The Bride Of War Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCCBCDDEE FGHIJJKLLKMM NNNNNODOOD NNPPN QQRRQ SSTTS SSNUNUVVNNSSW WXXYYZZA2A2B2B2YY SNSC2C2ND2ZZD2D2D2D2 E2D2E2F2D2D2G2 D2D2H2I2I2SH2SH2SJ2J 2 NSNSN D2 D2 NN D2D2D2SSSSS G2 S J2K2K2J2J2NNSSSSNN SS G2D2SD2G2D2D2SD2NNJ2 J2SJ2SJ2L2L2 M2M2N2J2N2J2 J2 SSJ2SJ2SSSSO2O2YJ2J2 YY

Arnold's March to CanadaA
-
-
I-
-
The trumpet with a giant soundB
Its harsh war summons wildly singsC
And bursting forth like mountain springsC
Poured from the hillside camping groundB
Each swift battalion shouting flingsC
Its force in line where you may seeD
The men broad shouldered heavilyD
Sway to the swing of the march their headsE
Dark like the stones in river bedsE
-
Lightly the autumn breezesF
Play with the shining dust cloudG
Rising to the sunset raysH
From feet of the moving columnI
Soft as you listen comesJ
The echo of iterant drumsJ
Brought by the breezes lightK
From the files that follow the roadL
A moment their guns have glowedL
Sun smitten then out of sightK
They suddenly sinkM
Like men who touch a new grave's brinkM
-
II-
-
So it was the march beganN
The march of Morgan's riflemenN
Who like iron held the vanN
In unhappy Arnold's planN
To win Wolfe's daring fame againN
With them by her husband's sideO
Jemima Warner nobly freeD
Moved more fair than when a brideO
One year since she strove to hideO
The blush it was a joy to seeD
-
III-
-
O distant terrible forests of MaineN
With huge trees numberless as the rainN
That falls on your lonely lakesP
It falls and sings through the years but wakesP
No answering echo of joy or painN
-
Your tangled wilderness was trackedQ
With struggle and sorrow and vengeful actQ
'Gainst Puritan pagan and priestR
Where wolf and panther and serpent ceasedR
Man added the horrors your dark maze lackedQ
-
The land was scarred with deeds not goodS
Like the fretting of worms on withered woodS
What if its venomous spellT
Breathed into Arnold a prompting of HellT
With slow empoisoning force induedS
-
IV-
-
As through that dreary realm he wentS
Followed a shape of dark portentS
Pard like of furtive eye with brainN
To treason narrowing Aaron BurrU
Moved loyal seeming in the trainN
Led by the arch conspiratorU
And craven Enos closed the rearV
Whose honor's flame died out in fearV
Not sooner does the dry bough burnN
And into fruitless ashes turnN
Than he with whispered false commandS
Drew back the hundreds in his handS
Fled like a shade and all forsookW
-
Wherever Arnold bent his lookW
Danger and doubt around him hungX
And pale Disaster shrouded flungX
Black omens in his track as thoughY
The fingers of a future woeY
Already clutched his life to wringZ
Some expiation for the thingZ
That he was yet to do A chillA2
Struck helpless many a steadfast willA2
Within the ranks the very airB2
Rang with a thunder toned despairB2
The hills seemed wandering to and froY
Like lost guides blinded by the snowY
-
V-
-
Yet faithful still 'mid woe and doubtS
One woman's loyal heart whose painN
Filled it with pure celestial lightS
Shone starry constant like the NorthC2
Or that still radiance beaming forthC2
From sacred lights in some lone faneN
But he whose ring Jemima woreD2
By want and weariness all unstrungZ
Though strong and honest of heart and youngZ
Shrank at the blast that pierced so froreD2
Like a huge invisible bird of preyD2
Furious launched from LabradorD2
And the granite cliffs of SaguenayD2
-
Along the bleak Dead River's banksE2
They forced amain their frozen wayD2
But ever from the thinning ranksE2
Shapes of ice would reel and fallF2
Human shapes whose dying prayerD2
Floated a mute white mist in airD2
The crowding snow their pallG2
-
Spectre like Famine drew nearD2
