Songs Of The Night Watches, - The First Watch Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A ABABCDEFDFEGGHH AIAI HJHJKKLMNNMOP POLL QQRHHSRSTTHH L UUGVGVWWGGGPPXXYYZZ L A2FA2FLLRRB2B2YTKC2C 2YKTD2LLL L E2F2F2G2E2XF2G2RGGUU RFGH2 L LLLLLI2VVI2ZZ L J2CCTJ2TRH2I2I2RFNNN K2ZZK2GGZ R L2YYM2M2SL2N2O2SO2XN XNX R RA2RA2P2P2P2F2F2Q2AQ 2A| TIRED | A |
| - | |
| I | - |
| - | |
| O I would tell you more but I am tired | A |
| For I have longed and I have had my will | B |
| I pleaded in my spirit I desired | A |
| Ah let me only see him and be still | B |
| All my days after | C |
| Rock and rock and rock | D |
| Over the falling rising watery world | E |
| Sail beautiful ship along the leaping main | F |
| The chirping land birds follow flock on flock | D |
| To light on a warmer plain | F |
| White as weaned lambs the little wavelets curled | E |
| Fall over in harmless play | G |
| As these do far away | G |
| Sail bird of doom along the shimmering sea | H |
| All under thy broad wings that overshadow thee | H |
| - | |
| II | - |
| - | |
| I am so tired | A |
| If I would comfort me I know not how | I |
| For I have seen thee lad as I desired | A |
| And I have nothing left to long for now | I |
| - | |
| Nothing at all And did I wait for thee | H |
| Often and often while the light grew dim | J |
| And through the lilac branches I could see | H |
| Under a saffron sky the purple rim | J |
| O' the heaving moorland Ay And then would float | K |
| Up from behind as it were a golden boat | K |
| Freighted with fancies all o' the wonder of life | L |
| Love such a slender moon going up and up | M |
| Waxing so fast from night to night | N |
| And swelling like an orange flower bud bright | N |
| Fated methought to round as to a golden cup | M |
| And hold to my two lips life's best of wine | O |
| Most beautiful crescent moon | P |
| Ship of the sky | - |
| Across the unfurrowed reaches sailing high | - |
| Methought that it would come my way full soon | P |
| Laden with blessings that were all all mine | O |
| A golden ship with balm and spiceries rife | L |
| That ere its day was done should hear thee call me wife | L |
| - | |
| III | - |
| - | |
| All over the celestial sign hath failed | Q |
| The orange flower bud shuts the ship hath sailed | Q |
| And sunk behind the long low lying hills | R |
| The love that fed on daily kisses dieth | H |
| The love kept warm by nearness lieth | H |
| Wounded and wan | S |
| The love hope nourished bitter tears distils | R |
| And faints with naught to feed upon | S |
| Only there stirreth very deep below | T |
| The hidden beating slow | T |
| And the blind yearning and the long drawn breath | H |
| Of the love that conquers death | H |
| - | |
| IV | L |
| - | |
| Had we not loved full long and lost all fear | U |
| My ever my only dear | U |
| Yes and I saw thee start upon thy way | G |
| So sure that we should meet | V |
| Upon our trysting day | G |
| And even absence then to me was sweet | V |
| Because it brought me time to brood | W |
| Upon thy dearness in the solitude | W |
| But ah to stay and stay | G |
| And let that moon of April wane itself away | G |
| And let the lovely May | G |
| Make ready all her buds for June | P |
| And let the glossy finch forego her tune | P |
| That she brought with her in the spring | X |
| And never more I think to me can sing | X |
| And then to lead thee home another bride | Y |
| In the sultry summer tide | Y |
| And all forget me save for shame full sore | Z |
| That made thee pray me absent See my face no more | Z |
| - | |
| V | L |
| - | |
| O hard most hard But while my fretted heart | A2 |
| Shut out shut down and full of pain | F |
| Sobbed to itself apart | A2 |
| Ached to itself in vain | F |
| One came who loveth me | L |
| As I love thee | L |
| And let my God remember him for this | R |
| As I do hope He will forget thy kiss | R |
| Nor visit on thy stately head | B2 |
| Aught that thy mouth hath sworn or thy two eyes have said | B2 |
| He came and it was dark He came and sighed | Y |
| Because he knew the sorrow whispering low | T |
| And fast and thick as one that speaks by rote | K |
| The vessel lieth in the river reach | C2 |
