |
To bind him for a girl and tame the boar | B |
And drive these beasts before his chariot | C |
Might wed Alcestis For her low brows' sake | D |
Her hairs' soft undulations of warm gold | E |
Her eyes' clear color and pure virgin mouth | F |
Though many would draw bow or shiver spear | G |
Yet none dared meet the intolerable eye | H |
Or lipless tusk of lion or of boar | B |
This heard Admetus King of Thessaly | I |
Whose broad fat pastures spread their ample fields | J |
Down to the sheer edge of Amphrysus' stream | K |
Who laughed disdainful at the father's pride | L |
That set such value on one milk faced child | M |
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One morning as he rode alone and passed | N |
Through the green twilight of Thessalian woods | O |
Between two pendulous branches interlocked | P |
As through an open casement he descried | P |
A goddess as he deemed in truth a maid | P |
On a low bank she fondled tenderly | I |
A favorite hound her floral face inclined | P |
Above the glossy graceful animal | I |
That pressed his snout against her cheek and gazed | P |
Wistfully with his keen sagacious eyes | Q |
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One arm with lax embrace the neck enwreathed | P |
With polished roundness near the sleek gray skin | R |
Admetus fixed with wonder dared not pass | S |
Intrusive on her holy innocence | T |
And sacred girlhood but his fretful steed | P |
Snuffed the large air and champed and pawed the ground | P |
And hearing this the maiden raised her head | P |
No let or hindrance then might stop the king | U |
Once having looked upon those supreme eyes | Q |
The drooping boughs disparting forth he sped | P |
And then drew in his steed to ask the path | V |
Like a lost traveller in an alien land | P |
Although each river cloven vale with streams | W |
Arrowy glancing to the blue gean | X |
Each hallowed mountain the abode of gods | Y |
Pelion and Ossa fringed with haunted groves | Z |
The height spring crowned of dedicate Olympus | A2 |
And pleasant sun fed vineyards were to him | B2 |
Familiar as his own face in the stream | K |
Nathless he paused and asked the maid what path | V |
Might lead him from the forest She replied | P |
But still he tarried and with sportsman's praise | C2 |
Admired the hound and stooped to stroke its head | P |
And asked her if she hunted Nay not she | I |
Her father Pelias hunted in these woods | O |
Where there was royal game He knew her now | D2 |
Alcestis and her left her with due thanks | E2 |
No goddess but a mortal to be won | F2 |
By such a simple feat as driving boars | E2 |
And lions to his chariot What was that | P |
To him who saw the boar of Calydon | F2 |
The sacred boar of Artemis at bay | G2 |
In the broad stagnant marsh and sent his darts | E2 |
In its tough quivering flank and saw its death | H2 |
Stung by sure arrows of Arcadian nymph | I2 |
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To river pastures of his flocks and herds | E2 |
Admetus rode where sweet breathed cattle grazed | P |
Heifers and goats and kids and foolish sheep | J2 |
Dotted cool spacious meadows with bent heads | E2 |
And necks' soft wool broken in yellow flakes | E2 |
Nibbling sharp toothed the rich thick growing blades | E2 |
One herdsmen kept the innumerable droves | E2 |
A boy yet young as immortality | I |
In listless posture on a vine grown rock | K2 |
Around him huddled kids and sheep that left | P |
The mother's udder for his nighest grass | E2 |
Which sprouted with fresh verdure where he sat | P |
And yet dull neighboring rustics never guessed | P |
A god had been among them till he went | P |
Although with him they acted as he willed | P |
Renouncing shepherds' silly pranks and quips | E2 |
Because his very presence made them grave | L2 |
Amphryssius after their translucent stream | K |
They called him but Admetus knew his name | M2 |
Hyperion god of sun and song and silver speech | N2 |
Condemned to serve a mortal for his sin | F2 |
To Zeus in sending violent darts of death | H2 |
And raising hand irreverent against | P |
The one eyed forgers of the thunderbolt | P |
For shepherd's crook he held the living rod | P |
Of twisted serpents later Hermes' wand | P |
Him sought the king discovering soon hard by | H |
Idle as one in nowise bound to time | O2 |
Watching the restless grasses blow and wave | L2 |
The sparkle of the sun upon the stream | K |
Regretting nothing living with the hour | P2 |
