The Preacher Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABCCDDEEFF GHHHGIJKI LMKLN OOPPQRRRSSS TTUUDDVVRRRR JJWRRRRHHCC XXYYYYZZA2A2 RRRRB2B2RRRR YYC2C2D2E2F2F2YYRRJJ J VVYYG2H2RRRRI2I2 H2H2RRYYJ2J2K2K2YYL2 L2M2M2 YYBB YYC2C2N2N2YYC2C2SSRR O2O2P2P2RRRR I2I2RRRRRP2P2YY RRO2Q2B2B2YYC2C2DDRR RM2M2RR YYEEYYR2R2S2S2Y RRRRRRRRYYCC YYB2B2YE

Its windows flashing to the skyA
Beneath a thousand roofs of brownB
Far down the vale my friend and IA
Beheld the old and quiet townB
The ghostly sails that out at seaC
Flapped their white wings of mysteryC
The beaches glimmering in the sunD
And the low wooded capes that runD
Into the sea mist north and southE
The sand bluffs at the river's mouthE
The swinging chain bridge and afarF
The foam line of the harbor barF
-
Over the woods and meadow landsG
A crimson tinted shadow layH
Of clouds through which the setting dayH
Flung a slant glory far awayH
It glittered on the wet sea sandsG
It flamed upon the city's panesI
Smote the white sails of ships that woreJ
Outward or in and glided o'erK
The steeples with their veering vanesI
-
Awhile my friend with rapid searchL
O'erran the landscape 'Yonder spireM
Over gray roofs a shaft of fireK
What is it pray ' 'The Whitefield ChurchL
Walled about by its basement stonesN
There rest the marvellous prophet's bones '-
Then as our homeward way we walkedO
Of the great preacher's life we talkedO
And through the mystery of our themeP
The outward glory seemed to streamP
And Nature's self interpretedQ
The doubtful record of the deadR
And every level beam that smoteR
The sails upon the dark afloatR
A symbol of the light becameS
Which touched the shadows of our blameS
With tongues of Pentecostal flameS
-
Over the roofs of the pioneersT
Gathers the moss of a hundred yearsT
On man and his works has passed the changeU
Which needs must be in a century's rangeU
The land lies open and warm in the sunD
Anvils clamor and mill wheels runD
Flocks on the hillsides herds on the plainV
The wilderness gladdened with fruit and grainV
But the living faith of the settlers oldR
A dead profession their children holdR
To the lust of office and greed of tradeR
A stepping stone is the altar madeR
-
The church to place and power the doorJ
Rebukes the sin of the world no moreJ
Nor sees its Lord in the homeless poorW
Everywhere is the grasping handR
And eager adding of land to landR
And earth which seemed to the fathers meantR
But as a pilgrim's wayside tentR
A nightly shelter to fold awayH
When the Lord should call at the break of dayH
Solid and steadfast seems to beC
And Time has forgotten EternityC
-
But fresh and green from the rotting rootsX
Of primal forests the young growth shootsX
From the death of the old the new proceedsY
And the life of truth from the rot of creedsY
On the ladder of God which upward leadsY
The steps of progress are human needsY
For His judgments still are a mighty deepZ
And the eyes of His providence never sleepZ
When the night is darkest He gives the mornA2
When the famine is sorest the wine and cornA2
-
In the church of the wilderness Edwards wroughtR
Shaping his creed at the forge of thoughtR
And with Thor's own hammer welded and bentR
The iron links of his argumentR
Which strove to grasp in its mighty spanB2
The purpose of God and the fate of manB2
Yet faithful still in his daily roundR
To the weak and the poor and sin sick foundR
The schoolman's lore and the casuist's artR
Drew warmth and life from his fervent heartR
-
Had he not seen in the solitudesY
Of his deep and dark Northampton woodsY
A vision of love about him fallC2
Not the blinding splendor which fell on SaulC2
But the tenderer glory that rests on themD2
Who walk in the New JerusalemE2
Where never the sun nor moon are knownF2
But the Lord and His love are the light aloneF2
And watching the sweet still countenanceY
Of the wife of his bosom rapt in tranceY
Had he not treasured each broken wordR
Of the mystical wonder seen and heardR
And loved the beautiful dreamer moreJ
That thus to the desert of earth she boreJ
Clusters of Eshcol from Canaan's shoreJ
-
As the barley winnower holding with painV
Aloft in waiting his chaff and grainV
Joyfully welcomes the far off breezeY
Sounding the pine tree's slender keysY
So he who had waited long to hearG2
The sound of the Spirit drawing nearH2
Like that which the son of Iddo heardR
When the feet of angels the myrtles stirredR
Felt the answer of prayer at lastR
As over his church the afflatus passedR
Breaking its sleep as breezes breakI2
To sun bright ripples a stagnant lakeI2
-
At first a tremor of silent fearH2
The creep of the flesh at danger nearH2
A vague foreboding and discontentR
Over the hearts of the people wentR
All nature warned in sounds and signsY
The wind in the tops of the forest pinesY
In the name of the Highest called to prayerJ2
As the muezzin calls from the minaret stairJ2
Through ceiled chambers of secret sinK2
Sudden and strong the light shone inK2
A guilty sense of his neighbor's needsY
Startled the man of title deedsY
The trembling hand of the worldling shookL2
The dust of years from the Holy BookL2
And the psalms of David forgotten longM2
Took the place of the scoffer's songM2
-
The impulse spread like the outward courseY
Of waters moved by a central forceY
The tide of spiritual life rolled downB
From inland mountains to seaboard townB
-
Prepared and ready the altar standsY
Waiting the prophet's outstretched handsY
And prayer availing to downward callC2
The fiery answer in view of allC2
Hearts are like wax in the furnace whoN2
Shall mould and shape and cast them anewN2
Lo by the Merrimac Whitefield standsY
In the temple that never was made by handsY
Curtains of azure and crystal wallC2
And dome of the sunshine over allC2
A homeless pilgrim with dubious nameS
Blown about on the winds of fameS
Now as an angel of blessing classedR
And now as a mad enthusiastR
Called in his youth to sound and gaugeO2
The moral lapse of his race and ageO2
And sharp as truth the contrast drawP2
Of human frailty and perfect lawP2
Possessed by the one dread thought that lentR
Its goad to his fiery temperamentR
Up and down the world he wentR
A John the Baptist crying RepentR
-
No perfect whole can our nature makeI2
Here or there the circle will breakI2
The orb of life as it takes the lightR
On one side leaves the other in nightR
Never was saint so good and greatR
As to give no chance at St Peter's gateR
For the plea of the Devil's advocateR
So incomplete by his being's lawP2
The marvellous preacher had his flawP2
With step unequal and lame with faultsY
His shade on the path of History haltsY
-
Wisely and well said the Eastern bardR
Fear is easy but love is hardR
Easy to glow with the Santon's rageO2
And walk on the Meccan pilgrimageQ2
But he is greatest and best who canB2
Worship Allah by loving manB2
Thus he to whom in the painful stressY
Of zeal on fire from its own excessY
Heaven seemed so vast and earth so smallC2
That man was nothing since God was allC2
Forgot as the best at times have doneD
That the love of the Lord and of man are oneD
Little to him whose feet unshodR
The thorny path of the desert trodR
Careless of pain so it led to GodR
Seemed the hunger pang and the poor man's wrongM2
The weak ones trodden beneath the strongM2
Should the worm be chooser the clay withstandR
The shaping will of the potter's handR
-
In the Indian fable Arjoon hearsY
The scorn of a god rebuke his fearsY
'Spare thy pity ' Krishna saithE
'Not in thy sword is the power of deathE
All is illusion loss but seemsY
Pleasure and pain are only dreamsY
Who deems he slayeth doth not killR2
Who counts as slain is living stillR2
Strike nor fear thy blow is crimeS2
Nothing dies but the cheats of timeS2
Slain or slayer small the oddsY
To each immortal as Indra's gods '-
-
So by Savannah's banks of shadeR
The stones of his mission the preacher laidR
On the heart of the negro crushed and rentR
And made of his blood the wall's cementR
Bade the slave ship speed from coast to coastR
Fanned by the wings of the Holy GhostR
And begged for the love of Christ the goldR
Coined from the hearts in its groaning holdR
What could it matter more or lessY
Of stripes and hunger and wearinessY
Living or dying bond or freeC
What was time to eternityC
-
Alas for the preacher's cherished schemesY
Mission and church are now but dreamsY
Nor prayer nor fasting availed the planB2
To honor God through the wrong of manB2
Of all his labors no trace remainsY
Save theE

John Greenleaf Whittier



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