The Battle Of Otterburn Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A ABAB CDAE FGHG AHGI AAAA JDKE AAAA KALA MAFA AAGA NDAD JDOA PDAD QDRD SDSE PDDD NAGA TAAD AUGU AADA VAAA AADW AXYX XAAA VUXZ WDAD ADXD AAAA A AAAA ADAA ADAD VAAA GAGA AAAA VAVA AAAA XAAA ADAD DDAD AAAA AAAA AAAA GDAD A2DB2D C2AAD AARA AAAA AAAA DAAA AAAA AAPA AAAA DADA AGAA D2AD2A AAAA AAAA AAAA ADAA AAAA E2AF2A AAG2A ADH2D AVAV AAAA AAI2A J2AK2A AACA AWAA AAAA

THE FIRST FYTTEA
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It fell about the Lammas tideA
When husbands winn their hayB
The doughty Douglas bound him to rideA
Into England to take a preyB
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The Earl of Fife withouten strifeC
He bound him over SolwayD
The great would ever together rideA
That race they may rue for ayeE
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Over Ottercap hill they came inF
And so down by Rotheley cragG
Upon Green Leighton they lighted downH
Styrande many a stagG
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And boldly brente NorthumberlandA
And harried many a townH
They did our Englishmen great wrongG
To battle that were not bownI
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Then spake a berne upon the bentA
Of comfort that was not coldA
And said We have brente NorthumberlandA
We have all wealth in holdeA
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Now we have harried all Bamborough shireJ
All the wealth in the world have weD
I rede we ride to NewcastleK
So still and stalworthlyeE
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Upon the morrow when it was dayA
The standards shone full brightA
To the Newcastle they took the wayA
And thither they came full rightA
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Sir Henry Percy lay at the NewcastleK
I tell you withouten dreadA
He has been a March man all his daysL
And kept Berwick upon TweedA
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To the Newcastle when they cameM
The Scots they cried on hyghtA
Sir Harry Percy an thou bist withinF
Come to the field and fightA
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For we have brente NorthumberlandA
Thy heritage good and rightA
And syne my lodging I have takeG
With my brand dubbed many a knightA
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Sir Harry Percy came to the wallsN
The Scottish host for to seeD
And thou hast brente NorthumberlandA
Full sore it rueth meD
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If thou hast harried all Bamborough shireJ
Thou hast done me great envyD
For the trespass thou hast me doneO
The one of us shall dieA
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Where shall I bide thee said the DouglasP
Or where wilt thou come to meD
At Otterburn in the high wayA
There mayst thou well lodged beD
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The roe full reckless there she runsQ
To make thee game and gleeD
The falcon and the pheasant bothR
Among the holtes on heeD
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There mayst thou have thy wealth at willS
Well lodged there mayst thou beD
It shall not be long ere I come thee tillS
Said Sir Harry PercyeE
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There shall I bide thee said the DouglasP
By the faith of my bodyD
Thither shall I come said Sir Harry PercyD
My troth I plight to theeD
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A pipe of wine he gave them over the wallsN
For sooth as I you sayA
There he made the Douglas drinkG
And all his host that dayA
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The Douglas turned him homeward againT
For sooth withouten nayA
He took his lodging at OtterburnA
Upon a WednesdayD
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And there he pyght his standard downA
His getting more and lessU
And syne he warned his men to goG
And get their geldings gressU
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A Scottish knight hoved upon the bentA
A watch I dare well sayA
So was he ware on the noble PercyD
In the dawning of the dayA
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He pricked to his pavilion doorV
As fast as he might ronneA
Awaken Douglas cried the knightA
For His love that sits in throneA
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Awaken Douglas cried the knightA
For thou mayst waken with wynneA
Yonder have I spied the proud PercyD
And seven standards with himW
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Nay by my troth the Douglas saidA
It is but a feigned taleX
He durst not look on my broad bannerY
For all England so hayleX
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Was I not yesterday at the NewcastleX
That stands so fair on TyneA
For all the men the Percy hadA
He could not garre me once to dyneA
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He stepped out at his pavilion doorV
To look and it were lessU
Array you lordyngs one and allX
For here begins no peaceZ
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The Earl of Menteith thou art my emeW
The forward I give to theeD
The Earl of Huntley cawte and keenA
He shall with thee beD
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The Lord of Buchan in armour brightA
On the other hand he shall beD
Lord Johnstone and Lord MaxwellX
They two shall be with meD
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Swynton fair field upon your prideA
To battle make you bowenA
Sir Davy Scot Sir Walter StewardA
Sir John of AgerstoneA
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THE SECOND FYTTEA
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The Percy came before his hostA
Which ever was a gentle knightA
Upon the Douglas loud did he cryA
I will hold that I have hightA
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For thou hast brente NorthumberlandA
And done me great envyD
For this trespass thou hast me doneA
The one of us shall dieA
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The Douglas answered him againA
With great words up on heeD
And said I have twenty against thy oneA
Behold and thou mayst seeD
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With that the Percy was grieved soreV
For sooth as I you sayA
He lighted down upon his footA
And shot his horse clean awayA
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Every man saw that he did soG
That ryall was ever in routA
Every man shot his horse him froG
And light him round aboutA
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Thus Sir Harry Percy took the fieldA