Her doom word hummed in his earD2
Ah weak were woman's hands to reachH2
And save him from the hellish charmsI2
And wizard motion of those armsI2
Yet only noble womanhoodS
The wife her dauntless part could teachH2
She shared with him the last dry foodS
And thronged with hopefulness her speechH2
As when hard by her home the floodS
Of rushing Conestoga fillsJ2
Its depth afresh from springtide rillsJ2
-
All all in vainN
For far behind the invading routS
These two were left aloneN
And in the waste their wildest shoutS
Seemed but a smothered groanN
Like sheeted wanderers from the grave-
They moved and yet seemed not to stirD2
As icy gorge and sere leaf'd grove-
Of withered oak and shrouded firD2
Were passed and onward still they strove-
While the loud wind's artillery clave-
The air and furious sleety rainN
Swung like a sword above the plainN
-
VI-
-
They crossed the hills they came to whereD2
Through an arid gloom the river ChaudiereD2
Fled like a Maenad with outstreaming hairD2
And there the soldier sank and diedS
Death dumb he fell yet ere life spedS
Child like on her knee he laid his headS
She strove to pray but all words fledS
Save those their love had sanctifiedS
-
And then her voice rose waveringlyG2
To the notes of a mother's lullaby-
But her song was only Ah must thou die-
And to her his eyes death still repliedS
-
VII-
-
Dead leaves and stricken boughsJ2
She heaped o'er the fallen formK2
Wolf nor hawk nor lawless stormK2
Him from his rest should rouseJ2
But first with solemn vowsJ2
Took rifle pouch and hornN
And the belt that he had wornN
Then onward pressing fastS
Through the forest rude and vastS
Hunger wasted fever parch'dS
Many bitter days she marchedS
With bleeding feet that spurned the flinty painN
One thought always throbbing through her brainN
They shall never say 'He was afraid '-
They shall never cry 'The coward stayed '-
-
VIII-
-
Now the wilderness is passedS
Now the first hut reached at lastS
-
Ho dwellers by the frontier trailG2
Come forth and greet the bride of warD2
From cabin and rough settlementS
They come to speed her on her wayD2
Maidens whose ruddy cheeks grow paleG2
With pity never felt beforeD2
Children that cluster at the doorD2
Mothers whose toil worn hands are lentS
To help or bid her longer stayD2
But through them all she passes onN
Strangely martial fair and wanN
Nor waits to listen to their cheersJ2
That sound so faintly in her earsJ2
For now all scenes around her shiftS
Like those before a racer's eyesJ2
When foremost sped and madly swiftS
Quick stretching toward the goal he fliesJ2
Yet feels his strength wane with his breathL2
And purpose fail 'mid fears of deathL2
-
Till like the flashing of a lampM2
Starts forth the sight of Arnold's campM2
The bivouac flame and sinuous gleamN2
Of steel where crouched the army waitsJ2
Ere long beyond the midnight streamN2
To storm Quebec's ice mounded gatesJ2
-
IXJ2
-
Then to the leader she was broughtS
And spoke her simply loyal thoughtS
If 'mid the shame of after daysJ2
The man who wronged his country's trustS
Yet now in worth outweighed all praiseJ2
Remembered what this woman wroughtS
It should have bowed him to the dustS
Humbly my soldier husband triedS
To do his part He served and diedS
But honor did not die His nameO2
And honor bringing both I cameO2
And this his rifle here to showY
While far away the tired heart sleepsJ2
To day his faith with you he keepsJ2
-
Proudly the war bride ending soY
Sank breathless in the dumb white snowY

George Parsons Lathrop



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about The Bride Of War poem by George Parsons Lathrop


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 1 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets