The Revolution Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCBCCCDD A ECCECCEFCGFG A ECHIJCEHIFJEKKFFCFLF EFFCLCCCCCCCCCCC J MNMOEECCPQERQREEQQCR CCCQECCEQEEEEJ J JEESJESTSCUTUCCQCQCQ QQCCQCJCVVQQCCCQJCQJ WQWXQTCTYQTC J ZYZQA2QA2JCEJCEC J CYJTCTJ J CQCB2B2QTC2CTFC2CFTT T Q CECQC

IA
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Not yet had History's Aetna smoked the skiesB
And low the Gallic Giantess lay enchainedC
While overhead in ordered set and riseB
Her kingly crowns immutably defiledC
Effulgent on funereal piledC
Across the vacant heavens and distrainedC
Her body mutely even as earth to bearD
Despoiled the tomb of hope her mouth of airD
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IIA
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Through marching scores of winters racked she layE
Beneath a hoar frost's brilliant crustC
Whereon the jewelled flies that drainedC
Her breasts disported in a glistering sprayE
She the land's fount of fruits enclosed with dustC
By good and evil angels fed sustainedC
In part to curse in part to prayE
Sucking the dubious rumours till men sawF
The throbs of her charged heart before the JustC
So worn the harrowed surface had becomeG
And still they deemed the dance above was LawF
Amort all passion in a rebel dumbG
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IIIA
-
Then on the unanticipated dayE
Earth heaved and rose a veinous moundC
To roar of the underfloods and off it sprangH
Ravishing as red wine in woman's formI
A splendid Maenad she of the delirious laughJ
Her body twisted flames with the smoke cap crownedC
She of the Bacchic foot the challenger to the frayE
Bewitchment for the embrace who sang who sangH
Intoxication to her swarmI
Revolved them hair voice feet in her carmagnoleF
As with a stroke she snapped the Royal staffJ
Dealt the awaited blow on gilt decayE
O ripeness of the time O Retribution sureK
If but our vital lamp illume us to endureK
And like a glad releasing of her soulF
Sent the word Liberty up to meet the midway blueF
Her bridegroom in descent to her and they joinedC
In the face of men they joined attest it trueF
The million witnesses that sheL
For ages lying beside the moleF
Was on the unanticipated miracle dayE
Upraised to midway heaven and as to her goalF
Enfolded ere the Immaculate knewF
What Lucifer of the Mint had coinedC
His bride's adulterate currencyL
Of burning love corrupt of an infuriate hateC
She worthy she unworthy that one day his mateC
His mate for that one day of the unwritten deedC
Read backward on the hoar frost's brilliant crustC
Beneath it readC
Athirst to kiss athirst to slay she stoodC
A radiance fringed with grim affrightC
For them that hungered she was nourishing foodC
For those who sparkled NightC
Read in her heart and how before the JustC
Her doings her misdoings pleadC
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IVJ
-
Down on her leap for him the young Angelical brokeM
To husband a resurgent FranceN
From whom with her dethroning strokeM
Dishonour passed the dallianceO
That is occasion's yea or nayE
In issues for the soul to payE
Discarded and the cleft 'twixt deed and wordC
The sinuous lie which warbles the sweet birdC
Wherein we see old Darkness peerP
Cold Dissolution beck she had flung henceQ
And hence the talons and the beak of preyE
Hence all the lures to silken swineR
Thronging the troughs of indolenceQ
With every sleek convolvement serpentineR
The pride in elfin arts to veil an evil leerE
And bid a goatfoot trip it like a fayE
He clasped in this revived uprisen FranceQ
A valorous dame of countenanceQ
The lightning's upon cloud unlit as yetC
On brows and lips the lurid shineR
Of seas in the night wind's whirl unstirredC
Her pouch of the centuries' injuries compressedC
The shriek that tore the world as yet unheardC
Earth's animate full flower she looked intenseQ
For worship wholly given him fairE
Adoring or desiring in her bright jetC
Earth's crystal spring to sky Earth's warrior BestC
To win Heaven's Pure up that midwayE
We vision for new ground where senseQ
And spirit are one for the further flight breast bareE
Bare limbed nor graceless gleamed her disarrayE
In scorn of the seductive insincereE
But martially nude for hot Bellona's playE
And amorous of the loftiest in her viewJ
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VJ