For sooth as I you sayA
Jesu Christ in heaven on highA
Did help him well that dayA
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But nine thousand there was no moreV
If chronicle will not layneA
Forty thousand Scots and fourV
That day fought them againA
-
But when the battle began to joinA
In haste there came a knightA
Then letters fair forth hath he ta'enA
And thus he said full rightA
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My lord your father he greets you wellX
With many a noble knightA
He desires you to bideA
That he may see this fightA
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The baron of Grastock is come out of the westA
With him a noble companyD
All they lodge at your father's this nightA
And the battle fain would they seeD
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For Jesu's love said Sir Harry PercyD
That died for you and meD
Wend to my lord my father againA
And say thou saw me not with eeD
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My troth is plight to yon Scottish knightA
It needs me not to layneA
That I should bide him upon this bentA
And I have his troth againA
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And if that I wend off this groundA
For sooth unfoughten awayA
He would me call but a coward knightA
In his land another dayA
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Yet had I lever to be rynde and rentA
By Mary that mykel mayA
Than ever my manhood should be reprovedA
With a Scot another dayA
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Wherefore shoot archers for my sakeG
And let sharp arrows fleeD
Minstrels play up for your warisonA
And well quit it shall beD
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Every man think on his true loveA2
And mark him to the TrinityD
For to God I make mine a vowB2
This day will I not fleeD
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The bloody heart in the Douglas' armsC2
His standard stood on highA
That every man might full well knowA
Beside stood starres threeD
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The white Li n on the English partA
For sooth as I you sayneA
The luces and the crescents bothR
The Scots fought them againA
-
Upon Saint Andrew loud did they cryA
And thrice they shout on hyghtA
And syne marked them on our EnglishmenA
As I have told you rightA
-
Saint George the bright our Lady's knightA
To name they were full fainA
Our Englishmen they cried on hyghtA
And thrice they shout againA
-
With that sharp arrows began to fleeD
I tell you in certainA
Men of arms began to joinA
Many a doughty man was there slainA
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The Percy and the Douglas metA
That either of them was fainA
They schapped together while that they sweatA
With swords of fine CollayneA
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Till the blood from their basenets ranA
As the roke doth in the rainA
Yield thee to me said the DouglasP
Or else thou shalt be slainA
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For I see by thy bright basenetA
Thou art some man of mightA
And so I do by thy burnished brandA
Thou art an earl or else a knightA
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By my good faith said the noble PercyD
Now hast thou rede full rightA
Yet will I never yield me to theeD
While I may stand and fightA
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They swapped together while that they sweatA
With swordes sharp and longG
Each on other so fast they beatA
Till their helms came in pieces downA
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The Percy was a man of strengthD2
I tell you in this stoundA
He smote the Douglas at the sword's lengthD2
That he felled him to the groundA
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The sword was sharp and sore did byteA
I tell you in certainA
To the heart he did him smiteA
Thus was the Douglas slainA
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The standards stood still on each sideA
With many a grievous groanA
There they fought the day and all the nightA
And many a doughty man was sloneA
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There was no freyke that there would flyA
But stiffly in stour did standA
Echone hewing on other while they might dryA
With many a baleful brandA
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There was slain upon the Scottes sideA
For sooth and certainlyD
Sir James of Douglas there was slainA
That day that he did dieA
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The Earl of Menteith he was slainA
Grysely groaned upon the groundA
Sir Davy Scot Sir Walter StewardA
Sir John of AgerstoneA
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Sir Charles Murray in that placeE2
That never a foot would flyA
Sir Hugh Maxwell a lord he wasF2
With the Douglas did he dieA
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There was slain upon the Scottes sideA
For sooth as I you sayA
Of four and forty thousand ScotsG2
Went but eighteen awayA
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There was slain upon the English sideA
For sooth and certainlyD
A gentle knight Sir John FitzhughH2
It was the more pityD
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Sir James Harebotell there was slainA
For him their hearts were soreV
The gentle Lovel there was slainA
That the Percy's standard boreV
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There was slain upon the English sideA
For sooth as I you sayA
Of nine thousand EnglishmenA
Five hundred came awayA
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The others were slayne in the fieldA
Christ keep their souls from woeA
Seeing there were so few friendsI2
Against so many a foeA
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Then on the morn they made them biersJ2
Of birch and hazel grayA
Many a widow with weeping tearsK2
Their makes they fetch awayA
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This fray began at OtterburnA
Between the night and the dayA
There the Douglas lost his lifeC
And the Percy was led awayA
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Then was there a Scottish prisoner ta'enA
Sir Hugh Montgomery was his nameW
For sooth as I you sayA
He borrowed the Percy home againA
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Now let us all for the Percy prayA
To Jesu most of mightA
To bring his soul to the bliss of heavenA
For he was a gentle knightA

George Wharton Edwards



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