The Columbiad: Book Vi Poem Rhyme Scheme

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The Argument	A
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British cruelty to American prisoners Prison Ship Retreat of Washington with the relics of his army pursued by Howe Washington recrossing the Delaware in the night to surprise the British van is opposed by uncommon obstacles His success in this audacious enterprise lays the foundation of the American empire A monument to be ere on the bank of the Delaware Approach of Burgoyne sailing up the St Laurence with an army of Britons and various other nations Indignant energy of the colonies compared to that of Greece in opposing the invasion of Xerxes Formation of an army of citizens under the command of Gates Review of the American and British armies and of the savage tribes who join the British standard Battle of Saratoga Story of Lucinda Second battle and capture of Burgoyne and his army	B
	-
	-
But of all tales that war's black annals hold	C
The darkest foulest still remains untold	C
New modes of torture wait the shameful strife	D
And Britain wantons in the waste of life	D
	-
Cold blooded Cruelty first fiend of hell	E
Ah think no more with savage hordes to dwell	E
Quit the Caribian tribes who eat their slain	F
Fly that grim gang the Inquisitors of Spain	F
Boast not thy deeds in Moloch's shrines of old	C
Leave Barbary's pirates to their blood bought gold	C
Let Holland steal her victims force them o'er	G
To toils and death on Java's morbid shore	H
Some cloak some color all these crimes may plead	I
Tis avarice passion blind religion's deed	I
But Britons here in this fraternal broil	J
Grave cool deliberate in thy service toil	J
Far from the nation's eye whose nobler soul	K
Their wars would humanize their pride control	K
They lose the lessons that her laws impart	L
And change the British for the brutal heart	L
Fired by no passion madden'd by no zeal	M
No priest no Plutus bids them not to feel	M
Unpaid gratuitous on torture bent	N
Their sport is death their pastime to torment	N
All other gods they scorn but bow the knee	B
And curb well pleased O Cruelty to thee	B
	-
Come then curst goddess where thy votaries reign	F
Inhale their incense from the land and main	F
Come to Newyork their conquering arms to greet	O
Brood o'er their camp and breathe along their fleet	O
The brother chiefs of Howe's illustrious name	P
Demand thy labors to complete their fame	P
What shrieks of agony thy praises sound	Q
What grateless dungeons groan beneath the ground	Q
See the black Prison Ship's expanding womb	R
Impested thousands quick and dead entomb	R
Barks after barks the captured seamen bear	S
Transboard and lodge thy silent victims there	S
A hundred scows from all the neighboring shore	H
Spread the dull sail and ply the constant oar	H
Waft wrecks of armies from the well fought field	T
And famisht garrisons who bravely yield	T
They mount the hulk and cramm'd within the cave	U
Hail their last house their living floating grave	U
	-
She comes the Fiend her grinning jaws expand	V
Her brazen eyes cast lightning o'er the strand	V
Her wings like thunder clouds the welkin sweep	W
Brush the tall spires and shade the shuddering deep	W
She gains the deck displays her wonted store	H
Her cords and scourges wet with prisoners' gore	H
Gripes pincers thumb screws spread beneath her feet	O
Slow poisonous drugs and loads of putrid meat	O
Disease hangs drizzling from her slimy locks	X
And hot contagion issues from her box	X
	-
O'er the closed hatches ere she takes her place	Y
She moves the massy planks a little space	Y
Opes a small passage to the cries below	Z
That feast her soul on messages of woe	Z
There sits with gaping ear and changeless eye	A2
Drinks every groan and treasures every sigh	A2
Sustains the faint their miseries to prolong	B2
Revives the dying and unnerves the strong	B2
	-
But as the infected mass resign their breath	C2
She keeps with joy the register of death	C2
As tost thro portholes from the encumber'd cave	U
Corpse after corpse fall dashing in the wave	U
Corpse after corpse for days and months and years	D2
