The Dance Of Death Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CCD EFEF GHI JKJK HGL CCCC IMC NONO PPQ RSRS CCL TCTC IIU

THE warder looks down at the mid hour of nightA
On the tombs that lie scatter'd belowB
The moon fills the place with her silvery lightA
And the churchyard like day seems to glowB
-
When see first one grave then another opes wideC
And women and men stepping forth are descriedC
In cerements snow white and trailingD
-
In haste for the sport soon their ankles they twitchE
And whirl round in dances so gayF
The young and the old and the poor and the richE
But the cerements stand in their wayF
-
And as modesty cannot avail them aught hereG
They shake themselves all and the shrouds soon appearH
Scatter'd over the tombs in confusionI
-
Now waggles the leg and now wriggles the thighJ
As the troop with strange gestures advanceK
And a rattle and clatter anon rises highJ
As of one beating time to the danceK
-
The sight to the warder seems wondrously queerH
When the villainous Tempter speaks thus in his earG
Seize one of the shrouds that lie yonderL
-
Quick as thought it was done and for safety he fledC
Behind the church door with all speedC
The moon still continues her clear light to shedC
On the dance that they fearfully leadC
-
But the dancers at length disappear one by oneI
And their shrouds ere they vanish they carefully donM
And under the turf all is quietC
-
But one of them stumbles and shuffles there stillN
And gropes at the graves in despairO
Yet 'tis by no comrade he's treated so illN
The shroud he soon scents in the airO
-
So he rattles the door for the warder 'tis wellP
That 'tis bless'd and so able the foe to repelP
All cover'd with crosses in metalQ
-
The shroud he must have and no rest will allowR
There remains for reflection no timeS
On the ornaments Gothic the wight seizes nowR
And from point on to point hastes to climbS
-
Alas for the warder his doom is decreedC
Like a long legged spider with ne'er changing speedC
Advances the dreaded pursuerL
-
The warder he quakes and the warder turns paleT
The shroud to restore fain had soughtC
When the end now can nothing to save him availT
In a tooth formed of iron is caughtC
-
With vanishing lustre the moon's race is runI
When the bell thunders loudly a powerful OneI
And the skeleton fails crush'd to atomsU

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe



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