Willie's Question Poem Rhyme Scheme

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George Macdonald

Willie's Question Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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Willie speaks	A
	-
Is it wrong the wish to be great	B
For I do wish it so	C
I have asked already my sister Kate	B
She says she does not know	C
	-
Yestereve at the gate I stood	D
Watching the sun in the west	E
When I saw him look so grand and good	D
It swelled up in my breast	E
	-
Next from the rising moon	F
It stole like a silver dart	G
In the night when the wind began his tune	F
It woke with a sudden start	G
	-
This morning a trumpet blast	H
Made all the cottage quake	I
It came so sudden and shook so fast	H
It blew me wide awake	I
	-
It told me I must make haste	J
And some great glory win	K
For every day was running to waste	J
And at once I must begin	K
	-
I want to be great and strong	L
I want to begin to day	M
But if you think it very wrong	L
I will send the wish away	M
	-
II	N
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
Wrong to wish to be great	B
No Willie it is not wrong	L
The child who stands at the high closed gate	B
Must wish to be tall and strong	L
	-
If you did not wish to grow	C
I should be a sorry man	P
I should think my boy was dull and slow	C
Nor worthy of his clan	P
	-
You are bound to be great my boy	Q
Wish and get up and do	R
Were you content to be little my joy	Q
Would be little enough in you	R
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
Papa papa I'm so glad	S
That what I wish is right	T
I will not lose a chance to be had	S
I'll begin this very night	T
	-
I will work so hard at school	U
I will waste no time in play	M
At my fingers' ends I'll have every rule	U
For knowledge is power they say	M
	-
I would be a king and reign	V
But I can't be that and so	C
Field marshal I'll be I think and gain	V
Sharp battles and sieges slow	C
	-
I shall gallop and shout and call	W
Waving my shining sword	X
Artillery cavalry infantry all	W
Hear and obey my word	Y
	-
Or admiral I will be	Z
Wherever the salt wave runs	A2
Sailing fighting over the sea	Z
With flashing and roaring guns	A2
	-
I will make myself hardy and strong	L
I will never never give in	K
I am so glad it is not wrong	L
At once I will begin	K
	-
The Father speaks	A
	-
Fighting and shining along	L
All for the show of the thing	B2
Any puppet will mimic the grand and strong	L
If you pull the proper string	B2
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
But indeed I want to be great	B
I should despise mere show	C
The thing I want is the glory state	B
Above the rest you know	C
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
The harder you run that race	C2
The farther you tread that track	D2
The greatness you fancy before your face	C2
Is the farther behind your back	D2
	-
To be up in the heavens afar	E2
Miles above all the rest	E
Would make a star not the greatest star	E2
Only the dreariest	E
	-
That book on the highest shelf	F2
Is not the greatest book	G2
If you would be great it must be in yourself	F2
Neither by place nor look	G2
	-
The Highest is not high	H2
By being higher than others	O
To greatness you come not a step more nigh	H2
By getting above your brothers	O
	-
III	N
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
I meant the boys at school	U
I did not mean my brother	I2
Somebody first is there the rule	U
It must be me or another	I2
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
Oh Willie it's all the same	J2
They are your brothers all	W
For when you say Hallowed be thy name	J2
Whose Father is it you call	W
	-
Could you pray for such rule to him	K2
Do you think that he would hear	L2
Must he favour one in a greedy whim	K2
Where all are his children dear	M2
	-
It is right to get up and do	E
But why outstrip the rest	E
Why should one of the many be one of the few	E
Why should you think to be best	E
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
Then how am I to be great	E
I know no other way	M
It would be folly to sit and wait	E
I must up and do you say	M
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
I do not want you to wait	E
For few before they die	H2
Have got so far as begin to be great	E
The lesson is so high	H2
	-
I will tell you the only plan	P
To climb and not to fall	W
He who would rise and be greater than	P
He is must be servant of all	W
	-
Turn it each way in your mind	E
Try every other plan	P
You may think yourself great but at length you'll find	E
You are not even a man	P
	-
Climb to the top of the trees	N2
Climb to the top of the hill	O2
Get up on the crown of the sky if you please	N2
You'll be a small creature still	O2
	-
Be admiral poet or king	B2
Let praises fill both your ears	P2
Your soul will be but a windmill thing	B2