The tide bears off and still its current clears	D2
At last o'erloaded with the putrid gore	H
The slime clad waters thicken round the shore	H
Green Ocean's self that oft his wave renews	E2
That drinks whole fleets with all their battling crews	E2
That laves that purifies the earth and sky	A2
Yet ne'er before resign'd his natural dye	A2
Here purples blushes for the race he bore	H
To rob and ravage this unconquer'd shore	H
The scaly nations as they travel by	A2
Catch the contagion sicken gasp and die	A2
	-
Now Hesper turns the Hero's tearful eye	A2
To other fields where other standards fly	A2
For here constrain'd new warfare to disclose	F2
And show the feats of more than mortal foes	F2
Where interposing with celestial might	G2
His own dread labors must decide the fight	G2
He bids the scene with pomp unusual rise	H2
To teach Columbus how to read the skies	H2
	-
He marks the trace of Howe's triumphant course	I2
And wheels o'er Jersey plains his gathering force	I2
Where dauntless Washington begirt with foes	F2
Still greater rises as the danger grows	F2
And wearied troops o'er kindred warriors slain	F
Attend his march thro many a sanguine plain	F
	-
From Hudson's bank to Trenton's wintry strand	V
He guards in firm retreat his feeble band	V
Britons by thousands on his flanks advance	J2
Bend o'er his rear and point the lifted lance	J2
Past Delaware's frozen stream with scanty force	I2
He checks retreat then turning back his course	I2
Remounts the wave and thro the mingled roar	H
Of ice and storm reseeks the hostile shore	H
Wrapt in the gloom of night The offended Flood	K2
Starts from his cave assumes the indignant god	L2
Rears thro the parting tide his foamy form	M2
And with his fiery eyeballs lights the storm	M2
He stares around him on the host he heard	N2
Clears his choked urn and smooths his icy beard	O2
And thus Audacious chief this troubled wave	U
Tempt not or tempting here shall gape thy grave	U
Is nothing sacred to thy venturous might	G2
The howling storm the holy truce of night	G2
High tossing ice isles crashing round thy side	P2
Insidious rocks that pierce the tumbling tide	P2
Fear then this forceful arm and hear once more	H
Death stands between thee and that shelvy shore	H
	-
The chief beholds the god and notes his cry	A2
But onward drives nor pauses to reply	A2
Calls to each bark and spirits every host	Q2
To toil gain tempt the interdicted coast	Q2
The crews regardless of the doubling roar	H
Breast the strong helm and wrestle with the oar	H
Stem with resurgent prow the struggling spray	R2
And with phosphoric lanterns shape their way	R2
	-
The god perceived his warning words were vain	F
And rose more furious to assert his reign	F
Lash'd up a loftier surge and heaved on high	A2
A ridge of billows that obstruct the sky	A2
And as the accumulated mass he rolls	S2
Bares the sharp rocks and lifts the gaping shoals	S2
Forward the fearless barges plunge and bound	Q
Top the curl'd wave or grind the flinty ground	Q
Careen whirl right and sidelong dasht and tost	Q
Now seem to reach and now to lose the coast	Q
	-
Still unsubdued the sea drench'd army toils	T2
Each buoyant skiff the flouncing godhead foils	T2
He raves and roars and in delirious woe	Z
Calls to his aid his ancient hoary foe	Z
Almighty Frost when thus the vanquish'd Flood	Q
Bespeaks in haste the great earth rending god	Q
Father of storms behold this mortal race	Y
Confound my force and brave me to my face	Y
Not all my waves by all my tempests driven	U2
Nor black night brooding o'er the starless heaven	U2
Can check their course they toss and plunge amain	U2
And lo my guardian rocks project their points in vain	U2
	-
Come to my help and with thy stiffening breath	C2
Clog their strain'd helms distend their limbs indeath	C2
Tho ancient enmity our realms divide	Q
And oft thy chains arrest my laboring tide	Q
Let strong necessity our cause combine	U2
Thy own disgrace anticipate in mine	U2
Even now their oars thy sleet in vain congeals	Y
Thy crumbling ice cakes crash beneath their keels	Y
Their impious	Y

Joel Barlow

The Columbiad: Book Vi Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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