The Twa Gordons Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCBC DEDE CDCF GCHC CICI IICI JDCD KCIC CLML NIII A COCP CIQI CCIC DCDC CIRI CCCC IRMR ACIC IDCD CCDC SCSC DICI ICIC ICMC CICI ICIC CCCC CCIC A CCCD ICIC ICIC CDMD CICI CICI CDCD DIDI DITI UDDD ICIO DIDI MDMD DDDI DIDI CDCDI | A |
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There was John Gordon an' Archibold | B |
An' a yerl's twin sons war they | C |
Quhan they war are an' twenty year auld | B |
They fell oot on their ae birthday | C |
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Turn ye John Gordon nae brither to me | D |
Turn ye fause an' fell | E |
Or doon ye s' gang as black as a lee | D |
To the muckle deevil o' hell | E |
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An' quhat for that Archie Gordon I pray | C |
Quhat ill hae I dune to thee | D |
Twa faced loon ye sail rue this day | C |
The answer I'm gauin to gie | F |
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For it'll be roucher nor lady Janet's | G |
An' loud i' the braid daylicht | C |
An' the wa' to speil is my iron mail | H |
No her castle wa' by nicht | C |
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I speilt the wa' o' her castle braw | C |
I' the roarin win' yestreen | I |
An' I sat in her bower till the gloamin sta' | C |
Licht fittit ahint the mune | I |
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Turn ye John Gordon the twasum we s' twin | I |
Turn ye an' haud yer ain | I |
For ane sall lie on a cauld weet bed | C |
An' I downa curse again | I |
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O Archie Janet is my true love | J |
notna speir leave o' thee | D |
Gien that be true the deevil's a sanct | C |
An' ye are no tellin a lee | D |
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Their suerds they drew an' the fire flauchts flew | K |
An' they shiftit wi' fendin feet | C |
An' the blude ran doon till the grun a' roun | I |
Like a verra bog was weet | C |
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O Archie I hae gotten a cauld supper | C |
O' steel but shortest grace | L |
Ae grip o' yer han' afore ye gang | M |
An' turn me upo' my face | L |
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But he's turnit himsel upon his heel | N |
An' wordless awa he's gane | I |
An' the corbie craw i' the aik abune | I |
Is roupin for his ain | I |
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II | A |
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Lady Margaret her hert richt gret | C |
Luiks ower the castle wa' | O |
Lord Archibold rides oot at the yett | C |
Ahint him his merry men a' | P |
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Wi' a' his band to the Holy Land | C |
He's boune wi' merry din | I |
His shouther's doss a Christ's cross | Q |
In his breist an ugsome sin | I |
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But the cross it brunt him like the fire | C |
Its burnin never ceast | C |
It brunt in an' in to win at the sin | I |
Lay cowerin in his breist | C |
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A mile frae the shore o' the Deid Sea | D |
The army haltit ae nicht | C |
Lord Archie was waukrife an' oot gaed he | D |
A walkin i' the munelicht | C |
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Dour like he gaed wi' doon hingin heid | C |
Quhill he cam by the licht o' the mune | I |
Quhaur michty stanes lay scattert like sheep | R |
An' ance they worshipt Mahoun | I |
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The scruff an' scum o' the deid shore gleamt | C |
An' glintit a sauty gray | C |
The banes o' the deid stack oot o' its bed | C |
The sea lickit them as they lay | C |
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He sat him doon on a sunken stane | I |
An' he sighit sae dreary an' deep | R |
I can thole ohn grutten lyin awauk | M |
But he comes whan I'm asleep | R |
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I wud gie my soul for ever an' aye | A |
Intil en'less dule an' smert | C |
To sleep a' nicht like a bairn again | I |
An' cule my burnin hert | C |
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Oot frae ahint a muckle stane | I |
Cam a voice like a huddy craw's | D |
Behaud there Archibold Gordon it said | C |
Behaud ye hae ower gude cause | D |
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I'll say quhat I like quod Archibold | C |
Be ye ghaist or deevil or quhat | C |
Tak tent lord Archie gien ye be wise | D |
The tit winna even the tat | C |
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Lord Archibold leuch wi' a loud ha ha | S |
Eerisome grousum to hear | C |
A bonny bargain auld Cloots wad hae | S |
It has ilka faut but fear | C |
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Dune lord Archibold craikit the voice | D |
Dune Belzie cried he again | I |
