Moses: A Story Of The Nile (extract) Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGAHIJAKLMNOPPP PQRSTUMPGVWXPP YZQOA2B2QPQPC2PPQQPD 2B2RE2F2B2QNG2

Moses sought again the presence of the kingA
And Pharaoh's brow grew dark with wrathB
And rising up in angry haste he saidC
Defiantly 'If thy God be great showD
Us some sign or token of his power 'E
Then Moses threw his rod upon the floorF
And it trembled with a sign of lifeG
The dark wood glowed then changed into a thingA
Of glistening scales and golden rings and greenH
And brown and purple stripes a hissing hatefulI
Thing that glared its fiery eye and darting forthJ
From Moses' side lay coiled and pantingA
At the monarch's feet With wonder open eyedK
The king gazed on the changed rod then calledL
For his magicians wily men well versedM
In sinful lore and bade them do the sameN
And they leagued with the powers of night didO
Also change their rods to serpents then Moses'P
Serpent darted forth and with a startling hissP
And angry gulp he swallowed the living thingsP
That coiled along his path And thus did MosesP
Show that Israel's God had greater powerQ
Than those dark sons of nightR
But not by this aloneS
Did God his mighty power reveal He changedT
Their waters every fountain well and poolU
Was red with blood and lips all parched with thirstM
Shrank back in horror from the crimson draughtsP
And then the worshiped Nile grew full of lifeG
Millions of frogs swarmed from the stream they cloggedV
The pathway of the priests and filled the sacredW
Fanes and crowded into Pharaoh's bed and hoppedX
Into his trays of bread and slumbered in hisP
Ovens and his pansP
-
There came another plague of loathsome verminY
They were gray and creeping things that madeZ
Their very clothes alive with dark and sombreQ
Spots things of loathsome in the land they didO
Suspend the service of the temple for no priestA2
Dared to lift his hand to any god with oneB2
Of those upon him And then the sky grewQ
Dark as if a cloud were passing o'er itsP
Changeless blue a buzzing sound broke o'erQ
The city and the land was swarmed with fliesP
The Murrain laid their cattle low the hailC2
Cut off the first fruits of the Nile the locustsP
With their hungry jaws destroyed the later cropsP
And left the ground as brown and bare as if a fireQ
Had scorched it throughQ
Then angry blainsP
And fiery boils did blur the flesh of manD2
And beast and then for three long days nor saffronB2
Tint nor crimson flush nor soft and silvery lightR
Divided day from morn nor told the passageE2
Of the hours men rose not from their seats but satF2
In silent awe That lengthened night lay like a burdenB2
On the air a darkness one might almost gatherQ
In his hand it was so gross and thick Then cameN
The last dread plague the death of the first bornG2

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about Moses: A Story Of The Nile (extract) poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 6 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets