The King's Missive Poem Rhyme Scheme

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UNDER the great hill sloping bare	A
To cove and meadow and Common lot	B
In his council chamber and oaken chair	A
Sat the worshipful Governor Endicott	B
A grave strong man who knew no peer	C
In the pilgrim land where he ruled in fear	C
Of God not man and for good or ill	D
Held his trust with an iron will	D
	-
He had shorn with his sword the cross from out	E
The flag and cloven the May pole down	F
Harried the heathen round about	E
And whipped the Quakers from town to town	F
Earnest and honest a man at need	G
To burn like a torch for his own harsh creed	G
He kept with the flaming brand of his zeal	H
The gate of the holy common weal	H
	-
His brow was clouded his eye was stern	I
With a look of mingled sorrow and wrath	J
'Woe's me ' he murmured 'at every turn	I
The pestilent Quakers are in my path	J
Some we have scourged and banished some	K
Some hanged more doomed and still they come	K
Fast as the tide of yon bay sets in	L
Sowing their heresy's seed of sin	L
	-
'Did we count on this Did we leave behind	M
The graves of our kin the comfort and ease	N
Of our English hearths and homes to find	M
Troublers of Israel such as these	N
Shall I spare Shall I pity them God forbid	O
I will do as the prophet to Agag did	O
They come to poison the wells of the Word	P
I will hew them in pieces before the Lord '	-
	-
The door swung open and Rawson the clerk	Q
Entered and whispered under breath	R
'There waits below for the hangman's work	Q
A fellow banished on pain of death	R
Shattuck of Salem unhealed of the whip	S
Brought over in Master Goldsmith's ship	S
At anchor here in a Christian port	T
With freight of the devil and all his sort '	-
	-
Twice and thrice on the chamber floor	U
Striding fiercely from wall to wall	H
'The Lord do so to me and more '	-
The Governor cried 'if I hang not all	H
Bring hither the Quaker ' Calm sedate	V
With the look of a man at ease with fate	V
Into that presence grim and dread	W
Came Samuel Shattuck with hat on head	W
	-
'Off with the knave's hat ' An angry hand	X
Smote down the offence but the wearer said	W
With a quiet smile 'By the king's command	X
I bear his message and stand in his stead '	-
In the Governor's hand a missive he laid	Y
With the royal arms on its seal displayed	Y
And the proud man spake as he gazed thereat	Y
Uncovering 'Give Mr Shattuck his hat '	-
	-
He turned to the Quaker bowing low	H
'The king commandeth your friends' release	Z
Doubt not he shall be obeyed although	H
To his subjects' sorrow and sin's increase	Z
What he here enjoineth John Endicott	Y
His loyal servant questioneth not	Y
You are free God grant the spirit you own	A2
May take you from us to parts unknown '	-
	-
So the door of the jail was open cast	Y
And like Daniel out of the lion's den	B2
Tender youth and girlhood passed	Y
With age bowed women and gray locked men	B2
And the voice of one appointed to die	Y
Was lifted in praise and thanks on high	Y
And the little maid from New Netherlands	C2
Kissed in her joy the doomed man's hands	D2
	-
And one whose call was to minister	E2
To the souls in prison beside him went	Y
An ancient woman bearing with her	E2
The linen shroud for his burial meant	Y
For she not counting her own life dear	C
In the strength of a love that cast out fear	C
Had watched and served where her brethren died	Y
Like those who waited the cross beside	Y
	-
One moment they paused on their way to look	F2
On the martyr graves by the Common side	Y
And much scourged Wharton of Salem took	F2
His burden of prophecy up and cried	Y
'Rest souls of the valiant Not in vain	G2
Have ye borne the Master's cross of pain	G2
Ye have fought the fight ye are victors crowned	Y
With a fourfold chain ye have Satan bound '	-
	-
The autumn haze lay soft and still	H
On wood and meadow and upland farms	H2
On the brow of Snow Hill the great windmill	H
Slowly and lazily swung its arms	H2
Broad in the sunshine stretched away	I2
With its capes and islands the turquoise bay	I2
And over water and dusk of pines	J2
Blue hills lifted their faint outlines	J2
	-
The topaz leaves of the walnut glowed	Y
The sumach added its crimson fleck	K2
And double in air and water showed	Y
The tinted maples along the Neck	K2
Through frost flower clusters of pale star mist	Y
And gentian fringes of amethyst	Y
And royal plumes of golden rod	Y
The grazing cattle on Centry trod	Y
	-
But as they who see not the Quakers saw	L2
The world about them they only thought	Y
With deep thanksgiving and pious awe	M2
On the great deliverance God had wrought	Y
Through lane and alley the gazing town	F
Noisily followed them up and down	F
Some with scoffing and brutal jeer	C
Some with pity and words of cheer	C
	-
One brave voice rose above the din	L
Upsall gray with his length of days	N2
Cried from the door of his Red Lion Inn	L
'Men of Boston give God the praise	N2
No more shall innocent blood call down	F
The bolts of wrath on your guilty town	F
The freedom of worship dear to you	O2
Is dear to all and to all is due	O2
	-
'I see the vision of days to come	K
When your beautiful City of the Bay	I2
Shall be Christian liberty's chosen home	P2
And none shall his neighbor's rights gainsay	I2
The varying notes of worship shall blend	Y
And as one great prayer to God ascend	Y
And hands of mutual charity raise	N2
Walls of salvation and gates of praise '	-
	-
So passed the Quakers through Boston town	F
Whose painful ministers sighed to see	Q2
The walls of their sheep fold falling down	F
And wolves of heresy prowling free	Q2
But the years went on and brought no wrong	R2
With milder counsels the State grew strong	R2
As outward Letter and inward Light	Y
Kept the balance of truth aright	Y
	-
The Puritan spirit perishing not	Y
To Concord's yeomen the signal sent	Y
And spake in the voice of the cannon shot	Y
That severed the chains of a continent	Y
With its gentler mission of peace and good will	H
The thought of the Quaker is living still	H
And the freedom of soul he prophesied	Y
Is gospel and law where the martyrs died	Y

John Greenleaf Whittier

The King's Missive Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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