Malcolm's Katie: A Love Story - Part Vi. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDCEFGHICJCKLCMN OCCPQRPSQCCTSUCCVCCC WXUCCYZEA2B2 C2C D2JE2 F2CC G2H2 CWTC H2T H2D H2CI2CTH2J2K2P RLH2L2M2N2O2CC2TCH2P P2CCQ2CR2CLCQS2CT2U2 T2S2V2W2W2P2P X2Y2CW2CW2W2CT TA2CZ2 OCA2CTS2W2A3W2TB3W2 B3W2W2W2 C3TD3Y2CE3UTCW2 CW2OF3 P2CCCG3CH3W2P2'Who curseth Sorrow knows her not at all | A |
Dark matrix she from which the human soul | B |
Has its last birth whence with its misty thews | C |
Close knitted in her blackness issues out | D |
Strong for immortal toil up such great heights | C |
As crown o'er crown rise through Eternity | E |
Without the loud deep clamour of her wail | F |
The iron of her hands the biting brine | G |
Of her black tears the Soul but lightly built | H |
of indeterminate spirit like a mist | I |
Would lapse to Chaos in soft gilded dreams | C |
As mists fade in the gazing of the sun | J |
Sorrow dark mother of the soul arise | C |
Be crown'd with spheres where thy bless'd children dwell | K |
Who but for thee were not No lesser seat | L |
Be thine thou Helper of the Universe | C |
Than planet on planet pil'd thou instrument | M |
Close clasp'd within the great Creative Hand ' | N |
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The Land had put his ruddy gauntlet on | O |
Of Harvest gold to dash in Famine's face | C |
And like a vintage wain deep dy'd with juice | C |
The great moon falter'd up the ripe blue sky | P |
Drawn by silver stars like oxen white | Q |
And horn'd with rays of light Down the rich land | R |
Malcolm's small valleys fill'd with grain lip high | P |
Lay round a lonely hill that fac'd the moon | S |
And caught the wine kiss of its ruddy light | Q |
A cusp'd dark wood caught in its black embrace | C |
The valleys and the hill and from its wilds | C |
Spic'd with dark cedars cried the Whip poor will | T |
A crane belated sail'd across the moon | S |
On the bright small close link'd lakes green islets lay | U |
Dusk knots of tangl'd vines or maple boughs | C |
Or tuft'd cedars boss'd upon the waves | C |
The gay enamell'd children of the swamp | V |
Roll'd a low bass to treble tinkling notes | C |
Of little streamlets leaping from the woods | C |
Close to old Malcolm's mills two wooden jaws | C |
Bit up the water on a sloping floor | W |
And here in season rush'd the great logs down | X |
To seek the river winding on its way | U |
In a green sheen smooth as a Naiad's locks | C |
The water roll'd between the shudd'ring jaws | C |
Then on the river level roar'd and reel'd | Y |
In ivory arm'd conflict with itself | Z |
'Look down ' said Alfred 'Katie look and see | E |
'How that but pictures my mad heart to you | A2 |
'It tears itself in fighting that mad love | B2 |
'You swear is hopeless hopeless is it so ' | - |
'Ah yes ' said Katie 'ask me not again ' | - |
'But Katie Max is false no word has come | C2 |
'Nor any sign from him for many months | C |
'And he is happy with his Indian wife ' | - |
She lifted eyes fair as the fresh grey dawn | D2 |
with all its dews and promises of sun | J |
'O Alfred saver of my little life | E2 |
'Look in my eyes and read them honestly ' | - |
He laugh'd till all the isles and forests laugh'd | F2 |
'O simple child what may the forest flames | C |
'See in the woodland ponds but their own fires | C |
'And have you Katie neither fears nor doubts ' | - |
She with the flow'r soft pinkness of her palm | G2 |
Cover'd her sudden tears then quickly said | H2 |
'Fears never doubts for true love never doubts ' | - |
Then Alfred paus'd a space as one who holds | C |
A white doe by the throat and searches for | W |
The blade to slay her 'This your answer still | T |
'You doubt not doubt not this far love of yours | C |
'Tho' sworn a false young recreant Kate by me ' | - |
'He is as true as I am ' Katie said | H2 |
'And did I seek for stronger simile | T |
'I could not find such in the universe ' | - |
'And were he dead what Katie were he dead | H2 |
'A handful of brown dust a flame blown out | D |
'What then would love be strongly true to Naught ' | - |
'Still true to love my love would be ' she said | H2 |
And faintly smiling pointed to the stars | C |
'O fool ' said Alfred stirr'd as craters rock | I2 |
'To their own throes and over his pale lips | C |
Roll'd flaming stone his molten heart 'Then fool | T |
'Be true to what thou wilt for he is dead | H2 |
'And there have grown this gilded summer past | J2 |
'Grasses and buds from his unburied flesh | K2 |
'I saw him dead I heard his last loud cry | P |
''O Kate ' ring thro' the woods in truth I did ' | - |
She half raised up a piteous pleading hand | R |
Then fell along the mosses at his feet | L |