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She sprang from dust to drink of earth's cool dewJ
The breath of swaying grasses shareE
Mankind embrace their weaklings rearE
At wrestle with the tyrannic strongS
Her forehead clear to her mate virgin anewJ
As immortals may be in the mortal sphereE
Read through her launching heart who had lain longS
With Earth and heard till it became her ownT
Our good Great Mother's eve and matin songS
The humming burden of Earth's toil to feedC
Her creatures all her task to speed their growthU
Her aim to lead them up her pathways shownT
Between the Pains and Pleasures warned of bothU
Of either aided on their hard ascentC
Now when she looked with love's benign delightC
After great ecstasy along the plainsQ
What foulest impregnation of her sightC
Transformed the scene to multitudinous troopsQ
Of human sketches quaver figures bentC
As were they winter sedges broken hoopsQ
Dry udder vineless poles worm eaten postsQ
With features like the flowers defaced by deluge rainsQ
Recked she that some perverting devil had limnedC
Earth's proudest to spout scorn of the Maker's handC
Who could a day behold these deathly hostsQ
And see decked graced and delicately trimmedC
A ribanded and gemmed elected fewJ
Sanctioned of milk and honey starve the landC
Like melody in flesh its pleasant gameV
Olympianwise perform cloak but the shameV
Beautiful statures hideousQ
By Christian contrast pranked with golden chainsQ
And flexile where is manhood straightC
Mortuaries where warm should beatC
The brotherhood that keeps blood sweetC
Who dared in cantique impiousQ
Proclaim the Just to whom was dueJ
Cathedral gratitude in the pomp of stateC
For that on those lean outcasts hung the sucker PainsQ
On these elect the swelling Pleasures grewJ
Surely a devil's land when that meant death for eachW
Fresh from the breast of Earth not thusQ
With all the body's life to plump the leechW
Is Nature's way she knew The abominable sceneX
Spat at the skies and through her veinsQ
To cloud celestially sownT
Ran venom of what nourishmentC
Her dark sustainer subterreneT
Supplied her stretched supine on the rackY
Alive in the shrewd nerves the seething brainsQ
Under derisive revels proneT
As one clamped fast with the interminable senseless blentC
-
VIJ
-
Now was her face white waves in the tempest's sharp flame blinkZ
Her skies shot blackY
Now was it visioned infamy to drinkZ
Of earth's cool dew and through the vinesQ
Frolic in pearly laughter with her youngA2
Watching the healthful natural happy signsQ
Where hands of lads and maids like tendrils clungA2
After their sly shy ventures from the leafJ
And promised bunches Now it seemedC
The world was one malarious mireE
Crying for purification chiefJ
This land of France It seemedC
A duteous desireE
To drink of life's hot flood and the crimson streamedC
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VIIJ
-
She drank what makes man demon at the draughtC
Her skies lowered blackY
Her lover flewJ
There swept a shudder over menT
Her heavenly lover fled her and she laughedC
For laughter was her spirit's weapon thenT
The Infernal rose uncalled he with his crewJ
-
VIIIJ
-
As mighty thews burst manacles she went madC
Her heart a flaring torch usurped her witsQ
Such enemies of her next drawn breath she hadC
To tread her down in her live grave beneathB2
Their dancing floor sunned blind by the Royal wreathB2
They ringed her steps with crafty prison pitsQ
Without they girdled her made nest withinT
There ramped the lion here entrailed the snakeC2
They forced the cup to her lips when she drank bloodC
Believing it in the mother's mind at strainT
In the mother's fears and in young Liberty's wailF
Alarmed for her encompassed children's sakeC2
The sole sure way to save her priceless budC
Wherewith when power had gifted her to prevailF
Vengeance appeared as logically akinT
Insanely rational they she rationally insaneT
And in compute of sin was hers the appealing sinT
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IXQ
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Amid the plash of scarlet mudC
Stained at the mouth drunk with our common airE
Not lack of love was her defectC
The Fury mourned and raged and bled for FranceQ
BreatC

George Meredith



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