The Island - Canto The First Poem Rhyme Scheme

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George Gordon Byron

The Island - Canto The First Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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I	A
	-
The morning watch was come the vessel lay	B
Her course and gently made her liquid way ex	C
The cloven billow flashed from off her prow	D
In furrows formed by that majestic plough	D
The waters with their world were all before	E
Behind the South Sea's many an islet shore	E
The quiet night now dappling 'gan to wane	F
Dividing darkness from the dawning main	F
The dolphins not unconscious of the day	B
Swam high as eager of the coming ray	B
The stars from broader beams began to creep	G
And lift their shining eyelids from the deep ey	H
The sail resumed its lately shadowed white	I
And the wind fluttered with a freshening flight	I
The purpling Ocean owns the coming Sun	J
But ere he break a deed is to be done	J
	-
	-
II	A
	-
The gallant Chief within his cabin slept	K
Secure in those by whom the watch was kept	K
His dreams were of Old England's welcome shore	E
Of toils rewarded and of dangers o'er	L
His name was added to the glorious roll	M
Of those who search the storm surrounded Pole	M
The worst was over and the rest seemed sure	N
And why should not his slumber be secure	N
Alas his deck was trod by unwilling feet	O
And wilder hands would hold the vessel's sheet	O
Young hearts which languished for some sunny isle	P
Where summer years and summer women smile	P
Men without country who too long estranged	Q
Had found no native home or found it changed	Q
And half uncivilised preferred the cave	R
Of some soft savage to the uncertain wave	R
The gushing fruits that nature gave unfilled	S
The wood without a path but where they willed	S
The field o'er which promiscuous Plenty poured	T
Her horn the equal land without a lord	T
The wish which ages have not yet subdued	U
In man to have no master save his mood	U
The earth whose mine was on its face unsold	V
The glowing sun and produce all its gold	V
The Freedom which can call each grot a home	W
The general garden where all steps may roam	W
Where Nature owns a nation as her child	X
Exulting in the enjoyment of the wild ez	C
Their shells their fruits the only wealth they know	Y
Their unexploring navy the canoe fa	R
Their sport the dashing breakers and the chase	C
Their strangest sight an European face	C
Such was the country which these strangers yearned	Z
To see again a sight they dearly earned	Z
	-
	-
III	A
	-
Awake bold Bligh the foe is at the gate	A2
Awake awake Alas it is too late	A2
Fiercely beside thy cot the mutineer	B2
Stands and proclaims the reign of rage and fear	B2
Thy limbs are bound the bayonet at thy breast	C2
The hands which trembled at thy voice arrest	C2
Dragged o'er the deck no more at thy command	D2
The obedient helm shall veer the sail expand	D2
That savage Spirit which would lull by wrath	E2
Its desperate escape from Duty's path	E2
Glares round thee in the scarce believing eyes	C
Of those who fear the Chief they sacrifice	C
For ne'er can Man his conscience all assuage	F2
Unless he drain the wine of Passion Rage	F2
	-
	-
IV	R
	-
In vain not silenced by the eye of Death	G2
Thou call'st the loyal with thy menaced breath	G2
They come not they are few and overawed	D2
Must acquiesce while sterner hearts applaud	D2
In vain thou dost demand the cause a curse	C
Is all the answer with the threat of worse	C
Full in thine eyes is waved the glittering blade	D2
Close to thy throat the pointed bayonet laid	D2
The levelled muskets circle round thy breast	D2
In hands as steeled to do the deadly rest	D2
Thou dar'st them to their worst exclaiming Fire	L
But they who pitied not could yet admire	H2
Some lurking remnant of their former awe	I2
Restrained them longer than their broken law	J2
They would not dip their souls at once in blood	D2
But left thee to the mercies of the flood	D2
	-
	-
V	R
	-
Hoist out the boat was now the leader's cry	A
And who dare answer No to Mutiny	R
In the first dawning of the drunken hour	L
The Saturnalia of unhoped for power	L
The boat is lowered with all the haste of hate	D2
With its slight plank between thee and thy fate	D2
Her only cargo such a scant supply	A
As promises the death their hands deny	A
And just enough of water and of bread	D2
To keep some days the dying from the dead	D2
Some cordage canvass sails and lines and twine	K2
But treasures all to hermits of the brine	K2
Were added after to the earnest prayer	L2
Of those who saw no hope save sea and air	L2
And last that trembling vassal of the Pole	M
The feeling compass Navigation's soul	M
	-
	-
VI	A
	-
And now the self elected Chief finds time	M2
To stun the first sensation of his crime	M2
And raise it in his followers Ho the bowl	M
Lest passion should return to reason's shoal fb	N2
Brandy for heroes Burke could once exclaim	O2
No doubt a liquid path to Epic fame	O2
And such the new born heroes found it here	P2
And drained the draught with an applauding cheer	B2
Huzza for Otaheite was the cry	A
How strange such shouts from sons of Mutiny	R
The gentle island and the genial soil	Q2
The friendly hearts the feasts without a toil	Q2
The courteous manners but from nature caught	D2
The wealth unhoarded and the love unbought	D2
Could these have charms for rudest sea boys driven	J
Before the mast by every wind of heaven	J
And now even now prepared with others' woes	C
To earn mild Virtue's vain desire repose	C