| A mile above the beach | C2 |
| And she will sail at the turning o' the tide | Y |
| He said I have a boat | K |
| And were it good to go | T |
| And unbeholden in the vessel's wake | D2 |
| Look on the man thou lovedst and forgive | L |
| As he embarks a shamefaced fugitive | L |
| Come then with me | L |
| - | |
| VI | L |
| - | |
| O how he sighed The little stars did wink | E2 |
| And it was very dark I gave my hand | F2 |
| He led me out across the pasture land | F2 |
| And through the narrow croft | G2 |
| Down to the river's brink | E2 |
| When thou wast full in spring thou little sleepy thing | X |
| The yellow flags that broidered thee would stand | F2 |
| Up to their chins in water and full oft | G2 |
| WE pulled them and the other shining flowers | R |
| That all are gone to day | G |
| WE two that had so many things to say | G |
| So many hopes to render clear | U |
| And they are all gone after thee my dear | U |
| Gone after those sweet hours | R |
| That tender light that balmy rain | F |
| Gone as a wind that passeth away | G |
| And cometh not again | H2 |
| - | |
| VII | L |
| - | |
| I only saw the stars I could not see | L |
| The river and they seemed to lie | L |
| As far below as the other stars were high | L |
| I trembled like a thing about to die | L |
| It was so awful 'neath the majesty | L |
| Of that great crystal height that overhung | I2 |
| The blackness at our feet | V |
| Unseen to fleet and fleet | V |
| The flocking stars among | I2 |
| And only hear the dipping of the oar | Z |
| And the small wave's caressing of the darksome shore | Z |
| - | |
| VIII | L |
| - | |
| Less real it was than any dream | J2 |
| Ah me to hear the bending willows shiver | C |
| As we shot quickly from the silent river | C |
| And felt the swaying and the flow | T |
| That bore us down the deeper wider stream | J2 |
| Whereto its nameless waters go | T |
| O I shall always when I shut mine eyes | R |
| See that weird sight again | H2 |
| The lights from anchored vessels hung | I2 |
| The phantom moon that sprung | I2 |
| Suddenly up in dim and angry wise | R |
| From the rim o' the moaning main | F |
| And touched with elfin light | N |
| The two long oars whereby we made our flight | N |
| Along the reaches of the night | N |
| Then furrowed up a lowering cloud | K2 |
| Went in and left us darker than before | Z |
| To feel our way as the midnight watches wore | Z |
| And lie in HER lee with mournful faces bowed | K2 |
| That should receive and bear with her away | G |
| The brightest portion of my sunniest day | G |
| The laughter of the land the sweetness of the shore | Z |
| - | |
| IX | R |
| - | |
| And I beheld thee saw the lantern flash | L2 |
| Down on thy face when thou didst climb the side | Y |
| And thou wert pale pale as the patient bride | Y |
| That followed both a little sad | M2 |
| Leaving of home and kin Thy courage glad | M2 |
| That once did bear thee on | S |
| That brow of thine had lost the fervor rash | L2 |
| Of unforeboding youth thou hadst foregone | N2 |
| O what a little moment what a crumb | O2 |
| Of comfort for a heart to feed upon | S |
| And that was all its sum | O2 |
| A glimpse and not a meeting | X |
| A drawing near by night | N |
| To sigh to thee an unacknowledged greeting | X |
| And all between the flashing of a light | N |
| And its retreating | X |
| - | |
| X | R |
| - | |
| Then after ere she spread her wafting wings | R |
| The ship and weighed her anchor to depart | A2 |
| We stole from her dark lee like guilty things | R |
| And there was silence in my heart | A2 |
| And silence in the upper and the nether deep | P2 |
| O sleep O sleep | P2 |
| Do not forget me Sometimes come and sweep | P2 |
| Now I have nothing left thy healing hand | F2 |
| Over the lids that crave thy visits bland | F2 |
| Thou kind thou comforting one | Q2 |
| For I have seen his face as I desired | A |
| And all my story is done | Q2 |
| O I am tired | A |
Jean Ingelow
(1)
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Songs Of The Night Watches, - The First Watch is a poem by Jean Ingelow. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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