Blown round by its hopes and fears	P2
	-
IV	H2
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
Then put me in the way	M
For you papa are a man	P
What thing shall I do this very day	M
Only be sure I can	P
	-
I want to know I am willing	B2
Let me at least have a chance	Q2
Shall I give the monkey boy my shilling	B2
I want to serve at once	R2
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
Give all your shillings you might	E
And hurt your brothers the more	S2
He only can serve his fellows aright	E
Who goes in at the little door	S2
	-
We must do the thing we must	E
Before the thing we may	M
We are unfit for any trust	E
Till we can and do obey	M
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
I will try more and more	S2
I have nothing now to ask	T2
Obedience I know is the little door	S2
Now set me some hard task	T2
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
No Willie the father of all	W
Teacher and master high	H2
Has set your task beyond recall	W
Nothing can set it by	H2
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
What is it father dear	M2
That he would have me do	E
I'd ask himself but he's not near	M2
And so I must ask you	E
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
Me 'tis no use to ask	T2
I too am one of his boys	U2
But he tells each boy his own plain task	T2
Listen and hear his voice	V2
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
Father I'm listening so	C
To hear him if I may	M
His voice must either be very low	C
Or very far away	M
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
It is neither hard to hear	L2
Nor hard to understand	E
It is very low but very near	M2
A still small strong command	E
	-
Willie answers	O
	-
I do not hear it at all	W
I am only hearing you	E
	-
The Father speaks	A
	-
Think is there nothing great or small	W
You ought to go and do	E
	-
Willie answers	O
	-
Let me think I ought to feed	E
My rabbits I went away	M
In such a hurry this morning Indeed	E
They've not had enough to day	M
	-
The Father speaks	A
	-
That is his whisper low	C
That is his very word	E
You had only to stop and listen and so	C
Very plainly you heard	E
	-
That duty's the little door	S2
You must open it and go in	K
There is nothing else to do before	S2
There is nowhere else to begin	K
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
But that's so easily done	W2
It's such a trifling affair	X2
So nearly over as soon as begun	W2
For that he can hardly care	X2
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
You are turning from his call	W
If you let that duty wait	E
You would not think any duty small	W
If you yourself were great	E
	-
The nearest is at life's core	S2
With the first you all begin	K
What matter how little the little door	S2
If it only let you in	K
	-
V	H2
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
Papa I am come again	Y2
It is now three months and more	S2
That I've tried to do the thing that was plain	V
And I feel as small as before	S2
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
Your honour comes too slow	C
How much then have you done	W2
One foot on a mole heap would you crow	C
As if you had reached the sun	W2
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
But I cannot help a doubt	E
Whether this way be the true	E
The more I do to work it out	E
The more there comes to do	E
	-
And yet were all done and past	E
I should feel just as small	W
For when I had tried to the very last	E
'Twas my duty after all	W
	-
It is only much the same	J2
As not being liar or thief	H2
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
One who tried it found even with shame	J2
That of sinners he was the chief	H2
	-
My boy I am glad indeed	E
You have been finding the truth	Z2
	-
Willie speaks	A
	-
But where's the good I shall never speed	E
Be one whit greater in sooth	Z2
	-
If duty itself must fail	A3
And that be the only plan	P
How shall my scarce begun duty prevail	A3
To make me a mighty man	P
	-
The Father answers	O
	-
Ah Willie what if it were	I2
Quite another way to fall	W
What if the greatness itself lie there	X2
In knowing that you are small	W
	-
In seeing the good so good	E
That you feel poor weak and low	C
And hungrily long for it as for food	E
With an endless need to grow	C
	-
The man who was lord of fate	E
Born in an ox's stall	W
Was great because he was much too great	E
To care about greatness at all	W
	-
Ever and only he sought	E
The will of his Father good	E
Never of what was high he thought	E
But of what his Father would	E
	-
You long to be great you try	H2
You feel yourself smaller still	O2
In the name of God let ambition die	H2
Let him make you what he will	O2
	-
Who does the truth is one	W2
With the living Truth above	H2
Be God's obedient little son	W2
Let ambition die in love	H2