The Ballad Of The Battle Of Gibeon Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDEFFCCGG HHHHIIA JJCCK HHCCHHILM AAN JJOOBB OOKKOO PPKKJJJ IIJJAAHH QQJJ JJAAJJJJIIBBKK IIHHAAHHCCII JJRRSTJJI AAJJUUHHV AAIIWWHH

Five kings rule o'er the AmoriteA
Mighty as fear and old as nightA
Swathed with unguent and gold and jewelB
Waxed they merry and fat and cruelB
Zedek of Salem a terror and gloryC
Whose face was hid while his robes were goryC
And Hoham of Hebron whose loathly face isD
Heavy and dark o'er the ruin of racesE
And Piram of Jarmuth drunk with strange wineF
Who dreamed he had fashioned all stars that shineF
And Debir of Eglon wild without pityC
Who raged like a plague in the midst of his cityC
And Japhia of Lachish a fire that flamethG
Who did in the daylight what no man namethG
-
These five kings said one to anotherH
'King unto king o'er the world is brotherH
Seeing that now for a sign and a wonderH
A red eclipse and a tongue of thunderH
A shape and a finger of desolationI
Is come against us a kingless nationI
Gibeon hath failed us it were not goodA
That a man remember where Gibeon stood '-
Then Gibeon sent to our captain cryingJ
'Son of Nun let a shaft be flyingJ
For unclean birds are gathering greedilyC
Slack not thy hand but come thou speedilyC
Yea we are lost save thou maintain'st usK
For the kings of the mountains are gathered against us '-
-
Then to our people spake the DelivererH
'Gibeon is high yet a host may shiver herH
Gibeon hath sent to me crying for pityC
For the lords of the cities encompass the cityC
With chariot and banner and bowman and lancerH
And I swear by the living God I will answerH
Gird you O Israel quiver and javelinI
Shield and sword for the road we travel inL
Verily as I have promised pay IM
Life unto Gibeon death unto Ai '-
-
Sudden and still as a bolt shot rightA
Up on the city we went by nightA
Never a bird of the air could sayN
'This was the children of Israel's way '-
-
Only the hosts sprang up from sleepingJ
Saw from the heights a dark stream sweepingJ
Sprang up straight as a great shout stung themO
And heard the Deliverer's war cry among themO
Heard under cupola turret and steepleB
The awful cry of the kingless peopleB
-
Started the weak of them shouted the strong of themO
Crashed we a thunderbolt into the throng of themO
Blindly with heads bent and shields forced before usK
We heard the dense roar of the strife closing o'er usK
And drunk with the crash of the song that it sung themO
We drove the great spear blade in God's name among themO
-
Redder and redder the sword flash fellP
Our eyes and our nostrils were hotter than hellP
Till full all the crest of the spear surge shocking usK
Hoham of Hebron cried out mocking usK
'Nay what need of the war sword's plyingJ
Out of the desert the dust comes flyingJ
A little red dust if the wind be blowingJ
Who shall reck of its coming or going '-
Back the Deliverer spake as a clarionI
'Mock at thy slaves thou eater of carrionI
Laughest thou at us in thy kingly clowningJ
We that laughed upon Ramases frowningJ
We that stood up proud unpardonedA
When his face was dark and his heart was hardenedA
Pharaoh we knew and his steeds not fasterH
Than the word of the Lord in thine ear O masterH
-
Sheer through the turban his wantons wove himQ
Clean to the skull the Deliverer clove himQ
And the two hosts reeled at the sign appallingJ
As the great king fell like a great house fallingJ
-
Loudly we shouted and living and dyingJ
Bore them all backward with strength and strong cryingJ
And Caleb struck Zedek hard at the throatA
And Japhia of Lachish Zebulon smoteA
The war swords and axes were clashing and groaningJ
The fallen were fighting and foaming and moaningJ
The war spears were breaking the war horns were brayingJ
Ere the hands of the slayers were sated with slayingJ
And deep in the grasses grown gory and soddenI
The treaders of all men were trampled and troddenI
And over them routed and reeled like cattleB
High over the turn of the tide of the battleB
High over noises that deafen and cover usK
Rang the Deliverer's voice out over usK
-
'Stand thou still thou sun upon GibeonI
Stand thou moon in the valley of AjalonI
Shout thou people a cry like thunderH
For the kings of the earth are broken asunderH
Now we have said as the thunder says itA
Something is stronger than strength and slays itA
Now we have written for all time laterH
Five kings are great yet a law is greaterH
Stare O sun in thine own great gloryC
This is the turn of the whole world's storyC
Stand thou still thou sun upon GibeonI
Stand thou moon in the valley of AjalonI
-
'Smite amid spear blades blazing and breakingJ
More than we know of is rising and makingJ
Stab with the javelin crash with the carR
Cry for we know not the thing that we areR
Stand O sun that in horrible patienceS
Smiled on the smoke and the slaughter of nationsT
Thou shalt grow sad for a little cryingJ
Thou shalt be darkened for one man's dyingJ
Stand thou still thou sun upon GibeonI
Stand thou moon in the valley of Ajalon '-
-
After the battle was broken and spentA
Up to the hill the Deliverer wentA
Flung up his arms to the storm clouds flyingJ
And cried unto Israel mightily cryingJ
'Come up O warriors come up O brothersU
Tribesmen and herdsmen maidens and mothersU
The bondman's son and the bondman's daughterH
The hewer of wood and the drawer of waterH
He that carries and he that bringsV
And set your foot on the neck of kings '-
-
This is the story of Gibeon fightA
Where we smote the lords of the AmoriteA
Where the banners of princes with slaughter were soddenI
And the beards of seers in the rank grass troddenI
Where the trees were wrecked by the wreck of carsW
And the reek of the red field blotted the starsW
Where the dead heads dropped from the swords that severH
Because His mercy endureth for everH

Gilbert Keith Chesterton



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