Peruvian Tales: Zilia, Tale Iii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDE FFGGHHFF IIJJKKLLFFMMNNOOPQRR FFFFSTFFUUNNFFVVWWXX FFYYOOZNA2A2WWB2B2EE C2C2WWB2B2FFKKFFPQD2 D2NNOOJJEEWWE2YFFHHZ NWWF2F2G2G2D2D2H2H2F FI2I2FFB2B2FFZZA2A2U U FFG2G2A2A2NNFFFFG2G2 J2J2A2A2BBPQJJFFRRA2 A2G2G2FFNNK2NOOEEG2G 2FFA2MPIZARRO takes possession of Cuzco The fanaticism of VALVERDA a | A |
Spanish priest Its dreadful effects A Peruvian priest put to the tor | B |
ture His Daughter's distress He is rescued by LAS CASAS a Spa | C |
nish ecclesiastic And led to a place of safety where he dies His | D |
Daughter's narration of her sufferings Her death | E |
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Now stern PIZARRO seeks the distant plains | F |
Where beauteous Cuzco lifts her golden fanes | F |
The meek Peruvians gaz'd in wild dismay | G |
Nor barr'd the dark Oppressor's sanguine way | G |
And soon on Cuzco where the dawning light | H |
Of glory shone foretelling day more bright | H |
Where the young arts had shed unfolding flowers | F |
A scene of spreading desolation lowers | F |
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While buried deep in everlasting shade | I |
That lustre sickens and those blossoms fade | I |
And yet devoted land not gold alone | J |
Or dire ambition wak'd thy rising groan | J |
For lo a fiercer fiend with joy elate | K |
Feasts on thy suff'rings and impels thy fate | K |
Fanatic Fury rears her sullen shrine | L |
Where vultures prey where venom'd adders twine | L |
Her savage arm with purple torrents stains | F |
Thy rocking temples and thy falling fanes | F |
Her blazing torches flash the mounting fire | M |
She grasps the sabre and she lights the pyre | M |
Her voice is thunder rending the still air | N |
Her glance the baleful lightning's lurid glare | N |
Her lips unhallow'd breathe their impious strain | O |
And pure Religion's sacred voice profane | O |
Whose precepts pity's mildest deeds approve | P |
Whose law is mercy and whose soul is love | Q |
And see fanatic Fury wakes the storm | R |
She wears the stern VALVERDA'S hideous form | R |
His bosom never felt another's woes | F |
No shriek of anguish breaks its dark repose | F |
The temple nods an aged form appears | F |
He beats his breast he rends his silver hairs | F |
VALVERDA drags him from the blest abode | S |
Where his meek spirit humbly sought its God | T |
See to his aid his child soft ZILIA springs | F |
And steeps in tears the robe to which she clings | F |
Now bursting from PERUVIA'S frighted throng | U |
Two warlike youths impetuous rush'd along | U |
One grasp'd his twanging bow with furious air | N |
While in his troubled eye sat fierce despair | N |
But all in vain his erring weapon flies | F |
Pierc'd by a thousand wounds on earth he lies | F |
His drooping head the trembling ZILIA rais'd | V |
And on the youth in speechless anguish gaz'd | V |
While he who fondly shared his danger flew | W |
And from his bleeding breast a poignard drew | W |
Deep in my faithful bosom let me hide | X |
The fatal steel that would our souls divide | X |
He quick exclaims the dying warrior cries | F |
Ah yet forbear by all the sacred ties | F |
That bind our hearts forbear in vain he spoke | Y |
Friendship with frantic zeal impels the stroke | Y |
Thyself for ever lost thou hop'st in vain | O |
The youth replied my spirit to detain | O |
From thee my soul in childhood's earliest year | Z |
Caught the light pleasure and the passing tear | N |
Thy friendship then my young affections blest | A2 |
The first pure passion of my infant breast | A2 |
And still in death I feel its strong controul | W |
Its sacred impulse wings my fleeting soul | W |
That only lingers here till thou depart | B2 |
Whose image lives upon my fainting heart | B2 |
In vain the gen'rous youth with panting breath | E |
Pour'd these last murmurs in the ear of death | E |
He reads the fatal truth in ZILIA'S eye | C2 |
And gives to friendship his expiring sigh | C2 |
But now with rage VALVERDA'S glances roll | W |
And mark the vengeance rankling in his soul | W |
He bends his gloomy brow his lips impart | B2 |
The brooding purpose of his venom'd heart | B2 |
He bids the hoary priest in mutter'd strains | F |
Abjure his faith forsake his native fanes | F |
While yet the ling'ring pangs of torture wait | K |
While yet VALVERDA'S power suspends his fate | K |
Vain man the victim cried to hoary years | F |
Know death is mild and virtue feels no fears | F |
Cruel of spirit come let tortures prove | P |
The power I serv'd in life in death I love | Q |
He ceas'd with rugged cords his limbs they bound | D2 |
And drag the aged suff'rer on the ground | D2 |