The gray banes glimmert the white saut shimmert | C |
Lord Archie was him lane | I |
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Back he gaed straught by the glowerin mune | I |
An' doun in his plaid he lay | C |
An' soun' he sleepit A ghaist like man | I |
Sat by his heid quhill the day | C |
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An' quhanever he moanit or turnit him roun | I |
Or his broo gae token o' plycht | C |
The waukin man i' the sleepin man's lug | M |
Wud rown a murgeon o' micht | C |
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An' the glint o' a smile wud quaver athort | C |
The sleepin cheek sae broun | I |
An' a tear atween the ee lids wud stert | C |
An' whiles rin fairly doun | I |
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An' aye by his lair sat the ghaist like man | I |
He watchit his sleep a' nicht | C |
An' in mail rust broun wi' his visorne doun | I |
Rade at his knee i' the fecht | C |
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Nor anis nor twyis the horn helmit chiel | C |
Saved him frae deidly dad | C |
An' Archie said Gien this be the deil | C |
He's no sac black as he's ca'd | C |
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But wat ye fu' weel it wasna the deil | C |
That tuik lord Archie's pairt | C |
But his twin brother John he thoucht deid an' gone | I |
Wi' luve like a lowe in his hert | C |
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III | A |
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Hame cam lord Archibold weary wicht | C |
Hame til his ain countree | C |
An' he cried quhan his castle rase in sicht | C |
Noo Christ me sain an' see | D |
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He turnit him roun the man in rust broun | I |
Was gane he saw nocht quhair | C |
At the ha' door he lichtit him doun | I |
Lady Margaret met him there | C |
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Reid reid war her een but hie was her mien | I |
An' her words war sharp an' sair | C |
Welcome Archie to dule an' tene | I |
An' welcome ye s' get nae mair | C |
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Quhaur is yer twin lord Archibold | C |
That lay i' my body wi' thee | D |
I miss my mark gien he liesna stark | M |
Quhaur the daylicht comesna to see | D |
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Lord Archibold dochtna speik a word | C |
For his hert was like a stane | I |
He turnt him awa an' the huddy craw | C |
Was roupin for his ain | I |
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Quhaur are ye gaein lord Archie she said | C |
Wi' yer lips sae white an' thin | I |
Mother gude bye I'm gaein to lie | C |
Ance mair wi' my body twin | I |
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Up she brade but awa he gaed | C |
Straucht for the corbie tree | D |
For quhaur he had slain he thoucht to slay | C |
An' cast him doon an' dee | D |
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God guide us he cried wi' gastit rair | D |
Has he lien there ever sin' syne | I |
An' he thoucht he saw the banes pykit an' bare | D |
Throu the cracks o' his harness shine | I |
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Oh Johnnie my brither quo' Archibold | D |
Wi' a hert upheavin mane | I |
I wad pit my soul i' yer wastit corp | T |
To see ye alive again | I |
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Haud ye there quod a voice frae oot the helm | U |
A man suld heed quhat he says | D |
An' the closin joints grippit an' tore the gerse | D |
As up the armour rase | D |
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Soul ye hae nane to ca' yer ain | I |
An' its time to hand yer jaw | C |
The sleep it was thine an' the soul it is mine | I |
Deil Archie come awa | O |
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Auld Hornie quo' Archie twa words to that | D |
My burnin hert burns on | I |
An' the sleep weel I wat was nae reek frae thy pat | D |
For aye I was dreamin o' John | I |
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But I carena a plack for a soul sae black | M |
Wae's me 'at my mither bore me | D |
Put fire i' my breist an' fire at my back | M |
But ae minute set Johnnie afore me | D |
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The gantlets grippit the helm sae stoot | D |
An' liftit frae chin an' broo | D |
An' Johnnie himsel keekit smilin oot | D |
O Archie I hae ye noo | I |
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O' yer wee bit brod I was little the waur | D |
I crap awa my lane | I |
An' never a deevil cam ye nar | D |
'Cep ye coont yer Johnnie ane | I |
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Quhare quhylum his brither Johnnie lay | C |
Fell Archie upon his knees | D |
The words he said I dinna say | C |
But I'm sure they warna lees | D |
George Macdonald
(1)
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