King Leir And His Three Daughters Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDEFE GHIJCKLM NEOEPQRQ STUTVJWH XVYVZA2VA2 EVB2VVC2D2C2 E2VA2VF2VVV G2KVMEG2VG2 H2VVVVI2VI2 J2VK2VVQL2Q VEZEM2VGV EN2O2DJ2A2J2A2 VP2VQ2R2VN2V S2ZVZEVT2V VVVVJ2EN2U2 VVVVV2G2VG2 ZW2VX2Y2A2VA2 Z2VA3VA3P2A3P2 A3A3B3A3VV2VV2 A3VVVVVA3V VB3A3B3I2QA3Z C3JA3HVVD3V A3A3C3A3VE3VE3King Leir once ruled in this land | A |
With princely power and peace | B |
And had all things with hearts content | C |
That might his joys increase | B |
Amongst those things that nature gave | D |
Three daughters fair had he | E |
So princely seeming beautiful | F |
As fairer could not be | E |
- | |
So on a time it pleas'd the king | G |
A question thus to move | H |
Which of his daughters to his grace | I |
Could shew the dearest love | J |
For to my age you bring content | C |
Quoth he then let me hear | K |
Which of you three in plighted troth | L |
The kindest will appear | M |
- | |
To whom the eldest thus began | N |
Dear father mind quoth she | E |
Before your face to do you good | O |
My blood shall render'd be | E |
And for your sake my bleeding heart | P |
Shall here be cut in twain | Q |
Ere that I see your reverend age | R |
The smallest grief sustain | Q |
- | |
And so will I the second said | S |
Dear father for your sake | T |
The worst of all extremities | U |
I'll gently undertake | T |
And serve your highness night and day | V |
With diligence and love | J |
That sweet content and quietness | W |
Discomforts may remove | H |
- | |
In doing so you glad my soul | X |
The aged king reply'd | V |
But what sayst thou my youngest girl | Y |
How is thy love ally'd | V |
My love quoth young Cordelia then | Z |
Which to your grace I owe | A2 |
Shall be the duty of a child | V |
And that is all I'll show | A2 |
- | |
And wilt thou shew no more quoth he | E |
Than doth thy duty bind | V |
I well perceive thy love is small | B2 |
When as no more I find | V |
Henceforth I banish thee my court | V |
Thou art no child of mine | C2 |
Nor any part of this my realm | D2 |
By favour shall be thine | C2 |
- | |
Thy elder sisters' loves are more | E2 |
Than well I can demand | V |
To whom I equally bestow | A2 |
My kingdome and my land | V |
My pompal state and all my goods | F2 |
That lovingly I may | V |
With those thy sisters be maintain'd | V |
Until my dying day | V |
- | |
Thus flattering speeches won renown | G2 |
By these two sisters here | K |
The third had causeless banishment | V |
Yet was her love more dear | M |
For poor Cordelia patiently | E |
Went wandring up and down | G2 |
Unhelp'd unpity'd gentle maid | V |
Through many an English town | G2 |
- | |
Untill at last in famous France | H2 |
She gentler fortunes found | V |
Though poor and bare yet she was deem'd | V |
The fairest on the ground | V |
Where when the king her virtues heard | V |
And this fair lady seen | I2 |
With full consent of all his court | V |
He made his wife and queen | I2 |
- | |
Her father old King Leir this while | J2 |
With his two daughters staid | V |
Forgetful of their promis'd loves | K2 |
Full soon the same decay'd | V |
And living in Queen Ragan's court | V |
The eldest of the twain | Q |
She took from him his chiefest means | L2 |
And most of all his train | Q |
- | |
For whereas twenty men were wont | V |
To wait with bended knee | E |
She gave allowance but to ten | Z |
And after scarce to three | E |
Nay one she thought too much for him | M2 |
So took she all away | V |
In hope that in her court good king | G |
He would no longer stay | V |
- | |
Am I rewarded thus quoth he | E |
In giving all I have | N2 |
Unto my children and to beg | O2 |
For what I lately gave | D |
I'll go unto my Gonorell | J2 |
My second child I know | A2 |
Will be more kind and pitiful | J2 |
And will relieve my woe | A2 |
- | |
Full fast he hies then to her court | V |
Where when she heard his moan | P2 |
Return'd him answer that she griev'd | V |
That all his means were gone | Q2 |
But no way could relieve his wants | R2 |
Yet if that he would stay | V |
Within her kitchen he should have | N2 |
What scullions gave away | V |
- | |
When he had heard with bitter tears | S2 |
He made his answer then | Z |
In what I did let me be made | V |
Example to all men | Z |
I will return again quoth he | E |
Unto my Ragan's court | V |
She will not use me thus I hope | T2 |
But in a kinder sort | V |
- | |
Where when he came she gave command | V |
To drive him thence away | V |
When he was well within her court | V |
She said he would not stay | V |
Then back again to Gonorel | J2 |
The woeful king did hie | E |
That in her kitchen he might have | N2 |
What scullion boys set by | U2 |
- | |
But there of that he was deny'd | V |
Which she had promis'd late | V |
For once refusing he should not | V |
Come after to her gate | V |
Thus twixt his daughters for relief | V2 |
He wandred up and down | G2 |
Being glad to feed on beggars' food | V |
That lately wore a crown | G2 |
- | |
And calling to remembrance then | Z |
His youngest daughters words | W2 |
That said the duty of a child | V |
Was all that love affords | X2 |
But doubting to repair to her | Y2 |
Whom he had ban'sh'd so | A2 |
Grew frantic mad for in his mind | V |
He bore the wounds of woe | A2 |
- | |
Which made him rend his milk white locks | Z2 |
And tresses from his head | V |
And all with blood bestain his cheeks | A3 |
With age and honour spread | V |
To hills and woods and watry founts | A3 |
He made his hourly moan | P2 |
Till hills and woods and senseless things | A3 |
Did seem to sigh and groan | P2 |
- | |
Even thus possest with discontents | A3 |
He passed o'er to France | A3 |
In hopes from fair Cordelia there | B3 |
To find some gentler chance | A3 |
Most virtuous dame which when she heard | V |
Of this her father's grief | V2 |
As duty bound she quickly sent | V |
Him comfort and relief | V2 |
- | |
And by a train of noble peers | A3 |
In brave and gallant sort | V |
She gave in charge he should be brought | V |
To Aganippus' court | V |
Whose royal king with noble mind | V |
So freely gave consent | V |
To muster up his knights at arms | A3 |
To fame and courage bent | V |
- | |
And so to England came with speed | V |
To repossesse King Leir | B3 |
And drive his daughters from their thrones | A3 |
By his Cordelia dear | B3 |
Where she true hearted noble queen | I2 |
Was in the battel stain | Q |
Yet he good king in his old days | A3 |
Possest his crown again | Z |
- | |
But when he heard Cordelia's death | C3 |
Who died indeed for love | J |
Of her dear father in whose cause | A3 |
She did this battle move | H |
He swooning fell upon her breast | V |
From whence he never parted | V |
But on her bosom left his life | D3 |
That was so truly hearted | V |
- | |
The lords and nobles when they saw | A3 |
The end of these events | A3 |
The other sisters unto death | C3 |
They doomed by consents | A3 |
And being dead their crowns they left | V |
Unto the next of kin | E3 |
Thus have you seen the fall of pride | V |
And disobedient sin | E3 |
George Wharton Edwards
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