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 A3A3C3A3VE3VE3| King 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
(1)
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King Leir And His Three Daughters is a poem by George Wharton Edwards. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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