The Diver. A Ballad Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABCC DEDEFF CGCGHH IJIJKK LMLMNN COCOCC JPJPQQ NRNRSS CPCPCC HC BTT USUSVV COCONN JWJWQQ XJXJYY JCJCZZ JQJQCC JA2JA2JJ JJJJB2B2 EQEQCC MJMJCC JC2JC2D2D2 D2E2D2E2D2D2 HC2HC2CC JCJCF2F2 JJJJJJ D2QD2QG2G2 H2JH2JSS

What knight or what vassal will be so boldA
As to plunge in the gulf belowB
See I hurl in its depths a goblet of goldA
Already the waters over it flowB
The man who can bring back the goblet to meC
May keep it henceforward his own it shall beC
-
Thus speaks the king and he hurls from the heightD
Of the cliffs that rugged and steepE
Hang over the boundless sea with strong mightD
The goblet afar in the bellowing deepE
And who'll be so daring I ask it once moreF
As to plunge in these billows that wildly roarF
-
And the vassals and knights of high degreeC
Hear his words but silent remainG
They cast their eyes on the raging seaC
And none will attempt the goblet to gainG
And a third time the question is asked by the kingH
Is there none that will dare in the gulf now to springH
-
Yet all as before in silence standI
When a page with a modest prideJ
Steps out of the timorous squirely bandI
And his girdle and mantle soon throws asideJ
And all the knights and the ladies tooK
The noble stripling with wonderment viewK
-
And when he draws nigh to the rocky browL
And looks in the gulf so blackM
The waters that she had swallowed but nowL
The howling Charybdis is giving backM
And with the distant thunder's dull soundN
From her gloomy womb they all foaming reboundN
-
And it boils and it roars and it hisses and seethesC
As when water and fire first blendO
To the sky spurts the foam in steam laden wreathsC
And wave presses hard upon wave without endO
And the ocean will never exhausted beC
As if striving to bring forth another seaC
-
But at length the wild tumult seems pacifiedJ
And blackly amid the white swellP
A gaping chasm its jaws opens wideJ
As if leading down to the depths of hellP
And the howling billows are seen by each eyeQ
Down the whirling funnel all madly to flyQ
-
Then quickly before the breakers reboundN
The stripling commends him to HeavenR
And a scream of horror is heard aroundN
And now by the whirlpool away he is drivenR
And secretly over the swimmer braveS
Close the jaws and he vanishes 'neath the dark waveS
-
O'er the watery gulf dread silence now liesC
But the deep sends up a dull yellP
And from mouth to mouth thus trembling it fliesC
Courageous stripling oh fare thee wellP
And duller and duller the howls recommenceC
While they pause in anxious and fearful suspenseC
-
If even thy crown in the gulf thou shouldst flingH
And shouldst say 'He who brings it to meC
Shall wear it henceforward and be the king '-
Thou couldst tempt me not e'en with that precious foeB
What under the howling deep is concealedT
To no happy living soul is revealedT
-
Full many a ship by the whirlpool held fastU
Shoots straightway beneath the mad waveS
And dashed to pieces the hull and the mastU
Emerge from the all devouring graveS
And the roaring approaches still nearer and nearerV
Like the howl of the tempest still clearer and clearerV
-
And it boils and it roars and it hisses and seethesC
As when water and fire first blendO
To the sky spurts the foam in steam laden wreathsC
And wave passes hard upon wave without endO
And with the distant thunder's dull soundN
From the ocean womb they all bellowing boundN
-
And lo from the darkly flowing tideJ
Comes a vision white as a swanW
And an arm and a glistening neck are descriedJ
With might and with active zeal steering onW
And 'tis he and behold his left hand on highQ
Waves the goblet while beaming with joy is his eyeQ
-
Then breathes he deeply then breathes he longX
And blesses the light of the dayJ
While gladly exclaim to each other the throngX
He lives he is here he is not the sea's preyJ
From the tomb from the eddying waters' controlY
The brave one has rescued his living soulY
-
And he comes and they joyously round him standJ
At the feet of the monarch he fallsC
The goblet he kneeling puts in his handJ
And the king to his beauteous daughter callsC
Who fills it with sparkling wine to the brimZ
The youth turns to the monarch and speaks thus to himZ
-
Long life to the king Let all those be gladJ
Who breathe in the light of the skyQ
For below all is fearful of moment sadJ
Let not man to tempt the immortals e'er tryQ
Let him never desire the thing to seeC
That with terror and night they veil graciouslyC
-
I was torn below with the speed of lightJ
When out of a cavern of rockA2
Rushed towards me a spring with furious mightJ
I was seized by the twofold torrent's wild shockA2
And like a top with a whirl and a boundJ
Despite all resistance was whirled aroundJ
-
Then God pointed out for to Him I criedJ
In that terrible moment of needJ
A craggy reef in the gulf's dark sideJ
I seized it in haste and from death was then freedJ
And there on sharp corals was hanging the cupB2
The fathomless pit had else swallowed it upB2
-
For under me lay it still mountain deepE
In a darkness of purple tinged dyeQ
And though to the ear all might seem then asleepE
With shuddering awe 'twas seen by the eyeQ
How the salamanders' and dragons' dread formsC
Filled those terrible jaws of hell with their swarmsC
-
There crowded in union fearful and blackM
In a horrible mass entwinedJ
The rock fish the ray with the thorny backM
And the hammer fish's misshapen kindJ
And the shark the hyena dread of the seaC
With his angry teeth grinned fiercely on meC
-
There hung I by fulness of terror possessedJ
Where all human aid was unknownC2
Amongst phantoms the only sensitive breastJ
In that fearful solitude all aloneC2
Where the voice of mankind could not reach to mine earD2
'Mid the monsters foul of that wilderness drearD2
-
Thus shuddering methought when a something crawled nearD2
And a hundred limbs it out flungE2
And at me it snapped in my mortal fearD2
I left hold of the coral to which I had clungE2
Then the whirlpool seized on me with maddened roarD2
Yet 'twas well for it brought me to light once moreD2
-
The story in wonderment hears the kingH
And he says The cup is thine ownC2
And I purpose also to give thee this ringH
Adorned with a costly a priceless stoneC2
If thou'lt try once again and bring word to meC
What thou saw'st in the nethermost depths of the seaC
-
His daughter hears this with emotions softJ
And with flattering accent prays sheC
That fearful sport father attempt not too oftJ
What none other would dare he hath ventured for theeC
If thy heart's wild longings thou canst not tameF2
Let the knights if they can put the squire to shameF2
-
The king then seizes the goblet in hasteJ
In the gulf he hurls it with mightJ
When the goblet once more in my hands thou hast placedJ
Thou shalt rank at my court as the noblest knightJ
And her as a bride thou shalt clasp e'en to dayJ
Who for thee with tender compassion doth prayJ
-
Then a force as from Heaven descends on him thereD2
And lightning gleams in his eyeQ
And blushes he sees on her features so fairD2
And he sees her turn pale and swooning lieQ
Then eager the precious guerdon to winG2
For life or for death lo he plunges him inG2
-
The breakers they hear and the breakers returnH2
Proclaimed by a thundering soundJ
They bend o'er the gulf with glances that yearnH2
And the waters are pouring in fast aroundJ
Though upwards and downwards they rush and they raveS
The youth is brought back by no kindly waveS

Friedrich Schiller



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