The Maid Of Naaman's Wife Poem Rhyme Scheme

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John Drinkwater

The Maid Of Naaman's Wife Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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That was the proud woman Naaman's wife	A
Basking at noon under the Syrian fans	B
While Naaman the leprous mighty captain	C
Proud glowing flesh now silver skinned and tainted	D
Walked in contagion here and there apart	E
His wife the unblemished Naaman in her mind	F
The man who coming with the spoils and shouts	G
Had made a hundred triumphs hers when all	H
The Syrian women courted her for that	I
Now saw in the pestilent limbs shame and reproach	J
Some treachery that made her who was mate	K
Of Syria's pride bondwoman of a leper	L
She must nurse her blame since he was Naaman still	M
With an old honour paid by stedfastness	G
The mark of Syria's compassion Black	N
Thoughts were her only payment for betrayal	O
But in secret she could play them without pity	P
Let the fans beat they could not beguile her from that	I
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And Naaman had loved her but not now	Q
Knowing the uses that his love had been	R
How given for her to squander it in pride	S
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Syria out of Israel had brought	T
Captives and among them one a maid	U
A little maid just troubled with the touch	V
Of womanhood upon her body and thought	T
And she served Naaman's wife a lonely girl	W
To answer bidding and covet little tones	G
Of kindness that she heard go to and fro	X
But not for her She trembled as she stood	Y
At the proud woman's couch because a fault	Z
In orders done meant scolding and even rods	G
And she had but two joys One to remember	L
A Galilean town and the blue waters	G
That washed the pebbles that she knew so well	A2
Yellow in sunlight or frozen in the moon	B2
A little curve of beach where she would walk	C2
At any hour with an old silver man	D2
Her father's father her sole companion	C
Who told her tales of Moses and the prophets	G
That lived in the old days And of that time	E2
She had but now poor treasuries of the mind	F
Little seclusions when the day's work done	C
She made thought into prayer before she slept	F2
These and a faded gown that she had brought	T
Into captivity patterned with sprigs of thyme	E2
And blades of wheat and little curling shells	G
And signs of heaven figured out in stars	G
Made by a weaver that her grandsire knew	G2
A gift on some thanksgiving She might not wear it	H2
Being suited as became a slave but often	C
At night she would spread it in her loneliness	G
And think how finely she too might be drest	H2
As finely as any proud woman of them all	H
If the God of Israel had not visited her	L
Surely for sin though she could not remember	L
Thus one joy was And then the Lord Naaman	C
This wonder soiled this pitiful great captain	C
Forbidden all that he had so proudly been	C
To worship him that was her other joy	I2
When the dusk came and the city fell to silence	G
And out of his poor banishment he would walk	C2
She followed him knowing the very hour	L
And all her heart was flooded through with pity	H2
Because she knew the leprosy left still	M
A Naaman untainted and lovely	H2
Then in her mind was the proud woman a loathing	J2
Who dared to waste a marvel such as this	G
The right in the world's knowledge so to love	K2
O pitiful evil blasting so great a flesh	L2
Walling a spirit so governing itself	M2
In spite of desolation A maid's thought thus	G
Knew how the frames of mastery can suffer	L
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Sometimes at night when not even lepers walked	H2
Solitary in the Syrian meadows she	H2
Would wander in the old perplexity	H2
That the moon makes of love Never she knew	C
Could any adoration that she brought	H2
Touch even the Lord Naaman's banishment	H2
The Naaman fallen from the time when even	C
Great ladies dare not speak the thing they felt	H2
She was nothing or the world could never know	C
If she was more than nothing a maid to bind	H2
Tresses for beauty that was not her own	C
And yet she knew that she had beauty too	C
A little hermit beauty that might spend	H2
Royally if it dare and a man would speak	N2
Royally Naaman but he could not hear	O2
But still for all the silence of her lips	G
And heart with promise nothing known she loved	H2
