The Song Of Hiawatha Xix: The Ghosts Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGAAFHIFFFIJKLA FFFFMAADFCNAOFPADQDL CFLAAFRSTOLLUHLCCAFF VOLFTRWLFFTRXQLFFACR AAFAFFOXFRLHLFFFYAQD FFRQFAFHLRXLLFFDRLLR DLQDHLAFFACFQRFFAZFA DLCQMLDLLQCCFFLLLLFW FXDDFLTFTTCFDLJTFTLD QMAFLLFHRFRHRHFFLLFL HLFQMFFFMMXFRMROLA2L AFRA

Never stoops the soaring vultureA
On his quarry in the desertB
On the sick or wounded bisonC
But another vulture watchingD
From his high aerial look outE
Sees the downward plunge and followsF
And a third pursues the secondG
Coming from the invisible etherA
First a speck and then a vultureA
Till the air is dark with pinionsF
So disasters come not singlyH
But as if they watched and waitedI
Scanning one another's motionsF
When the first descends the othersF
Follow follow gathering flock wiseF
Round their victim sick and woundedI
First a shadow then a sorrowJ
Till the air is dark with anguishK
Now o'er all the dreary North landL
Mighty Peboan the WinterA
Breathing on the lakes and riversF
Into stone had changed their watersF
From his hair he shook the snow flakesF
Till the plains were strewn with whitenessF
One uninterrupted levelM
As if stooping the CreatorA
With his hand had smoothed them overA
Through the forest wide and wailingD
Roamed the hunter on his snow shoesF
In the village worked the womenC
Pounded maize or dressed the deer skinN
And the young men played togetherA
On the ice the noisy ball playO
On the plain the dance of snow shoesF
One dark evening after sundownP
In her wigwam Laughing WaterA
Sat with old Nokomis waitingD
For the steps of HiawathaQ
Homeward from the hunt returningD
On their faces gleamed the firelightL
Painting them with streaks of crimsonC
In the eyes of old NokomisF
Glimmered like the watery moonlightL
In the eyes of Laughing WaterA
Glistened like the sun in waterA
And behind them crouched their shadowsF
In the corners of the wigwamR
And the smoke In wreaths above themS
Climbed and crowded through the smoke flueT
Then the curtain of the doorwayO
From without was slowly liftedL
Brighter glowed the fire a momentL
And a moment swerved the smoke wreathU
As two women entered softlyH
Passed the doorway uninvitedL
Without word of salutationC
Without sign of recognitionC
Sat down in the farthest cornerA
Crouching low among the shadowsF
From their aspect and their garmentsF
Strangers seemed they in the villageV
Very pale and haggard were theyO
As they sat there sad and silentL
Trembling cowering with the shadowsF
Was it the wind above the smoke flueT
Muttering down into the wigwamR
Was it the owl the Koko kohoW
Hooting from the dismal forestL
Sure a voice said in the silenceF
'These are corpses clad in garmentsF
These are ghosts that come to haunt youT
From the kingdom of PonemahR
From the land of the Hereafter 'X
Homeward now came HiawathaQ
From his hunting in the forestL
With the snow upon his tressesF
And the red deer on his shouldersF
At the feet of Laughing WaterA
Down he threw his lifeless burdenC
Nobler handsomer she thought himR
Than when first he came to woo herA
First threw down the deer before herA
As a token of his wishesF
As a promise of the futureA
Then he turned and saw the strangersF
Cowering crouching with the shadowsF
Said within himself 'Who are theyO
What strange guests has Minnehaha 'X
But he questioned not the strangersF
Only spake to bid them welcomeR
To his lodge his food his firesideL
When the evening meal was readyH
And the deer had been dividedL
Both the pallid guests the strangersF
Springing from among the shadowsF
Seized upon the choicest portionsF
Seized the white fat of the roebuckY
Set apart for Laughing WaterA
For the wife of HiawathaQ
Without asking without thankingD
Eagerly devoured the morselsF
Flitted back among the shadowsF
In the corner of the wigwamR
Not a word spake HiawathaQ
Not a motion made NokomisF
Not a gesture Laughing WaterA
Not a change came o'er their featuresF
Only Minnehaha softlyH
