Mazelli: Canto Ii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BBBBCDCDABBEBEFFGHBH BIAIABAB A JKJKLMBBNNGOGOPPQQBR BRSSTUVVAAWWXXKKJJ A MLBFBFOYOYBBMSBBZZBB W SSWWBBA2A2B2B2JJBBC2 C2CCBBD2D2 W BSBSE2F2E2F2WBWBG2AG 2AH2I2H2YSSJ2BJ2BBBI 2I2DDDRRRWWAAK2K2BB A F2F2BBWWJ2J2RRTTBBSS H2JNJH2NZZJBI2BI2L2M 2L2M2N2N2BBBBYYQQI2I 2BB YI2I2I2N2N2UUJ2J2N2N 2N2N2F2F2AAI2I2BO2BO 2BBP2P2 I2 K2I2I2K2K2MN2N2MQ2Q2 R2R2BBKKJYYJS2S2T2BT 2BU2U2BI2BI2K2K2N2N2 BBBBKBBKG2G2BBBV2V2S SBOOBBSSW2W2

IA
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He stood where the mountain moss outspreadB
Its smoothness beneath his dusky footB
The chestnut boughs above his headB
Hung motionless and muteB
There came not a voice from the wooded hillC
Nor a sound from the shadowy glenD
Save the plaintive song of the whip poor willC
And the waterfall's dash and now and thenD
The night bird's mournful cryA
Deep silence hung round him the misty lightB
Of the young moon silvered the brow of NightB
Whose quiet spirit had flung her spellE
O'er the valley's depth and the mountain's heightB
And breathed on the air till its gentle swellE
Arose on the ear like some loved one's callF
And the wide blue sky spread over allF
Its starry canopyG
And he seemed as the spirit of some chiefH
Whose grave could not give him restB
So deep was the settled hue of griefH
On his manly front impressedB
Yet his lips were compressed with a proud disdainI
And his port was erect and highA
Like the lips of a martyr who mocks at painI
As the port of a hero who scorns to flyA
When his men have failed in fightB
Who rather a thousand deaths would dieA
Than his fame should suffer blightB
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IIA
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And who by kith and who by nameJ
Is he that lone yet haughty oneK
By his high brow and eye of flameJ
I guess him old Ottalli's sonK
Ottalli whose proud name was hereL
In other times a sound of fearM
The fleet of foot and strong of handB
Chief of his tribe lord of the landB
The forest child of mind and soulN
Too wild and free to brook controlN
In chase was none so swift as heG
In battle none so brave and strongO
To friends all love and constancyG
But we to those who wrought him wrongO
His arm would wage avenging strifeP
With bow and spear and bloody knifeP
Till he had taught his foes to feelQ
How true his aim how keen his steelQ
Now others hold the sway he heldB
His day and power have passed awayR
His goodly forests all are felledB
And songs of mirth rise clear and gayR
Chaunted by youthful voices whereS
His battle hymn once filled the airS
Where blazed the lurid council fireT
The village church erects its spireU
And where the mystic war dance rangV
With its confused discordant clangV
While stern fierce lips with many a cryA
For blood and vengeance filled the skyA
Mild Mercy gentle as the doveW
Proclaims her rule of peace and loveW
And of his true and faithful clanX
Of child and matron maid and manX
Of all he loved survives but oneK
His earliest and his only sonK
That son's sole heritage his fameJ
His strength his likeness and his nameJ
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IIIA
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And thus from varying year to yearM
The youthful chief has lingered hereL
Chief why is he so nobly namedB
How many warriors at his callF
By Arcouski's breath inflamedB
Would with him fight and for him fallF
Of all his father's warrior throngO
Remains not one whose lip could nowY
Rehearse with him the battle songO
Whose hand could bend the hostile bowY
And yet no weak complaining wordB
From his stern lip is ever heardB
And his bright eye so black and clearM
Is never moistened by a tearS
Of quiet mien and mournful moodB
He lives a stoic of the woodB
Gliding about from place to placeZ
With noiseless step and steady paceZ
Haunting each fountain glen and grotB
Like the lone Genius of the spotB
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IVW
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And this was he who standing thereS
Seemed as an image of DespairS
Which agony's convulsive strifeW
Had quickened into breathing lifeW
The writhing lip the brow all wetB
With Pain's cold clammy deathlike sweatB
The hand that with unconscious claspA2
Strained his keen dagger in its graspA2
The eye that lightened with the blazeB2
Of frenzied Passion's maniac gazeB2
The nervous shuddering thrill which cameJ
At intervals along his frameJ
The tremulously heaving breastB
These signs the inward storm confessedB
Yet through those signs of wo there brokeC2
Flashes of fearless thought which spokeC2
A soul within whose haughty willC
Would wrestle with immortal illC
And only quit the strife when fateB
Its being should annihilateB
Silent he stood until the breezeD2
Bore from his lips some words like theseD2
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VW
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The words I speak are no complaintB
And if I breathe out my despairS
It is not that my heart grows faintB
Or shrinks from what 'tis doomed to bearS
Though every sorrow which may shakeE2
Or rend man's heart should pierce my ownF2
Their strength united should not makeE2
My lip breathe one complaining toneF2
If I must suffer it shall beW
With a firm heart a soul elateB
A wordless scorn which silentlyW
Shall mock the stern decrees of fateB
The weak might bend the timid shrinkG2
Until misfortune's storm blew byA
But I a chieftain's son should drinkG2
Its proffered cup without a sighA
And it will scarcely to my lipH2
Seem harsher than yon fountain's flowI2
For I have held companionshipH2
With Misery from my youth till nowY
Have felt by turns each pang each careS
Her hapless sons are doomed to bearS
I caught my mother's parting breathJ2
When passed she to the spirit landB
And from the fatal field of deathJ2
Where leading on his fearless bandB
