A Story Of The Sea-shore: Introduction Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGCCHCIJKJLMNOL PQNC RSTHAUVWXYZXA2B2C2D2 E2SF2G2H2 I2J2K2L2WJ2LM2 N2CO2P2Q2R2S2CT2U2V2 MTW2X2EY2Y2Z2CA3CELB 3CLB3CRC3Y2D3JE3OXMC WF3G3CCJ TTH3CTTLI3G2J3C LCG2D3K3TSK2L3UTTG2M TRM3D2 N3O3Y2EL D3TP3TI sought the long clear twilights of my home | A |
Far in the pale blue skies and slaty seas | B |
What time the sunset dies not utterly | C |
But withered to a ghost like stealthy gleam | D |
Round the horizon creeps the short lived night | E |
And changes into sunrise in a swoon | F |
I found my home in homeliness unchanged | G |
The love that made it home unchangeable | C |
Received me as a child and all was well | C |
My ancient summer heaven borne on the hills | H |
Once more embraced me and once more the vale | C |
So often sighed for in the far off nights | I |
Rose on my bodily vision and behold | J |
In nothing had the fancy mocked the fact | K |
The hasting streams went garrulous as of old | J |
The resting flowers in silence uttered more | L |
The blue hills rose and dwelt alone in heaven | M |
Householding Nature from her treasures brought | N |
Things old and new the same yet not the same | O |
For all was holier lovelier than before | L |
And best of all once more I paced the fields | P |
With him whose love had made me long for God | Q |
So good a father that needs must I sought | N |
A better still Father of him and me | C |
- | |
Once on a day my cousin Frank and I | R |
Sat swiftly borne behind the dear white mare | S |
That oft had carried me in bygone days | T |
Along the lonely paths of moorland hills | H |
But now we sought the coast where deep waves foam | A |
'Gainst rocks that lift their dark fronts to the north | U |
And with us went a girl on whose kind face | V |
I had not looked for many a youthful year | W |
But the old friendship straightway blossomed new | X |
The heavens were sunny and the earth was green | Y |
The large harebells in families stood along | Z |
The grassy borders of a tender blue | X |
Transparent as the sky haunted with wings | A2 |
Of many butterflies as blue as they | B2 |
And as we talked and talked without restraint | C2 |
Brought near by memories of days that were | D2 |
And therefore are for ever by the joy | E2 |
Of motion through a warm and shining air | S |
By the glad sense of freedom and like thoughts | F2 |
And by the bond of friendship with the dead | G2 |
She told the tale which here I tell again | H2 |
- | |
I had returned to childish olden time | I2 |
And asked her if she knew a castle worn | J2 |
Whose masonry razed utterly above | K2 |
Yet faced the sea cliff up and met the waves | L2 |
'Twas one of my child marvels for each year | W |
We turned our backs upon the ripening corn | J2 |
And sought some village on the Moray shore | L |
And nigh this ruin was that I loved the best | M2 |
- | |
For oh the riches of that little port | N2 |
Down almost to the beach where a high wall | C |
Inclosed them came the gardens of a lord | O2 |
Free to the visitor with foot restrained | P2 |
His shady walks his ancient trees of state | Q2 |
His river that would not be shut within | R2 |
But came abroad went dreaming o'er the sands | S2 |
And lost itself in finding out the sea | C |
Inside it bore grave swans white splendours crept | T2 |
Under the fairy leap of a wire bridge | U2 |
Vanished in leaves and came again where lawns | V2 |
Lay verdurous and the peacock's plumy heaven | M |
Bore azure suns with green and golden rays | T |
It was my childish Eden for the skies | W2 |
Were loftier in that garden and the clouds | X2 |
More summer gracious edged with broader white | E |
And when they rained it was a golden rain | Y2 |
That sparkled as it fell an odorous rain | Y2 |
And then its wonder heart a little room | Z2 |
Half hollowed in the side of a steep hill | C |
Which rose with columned windy temple crowned | A3 |
A landmark to far seas The enchanted cell | C |
Was clouded over in the gentle night | E |
Of a luxuriant foliage and its door | L |
Half filled with rainbow hues of coloured glass | B3 |
Opened into the bosom of the hill | C |
Never to sesame of mine that door | L |
Gave up its sanctuary but through the glass | B3 |
Gazing with reverent curiosity | C |
I saw a little chamber round and high | R |
Which but to see was to escape the heat | C3 |
And bathe in coolness of the eye and brain | Y2 |
For all was dusky greenness on one side | D3 |
A window half blind with ivy manifold | J |
Whose leaves like heads of gazers climbed to the top | E3 |
Gave a joy saddened light for all that came | O |
Through the thick veil was green oh kindest hue | X |
But the heart has a heart this heart had one | M |
Still in the midst the ever more of all | C |
On a low column stood white cold dim clear | W |
A marble woman Who she was I know not | F3 |
A Psyche or a Silence or an Echo | G3 |
Pale undefined a silvery shadow still | C |
In one lone chamber of my memory | C |
She is a power upon me as of old | J |
- | |
But ah to dream there through hot summer days | T |
In coolness shrouded and sea murmurings | T |
Forgot by all till twilight shades grew dark | H3 |
To find half hidden in the hollowed wall | C |
A nest of tales old volumes such as dreams | T |
Hoard up in bookshops dim in tortuous streets | T |
That wondrous marble woman evermore | L |
Filling the gloom with calm delirium | I3 |
Of radiated whiteness as I read | G2 |
The fancied joy too plenteous for its cup | J3 |
O'erflowed and turned to sadness as it fell | C |
- | |
But the gray ruin on the shattered shore | L |
Not the green refuge in the bowering hill | C |
Drew forth our talk that day For as I said | G2 |
I asked her if she knew it She replied | D3 |
I know it well A woman used to live | K3 |
In one of its low vaults my mother says | T |
I found a hole I said and spiral stair | S |
Leading from level of the ground above | K2 |
To a low vaulted room within the rock | L3 |
Whence through a small square window I looked forth | U |
Wide o'er the waters the dim sounding waves | T |
Were many feet below and shrunk in size | T |
To a great ripple 'Twas not there she said | G2 |
Not in that room half up the cliff but one | M |
Low down within the margin of spring tides | T |
When both the tide and northern wind are high | R |
'Tis more an ocean cave than castle vault | M3 |
And then she told me all she knew of her | D2 |
- | |
It was a simple tale a monotone | N3 |
She climbed one sunny hill gazed once abroad | O3 |
Then wandered down to pace a dreary plain | Y2 |
Alas how many such are told by night | E |
In fisher cottages along the shore | L |
- | |
Farewell old summer day I turn aside | D3 |
To tell her story interwoven with thoughts | T |
Born of its sorrow for I dare not think | P3 |
A woman at the mercy of a sea | T |
George Macdonald
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