The Mermaid Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD BBBB DCDC CDCD EDED FCFC DCDC DCDG DDDD DDDD CHCH DCDC CICI DHDH JHJH BCBC CJCJ BJBJUp cam the tide wi' a burst and a whush | A |
And back gaed the stanes wi' a whurr | B |
The king's son walkit i' the evenin hush | A |
To hear the sea murmur and murr | B |
- | |
Straucht ower the water slade frae the mune | C |
A glimmer o' cauld weet licht | D |
Ane o' her horns rase the water abune | C |
And lampit across the nicht | D |
- | |
Quhat's that and that far oot i' the gray | B |
The laich mune bobbin afore | B |
It's the bonny sea maidens at their play | B |
Haud awa king's son frae the shore | B |
- | |
Ae rock stude up like an auld aik root | D |
The king's son he steppit ahin' | C |
The bonny sea maidens cam gambolin oot | D |
Kaimin their hair to the win' | C |
- | |
O merry their lauch whan they fan the warm san' | C |
For the lichtsome reel sae meet | D |
Ilk are flang her kaim frae her pearly ban' | C |
And tuik til her pearly feet | D |
- | |
But are wha's beauty was dream and spell | E |
Her kaim on the rock she cuist | D |
Her back was scarce turnt whan the munelicht shell | E |
Was lyin i' the prince's breist | D |
- | |
The cluds grew grim as he watched their game | F |
Th' win' blew up an angry tune | C |
Ane efter are tuik up her kaim | F |
And seaward gaed dancin doon | C |
- | |
But are wi' hair like the mune in a clud | D |
Was left by the rock her lane | C |
Wi' flittin ban's like a priest's she stude | D |
'Maist veiled in a rush o' rain | C |
- | |
She spied the prince she sank at his feet | D |
And lay like a wreath o' snaw | C |
Meltin awa i' the win' and weet | D |
O' a wastin wastlin thaw | G |
- | |
He liftit her trimlin wi' houp and dreid | D |
And hame wi' his prize he gaed | D |
And laid her doon like a witherin weed | D |
Saft on a gowden bed | D |
- | |
A' that nicht and a' day the neist | D |
She never liftit heid | D |
Quaiet lay the sea and quaiet lay her breist | D |
And quaiet lay the kirkyard deid | D |
- | |
But quhan at the gloamin a sea breeze keen | C |
Blew intil the glimsome room | H |
Like twa settin stars she opened her een | C |
And the sea flooer began to bloom | H |
- | |
And she saw the prince kneelin at her bed | D |
And afore the mune was new | C |
Careless and cauld she was wooed and wed | D |
But a winsome wife she grew | C |
- | |
And a' gaed weel till their bairn was born | C |
And syne she cudna sleep | I |
She wud rise at midnicht and wan'er till morn | C |
Hark harkin the sough o' the deep | I |
- | |
Ae nicht whan the win' gaed ravin aboot | D |
And the winnocks war speckled wi' faem | H |
Frae room to room she strayt in and oot | D |
And she spied her pearly kaim | H |
- | |
She twined up her hair wi' eager ban's | J |
And in wi' the rainbow kaim | H |
She's oot and she's aff ower the shinin san's | J |
And awa til her moanin hame | H |
- | |
The prince he startit whaur he lay | B |
He waukit and was himlane | C |
He soucht far intil the mornin gray | B |
But his bonny sea wife was gane | C |
- | |
And ever and aye i' the mirk or the mune | C |
Whan the win' blew saft frae the sea | J |
The sad shore up and the sad shore doon | C |
By the lanely rock paced he | J |
- | |
But never again on the sands to play | B |
Cam the maids o' the merry cauld sea | J |
He heard them lauch far oot i' the bay | B |
But hert alane gaed he | J |
George Macdonald
(1)
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