With fiery and resistless mightB
He fell though victor in the fightB
Pierced by the arrow of some foeI2
I saw my father's spirit goI2
And I have seen his warrior menD
From mountain valley hill and glenD
Departing one by one since thenD
As from the dry and withered sprayR
The wilted leaves are blown awayR
Upon some windy autumn dayR
I only I am left to beW
The last leaf of the blighted treeW
Which the first wind that through the skyA
Goes carelessly careering byA
Will in its wild unheeded mirthK2
Rend from its hold and dash to earthK2
Thus here alone have I remainedB
An outcast where I should have reignedB
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VIA
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How shall I to myself aloneF2
The weakness of my bosom ownF2
Why mindful of my fame and prideB
When my brave brethren had diedB
Why with my friendly ready knifeW
Drew I not forth my useless lifeW
Was it a coward fear of deathJ2
That bade me treasure up my breathJ2
Or had life yet some genial rayR
That wooed me in its warmth to stayR
Had earth yet one whose smile could stirT
My spirit with deep love for herT
Yes though within me hope was deadB
And wild Ambition's dreams were fledB
Though o'er my blighted heart DespairS
Desponded love still nestled thereS
Love how the pale faced scorner's lipH2
Would sneer to hear me name that nameJ
Yet was it deep within my soulN
A secret but consuming flameJ
Whose overruling mastershipH2
Defied slow Reason's dull controlN
And felt for one of that vile raceZ
To whom my tribe had given placeZ
Was nursed in silence and in shameJ
Shame for the weakness of a heartB
Yet bleeding from th' oppressor's blowI2
Which could bestow its better partB
Upon the offspring of a foeI2
They the mean delvers of the soilL2
The wielders of the felling axeM2
Because we will not stoop to toilL2
Nor to its burdens bond our backsM2
Because we scorn Seduction's wilesN2
Her lying words and forged smilesN2
They the foul slaves of lust and goldB
Say that our blood and hearts are coldB
But ere the morrow's dawning lightB
Has climbed yon eastern craggy heightB
One whose fierce eye and haughty browY
Are lit with pride and pleasure nowY
Shall learn at point of my true steelQ
How much the Red man's heart may feelQ
How fearlessly he strikes the foeI2
When love and vengeance prompt the blowI2
Though scorned by him I know an artB
Could stop the beatings of his heartB
Ere his own lips could say 'Be still '-
A single arrow from my bowY
Bathed in the poisonous manchenilleI2
Would in an instant lay him lowI2
So deadly is the icy chillI2
With which the life blood it congealsN2
The wounded warrior scarcely feelsN2
Its fatal touch ere he expireU
But when Revenge would glut his ireU
He stops not with immediate deathJ2
The current of his victim's breathJ2
With gasp and intervening pauseN2
The lifeblood from its source he drawsN2
Marks in the crimson stream that flowsN2
How near life verges to its closeN2
And its last soul exhaling groanF2
To him is music's sweetest toneF2
And he whose fate it is to dieA
Ere Morning's banner flouts the skyA
The eye shall see the arm shall knowI2
That guides and deals th' avenging blowI2
And ere his spirit goes to restB
Right well his scornful heart shall learnO2
How fiercely in a savage breastB
The flames of love and hate may burnO2
He spake and down the mountain's sideB
With quick impatient step he hiedB
Threading the forest's lonely gloomP2
A ruthless minister of doomP2
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VIII2
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'Twas midnight calmly slept the EarthK2
And the mysterious eyes aboveI2
Gazed down with chastened looks of loveI2
Not as when first they hymned her birthK2
With ardent songs of holy mirthK2
But mournfully serene and clearM
As on some erring one we gazeN2
Whose feet have strayed from wisdom's waysN2
But who in error still is dearM
Far o'er yon swiftly flowing streamQ2
Fair fell the young moon's silver beamQ2
And gazing on its restless sheenR2
Stood one whose garb and port and mienR2
Bespoke him of a foreign landB
One born to win and hold commandB
The master mind the leading oneK
Where deeds of manly might were doneK
Yet by the hallowed glow that cameJ
O'er lip and cheek o'er eye and browY
He who beheld might guess that nowY
His thoughts were not of wealth and fameJ
Whence could that veiling radiance shineS2
Save from Affection's holy shrineS2
And this was he who from afarT2
Had come to bear away his brideB
And love had been the guiding starT2
That lit him o'er the trackless tideB
To morrow on its sunny wingU2
My bridal hour soon shall bringU2
And those bright orbs which o'er me shedB
Such gentle radiance from on highI2
Shall shine upon my nuptial bedB
When next they walk along the skyI2
what are all the pomps of earthK2
Of honour glory greatness worthK2
Beside the bliss which Love confersN2
Upon his humblest followersN2
He said and from the river turnedB
An eye that with fierce hatred burnedB
Met his and this reply was madeB
Thou haughty one shalt be a shadeB
Ere dawns the coming morrow's sunK
Then ere the point he could evadeB
He felt the sharp steel pierce his breastB
While he who the foul deed had doneK
Stood calmly by and saw him sinkG2
In death beside the water's brinkG2
Saw gush by gush the crimson bloodB
Pour out and mingle with the floodB
Then drew his dagger from its restB
And gazing on its fearful hueV2
Said Thou hast yet one task to doV2
He who death wounded welters thereS
Came hither o'er the deep to bearS
Far off from her paternal nestB
The white dove I have watched so longO
The falcon's wing was bold and strongO
Yet thou hast stayed him in his flightB
Strike one more blow and thou to nightB
May'st rest then laid his bosom bareS
And buried deep the dagger thereS
And by his victim's lifeless trunkW2
Without a sigh or groan he sunkW2

George W. Sands



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