The Pigeons Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABACDEFDFEGG HIIHJJKLLLF MHHMHHKKKNNHOHO PHPHHHGPQGGQII JGGJRRHHSJS TUTUHHHHHH HHVWWVWXHHYZ HHHFHKHHHHHA2HHA2 B2HXC2HHD2E2 LF2F2LG2H2The pigeons following the faint warm light | A |
Stayed at last on the roof till warmth was gone | B |
Then in the mist that's hastier than night | A |
Disappeared all behind the carved dark stone | C |
Huddling from the black cruelty of the frost | D |
With the new sparkling sun they swooped and came | E |
Like a cloud between the sun and street and then | F |
Like a cloud blown from the blue north were lost | D |
Vanishing and returning ever again | F |
Small cloud following cloud across the flame | E |
That clear and meagre burned and burned away | G |
And left the ice unmelting day by day | G |
- | |
Nor could the sun through the roof's purple slate | H |
Though his gold magic played with shadow there | I |
And drew the pigeons from the streaming air | I |
With any fiery magic penetrate | H |
Under the roof the air and water froze | J |
And no smoke from the gaping chimney rose | J |
The silver frost upon the window pane | K |
Flowered and branched each starving night anew | L |
And stranger lovelier and crueller grew | L |
Pouring her silver that cold silver through | L |
The moon made all the dim flower bright again | F |
- | |
Pouring her silver through that barren flower | M |
Of silver frost until it filled and whitened | H |
A room where two small children waited frightened | H |
At the pale ghost of light that hour by hour | M |
Stared at them till though fear slept not they slept | H |
And when that white ghost from the window crept | H |
And day came and they woke and saw all plain | K |
Though still the frost flower blinded the window pane | K |
And touched their mother and touched her hand in vain | K |
And wondered why she woke not when they woke | N |
And wondered what it was their sleep that broke | N |
When hand in hand they stared and stared so frightened | H |
They feared and waited and waited all day long | O |
While all the shadows went and the day brightened | H |
All the ill shadows but one shadow strong | O |
- | |
Outside were busy feet and human speech | P |
And daily cries and horns Maybe they heard | H |
Painfully wondering still and each to each | P |
Leaning and listening if their mother stirred | H |
Cold cold | H |
Hungering as the long slow hours grew old | H |
Though food within the cupboard idle lay | G |
Beyond their thought or but beyond their reach | P |
The soft blue pigeons all the afternoon | Q |
Sunned themselves on the roof or rose at play | G |
Then with the shrinking light fluttered away | G |
And once more came the icy hearted moon | Q |
Staring down at the frightened children there | I |
That could but shiver and stare | I |
- | |
How many hours how many days who knows | J |
Neighbours there were who thought they had gone away | G |
To return some luckier or luckless day | G |
No sound came from the room the cold air froze | J |
The very echo of the children's sighs | R |
And what they saw within each other's eyes | R |
Or heard each other's heart say as they peered | H |
At the dead mother lying there and feared | H |
That she might wake and then might never wake | S |
Who knows who knows | J |
None heard a living sound their silence break | S |
- | |
In those cold days and nights how many birds | T |
Flittering above the fields and streams all frozen | U |
Watched hungrily the tended flocks and herds | T |
Earth's chosen nourished by earth's wise self chosen | U |
How many birds suddenly stiffened and died | H |
With no plaint cried | H |
The starved heart ceasing when the pale sun ceased | H |
And when the new day stepped from the same cold East | H |
The dead birds lay in the light on the snow flecked field | H |
Their song and beautiful free winging stilled | H |
- | |
I walked under snow sprinkled hills at night | H |
And starry sprinkled skies deep blue and bright | H |
The keen wind thrust with his knife against the thin | V |
Breast of the wood as I went tingling by | W |
And heard a weak cheep cheep no more the cry | W |
Of a bird that crouched the smitten wood within | V |
But no one heeded that sharp spiritual cry | W |
Of the two children in their misery | X |
When in the cold and famished night death's shade | H |
More terrible the moon's cold shadows made | H |
How was it none could hear | Y |
That bodiless crying birdlike sharp and clear | Z |
- | |
I cannot think what they unanswered thought | H |
When the night came again and shadows moved | H |
As the moon through the ice flower stared and roved | H |
And that unyielding Shadow came again | F |
That Shadow came again unseen and caught | H |
The children as they sat listening in vain | K |
Their starved hearts failing ere the Shadow removed | H |
And when the new morn stepped from the same cold East | H |
They lay unawakening in the barren light | H |
Their song and their imaginations bright | H |
Their pains and fears and all bewilderment ceased | H |
While the brief sun gave | A2 |
New beauty to the death flower of the frost | H |
And pigeons in the frore air swooped and tossed | H |
And glad eyes were more glad and grave less grave | A2 |
- | |
There is not pity enough in heaven or earth | B2 |
There is not love enough if children die | H |
Like famished birds oh less mercifully | X |
A great wrong's done when such as these go forth | C2 |
Into the starless dark broken and bruised | H |
With mind and sweet affection all confused | H |
And horror closing round them as they go | D2 |
There is not pity enough | E2 |
- | |
And I have made children these verses for you | L |
Lasting a little longer than your breath | F2 |
Because I have been haunted with your death | F2 |
So men are driven to things they hate to do | L |
Jesus forgive us all our happiness | G2 |
As Thou dost blot out all our miseries | H2 |
John Frederick Freeman
(1)
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