Grant's Dirge Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCDDEEFFGHGHCIICB A JKLLMLMNMNMHOHOPQRQQ PRSTUT A VWVWGXGXGYGY E ZA2ZA2HHB2B2YY E C2GGD2C2GD2KE2KF2E2F 2F2HC2HC2C2C2G2G2 E EEH2EH2EI2I2C2H2C2C2 C2EE E C2C2G2C2G2C2G2C2J2C2 J2EEK2C2K2RL2EL2M2M2 L2M2E E HC2HC2C2M2C2M2C2C2HE EN2HHC2O2L2L2C2C2C2M 2C2M2O2 L2 HP2HL2HL2L2P2C2Q2C2R 2C2Q2C2S2M2L2L2M2C2L 2L2L2C2 L2 BYYBI | A |
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Ah who shall sound the hero's funeral march | B |
And what shall be the music of his dirge | C |
No single voice may chant the Nation's grief | D |
No formal strain can give its woe relief | D |
The pent up anguish of the loyal wife | E |
The sobs of those who nearest in this life | E |
Still hold him closely in the life beyond | F |
These first with threnody of memories fond | F |
But look Forth press a myriad mourners thronging | G |
With hearts that throb in sorrow's exaltation | H |
Moved by a strange impassioned hopeless longing | G |
To serve him with their love's last ministration | H |
Make way Make way from wave bound verge to verge | C |
Of all our land that this great multitude | I |
With lamentation proud albeit subdued | I |
Deep murmuring like the ocean's mighty surge | C |
May pass beneath the heavens' triumphal arch | B |
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II | A |
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What is the sound we hear | J |
Never the fall of a tear | K |
For grief repressed | L |
In every breast | L |
More honors the man we revere | M |
Rising from East and West | L |
There echoes afar or near | M |
From the cool sad North and the burning South | N |
A sound long since grown dear | M |
When brave ranks faced the cannon's mouth | N |
And died for a faith austere | M |
The tread of marching men | H |
A steady tramp of feet | O |
That never flinched nor faltered when | H |
The drums of duty beat | O |
With sable hats whose shade | P |
Falls from the cord of gold | Q |
On every time worn face | R |
With tattered flags in black enrolled | Q |
Beneath whose folds they warred of old | Q |
Forward firmly arrayed | P |
With a sombre martial grace | R |
So the Grand Army moves | S |
Commanded by the dead | T |
Following him whose name it loves | U |
Whose voice in life its footsteps led | T |
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III | A |
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Those that in the combat perished | V |
Hostile shapes and forms of friends | W |
Those we hated those we cherished | V |
Meet the pageant where it ends | W |
Flash of steel and tears forgiving | G |
Blend in splendor Hark the knell | X |
Comrades ghostly join the living | G |
Dreaming chanting All is well | X |
They receive the General sleeping | G |
Him of spirit pure and large | Y |
Him they draw into their keeping | G |
Evermore in faithful charge | Y |
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IV | E |
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Pass on O steps with your dead sad note | Z |
For a people's homage is in the sound | A2 |
And the even tread in measured rote | Z |
As a leader is laid beneath the ground | A2 |
Rumors the hum of a pilgrim train | H |
That shall trample the earth as tramples the rain | H |
Seeking the door of the hero's tomb | B2 |
Seeking him where he lies low in the gloom | B2 |
Paying him tribute of worker and mage | Y |
Through age on age | Y |
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V | E |
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Tall pine tree on McGregor's height | C2 |
How didst thou grow to such a lofty bearing | G |
For song of bird or beat of breeze uncaring | G |
There where thy shadow touched the dying brow | D2 |
Were all thy sinewy fibres shaped aright | C2 |
Was there no flaw With what mysterious daring | G |
Didst thou put forth each murmuring odorous bough | D2 |
And trust it to the frail support of air | K |
We only know that thou art now supreme | E2 |
We know not how thou grewest so tall and fair | K |
So from the unnoticed humble earth arose | F2 |
The sturdy man whom we bewailing deem | E2 |
Worthy the wondrous name fame's far voice blows | F2 |
And lo his ancient foes | F2 |
Rise up to praise the plan | H |
Of modest grandeur loyal trust | C2 |
And generous power from man to man | H |
That lifted him above the formless dust | C2 |
O heart by kindliness betrayed | C2 |
O noble spirit snared and strayed | C2 |
Unmatched upright thou standest still | G2 |
As that firm pine tree rooted on the hill | G2 |
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VI | E |