Alas such is our nature all but aim	O2
At the same end by pathways not the same	O2
Our means our birth our nation and our name	O2
Our fortune temper even our outward frame	O2
Are far more potent o'er our yielding clay	B
Than aught we know beyond our little day	B
Yet still there whispers the small voice within	R2
Heard through Gain's silence and o'er Glory's din	R2
Whatever creed be taught or land be trod	D2
Man's conscience is the Oracle of God	D2
	-
	-
VII	A
	-
The launch is crowded with the faithful few	A
Who wait their Chief a melancholy crew	A
But some remained reluctant on the deck	S2
Of that proud vessel now a moral wreck	S2
And viewed their Captain's fate with piteous eyes	C
While others scoffed his augured miseries	C
Sneered at the prospect of his pigmy sail	T2
And the slight bark so laden and so frail	T2
The tender nautilus who steers his prow	D
The sea born sailor of his shell canoe	A
The ocean Mab the fairy of the sea	R
Seems far less fragile and alas more free	R
He when the lightning winged Tornados sweep	G
The surge is safe his port is in the deep	G
And triumphs o'er the armadas of Mankind	D2
Which shake the World yet crumble in the wind	D2
	-
	-
VIII	A
	-
When all was now prepared the vessel clear	B2
Which hailed her master in the mutineer	B2
A seaman less obdurate than his mates	C
Showed the vain pity which but irritates	C
Watched his late Chieftain with exploring eye	A
And told in signs repentant sympathy	R
Held the moist shaddock to his parched mouth	U2
Which felt Exhaustion's deep and bitter drouth	U2
But soon observed this guardian was withdrawn	V2
Nor further Mercy clouds Rebellion's dawn	V2
Then forward stepped the bold and froward boy	N2
His Chief had cherished only to destroy	N2
And pointing to the helpless prow beneath	U2
Exclaimed Depart at once delay is death	U2
Yet then even then his feelings ceased not all	W2
In that last moment could a word recall	W2
Remorse for the black deed as yet half done	J
And what he hid from many showed to one	J
When Bligh in stern reproach demanded where	L2
Was now his grateful sense of former care	L2
Where all his hopes to see his name aspire	H2
And blazon Britain's thousand glories higher	L
His feverish lips thus broke their gloomy spell	X2
Tis that 'tis that I am in hell in hell	X2
No more he said but urging to the bark	Y2
His Chief commits him to his fragile ark	Y2
These the sole accents from his tongue that fell	X2
But volumes lurked below his fierce farewell	X2
	-
	-
	-
IX	C
	-
The arctic Sun rose broad above the wave	A
The breeze now sank now whispered from his cave	A
As on the olian harp his fitful wings	C
Now swelled now fluttered o'er his Ocean strings fc	Y2
With slow despairing oar the abandoned skiff	A
Ploughs its drear progress to the scarce seen cliff	A
Which lifts its peak a cloud above the main	F
That boat and ship shall never meet again	Z2
	-
But 'tis not mine to tell their tale of grief	A
Their constant peril and their scant relief	A
Their days of danger and their nights of pain	F
Their manly courage even when deemed in vain	F
The sapping famine rendering scarce a son	J
Known to his mother in the skeleton	J
The ills that lessened still their little store	E
And starved even Hunger till he wrung no more	E
The varying frowns and favours of the deep	G
That now almost ingulfs then leaves to creep	G
With crazy oar and shattered strength along	Y2
The tide that yields reluctant to the strong	Y2
The incessant fever of that arid thirst	D2
Which welcomes as a well the clouds that burst	D2
Above their naked bones and feels delight	D2
In the cold drenching of the stormy night	D2
And from the outspread canvass gladly wrings	C
A drop to moisten Life's all gasping springs	C
The savage foe escaped to seek again	Z2
More hospitable shelter from the main	F
The ghastly Spectres which were doomed at last	D2
To tell as true a tale of dangers past	D2
As ever the dark annals of the deep	G
Disclosed for man to dread or woman weep	G
	-
	-
X	C
	-
We leave them to their fate but not unknown	A3
Nor unredressed Revenge may have her own fd	D2
Roused Discipline aloud proclaims their cause	C
And injured Navies urge their broken laws	C
Pursue we on his track the mutineer	B2
Whom distant vengeance had not taught to fear	B2
Wide o'er the wave away away away	B
Once more his eyes shall hail the welcome bay	B
Once more the happy shores without a law	J2
Receive the outlaws whom they lately saw	J2
Nature and Nature's goddess Woman woos	C
To lands where save their conscience none accuse	C
Where all partake the earth without dispute fe	B
And bread itself is gathered as a fruit	D2
Where none contest the fields the woods the streams	C
The goldless Age where Gold disturbs no dreams	C
Inhabits or inhabited the shore	E
Till Europe taught them better than before	E
Bestowed her customs and amended theirs	C
But left her vices also to their heirs	C
Away with this behold them as they were	L
Do good with Nature or with Nature err	L2
Huzza for Otaheite was the cry	A
As stately swept the gallant vessel by	A
The breeze springs up the lately flapping sail	T2
Extends its arch before the growing gale	T2
In swifter ripples stream aside the seas	C
Which her bold bow flings off with dashing ease	C
Thus Argo ploughed the Euxine's virgin foam ff	B
But those she wafted still looked back to home	W
These spurn their country with their rebel bark	Y2
And fly her as the raven fled the Ark	Y2
And yet they seek to nestle with the dove	B
And tame their fiery spirits down to Love	B
	-
End of Canto st J n	Z2