'Now will I show I love you Kate ' he said | H2 |
'And give you gift of love you shall not wake | L2 |
'To feel the arrow feather deep within | M2 |
'Your constant heart For me I never meant | N2 |
'To crawl an hour beyond what time I felt | O2 |
'The strange fang'd monster that they call Remorse | C |
'Fold found my waken'd heart The hour has come | C2 |
'And as Love grew the welded folds of steel | T |
'Slipp'd round in horrid zones In Love's flaming eyes | C |
'Stared its fell eyeballs and with Hydra head | H2 |
'It sank hot fangs in breast and brow and thigh | P |
'Come Kate O Anguish is a simple knave | P2 |
'Whom hucksters could outwit with small trade lies | C |
'When thus so easily his smarting thralls | C |
'May flee his knout Come come my little Kate | Q2 |
'The black porch with its fringe of poppies waits | C |
'A propylaleum hospitably wide | R2 |
'No lictors with their fasces at its jaws | C |
'Its floor as kindly to my fire vein'd feet | L |
'As to thy silver lilied sinless ones | C |
'O you shall slumber soundly tho' the white | Q |
'Wild waters pluck the crocus of your hair | S2 |
'And scaly spies stare with round lightless eyes | C |
'At your small face laid on my stony breast | T2 |
'Come Kate I must not have you wake dear heart | U2 |
'To hear you cry perchance on your dead Max ' | - |
He turn'd her still face close upon his breast | T2 |
And with his lips upon her soft ring'd hair | S2 |
Leap'd from the bank low shelving o'er the knot | V2 |
Of frantic waters at the long slide's foot | W2 |
And as the sever'd waters crash'd and smote | W2 |
Together once again within the wave | P2 |
Stunn'd chamber of his ear there peal'd a cry | P |
'O Kate stay madman traitor stay O Kate ' | - |
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Max gaunt as prairie wolves in famine time | X2 |
With long drawn sickness reel'd upon the bank | Y2 |
Katie new rescu'd waking in his arms | C |
On the white riot of the waters gleam'd | W2 |
The face of Alfred calm with close seal'd eyes | C |
And blood red on his temple where it smote | W2 |
The mossy timbers of the groaning slide | W2 |
'O God ' said Max as Katie's opening eyes | C |
Looked up to his slow budding to a smile | T |
Of wonder and of bliss 'My Kate my Kate ' | - |
She saw within his eyes a larger soul | T |
Than that light spirit that before she knew | A2 |
And read the meaning of his glance and words | C |
'Do as you will my Max I would not keep | Z2 |
'You back with one light falling finger tip ' | - |
And cast herself from his large arms upon | O |
The mosses at his feet and hid her face | C |
That she might not behold what he would do | A2 |
Or lest the terror in her shining eyes | C |
Might bind him to her and prevent his soul | T |
Work out its greatness and her long wet hair | S2 |
Drew mass'd about her ears to shut the sound | W2 |
Of the vex'd waters from her anguish'd brain | A3 |
Max look'd upon her turning as he look'd | W2 |
A moment came a voice in Katie's soul | T |
'Arise be not dismay'd arise and look | B3 |
'If he should perish 'twill be as a God | W2 |
'For he would die to save his enemy ' | - |
But answer'd her torn heart 'I cannot look | B3 |
'I cannot look and see him sob and die | W2 |
'In those pale angry arms O let me rest | W2 |
'Blind blind and deaf until the swift pac'd end | W2 |
'My Max O God was that his Katie's name ' | - |
Like a pale dove hawk hunted Katie ran | C3 |
Her fear's beak in her shoulder and below | T |
Where the coil'd waters straighten'd to a stream | D3 |
Found Max all bruis'd and bleeding on they bank | Y2 |
But smiling with man's triumph in his eyes | C |
When he has on fierce Danger's lion neck | E3 |
Plac'd his right hand and pluck'd the prey away | U |
And at his feet lay Alfred still and while | T |
A willow's shadow tremb'ling on his face | C |
'There lies the false fair devil O my Kate | W2 |
'Who would have parted us but could not Kate ' | - |
'But could not Max ' said Katie 'Is he dead ' | - |
But swift perusing Max's strange dear face | C |
Close clasp'd against his breast forgot him straight | W2 |
And ev'ry other evil thing upon | O |
The broad green earth | F3 |
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Malcolm's Katie A Love Story Part VII | P2 |
Again rang out the music of the axe | C |
And on the slope as in his happy dreams | C |
The home of Max with wealth of drooping vines | C |
On the rude walls and in the trellis'd porch | G3 |
Sat Katie smiling o'er the rich fresh fields | C |
And by her side sat Malcolm hale and strong | H3 |
Upon his knee a little smiling child | W2 |
Nam'd Alf | P2 |
Isabella Valancy Crawford
(1)
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