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No paragon was he | E |
But moulded in the rough | E |
With every fault and scar | H2 |
Ingrained and plain for all to see | E |
Even as the rocks and mountains are | H2 |
Common perhaps yet wrought of such true stuff | E |
That common nature in his essence grew | I2 |
To something which till then it never knew | I2 |
Ay common as a vast refreshing wind | C2 |
That sweeps the continent or as some star | H2 |
Which 'mid a million shines out well defined | C2 |
With honest soul on duty bent | C2 |
A servant soldier President | C2 |
Meekest when crowned with victory | E |
And greatest in adversity | E |
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VII | E |
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A silent man whom strangely fate | C2 |
Made doubly silent ere he died | C2 |
His speechless spirit rules us still | G2 |
And that deep spell of influence mute | C2 |
The majesty of dauntless will | G2 |
That wielded hosts and saved the State | C2 |
Seems through the mist our spirits yet to thrill | G2 |
His heart is with us From the root | C2 |
Of toil and pain and brave endurance | J2 |
Has sprung at last the perfect fruit | C2 |
The treasure of a rich assurance | J2 |
That men who nobly work and live | E |
A greater gift than life may give | E |
Yielding a promise for all time | K2 |
Which other men of newer date | C2 |
Surely redeem in deeds sublime | K2 |
Forerunner of a valiant race | R |
His voiceless spirit still reminds us | L2 |
Of ever waiting silent duty | E |
The bond of faith wherewith he binds us | L2 |
Shall hold us ready hour by hour | M2 |
To serve the sacred guiding power | M2 |
Whene'er it calls where'er it finds us | L2 |
With loyalty that like a folded flower | M2 |
Blooms at a touch in proud full circled beauty | E |
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VIII | E |
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Like swelling river waves that strain | H |
Onward the people crowd | C2 |
In serried billowing train | H |
And those so slow to yield | C2 |
On many a hard fought field | C2 |
Muster together | M2 |
Like a dark cloud | C2 |
In summer weather | M2 |
Whose threatening thunders suddenly are stilled | C2 |
And all the world is filled | C2 |
With smiling rest Victory to him was pain | H |
Till he had won his enemies by love | E |
Had leashed the eagle and unloosed the dove | E |
Setting on war's red roll the argent seal of peace | N2 |
So here they form their solid ranks again | H |
But in no mood of hatred or disdain | H |
They say Thou who art fallen at last | C2 |
Beleaguered stealthily o'ercome by death | O2 |
Thy conqueror now shall be magnanimous | L2 |
Even as thou wast to us | L2 |
But not for thee can we blot out the past | C2 |
We would not if we might forget thy last | C2 |
Great act of war that with a gentle hand | C2 |
Brought back our hearts unto the mighty mother | M2 |
For whose defence and honor armed we stand | C2 |
We hail thee brother | M2 |
And so salute thy name with holy breath | O2 |
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IX | L2 |
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Land of the hurricane | H |
Land of the avalanche | P2 |
Land of tempest and rain | H |
Of the Southern sun and of frozen peaks | L2 |
Stretching from main to main | H |
Land of the cypress glooms | L2 |
Land of devouring looms | L2 |
Land of the forest and ranch | P2 |
Hush every sound to day | C2 |
Save the burden of swarms that assemble | Q2 |
Their reverence dear to pay | C2 |
Unto him who saved us all | R2 |
Ye masses that mourn with bended head | C2 |
Beneath whose feet the ground doth tremble | Q2 |
With weight of woe and a sacred dread | C2 |
Lift up the pall | S2 |
That to us shall remain as a warrior's banner | M2 |
Gaze once more on the fast closed eyes | L2 |
Mark once the mouth that never speaks | L2 |
Think of the man and his quiet manner | M2 |
Weep if you will then go your way | C2 |
But remember his face as it looks to the skies | L2 |
And the dumb appeal wherewith it seeks | L2 |
To lead us on as one should say Arise | L2 |
Go forth to meet your country's noblest day | C2 |
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X | L2 |
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Ah who shall sound the hero's funeral march | B |
And what shall be the music of his dirge | Y |
Let generations sing as they emerge | Y |
And pass beneath the heavens' trumphal arch | B |
George Parsons Lathrop
(1)
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