The Eleusinian Festival Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDEDF GHGHIJKJ LMNMOPOP AQAQRSTS UVUVWXWF YZA2ZB2C2B2C2 D2E2A2E2F2G2F2G2 H2I2H2I2J2G2K2G2 OA2OA2L2M2L2M2 N2JN2JO2L2O2O2 A2TA2RP2Q2P2Q2 A2A2A2A2H2A2H2A2 O2Q2O2Q2R2S2R2S2 G2G2G2G2T2O2T2O2 U2V2U2U2U2U2U2U2 Q2U2Q2U2U2HU2H CU2CU2W2O2W2O2 U2X2U2X2Y2O2Y2O2 Z2A3Z2B3CU2CU2 U2I2U2I2W2A2W2A2 U2A2U2A2A2A2A2A2 U2A2U2A2O2O2O2O2 JB3JB3U2C3U2C3 D3B3D3B3E3U2E3U2 U2B3U2B3O2U2O2U2 U2B3U2B3O2I2O2I2 B3O2B3O2O2W2O2W2Wreathe in a garland the corn's golden ear | A |
With it the Cyane blue intertwine | B |
Rapture must render each glance bright and clear | C |
For the great queen is approaching her shrine | B |
She who compels lawless passions to cease | D |
Who to link man with his fellow has come | E |
And into firm habitations of peace | D |
Changed the rude tents' ever wandering home | F |
- | |
Shyly in the mountain cleft | G |
Was the Troglodyte concealed | H |
And the roving Nomad left | G |
Desert lying each broad field | H |
With the javelin with the bow | I |
Strode the hunter through the land | J |
To the hapless stranger woe | K |
Billow cast on that wild strand | J |
- | |
When in her sad wanderings lost | L |
Seeking traces of her child | M |
Ceres hailed the dreary coast | N |
Ah no verdant plain then smiled | M |
That she here with trust may stay | O |
None vouchsafes a sheltering roof | P |
Not a temple's columns gay | O |
Give of godlike worship proof | P |
- | |
Fruit of no propitious ear | A |
Bids her to the pure feast fly | Q |
On the ghastly altars here | A |
Human bones alone e'er dry | Q |
Far as she might onward rove | R |
Misery found she still in all | S |
And within her soul of love | T |
Sorrowed she o'er man's deep fall | S |
- | |
Is it thus I find the man | U |
To whom we our image lend | V |
Whose fair limbs of noble span | U |
Upward towards the heavens ascend | V |
Laid we not before his feet | W |
Earth's unbounded godlike womb | X |
Yet upon his kingly seat | W |
Wanders he without a home | F |
- | |
Does no god compassion feel | Y |
Will none of the blissful race | Z |
With an arm of miracle | A2 |
Raise him from his deep disgrace | Z |
In the heights where rapture reigns | B2 |
Pangs of others ne'er can move | C2 |
Yet man's anguish and man's pains | B2 |
My tormented heart must prove | C2 |
- | |
So that a man a man may be | D2 |
Let him make an endless bond | E2 |
With the kind earth trustingly | A2 |
Who is ever good and fond | E2 |
To revere the law of time | F2 |
And the moon's melodious song | G2 |
Who with silent step sublime | F2 |
Move their sacred course along | G2 |
- | |
And she softly parts the cloud | H2 |
That conceals her from the sight | I2 |
Sudden in the savage crowd | H2 |
Stands she as a goddess bright | I2 |
There she finds the concourse rude | J2 |
In their glad feast revelling | G2 |
And the chalice filled with blood | K2 |
As a sacrifice they bring | G2 |
- | |
But she turns her face away | O |
Horror struck and speaks the while | A2 |
Bloody tiger feasts ne'er may | O |
Of a god the lips defile | A2 |
He needs victims free from stain | L2 |
Fruits matured by autumn's sun | M2 |
With the pure gifts of the plain | L2 |
Honored is the Holy One | M2 |
- | |
And she takes the heavy shaft | N2 |
From the hunter's cruel hand | J |
With the murderous weapon's haft | N2 |
Furrowing the light strown sand | J |
Takes from out her garland's crown | O2 |
Filled with life one single grain | L2 |
Sinks it in the furrow down | O2 |
And the germ soon swells amain | O2 |
- | |
And the green stalks gracefully | A2 |
Shoot ere long the ground above | T |
And as far as eye can see | A2 |
Waves it like a golden grove | R |
With her smile the earth she cheers | P2 |
Binds the earliest sheaves so fair | Q2 |
As her hearth the landmark rears | P2 |
And the goddess breathes this prayer | Q2 |
- | |
Father Zeus who reign'st o'er all | A2 |
That in ether's mansions dwell | A2 |
Let a sign from thee now fall | A2 |
That thou lov'st this offering well | A2 |
And from the unhappy crowd | H2 |
That as yet has ne'er known thee | A2 |
Take away the eye's dark cloud | H2 |
Showing them their deity | A2 |
- | |
Zeus upon his lofty throne | O2 |
Harkens to his sister's prayer | Q2 |
From the blue heights thundering down | O2 |
Hurls his forked lightning there | Q2 |
Crackling it begins to blaze | R2 |
From the altar whirling bounds | S2 |
And his swift winged eagle plays | R2 |
High above in circling rounds | S2 |
- | |
