Hiawatha's Lamentation Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCADAEEFAFGAAHIFIIJ AAAAKAAAILMMNKALLCFI AACOPNNAAQRJKKSNAIIT KAACCCNKUAPSJAANNPAI UKAANAAAAOCCNKIAAKKA JJAAMCCMSKAAMCKCCCKC IOAAAVCMIOAAMAIMNCIO AAAOCMMANMCAMNAACITN WIMKACCCMACXIACCIMCM AAMMYZMNMIMIMMACCAAA NCA2AMKACOMAAAACK

In those days the Evil SpiritsA
All the Manitos of mischiefB
Fearing Hiawatha's wisdomC
And his love for ChibiabosA
Jealous of their faithful friendshipD
And their noble words and actionsA
Made at length a league against themE
To molest them and destroy themE
Hiawatha wise and waryF
Often said to ChibiabosA
O my brother do not leave meF
Lest the Evil Spirits harm youG
Chibiabos young and heedlessA
Laughing shook his coal black tressesA
Answered ever sweet and childlikeH
Do not fear for me O brotherI
Harm and evil come not near meF
Once when Peboan the WinterI
Roofed with ice the Big Sea WaterI
When the snow flakes whirling downwardJ
Hissed among the withered oak leavesA
Changed the pine trees into wigwamsA
Covered all the earth with silenceA
Armed with arrows shod with snow shoesA
Heeding not his brother's warningK
Fearing not the Evil SpiritsA
Forth to hunt the deer with antlersA
All alone went ChibiabosA
Right across the Big Sea WaterI
Sprang with speed the deer before himL
With the wind and snow he followedM
O'er the treacherous ice he followedM
Wild with all the fierce commotionN
And the rapture of the huntingK
But beneath the Evil SpiritsA
Lay in ambush waiting for himL
Broke the treacherous ice beneath himL
Dragged him downward to the bottomC
Buried in the sand his bodyF
Unktahee the god of waterI
He the god of the DacotahsA
Drowned him in the deep abyssesA
Of the lake of Gitche GumeeC
From the headlands HiawathaO
Sent forth such a wail of anguishP
Such a fearful lamentationN
That the bison paused to listenN
And the wolves howled from the prairiesA
And the thunder in the distanceA
Starting answered Baim wawaQ
Then his face with black he paintedR
With his robe his head he coveredJ
In his wigwam sat lamentingK
Seven long weeks he sat lamentingK
Uttering still this moan of sorrowS
He is dead the sweet musicianN
He the sweetest of all singersA
He has gone from us foreverI
He has moved a little nearerI
To the Master of all musicT
To the Master of all singingK
O my brother ChibiabosA
And the melancholy fir treesA
Waved their dark green fans above himC
Waved their purple cones above himC
Sighing with him to console himC
Mingling with his lamentationN
Their complaining their lamentingK
Came the Spring and all the forestU
Looked in vain for ChibiabosA
Sighed the rivulet SebowishaP
Sighed the rushes in the meadowS
From the tree tops sang the bluebirdJ
Sang the bluebird the OwaissaA
Chibiabos ChibiabosA
He is dead the sweet musicianN
From the wigwam sang the robinN
Sang the robin the OpecheeP
Chibiabos ChibiabosA
He is dead the sweetest singerI
And at night through all the forestU
Went the whippoorwill complainingK
Wailing went the WawonaissaA
Chibiabos ChibiabosA
He is dead the sweet musicianN
He the sweetest of all singersA
Then the Medicine men the MedasA
The magicians the WabenosA
And the Jossakeeds the ProphetsA
Came to visit HiawathaO
Built a Sacred Lodge beside himC
To appease him to console himC
Walked in silent grave processionN
Bearing each a pouch of healingK
Skin of beaver lynx or otterI
Filled with magic roots and simplesA
Filled with very potent medicinesA
When he heard their steps approachingK
Hiawatha ceased lamentingK
Called no more on ChibiabosA
Naught he questioned naught he answeredJ
But his mournful head uncoveredJ
From his face the mourning colorsA
Washed he slowly and in silenceA
Slowly and in silence followedM
Onward to the Sacred WigwamC