For him who had his light and song within | F2 |
Was naught that did not shine and all things sang | Q2 |
Admetus prayed for his celestial aid | P |
To win Alcestis which the god vouchsafed | P |
Granting with smiles as grant all gods who smite | P |
With stern hand sparing not for piteousness | E2 |
But give their gifts in gladness | E2 |
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Thus the king | U |
Led with loose rein the beasts as tame as kine | F2 |
And townsfolk thronged within the city streets | E2 |
As round a god and mothers showed their babes | E2 |
And maidens loved the crowned intrepid youth | R2 |
And men would worship though the very god | P |
Who wrought the wonder dwelled unnoted nigh | H |
Divinely scornful of neglect or praise | E2 |
Then Pelias seeing this would be his son | F2 |
As he had vowed called for his wife and child | P |
With Anaxibia Alcestis came | M2 |
A warm flush spreading o'er her eager face | E2 |
In looking on the rider of the woods | E2 |
And knowing him her suitor and the king | U |
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Admetus won Alcestis thus to wife | S2 |
And these with mated hearts and mutual love | T2 |
Lived a life blameless beautiful the king | U |
Ordaining justice in the gates the queen | F2 |
With grateful offerings to the household gods | E2 |
Wise with the wisdom of the pure in heart | P |
One child she bore Eumelus and he throve | U2 |
Yet none the less because they sacrificed | P |
The firstlings of their flocks and fruits and flowers | E2 |
Did trouble come for sickness seized the king | U |
Alcestis watched with many handed love | T2 |
But unavailing service for he lay | G2 |
With languid limbs despite his ancient strength | V2 |
Of sinew and his skill with spear and sword | P |
His mother came Clymene and with her | P2 |
His father Pheres his unconscious child | P |
They brought him while forlorn Alcestis sat | P |
Discouraged with the face of desolation | F2 |
The jealous gods would bind his mouth from speech | N2 |
And smite his vigorous frame with impotence | E2 |
And ruin with bitter ashes worms and dust | P |
The beauty of his crowned exalted head | P |
He knew her presence soon he would not know | F2 |
Nor feel her hand in his lie warm and close | E2 |
Nor care if she were near him any more | B |
Exhausted with long vigils thus the queen | F2 |
Held hard and grievous thoughts till heavy sleep | J2 |
Possessed her weary senses and she dreamed | P |
And even in her dream her trouble lived | P |
For she was praying in a barren field | P |
To all the gods for help when came across | E2 |
The waste of air and land from distant skies | E2 |
A spiritual voice divinely clear | G |
Whose unimaginable sweetness thrilled | P |
Her aching heart with tremor of strange joy | W2 |
'Arise Alcestis cast away white fear | G |
A god dwells with you seek and you shall find ' | - |
Then quiet satisfaction filled her soul | I |
Almost akin to gladness and she woke | X2 |
Weak as the dead Admetus lay there still | I |
But she superb with confidence arose | E2 |
And passed beyond the mourners' curious eyes | E2 |
Seeking Amphryssius in the meadow lands | E2 |
She found him with the godlike mien of one | F2 |
Who roused awakens unto deeds divine | F2 |
'I come Hyperion with incessant tears | E2 |
To crave the life of my dear lord the king | U |
Pity me for I see the future years | E2 |
Widowed and laden with disastrous days | E2 |
And ye the gods will miss him when the fires | E2 |
Upon your shrines unfed neglected die | H |
Who will pour large libations in your names | E2 |
And sacrifice with generous piety | P |
Silence and apathy will greet you there | A |
Where once a splendid spirit offered praise | E2 |
Grant me this boon divine and I will beat | P |
With prayer at morning's gates before they ope | J2 |
Unto thy silver hoofed and flame eyed steeds | E2 |
Answer ere yet the irremeable stream | K |
Be crossed answer O god and save ' | - |
She ceased | P |
With full throat salt with tears and looked on him | B2 |
And with a sudden cry of awe fell prone | F2 |
For lo he was transmuted to a god | P |
The supreme aureole radiant round his brow | D2 |
Divine refulgence on his face his eyes | E2 |
Awful with splendor and his august head | P |
With blinding brilliance crowned by vivid flame | M2 |
Then in a voice that charmed the listening air | A |
'Woman arise I have no influ | I |
Emma Lazarus
(1)
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