Alexander's Feast; Or, The Power Of Music Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCDDDEEEFGGF HIIHIHHHJKLLMMDDDNOJ JN PPQQRRQPSTTTTS SUSVVEEWWXBABYZA2VVB B2C2B2C2 D2D2HHE2E2F2F2G2G2G2 G2D2D2H2I2SFFJ2UJ2J2 UST TJ2J2J2J2VF2K2FVJ2J2 SSSJ2J2HVVL2L2M2M2L2 C2C2J2J2ITN2N2O2VVO2 VP2VP2'Twas at the royal feast for Persia won | A |
By Philip's warlike son | A |
Aloft in awful state | B |
The godlike hero sate | B |
On his imperial throne | C |
His valiant peers were placed around | D |
Their brows with roses and with myrtles bound | D |
So should desert in arms be crowned | D |
The lovely Thais by his side | E |
Sate like a blooming eastern bride | E |
In flower of youth and beauty's pride | E |
Happy happy happy pair | F |
None but the brave | G |
None but the brave | G |
None but the brave deserves the fair | F |
- | |
Timotheus placed on high | H |
Amid the tuneful quire | I |
With flying fingers touched the lyre | I |
The trembling notes ascend the sky | H |
And heavenly joys inspire | I |
The song began from Jove | H |
Who left his blissful seats above | H |
Such is the power of mighty love | H |
A dragon's fiery form belied the god | J |
Sublime on radiant spires he rode | K |
When he to fair Olympia prest | L |
And while he sought her snowy breast | L |
Then round her slender waist he curled | M |
And stamped an image of himself a sovereign of the world | M |
The listening crowd admire the lofty sound | D |
A present deity they shout around | D |
A present deity the vaulted roofs rebound | D |
With ravished ears | N |
The monarch hears | O |
Assumes the god | J |
Affects to nod | J |
And seems to shake the spheres | N |
- | |
The praise of Bacchus then the sweet musician sung | P |
Of Bacchus ever fair and ever young | P |
The jolly god in triumph comes | Q |
Sound the trumpets beat the drums | Q |
Flushed with a purple grace | R |
He shows his honest face | R |
Now give the hautboys breath he comes he comes | Q |
Bacchus ever fair and young | P |
Drinking joys did first ordain | S |
Bacchus' blessings are a treasure | T |
Drinking is the soldier's pleasure | T |
Rich the treasure | T |
Sweet the pleasure | T |
Sweet is pleasure after pain | S |
- | |
Soothed with the sound the king grew vain | S |
Fought all his battles o'er again | U |
And thrice he routed all his foes and thrice he slew the slain | S |
The master saw the madness rise | V |
His glowing cheeks his ardent eyes | V |
And while he Heaven and Earth defied | E |
Changed his hand and checked his pride | E |
He chose a mournful Muse | W |
Soft pity to infuse | W |
He sung Darius great and good | X |
By too severe a fate | B |
Fallen fallen fallen fallen | A |
Fallen from his high estate | B |
And weltering in his blood | Y |
Deserted at his utmost need | Z |
By those his former bounty fed | A2 |
On the bare earth exposed he lies | V |
With not a friend to close his eyes | V |
With downcast looks the joyless victor sate | B |
Revolving in his altered soul | B2 |
The various turns of Chance below | C2 |
And now and then a sigh he stole | B2 |
And tears began to flow | C2 |
- | |
The mighty master smiled to see | D2 |
That love was in the next degree | D2 |
'Twas but a kindred sound to move | H |
For pity melts the mind to love | H |
Softly sweet in Lydian measures | E2 |
Soon he soothed his soul to pleasures | E2 |
War he sung is toil and trouble | F2 |
Honour but an empty bubble | F2 |
Never ending still beginning | G2 |
Fighting still and still destroying | G2 |
If the world be worth thy winning | G2 |
Think O think it worth enjoying | G2 |
Lovely Thais sits beside thee | D2 |
Take the good the gods provide thee | D2 |
The many rend the skies with loud applause | H2 |
So Love was crowned but Music won the cause | I2 |
The prince unable to conceal his pain | S |
Gazed on the fair | F |
Who caused his care | F |
And sighed and looked sighed and looked | J2 |
Sighed and looked and sighed again | U |
At length with love and wine at once opprest | J2 |
The vanquished victor sunk upon her breast | J2 |
- | |
Now strike the golden lyre again | U |
A louder yet and yet a louder strain | S |
Break his bands of sleep asunder | T |
- | |
And rouse him like a rattling peal of thunder | T |
Hark hark the horrid sound | J2 |
Has raised up his head | J2 |
As awaked from the dead | J2 |
And amazed he stares around | J2 |
Revenge revenge Timotheus cries | V |
See the Furies arisel | F2 |
See the snakes that they rear | K2 |
How they hiss in their hair | F |
And the sparkles that flash from their eyes | V |
Behold a ghastly band | J2 |
Each a torch in his hand | J2 |
Those are Grecian ghosts that in battle were slain | S |
And unburied remain | S |
Inglorious on the plain | S |
Give the vengeance due | J2 |
To the valiant crew | J2 |
Behold how they toss their torches on high | H |
How they point to the Persian abodes | V |
And glittering temples of their hostile gods | V |
The princes applaud with a furious joy | L2 |
And the King seized a flambeau with zeal to destroy | L2 |
Thais led the way | M2 |
To light him to his prey | M2 |
And like another Helen fired another Troy | L2 |
- | |
Thus long ago | C2 |
Ere heaving bellows learned to blow | C2 |
While organs yet were mute | J2 |
Timotheus to his breathing flute | J2 |
And sounding lyre | I |
Could swell the soul to rage or kindle soft desire | T |
At last divine Cecilia came | N2 |
Inventress of the vocal frame | N2 |
The sweet enthusiast from her sacred store | O2 |
Enlarged the former narrow bounds | V |
And added length to solemn sounds | V |
With Nature's mother wit and arts unknown before | O2 |
Let old Timotheus yield the prize | V |
Or both divide the crown | P2 |
He raised a mortal to the skies | V |
She drew an angel down | P2 |
John Dryden
(1)
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