Loved the sad leper walking in the dusk	P2
Loved the great lord loved even his leprosy	H2
Since by it he came a little down to her	L
Loved him and knew that her love was the sum	Q2
Of all that loving and must be But even so	C
She knew her love an honester thing than any	H2
That the proud woman had O moon she thought	H2
Could you not make me truly tell this love	K2
This love pulsing along my blood and brain	C
As midnight surges going through the sky	R2
And long she pondered how she best might serve	S2
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Then one day when the fans moved and she stood	H2
Ministering with her perfumes at the couch	T2
Her mistress with eyes that meant the thought was nothing	J2
Said Is it not grievous that my lord goes thus	G
And the maid felt the colour at her throat	H2
Flow round her neck and flood up to her temples	G
But knowing feared not or put her fear aside	H2
And said Would God my lord were in Samaria	U2
To seek Elisha there a prophet lady	H2
Whom God hath taught to cure whom he will cure	V2
She spoke and the bright bowl trembled in her hands	G
And fear because of her words made the tongue dry	R2
As the woman looked with still cold eyes upon her	L
But the word passed from lip to lip and the king	J2
Heard it and sent for Naaman and said	H2
A girl among the slaves that you brought in	C
From Israel has spoken a strange thing	J2
Of one Elisha a prophet whom they obey	W2
Saying that he could bid the blemish off	X2
That is cheating Syria of her proudest man	C
Now therefore journey to him and I will send	H2
Word to Israel's king that he shall bless	G
Favours from us in whom his fortune lies	G
Bidding him call this prophet to your cause	G
Go and the love of Syria go with you	C
	-
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	-
Then Naaman with his servants went at dawn	C
And Naaman's wife saw how again might come	Q2
Her mastery among the women of Syria	U2
Yet was the little maid her hatred now	C
Lest of her word should come this resurrection	C
And Naaman went and Israel's king was glad	H2
Because of Syria's favour and sent down	C
The hill to where Elisha lived among	Y2
Farmers of flax and goatherds and a few	C
Unhappy men who brought their sorrow to God	H2
Asking his mercy on the Syrian lord	H2
And Naaman stood before the prophet of Israel	O
And told his grief And Elisha looked upon him	Z2
Measured his faith and bade him bathe his body	H2
Seven times in the river of Jordan and be	H2
Whole And Naaman questioned and was wrath	A3
As was not any river of Damascus	G
Purer than Jordan and in more virtue flowing	J2
But little his servants said was this to do	C
And as persuasion led him he went down	C
And seven times let Jordan cover him	Z2
And came with a clean body as of old	H2
A strong man with the tides of blood before him	Z2
With equal limbs for all the spirit could dare	B3
And into Syria he sang upon his riding	J2
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And tidings came to the Syrian king of this	G
Heralding a Naaman mightier than ever	L
With clean flesh and a wisdom all matured	H2
And all the city rang upon his coming	J2
The king and his estate people and priests	G
And soldiers glad of their old captain again	C
And matrons with their girls and the rich merchants	G
All shouted Naaman Naaman through the streets	G
And Naaman's wife stood at the king's right hand	H2
Her slave borne canopy coloured and spangled	H2
While the great fans beat upon her pride again	C
And Naaman in plumes and plate and mail	C3
Again was master of the Syrian hosts	G
	-
	-
	-
Afar beyond the barriers of the streets	G
Pressing among the crowd for a moment's seeing	J2
The Israelitish maid between her duties	G
Watched with a proud flush beating down her limbs	G
And shyly she had on a faded gown	C
Patterned with sprigs of thyme and blades of wheat	H2
And paling stars and little curling shells	G
And as the shouting rose she watched in silence	G
With trembling lips and Naaman passed by her	L
And her hands moved towards him and fell down	C
Then stole upon her bosom as they would ease	G
The aching beauty of her loneliness	G
And there unnoted as he passed she stood	H2
With not a thought from all that world upon her	L
Only when service came again she saw	G
A glowing hatred in the proud woman's eyes	G
And in the night she thought of it and wept	H2
But not for any hatred were her tears	G