Soon at the feet of their mistress are kneeling | G2 |
Filled with emotion the rapturous throng | G2 |
Into humanity's earliest feeling | G2 |
Melt their rude spirits untutored and strong | G2 |
Each bloody weapon behind them they leave | T2 |
Rays on their senses beclouded soon shine | O2 |
And from the mouth of the queen they receive | T2 |
Gladly and meekly instruction divine | O2 |
- | |
All the deities advance | U2 |
Downward from their heavenly seats | V2 |
Themis' self 'tis leads the dance | U2 |
And with staff of justice metes | U2 |
Unto every one his rights | U2 |
Landmarks too 'tis hers to fix | U2 |
And in witness she invites | U2 |
All the hidden powers of Styx | U2 |
- | |
And the forge god too is there | Q2 |
The inventive son of Zeus | U2 |
Fashioner of vessels fair | Q2 |
Skilled in clay and brass's use | U2 |
'Tis from him the art man knows | U2 |
Tongs and bellows how to wield | H |
'Neath his hammer's heavy blows | U2 |
Was the ploughshare first revealed | H |
- | |
With projecting weighty spear | C |
Front of all Minerva stands | U2 |
Lifts her voice so strong and clear | C |
And the godlike host commands | U2 |
Steadfast walls 'tis hers to found | W2 |
Shield and screen for every one | O2 |
That the scattered world around | W2 |
Bind in loving unison | O2 |
- | |
The immortals' steps she guides | U2 |
O'er the trackless plains so vast | X2 |
And where'er her foot abides | U2 |
Is the boundary god held fast | X2 |
And her measuring chain is led | Y2 |
Round the mountain's border green | O2 |
E'en the raging torrent's bed | Y2 |
In the holy ring is seen | O2 |
- | |
All the Nymphs and Oreads too | Z2 |
Who the mountain pathways o'er | A3 |
Swift foot Artemis pursue | Z2 |
All to swell the concourse pour | B3 |
Brandishing the hunting spear | C |
Set to work glad shouts uprise | U2 |
'Neath their axes' blows so clear | C |
Crashing down the pine wood flies | U2 |
- | |
E'en the sedge crowned God ascends | U2 |
From his verdant spring to light | I2 |
And his raft's direction bends | U2 |
At the goddess' word of might | I2 |
While the hours all gently bound | W2 |
Nimbly to their duty fly | A2 |
Rugged trunks are fashioned round | W2 |
By her skilled hand gracefully | A2 |
- | |
E'en the sea god thither fares | U2 |
Sudden with his trident's blow | A2 |
He the granite columns tears | U2 |
From earth's entrails far below | A2 |
In his mighty hands on high | A2 |
Waves he them like some light ball | A2 |
And with nimble Hermes by | A2 |
Raises up the rampart wall | A2 |
- | |
But from out the golden strings | U2 |
Lures Apollo harmony | A2 |
Measured time's sweet murmurings | U2 |
And the might of melody | A2 |
The Camoenae swell the strain | O2 |
With their song of ninefold tone | O2 |
Captive bound in music's chain | O2 |
Softly stone unites to stone | O2 |
- | |
Cybele with skilful hand | J |
Open throws the wide winged door | B3 |
Locks and bolts by her are planned | J |
Sure to last forevermore | B3 |
Soon complete the wondrous halls | U2 |
By the gods' own hands are made | C3 |
And the temple's glowing walls | U2 |
Stand in festal pomp arrayed | C3 |
- | |
With a crown of myrtle twined | D3 |
Now the goddess queen comes there | B3 |
And she leads the fairest hind | D3 |
To the shepherdess most fair | B3 |
Venus with her beauteous boy | E3 |
That first pair herself attires | U2 |
All the gods bring gifts of joy | E3 |
Blessing their love's sacred fires | U2 |
- | |
Guided by the deities | U2 |
Soon the new born townsmen pour | B3 |
Ushered in with harmonies | U2 |
Through the friendly open door | B3 |
Holding now the rites divine | O2 |
Ceres at Zeus' altar stands | U2 |
Blessing those around the shrine | O2 |
Thus she speaks with folded hands | U2 |
- | |
Freedom's love the beast inflames | U2 |
And the god rules free in air | B3 |
While the law of Nature tames | U2 |
Each wild lust that lingers there | B3 |
Yet when thus together thrown | O2 |
Man with man must fain unite | I2 |
And by his own worth alone | O2 |
Can he freedom gain and might | I2 |
- | |
Wreathe in a garland the corn's golden ear | B3 |
With it the Cyane blue intertwine | O2 |
Rapture must render each glance bright and clear | B3 |
For the great queen is approaching her shrine | O2 |
She who our homesteads so blissful has given | O2 |
She who has man to his fellow man bound | W2 |
Let our glad numbers extol then to heaven | O2 |
Her who the earth's kindly mother is found | W2 |
Friedrich Schiller
(1)
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