They grasp his feeble frame his tresses tear | N |
His robe they rend his shrivell'd bosom bare | N |
Ah see his uncomplaining soul sustain | O |
The sting of insult and the dart of pain | O |
His stedfast spirit feels one pang alone | J |
A child's despair awakes one bitter groan | J |
The mourner kneels to catch his parting breath | E |
To soothe the agony of ling'ring death | E |
No moan she breath'd no tear had power to flow | W |
Still on her lip expir'd th' unutter'd woe | W |
Yet ah her livid cheek her stedfast look | E2 |
The desolated soul's deep anguish spoke | Y |
Mild victim close not yet thy languid eyes | F |
Pure spirit claim not yet thy kindred skies | F |
A pitying angel comes to stay thy flight | H |
LAS CASAS bids thee view returning light | H |
Ah let that sacred drop to virtue dear | Z |
Efface thy wrongs receive his precious tear | N |
See his flush'd cheek with indignation glow | W |
While from his lips the tones of pity flow | W |
Oh suff'ring Lord he cried whose streaming blood | F2 |
Was pour'd for man earth drank the sacred flood | F2 |
Whose mercy in the mortal pang forgave | G2 |
The murd'rous band Thy love alone could save | G2 |
Forgive thy goodness bursts each narrow bound | D2 |
Which feeble thought and human hope surround | D2 |
Forgive the guilty wretch whose impious hand | H2 |
From thy pure altar flings the flaming brand | H2 |
In human blood that hallow'd altar steeps | F |
Libation dire while groaning nature weeps | F |
The limits of thy mercy dares to scan | I2 |
The object of thy love his victim man | I2 |
While yet I linger lo the suff'rer dies | F |
I see his frame convuls'd I hear his sighs | F |
Whoe'er controuls the purpose of my heart | B2 |
First in this breast shall plunge his guilty dart | B2 |
With hurried step he flew with eager hands | F |
He broke the fetters burst the cruel bands | F |
As the fall'n angel heard with awful fear | Z |
The cherub's grave rebuke in grace severe | Z |
And fled while horror plum'd his impious crest | A2 |
The form of virtue as she stood confest | A2 |
So fierce VALVERDA sullen mov'd along | U |
Abash'd and follow'd by the hostile throng | U |
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At length the hoary victim freed from chains | F |
LAS CASAS gently leads to safer plains | F |
His searching eye explores a secret cave | G2 |
Whose shaggy sides the languid billows lave | G2 |
There rest secure he cried the Christian's God | A2 |
Will hover near will guard the lone abode | A2 |
Oft to the gloomy cell his steps repair | N |
While night's chill breezes wave his silver'd hair | N |
Oft in the tones of love the words of peace | F |
He bids the bitter tears of anguish cease | F |
Bids drooping hope uplift her languid eyes | F |
And points to bliss that dwells beyond the skies | F |
Yet ah in vain his pious cares would save | G2 |
The aged suff'rer from the op'ning grave | G2 |
For deep the pangs of torture pierc'd his frame | J2 |
And sunk his wasted life's expiring flame | J2 |
To his cold lip LAS CASAS ' hand he prest | A2 |
He faintly clasp'd his ZILIA to his breast | A2 |
Then cried the God whom now my vows adore | B |
My heart through life obey'd unknowing more | B |
His mild forgiveness then my soul shall prove | P |
His mercy share LAS CASAS ' God is love | Q |
He spoke no more his ZILIA'S hopeless moan | J |
Was heard responsive to his dying groan | J |
Victim of impious zeal LAS CASAS cries | F |
Accept departed shade a Christian's sighs | F |
And thou soft mourner tender drooping form | R |
What power shall guard thee from the fearful storm | R |
Weep not for me she cried for ZILIA'S breast | A2 |
Soon in the shelt'ring earth shall find its rest | A2 |
Seek not the victim of despair to save | G2 |
I ask but death I only wish a grave | G2 |
Witness thou mangled form that earth retains | F |
Witness a murder'd lover's cold remains | F |
I liv'd my father's pangs to soothe to share | N |
I bore to live though life was all despair | N |
Ah still my lover's dying moan I hear | K2 |
In every pulse I feel his parting tear | N |
I faint an icy coldness chills each vein | O |
No more these feeble limbs their load sustain | O |
Spirit of pity catch my fleeting breath | E |
A moment stay and close my eyes in death | E |
LAS CASAS thee thy God in mercy gave | G2 |
To soothe my pangs to find the wretch a grave | G2 |
She ceas'd her spirit fled to purer spheres | F |
LAS CASAS bathes the pallid corse with tears | F |
Fly minister of good nor ling'ring shed | A2 |
Those fruitless sorrows o'er | M |
Helen Maria Williams
(1)
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