A Ballad Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A ABBB CDED FFGH ICJC BKLK BMF BCAC BN N OBP QRLR STU FBBB VPB GCWC BX X BYFY BZCZ A2B2BB2 AYC2Y WD2Y FYFY GHE2H FYFWith A Serious Conclusion | A |
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Crowd about me little children | A |
Come and cluster 'round my knee | B |
While I tell a little story | B |
That happened once with me | B |
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My father he had gone away | C |
A sailing on the foam | D |
Leaving me the merest infant | E |
And my mother dear at home | D |
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For my father was a sailor | F |
And he sailed the ocean o'er | F |
For full five years ere yet again | G |
He reached his native shore | H |
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And I had grown up rugged | I |
And healthy day by day | C |
Though I was but a puny babe | J |
When father went away | C |
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Poor mother she would kiss me | B |
And look at me and sigh | K |
So strangely oft I wondered | L |
And would ask the reason why | K |
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And she would answer sadly | B |
Between her sobs and tears | M |
'You look so like your father | F |
Far away so many years ' | - |
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And then she would caress me | B |
And brush my hair away | C |
And tell me not to question | A |
But to run about my play | C |
- | |
Thus I went playing thoughtfully | B |
For that my mother said | N |
'YOU LOOK SO LIKE YOUR FATHER ' | - |
Kept ringing in my head | N |
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So ranging once the golden sands | O |
That looked out on the sea | B |
I called aloud 'My father dear | P |
Come back to ma and me ' | - |
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Then I saw a glancing shadow | Q |
On the sand and heard the shriek | R |
Of a sea gull flying seaward | L |
And I heard a gruff voice speak | R |
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'Ay ay my little shipmate | S |
I thought I heard you hail | T |
Were you trumpeting that sea gull | U |
Or do you see a sail ' | - |
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And as rough and gruff a sailor | F |
As ever sailed the sea | B |
Was standing near grotesquely | B |
And leering dreadfully | B |
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I replied though I was frightened | V |
'It was my father dear | P |
I was calling for across the sea | B |
I think he didn't hear ' | - |
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And then the sailor leered again | G |
In such a frightful way | C |
And made so many faces | W |
I was little loath to stay | C |
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But he started fiercely toward me | B |
Then made a sudden halt | X |
And roared ' I think he heard you ' | - |
And turned a somersault | X |
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Then a wild fear overcame me | B |
And I flew off like the wind | Y |
Shrieking 'MOTHER ' and the sailor | F |
Just a little way behind | Y |
- | |
And then my mother heard me | B |
And I saw her shade her eyes | Z |
Looking toward me from the doorway | C |
Transfixed with pale surprise | Z |
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For a moment then her features | A2 |
Glowed with all their wonted charms | B2 |
As the sailor overtook me | B |
And I fainted in her arms | B2 |
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When I awoke to reason | A |
I shuddered with affright | Y |
Till I felt my mother's presence | C2 |
With a thrill of wild delight | Y |
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Till amid a shower of kisses | W |
Falling glad as summer rain | D2 |
A muffled thunder rumbled | Y |
'Is he coming 'round again ' | - |
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Then I shrieked and clung unto her | F |
While her features flushed and burned | Y |
As she told me it was father | F |
From a foreign land returned | Y |
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I said when I was calm again | G |
And thoughtfully once more | H |
Had dwelt upon my mother's words | E2 |
Of just the day before | H |
- | |
'I DON'T look like my father | F |
As you told me yesterday | Y |
I know I don't or father | F |
Would have run the other way ' | - |
James Whitcomb Riley
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