John Underhill Poem Rhyme Scheme

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A score of years had come and gone	A
Since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth stone	B
When Captain Underhill bearing scars	C
From Indian ambush and Flemish wars	D
Left three hilled Boston and wandered down	E
East by north to Cocheco town	E
	-
With Vane the younger in counsel sweet	F
He had sat at Anna Hutchinson's feet	F
And when the bolt of banishment fell	G
On the head of his saintly oracle	H
He had shared her ill as her good report	I
And braved the wrath of the General Court	I
	-
He shook from his feet as he rode away	J
The dust of the Massachusetts Bay	J
The world might bless and the world might ban	K
What did it matter the perfect man	K
To whom the freedom of earth was given	L
Proof against sin and sure of heaven	L
	-
He cheered his heart as he rode along	M
With screed of Scripture and holy song	M
Or thought how he rode with his lances free	N
By the Lower Rhine and the Zuyder Zee	N
Till his wood path grew to a trodden road	O
And Hilton Point in the distance showed	O
	-
He saw the church with the block house nigh	P
The two fair rivers the flakes thereby	P
And tacking to windward low and crank	Q
The little shallop from Strawberry Bank	Q
And he rose in his stirrups and looked abroad	R
Over land and water and praised the Lord	S
	-
Goodly and stately and grave to see	N
Into the clearing's space rode he	N
With the sun on the hilt of his sword in sheath	T
And his silver buckles and spurs beneath	T
And the settlers welcomed him one and all	U
From swift Quampeagan to Gonic Fall	U
	-
And he said to the elders 'Lo I come	V
As the way seemed open to seek a home	W
Somewhat the Lord hath wrought by my hands	X
In the Narragansett and Netherlands	Y
And if here ye have work for a Christian man	K
I will tarry and serve ye as best I can	K
	-
'I boast not of gifts but fain would own	B
The wonderful favor God hath shown	B
The special mercy vouchsafed one day	J
On the shore of Narragansett Bay	J
As I sat with my pipe from the camp aside	Z
And mused like Isaac at eventide	Z
	-
'A sudden sweetness of peace I found	Z
A garment of gladness wrapped me round	Z
I felt from the law of works released	Z
The strife of the flesh and spirit ceased	Z
My faith to a full assurance grew	A2
And all I had hoped for myself I knew	A2
	-
'Now as God appointeth I keep my way	J
I shall not stumble I shall not stray	J
He hath taken away my fig leaf dress	B2
I wear the robe of His righteousness	C2
And the shafts of Satan no more avail	D2
Than Pequot arrows on Christian mail '	-
	-
'Tarry with us ' the settlers cried	Z
'Thou man of God as our ruler and guide '	-
And Captain Underhill bowed his head	Z
'The will of the Lord be done ' he said	Z
And the morrow beheld him sitting down	E
In the ruler's seat in Cocheco town	E
	-
And he judged therein as a just man should	Z
His words were wise and his rule was good	Z
He coveted not his neighbor's land	Z
From the holding of bribes he shook his hand	Z
And through the camps of the heathen ran	K
A wholesome fear of the valiant man	K
	-
But the heart is deceitful the good Book saith	T
And life hath ever a savor of death	T
Through hymns of triumph the tempter calls	E2
And whoso thinketh he standeth falls	E2
Alas ere their round the seasons ran	K
There was grief in the soul of the saintly man	K
	-
The tempter's arrows that rarely fail	D2
Had found the joints of his spiritual mail	D2
And men took note of his gloomy air	F2
The shame in his eye the halt in his prayer	F2
The signs of a battle lost within	G2
The pain of a soul in the coils of sin	G2
	-
Then a whisper of scandal linked his name	H2
With broken vows and a life of blame	H2
And the people looked askance on him	I2
As he walked among them sullen and grim	I2
Ill at ease and bitter of word	Z
And prompt of quarrel with hand or sword	Z
	-
None knew how with prayer and fasting still	J2
He strove in the bonds of his evil will	J2
But he shook himself like Samson at length	T
And girded anew his loins of strength	T
And bade the crier go up and down	E
And call together the wondering town	E
	-
Jeer and murmur and shaking of head	Z
Ceased as he rose in his place and said	Z
'Men brethren and fathers well ye know	K2
How I came among you a year ago	K2
Strong in the faith that my soul was freed	Z
From sin of feeling or thought or deed	Z
	-
'I have sinned I own it with grief and shame	H2
But not with a lie on my lips I came	H2
In my blindness I verily thought my heart	Z
Swept and garnished in every part	Z
He chargeth His angels with folly He sees	L2
The heavens unclean Was I more than these	L2
	-
'I urge no plea At your feet I lay	J
The trust you gave me and go my way	J
Hate me or pity me as you will	J2
The Lord will have mercy on sinners still	J2
And I who am chiefest say to all	U
Watch and pray lest ye also fall '	-
	-
No voice made answer a sob so low	K2
That only his quickened ear could know	K2
Smote his heart with a bitter pain	M2
As into the forest he rode again	N2
And the veil of its oaken leaves shut down	E
On his latest glimpse of Cocheco town	E
	-
Crystal clear on the man of sin	G2
The streams flashed up and the sky shone in	G2
On his cheek of fever the cool wind blew	A2
The leaves dropped on him their tears of dew	A2
And angels of God in the pure sweet guise	O2
Of flowers looked on him with sad surprise	O2
	-
Was his ear at fault that brook and breeze	L2
Sang in their saddest of minor keys	L2
What was it the mournful wood thrush said	Z
What whispered the pine trees overhead	Z
Did he hear the Voice on his lonely way	J
That Adam heard in the cool of day	J
	-
Into the desert alone rode he	N
Alone with the Infinite Purity	N
And bowing his soul to its tender rebuke	P2
As Peter did to the Master's look	Q2
He measured his path with prayers of pain	M2
For peace with God and nature again	N2
	-
And in after years to Cocheco came	H2
The bruit of a once familiar name	H2
How among the Dutch of New Netherlands	Y
From wild Danskamer to Haarlem sands	X
A penitent soldier preached the Word	Z
And smote the heathen with Gideon's sword	Z
	-
And the heart of Boston was glad to hear	R2
How he harried the foe on the long frontier	S2
And heaped on the land against him barred	Z
The coals of his generous watch and ward	Z
Frailest and bravest the Bay State still	J2
Counts with her worthies John Underhill	J2

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Underhill Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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