The Nuptials Of Attila Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A ABCDCEAFGHGIJIKJAKAB A LLMNOMOPPB A QBJQORRB O SOTUVVWWXYOYXOOOJOJB O ZZA2VA2VOB2B2OBC2C2O B O D2E2D2E2F2BOF2BG2G2H 2I2H2I2B O J2J2VVJ2OUJ2JJ2VVJK2 J2J2K2 O J2J2L2J2L2J2J2BM2CM2 CVJVJVJ2VJ2J2VJ2VN2B N2BJ2VJ2VOJ2OQO2OP2O 2B V JJJJOJ2J2OB V Q2J2J2Q2J2R2J2S2DJ2J 2DB O T2BT2BOJ2OJ2 O J2J2J2J2U2J2U2J2 O OOOBBOV2V2B O J2W2J2JDDW2JDDUW2UJO JW2ODODOB O DDJ2UR2R2UJ2J2J2J2BJ 2OOOBOOOJ2OOBJ2I | A |
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Flat as to an eagle's eye | A |
Earth hung under Attila | B |
Sign for carnage gave he none | C |
In the peace of his disdain | D |
Sun and rain and rain and sun | C |
Cherished men to wax again | E |
Crawl and in their manner die | A |
On his people stood a frost | F |
Like the charger cut in stone | G |
Rearing stiff the warrior host | H |
Which had life from him alone | G |
Craved the trumpet's eager note | I |
As the bridled earth the Spring | J |
Rusty was the trumpet's throat | I |
He let chief and prophet rave | K |
Venturous earth around him string | J |
Threads of grass and slender rye | A |
Wave them and untrampled wave | K |
O for the time when God did cry | A |
Eye and have my Attila | B |
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II | A |
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Scorn of conquest filled like sleep | L |
Him that drank of havoc deep | L |
When the Green Cat pawed the globe | M |
When the horsemen from his bow | N |
Shot in sheaves and made the foe | O |
Crimson fringes of a robe | M |
Trailed o'er towns and fields in woe | O |
When they streaked the rivers red | P |
When the saddle was the bed | P |
Attila my Attila | B |
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III | A |
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He breathed peace and pulled a flower | Q |
Eye and have my Attila | B |
This was the damsel Ildico | J |
Rich in bloom until that hour | Q |
Shyer than the forest doe | O |
Twinkling slim through branches green | R |
Yet the shyest shall be seen | R |
Make the bed for Attila | B |
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IV | O |
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Seen of Attila desired | S |
She was led to him straightway | O |
Radiantly was she attired | T |
Rifled lands were her array | U |
Jewels bled from weeping crowns | V |
Gold of woeful fields and towns | V |
She stood pallid in the light | W |
How she walked how withered white | W |
From the blessing to the board | X |
She who would have proudly blushed | Y |
Women whispered asking why | O |
Hinting of a youth and hushed | Y |
Was it terror of her lord | X |
Was she childish was she sly | O |
Was it the bright mantle's dye | O |
Drained her blood to hues of grief | O |
Like the ash that shoots the spark | J |
See the green tree all in leaf | O |
See the green tree stripped of bark | J |
Make the bed for Attila | B |
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V | O |
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Round the banquet table's load | Z |
Scores of iron horsemen rode | Z |
Chosen warriors keen and hard | A2 |
Grain of threshing battle dints | V |
Attila's fierce body guard | A2 |
Smelling war like fire in flints | V |
Grant them peace be fugitive | O |
Iron capped and iron heeled | B2 |
Each against his fellow's shield | B2 |
Smote the spear head shouting Live | O |
Attila my Attila | B |
Eagle eagle of our breed | C2 |
Eagle beak the lamb and feed | C2 |
Have her and unleash us live | O |
Attila my Attila | B |
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VI | O |
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He was of the blood to shine | D2 |
Bronze in joy like skies that scorch | E2 |
Beaming with the goblet wine | D2 |
In the wavering of the torch | E2 |
Looked he backward on his bride | F2 |
Eye and have my Attila | B |
Fair in her wide robe was she | O |
Where the robe and vest divide | F2 |
Fair she seemed surpassingly | B |
Soft yet vivid as the stream | G2 |
Danube rolls in the moonbeam | G2 |
Through rock barriers but she smiled | H2 |
Never she sat cold as salt | I2 |
Open mouthed as a young child | H2 |
Wondering with a mind at fault | I2 |
Make the bed for Attila | B |
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VII | O |
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Under the thin hoop of gold | J2 |
Whence in waves her hair outrolled | J2 |
'Twixt her brows the women saw | V |
Shadows of a vulture's claw | V |
Gript in flight strange knots that sped | J2 |
Closing and dissolving aye | O |
Such as wicked dreams betray | U |
When pale dawn creeps o'er the bed | J2 |
They might show the common pang | J |
Known to virgins in whom dread | J2 |
Hunts their bliss like famished hounds | V |
While the chiefs with roaring rounds | V |
Tossed her to her lord and sang | J |
Praise of him whose hand was large | K2 |
Cheers for beauty brought to yield | J2 |
Chirrups of the trot afield | J2 |
Hurrahs of the battle charge | K2 |
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VIII | O |
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Those rock faces hung with weed | J2 |
Reddened their great days of speed | J2 |
Slaughter triumph flood and flame | L2 |
Like a jealous frenzy wrought | J2 |
Scoffed at them and did them shame | L2 |
Quaffing idle conquering nought | J2 |
O for the time when God decreed | J2 |
Earth the prey of Attila | B |
God called on thee in his wrath | M2 |
Trample it to mire 'Twas done | C |
