Aneurin's Harp Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCBDEFEF A BGBGHHHH A IBIBHHHH H JBJBKLKL H KMKMHNHN H OHOHKOKO H BOBOPHPH H OHOHBOBO P OOOOOOOO P QRQRPBPB P OSOSQBQB P QBQBOPOP P PPPPPPPP H HPHPTPTP H BOBOUOUO H PQPQQHQH H POPOHHHH H QOQOUQUQ P PPPPBQBB

IA
-
Prince of Bards was old AneurinB
He the grand Gododin sangC
All his numbers threw such fire inB
Struck his harp so wild a twangD
Still the wakeful Briton borrowsE
Wisdom from its ancient heatF
Still it haunts our source of sorrowsE
Deep excess of liquor sweetF
-
IIA
-
Here the Briton there the SaxonB
Face to face three fields apartG
Thirst for light to lay their thwacks onB
Each the other with good heartG
Dry the Saxon sits 'mid dinfulH
Noise of iron knits his steelH
Fresh and roaring with a skinfulH
Britons round the hirlas reelH
-
IIIA
-
Yellow flamed the meady sunsetI
Red runs up the flag of mornB
Signal for the British onsetI
Hiccups through the British hornB
Down these hillmen pour like cattleH
Sniffing pasture grim belowH
Showing eager teeth of battleH
In his spear heads lies the foeH
-
IVH
-
Monster of the sea we drive himJ
Back into his hungry brineB
You shall lodge him feed him wive himJ
Look on us we stand in lineB
Pale sea monster foul the watersK
Cast him foul he leaves our landL
You shall yield us land and daughtersK
Stay the tongue and try the handL
-
VH
-
Swift as torrent streams our warriorsK
Tossing torrent lights find wayM
Burst the ridges crowd the barriersK
Pierce them where the spear heads playM
Turn them as the clods in furrowH
Top them like the leaping foamN
Sorrow to the mother sorrowH
Sorrow to the wife at homeN
-
VIH
-
Stags they butted bulls they bellowedO
Hounds we baited them oh braveH
Every second man unfellowedO
Took the strokes of two and gaveH
Bare as hop stakes in November'sK
Mists they met our battle floodO
Hoary red as Winter's embersK
Lay their dead lines done in bloodO
-
VIIH
-
Thou my Bard didst hang thy lyre inB
Oak leaves and with crimson brandO
Rhythmic fury spent AneurinB
Songs the churls could understandO
Thrumming on their Saxon sconcesP
Straight the invariable blowH
Till they snorted true responsesP
Ever thus the Bard they knowH
-
VIIIH
-
But ere nightfall harper lustyO
When the sun was like a ballH
Dropping on the battle dustyO
What was yon discordant callH
Cambria's old metheglin demonB
Breathed against our rushing tideO
Clove us midst the threshing seamenB
Gashed we saw our ranks divideO
-
IXP
-
Britain then with valedictoryO
Shriek veiled off her face and kneltO
Full of liquor full of victoryO
Chief on chief old vengeance dealtO
Backward swung their hurly burlyO
None but dead men kept the fightO
They that drink their cup too earlyO
Darkness they shall see ere nightO
-
XP
-
Loud we heard the yellow roverQ
Laugh to sleep while we raged thickR
Thick as ants the ant hill overQ
Asking who has thrust the stickR
Lo as frogs that Winter cumbersP
Meet the Spring with stiffen'd yawnB
We from our hard night of slumbersP
Marched into the bloody dawnB
-
XIP
-
Day on day we fought though shatteredO
Pushed and met repulses sharpS
Till our Raven's plumes were scatteredO
All save old Aneurin's harpS
Hear it wailing like a motherQ
O'er the strings of children slainB
He in one tongue in anotherQ
Alien I one blood yet twainB
-
XIIP
-
Old Aneurin droop no longerQ
That squat ocean scum we ownB
Had fine stoutness made us strongerQ
Brought us much required backboneB
Claimed of Power their dues and grantedO
Dues to Power in turn when roseP
Mightier rovers they that plantedO
Sovereign here the Norman noseP
-
XIIIP
-
Glorious men with heads of eaglesP
Chopping arms and cupboard lipsP
Warriors hunters keen as beaglesP
Mounted aye on horse or shipsP
Active being hungry creaturesP
Silent having nought to sayP
High they raised the lord of featuresP
Saxon worshipped to this dayP
-
XIVH
-
Hear its deeds the great recitalH
Stout as bergs of Arctic iceP
Once it led and lived a titleH
Now it is and names its priceP
This our Saxon brothers cherishT
This when by the worth of witsP
Lands are reared aloft or perishT
Sole illumes their lucre pitsP
-
XVH
-
Know we not our wrongs unwrittenB
Though they be Aneurin SwordO
Song and subtle mind the BritonB
Brings to market all ignoredO
'Gainst the Saxon's bone impingingU
Still is our Gododin playedO
Shamed we see him humbly cringingU
In a shadowy nose's shadeO
-
XVIH
-
Bitter is the weight that crushesP
Low my Bard thy race of fireQ
Here no fair young future blushesP
Bridal to a man's desireQ
Neither chief nor aim nor splendourQ
Dressing distance we perceiveH
Neither honour nor the tenderQ
Bloom of promise morn or eveH
-
XVIIH
-
Joined we are a tide of racesP
Rolled to meet a common fateO
England clasps in her embracesP
Many what is England's stateO
England her distended middleH
Thumps with pride as Mammon's wifeH
Says that thus she reads thy riddleH
Heaven 'tis heaven to plump her lifeH
-
XVIIIH
-
O my Bard a yellow liquorQ
Like to that we drank of oldO
Gold is her metheglin beakerQ
She destruction drinks in goldO
Warn her Bard that Power is pressingU
Hotly for his dues this hourQ
Tell her that no drunken blessingU
Stops the onward march of PowerQ
-
XIXP
-
Has she ears to take forewarningsP
She will cleanse her of her stainsP
Feed and speed for braver morningsP
Valorously the growth of brainsP
Power the hard man knit for actionB
Reads each nation on the browQ
Cripple fool and petrifactionB
Fall to him are falling nowB

George Meredith



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