Whispered saying 'They are famishedL
Let them do what best delights themR
Let them eat for they are famished 'X
Many a daylight dawned and darkenedL
Many a night shook off the daylightL
As the pine shakes off the snow flakesF
From the midnight of its branchesF
Day by day the guests unmovingD
Sat there silent in the wigwamR
But by night in storm or starlightL
Forth they went into the forestL
Bringing fire wood to the wigwamR
Bringing pine cones for the burningD
Always sad and always silentL
And whenever HiawathaQ
Came from fishing or from huntingD
When the evening meal was readyH
And the food had been dividedL
Gliding from their darksome cornerA
Came the pallid guests the strangersF
Seized upon the choicest portionsF
Set aside for Laughing WaterA
And without rebuke or questionC
Flitted back among the shadowsF
Never once had HiawathaQ
By a word or look reproved themR
Never once had old NokomisF
Made a gesture of impatienceF
Never once had Laughing WaterA
Shown resentment at the outrageZ
All had they endured in silenceF
That the rights of guest and strangerA
That the virtue of free givingD
By a look might not be lessenedL
By a word might not be brokenC
Once at midnight HiawathaQ
Ever wakeful ever watchfulM
In the wigwam dimly lightedL
By the brands that still were burningD
By the glimmering flickering firelightL
Heard a sighing oft repeatedL
From his couch rose HiawathaQ
From his shaggy hides of bisonC
Pushed aside the deer skin curtainC
Saw the pallid guests the shadowsF
Sitting upright on their couchesF
Weeping in the silent midnightL
And he said 'O guests why is itL
That your hearts are so afflictedL
That you sob so in the midnightL
Has perchance the old NokomisF
Has my wife my MinnehahaW
Wronged or grieved you by unkindnessF
Failed in hospitable duties 'X
Then the shadows ceased from weepingD
Ceased from sobbing and lamentingD
And they said with gentle voicesF
'We are ghosts of the departedL
Souls of those who once were with youT
From the realms of ChibiabosF
Hither have we come to try youT
Hither have we come to warn youT
'Cries of grief and lamentationC
Reach us in the Blessed IslandsF
Cries of anguish from the livingD
Calling back their friends departedL
Sadden us with useless sorrowJ
Therefore have we come to try youT
No one knows us no one heeds usF
We are but a burden to youT
And we see that the departedL
Have no place among the livingD
'Think of this O HiawathaQ
Speak of it to all the peopleM
That henceforward and foreverA
They no more with lamentationsF
Sadden the souls of the departedL
In the Islands of the BlessedL
'Do not lay such heavy burdensF
In the graves of those you buryH
Not such weight of furs and wampumR
Not such weight of pots and kettlesF
For the spirits faint beneath themR
Only give them food to carryH
Only give them fire to light themR
'Four days is the spirit's journeyH
To the land of ghosts and shadowsF
Four its lonely night encampmentsF
Four times must their fires be lightedL
Therefore when the dead are buriedL
Let a fire as night approachesF
Four times on the grave be kindledL
That the soul upon its journeyH
May not lack the cheerful firelightL
May not grope about in darknessF
'Farewell noble HiawathaQ
We have put you to the trialM
To the proof have put your patienceF
By the insult of our presenceF
By the outrage of our actionsF
We have found you great and nobleM
Fail not in the greater trialM
Faint not In the harder struggle 'X
When they ceased a sudden darknessF
Fell and filled the silent wigwamR
Hiawatha heard a rustleM
As of garments trailing by himR
Heard the curtain of the doorwayO
Lifted by a hand he saw notL
Felt the cold breath of the night airA2
For a moment saw the starlightL
But he saw the ghosts no longerA
Saw no more the wandering spiritsF
From the kingdom of PonemahR
From the land of the HereafterA

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



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