Swift as Danube clove our path | M2 |
Down from East to Western sun | C |
Huns behold your pasture gaze | V |
Take our king said heel to flank | J |
Whisper it the war horse neighs | V |
Forth we drove and blood we drank | J |
Fresh as dawn dew earth was ours | V |
Men were flocks we lashed and spurned | J2 |
Fast as windy flame devours | V |
Flame along the wind we burned | J2 |
Arrow javelin spear and sword | J2 |
Here the snows and there the plains | V |
On our signal onward poured | J2 |
Torrents of the tightened reins | V |
Foaming over vine and corn | N2 |
Hot against the city wall | B |
Whisper it you sound a horn | N2 |
To the grey beast in the stall | B |
Yea he whinnies at a nod | J2 |
O for sound of the trumpet notes | V |
O for the time when thunder shod | J2 |
He that scarce can munch his oats | V |
Hung on the peaks brooded aloof | O |
Champed the grain of the wrath of God | J2 |
Pressed a cloud on the cowering roof | O |
Snorted out of the blackness fire | Q |
Scarlet broke the sky and down | O2 |
Hammering West with print of his hoof | O |
He burst out of the bosom of ire | P2 |
Sharp as eyelight under thy frown | O2 |
Attila my Attila | B |
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IX | V |
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Ravaged cities rolling smoke | J |
Thick on cornfields dry and black | J |
Wave his banners bear his yoke | J |
Track the lightning and you track | J |
Attila They moan 'tis he | O |
Bleed 'tis he Beneath his foot | J2 |
Leagues are deserts charred and mute | J2 |
Where he passed there passed a sea | O |
Attila my Attila | B |
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X | V |
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Who breathed on the king cold breath | Q2 |
Said a voice amid the host | J2 |
He is Death that weds a ghost | J2 |
Else a ghost that weds with Death | Q2 |
Ildico's chill little hand | J2 |
Shuddering he beheld austere | R2 |
Stared as one who would command | J2 |
Sight of what has filled his ear | S2 |
Plucked his thin beard laughed disdain | D |
Feast ye Huns His arm be raised | J2 |
Like the warrior battle dazed | J2 |
Joining to the fight amain | D |
Make the bed for Attila | B |
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XI | O |
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Silent Ildico stood up | T2 |
King and chief to pledge her well | B |
Shocked sword sword and cup on cup | T2 |
Clamouring like a brazen bell | B |
Silent stepped the queenly slave | O |
Fair by heaven she was to meet | J2 |
On a midnight near a grave | O |
Flapping wide the winding sheet | J2 |
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XII | O |
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Death and she walked through the crowd | J2 |
Out beyond the flush of light | J2 |
Ceremonious women bowed | J2 |
Following her 'twas middle night | J2 |
Then the warriors each on each | U2 |
Spied nor overloudly laughed | J2 |
Like the victims of the leech | U2 |
Who have drunk of a strange draught | J2 |
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XIII | O |
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Attila remained Even so | O |
Frowned he when he struck the blow | O |
Brained his horse that stumbled twice | O |
On a bloody day in Gaul | B |
Bellowing Perish omens All | B |
Marvelled at the sacrifice | O |
But the battle swinging dim | V2 |
Rang off that axe blow for him | V2 |
Attila my Attila | B |
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XIV | O |
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Brightening over Danube wheeled | J2 |
Star by star and she most fair | W2 |
Sweet as victory half revealed | J2 |
Seized to make him glad and young | J |
She O sweet as the dark sign | D |
Given him oft in battles gone | D |
When the voice within said Dare | W2 |
And the trumpet notes were sprung | J |
Rapturous for the charge in line | D |
She lay waiting fair as dawn | D |
Wrapped in folds of night she lay | U |
Secret lustrous flaglike there | W2 |
Waiting him to stream and ray | U |
With one loosening blush outflung | J |
Colours of his hordes of horse | O |
Ranked for combat still he hung | J |
Like the fever dreading air | W2 |
Cursed of heat and as a corse | O |
Gathers vultures in his brain | D |
Images of her eyes and kiss | O |
Plucked at the limbs that could remain | D |
Loitering nigh the doors of bliss | O |
Make the bed for Attila | B |
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XV | O |
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Passion on one hand on one | D |
Destiny led forth the Hun | D |
Heard ye outcries of affright | J2 |
Voices that through many a fray | U |
In the press of flag and spear | R2 |
Warned the king of peril near | R2 |
Men were dumb they gave him way | U |
Eager heads to left and right | J2 |
Like the bearded standard thrust | J2 |
As in battle for a nod | J2 |
From their lord of battle dust | J2 |
Attila my Attila | B |
Slow between the lines he trod | J2 |
Saw ye not the sun drop slow | O |
On this nuptial day ere eve | O |
Pierced him on the couch aglow | O |
Attila my Attila | B |
Here and there his heart would cleave | O |
Clotted memory for a space | O |
Some stout chief's familiar face | O |
Choicest of his fighting brood | J2 |
Touched him as 'twere one to know | O |
Ere he met his bride's embrace | O |
Attila my Attila | B |
Twisting fingers in a beard | J2 |
Scant as w | - |
George Meredith
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