America Poem Rhyme Scheme

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NOR War nor Peace forever old and young	A
But Strength my theme whose song is yet unsung	A
The People's Strength the deep alluring dream	B
Of truths that seethe below the truths that seem	B
	-
The buried ruins of dead empires seek	C
Of Indian Syrian Persian Roman Greek	C
From shattered capital and frieze upraise	D
The stately structures of their golden days	D
Their laws occult their priests and prophets ask	E
Their altars search their oracles unmask	E
Their parable from birth to burial see	D
The acorn germ the growth the dense leafed tree	D
A world of riant life the sudden day	F
When like a new strange glory shone decay	F
A golden glow amid the green the change	G
From branch to branch at life's receding range	G
Till nothing stands of towering strength and pride	H
Save naked trunk and arms whose veins are dried	H
And these too crumble till no signs remain	I
To mark its place upon the wind swept plain	I
	-
Why died the empires Like the forest trees	D
Did Nature doom them or did slow disease	D
Assail their roots and poison all their springs	D
	-
The old time story answers nobles kings	D
Have made and been the State their names alone	J
Its history holds its wealth its wars their own	J
Their wanton will could raise enrich condemn	K
The toiling millions lived and died for them	K
Their fortunes rose in conquest fell in guilt	L
The people never owned them never built	L
Those oldeti times how many words are spent	M
In weak regret and shallow argument	N
To prove them wiser happier than our own	J
The oldest moment that the world has known	J
Is passing now Those vaunted times were young	A
Their wisdom from unlettered peasants sprung	A
Their laws from nobles arrogant and rude	O
Their justice force their whole achievement crude	O
	-
With men the old are wise why change the rule	P
When nations speak and send the old to school	P
Respect the past for all the good it knew	Q
Give noble lives and struggling truths their due	Q
But ask what freedom knew the common men	R
Who served and bled and won the victories then	R
The leaders are immortal but the hordes	D
They led to death were simply human swords	D
Unknowing what they fought for why they fell	S
	-
What change has come Imperial Europe tell	S
Death's warders cry from twenty centuries' peaks	D
Platsea's field the word to Plevna speaks	D
The martial draft still wastes the peasants' farms	D
A dozen kings five million men in arms	D
The earth mapped out estate like hedged with steel	T
In neighboring schools the children bred to feel	T
Unnatural hate disjoined in speech and creed	U
The forges roaring for the armies' need	U
The cities builded by the people lined	V
With scowling forts and roadways undermined	V
At every bastioned frontier every State	W
Suspicion sworded standing by the gate	W
	-
But turn our eyes from these oppressive lands	D
Behold one country all defenseless stands	D
One nation continent from East to West	X
With riches heaped upon her bounteous breast	X
Her mines her marts her skill of hand and brain	I
That bring Aladdin's dreams to light again	R
	-
Where sleep the conquerors Here is chance for spoil	Y
Such unwatched fields such endless priceless toil	Y
Vain dream of olden time The robber strength	Z
That swept its will is overmatched at length	Z
Here not with swords but smiles the people greet	A2
The foreign spy in harbor granary street	A2
Here towns unguarded lie for here alone	J
Nor caste nor king nor privilege is known	J
For home our farmer plows our miner delves	D
A land of toilers toiling for themselves	D
A land of cities which no fortress shields	D
Whose open streets reach out to fertile fields	D
VVhose roads are shaken by no armies' tread	B2
Whose only camps are cities of the dead	B2
Go stand at Arlington the graves among	A
No ramparts cannons there no banners hung	A
No threat above the Capitol no blare	C2
To warn the senators the guns are there	C2
	-
But never yet was city fortified	H
Like that sad height above Potomac's tide	H
There never yet was eloquence in speech	D2
Like those ten thousand stones a name on each	D2
No guards e'er pressed such claims on court or king	E2
As these Praetorians to our Senate bring	E2
The Army of Potomac never lay	F
So full of strength as in its camp to day	F
	-
On fatal Chaeronea's field the Greeks	D
A lion raised a sombre tomb that speaks	D
No word no name an emblem of the pride	H
Of those that ruled the insect host that died	H
	-
But by her soldiers' graves Columbia proves	D
How fast toward morn the night of manhood moves	D
Those low white lines at Gettysburg remain	I
The sacred record of her humblest slain	I
Whose children's children in their time shall come	F2
To view with pride their hero father's tomb	G2
While down the ages runs the patriot line	H2
Till rich tradition makes each tomb a shrine	H2
	-
Our standing army these with specter glaives	D
Our fortressed towns their battle ordered graves	D
Here sleep our valiant sown like dragon's teeth	I2
Here new born sons renew the pious wreath	I2
Here proud Columbia bends with tear stirred mouth	J2
To kiss their blood seal binding North and South	J2
Two clasping hands upon the knot they tied	H
When Union lived and Human Slavery died	H
	-
Who doubt our strength or measure it with those	D
Whose armed millions wait for coming foes	D
They judge by royal standards that depend	K2
On hireling hands to threaten or defend	K2
That keep their war dogs chained in time of peace	D
And dread a foe scarce less than their release	D
Who hunt wild beasts with cheetahs fiercely tame	L2
Must watch their hounds as well as fear their game	L2
	-
Around our veterans hung no dread nor doubt	M2
When twice a million men were mustered out	M2
As scattered seed in new plowed land or flakes	D
Of spring time snow descend in smiling lakes	D
Our war born soldiers sank into the sea	D
Of peaceful life and fruitful energy	D
No sign remained of that vast army save	N2
In field and street new workmen bronzed and grave	N2
Some whistling teamsters still in army vest	X
Some quiet citizens with medaled breast	X
	-
So died the hatred of our brother feud	O
The conflict o'er the triumph was subdued	O
What victor King e'er spared the conquered foe	O2
How much of mercy did strong Prussia show	O2
When anguished Paris at her feet lay prone	J
The German trumpet rang above her moan	J
The clink of Uhlan spurs her temples knew	Q
Her Arch of Triumph spanned their triumph too	Q
	-
Not thus O South when thy proud head was low	O2
Thy passionate heart laid open to the foe	O2
Not thus Virginia did thy victors meet	A2
At Appomattox him who bore defeat	A2
No brutal show abased thine honored State	W
Grant turned from Richmond at the very gat	P2
O Land magnanimous republican	Q2
The last for Nationhood the first for Man	R2
Because thy lines by Freedom's hand were laid	S2
Profound the sin to change or retrograde	S2
From base to cresting let thy work be new	Q
'Twas not by aping foreign ways it grew	Q
To struggling peoples give at least applause	D
Let equities not precedent subtend your laws	D
Like rays from that great Eye the altars show	O2
That fall triangular free states should grow	O2
The soul above the brain and hand below	O2
Believe that strength lies not in steel nor stone	J
That perils wait the land whose heavy throne	J
Though ringed by swords and rich with titled show	O2
Is based on fettered misery below	O2
That nations grow where every class unites	D
For common interests and common rights	D
Where no caste barrier stays the poor man's son	Q2
Till step by step the topmost height is won	Q2
Where every hand subscribes to every rule	P
And free as air are voice and vote and school	P
A Nation's years are centuries Let Art	T2
Portray thy first and Liberty will start	T2
From every field in Europe at the sight	U2
'Why stand these thrones between us and the light	U2
Strong men will ask 'Who built these frontier towers	D
To bar out men of kindred blood with ours '	-
	-
O this thy work Republic this thy health	V2

John Boyle O'reilly

America Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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