There a magic drink they gave himC
Made of Nahma wusk the spearmintM
And Wabeno wusk the yarrowS
Roots of power and herbs of healingK
Beat their drums and shook their rattlesA
Chanted singly and in chorusA
Mystic songs like these they chantedM
I myself myself behold meC
T Is the great Gray Eagle talkingK
Come ye white crows come and hear himC
The loud speaking thunder helps meC
All the unseen spirits help meC
I can hear their voices callingK
All around the sky I hear themC
I can blow you strong my brotherI
I can heal you HiawathaO
Hi au ha replied the chorusA
Wayha way the mystic chorusA
Friends of mine are all the serpentsA
Hear me shake my skin of hen hawkV
Mahng the white loon I can kill himC
I can shoot your heart and kill itM
I can blow you strong my brotherI
I can heal you HiawathaO
Hi au ha replied the chorusA
Wayhaway the mystic chorusA
I myself myself the prophetM
When I speak the wigwam tremblesA
Shakes the Sacred Lodge with terrorI
Hands unseen begin to shake itM
When I walk the sky I tread onN
Bends and makes a noise beneath meC
I can blow you strong my brotherI
Rise and speak O HiawathaO
Hi au ha replied the chorusA
Way ha way the mystic chorusA
Then they shook their medicine pouchesA
O'er the head of HiawathaO
Danced their medicine dance around himC
And upstarting wild and haggardM
Like a man from dreams awakenedM
He was healed of all his madnessA
As the clouds are swept from heavenN
Straightway from his brain departedM
All his moody melancholyC
As the ice is swept from riversA
Straightway from his heart departedM
All his sorrow and afflictionN
Then they summoned ChibiabosA
From his grave beneath the watersA
From the sands of Gitche GumeeC
Summoned Hiawatha's brotherI
And so mighty was the magicT
Of that cry and invocationN
That he heard it as he lay thereW
Underneath the Big Sea WaterI
From the sand he rose and listenedM
Heard the music and the singingK
Came obedient to the summonsA
To the doorway of the wigwamC
But to enter they forbade himC
Through a chink a coal they gave himC
Through the door a burning fire brandM
Ruler in the Land of SpiritsA
Ruler o'er the dead they made himC
Telling him a fire to kindleX
For all those that died thereafterI
Camp fires for their night encampmentsA
On their solitary journeyC
To the kingdom of PonemahC
To the land of the HereafterI
From the village of his childhoodM
From the homes of those who knew himC
Passing silent through the forestM
Like a smoke wreath wafted sidewaysA
Slowly vanished ChibiabosA
Where he passed the branches moved notM
Where he trod the grasses bent notM
And the fallen leaves of last yearY
Made no sound beneath his footstepZ
Four whole days he journeyed onwardM
Down the pathway of the dead menN
On the dead man's strawberry feastedM
Crossed the melancholy riverI
On the swinging log he crossed itM
Came unto the Lake of SilverI
In the Stone Canoe was carriedM
To the Islands of the BlessedM
To the land of ghosts and shadowsA
On that journey moving slowlyC
Many weary spirits saw heC
Panting under heavy burdensA
Laden with war clubs bows and arrowsA
Robes of fur and pots and kettlesA
And with food that friends had givenN
For that solitary journeyC
Ay why do the living said theyA2
Lay such heavy burdens on usA
Better were it to go nakedM
Better were it to go fastingK
Than to bear such heavy burdensA
On our long and weary journeyC
Forth then issued HiawathaO
Wandered eastward wandered westwardM
Teaching men the use of simplesA
And the antidotes for poisonsA
And the cure of all diseasesA
Thus was first made known to mortalsA
All the mystery of MedaminC
All the sacred art of healingK

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



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