Wesselenyi: A Hungarian Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDEDE FEEEGHGH EEIEEJEJ AECEEGKG LCLCMNON EPEPECEC CQCQECEC EEEHCPRP EHLHHPSP TTTTEERE PQPQEUEU EVEVCTCT CWCXYZA2Z CPCPECEC CECEHEA2E EB2EB2GEGE UEUEPEPE ETETC2EC2E D2CD2CGCGC EEEEEE2EE2 PF2PF2EEEE A2UA2UG2CG2C EEEE

When madly raged religious warA
O'er all the Magyar landB
And royal archer and hussarC
Met foemen hand to handB
A princess fair in castle strongD
The royal troops defiedE
And bravely held her fortress longD
Though help was all deniedE
-
Princess Maria was her nameF
Brave daughter nobly siredE
She caught her father's trusty swordE
When bleeding he expiredE
And bravely rallied warders allG
To meet the storming foeH
And hurled them from the rampart wallG
Upon the crags belowH
-
Prince Casimir her father builtE
Murana high and wideE
It sat among the mountain cliffsI
The Magyars' boast and prideE
Bold Wesselenyi stalwart knightE
Young famed and wondrous fairJ
With a thousand men besieged the heightE
And led the bravest thereJ
-
And long he tried the arts of warA
To take that castle holdE
Till many a proud and plumed hussarC
Was lying stiff and coldE
And still the frowning castle stoodE
A grim unbroken wallG
Like some lone rock in stormy seasK
That braves the billows allG
-
Bold Wesselenyi's cheeks grew thinL
A solemn oath he swareC
That if he failed the prize to winL
His bones should molder thereC
Two toilsome months had worn awayM
Two hundred men were slainN
His bold assaults were baffled stillO
And all his arts were vainN
-
But love is mightier than the swordE
He clad him in disguiseP
In the dress of an inferior lordE
To win the noble prizeP
He bade his armed men to waitE
To cease the battle blareC
And sought alone the castle gateE
To hold a parley thereC
-
Aloft a flag of truce he boreC
Her warders bade him passQ
Within he met the princess fairC
All clad in steel and brassQ
Her bright black eyes and queenly artE
Sweet lips and raven hairC
Smote bold young Wesselenyi's heartE
While he held parley thereC
-
Cunning he talked of great rewardE
And royal favor tooE
If she would yield her father's swordE
She sternly answered NoH
But even while they parleyed thereC
Maria's lustrous eyesP
Looked tenderly and lovinglyR
On the chieftain in disguiseP
-
Go tell your gallant chief she saidE
To keep his paltry pelfH
The knight who would my castle winL
Must dare to come himselfH
And forth she sternly bade him goH
But followed with her eyesP
I ween she knew the brave knight wellS
Through all his fair disguiseP
-
But when had dawned another mornT
He bade his buglemanT
To sound again the parley hornT
Ere yet the fray beganT
And forth he sent a trusty knightE
To seek the castle gateE
And to the princess privatelyR
His message to relateE
-
That he it was who in disguiseP
Her warders bade to passQ
And while he parleyed there her eyesP
Had pierced his plates of brassQ
His heart he offered and his handE
And pledged a signet ringU
If she would yield her brave commandE
Unto his gracious kingU
-
Go tell your chief Maria criedE
Audacious as he isV
If he be worthy such a brideE
My castle and hand are hisV
But he should know that lady fairC
By faint heart ne'er was wonT
So let your gallant chieftain sirC
Come undisguised aloneT
-
And he may see in the northern towerC
Over yonder precipiceW
A lone dim light at the midnight hourC
Shine down the dark abyssX
And over the chasm's dungeon gloomY
Shall a slender ladder hangZ
And if alone he dare to comeA2
Unarmed without a clangZ
-
More of his suit your chief shall hearC
Perhaps may win the prizeP
Tell him the way is hedged with fearC
One misstep and he diesP
Nor will I pledge him safe retreatE
From out yon guarded towerC
My watchful warders all to cheatE
May be beyond my powerC
-
At midnight's dark and silent hourC
The tall and gallant knightE
Sought on the cliff the northern towerC
And saw the promised lightE
With toil he climbed the cragged cliffH
And there the ladder foundE
And o'er the yawning gulf he clombA2
The ladder round by roundE
-
And as he climbed the ladder bentE
Above the yawning deepB2
But bravely to the port he wentE
And entered at a leapB2
Full twenty warders thronged the hallG
Each with his blade in handE
They caught the brave knight like a thrallG
And bound him foot and handE
-
They tied him fast to an iron ringU
At Maria's stern commandE
And then they jeered God save the kingU
And all his knightly bandE
They bound a bandage o'er his eyesP
Then the haughty princess saidE
Audacious knight I hold a prizeP
My castle or your headE
-
Now mark desert the king's commandE
And join your sword with mineT
And thine shall be my heart and handE
This castle shall be thineT
I grant one hour for thee to chooseC2
My bold and gallant lordE
And if my offer you refuseC2
You perish by the swordE
-
He spoke not a word but his face was paleD2
And he prayed a silent prayerC
But his heart was oak and it could not quailD2
And a secret oath he swareC
And grim stood the warders armed allG
In the torches' flicker and flareC
As they watch for an hour in the gloomy hallG
The brave knight pinioned thereC
-
The short the flying hour is pastE
The warders have bared his breastE
The bugler bugles a doleful blastE
Will the pale knight stand the testE
He has made his choice he will do his partE
He has sworn and he cannot lieE2
And he cries with the sword at his beating heartE
Betray nay better to dieE2
-
Suddenly fell from his blue eyesP
The silken blinding bandsF2
And while he looked in sheer surpriseP
They freed his feet and handsF2
I give thee my castle Maria criedE
And I give thee my heart and handE
And Maria will be the proudest brideE
In all this Magyar landE
-
Grant heaven that thou be true to meA2
As thou art to the kingU
And I'll bless the day I gave to theeA2
My castle for a ringU
The red blood flushed to the brave knight's faceG2
As he looked on the lady fairC
He sprang to her arms in a fond embraceG2
And he married her then and thereC
-
So the little blind elf with his feathered shaftE
Did more than the sword could doE
For he conquered and took with his magical craftE
Her heart and her castle tooE

Hanford Lennox Gordon



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