King Stephen Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFAGHIJGKLMNAOMP MAQMRSMTUVWAXM YZMA2GNMB2GC2D2A2 E2MF2GHGMG2YMH2AYI2J 2MJ2MMMK2GYUL2M2MN2M O2M2M2D2P2MMMQ2TK2M2 M2A2M2MA2R2S2MT2Q2TU 2M M2A2M2K2V2W2GZMX2A2G A2M Y2MGMZ2YYI2M2A3M2HB3 M2AC3MM2P2D3P2WP2E3M P2F3A2GAGJ2P2P2F3MM2 GP2M2G3P2H3F2GP2P2BP 2J2GMMP2Q2M I3MM2J3GK3P2M2P2MA2F 2P2P2P2S2L3MP2MJ2GP2 S2A FRAGMENT OF A TRAGEDY | A |
ACT I | B |
SCENE I Field of Battle | C |
Alarum Enter King STEPHEN Knights and Soldiers | D |
Stephen If shame can on a soldier's vein swoll n front | E |
Spread deeper crimson than the battle's toil | F |
Blush in your casing helmets for see see | A |
Yonder my chivalry my pride of war | G |
Wrench'd with an iron hand from firm array | H |
Are routed loose about the plashy meads | I |
Of honour forfeit O that my known voice | J |
Could reach your dastard ears and fright you more | G |
Fly cowards fly Glocester is at your backs | K |
Throw your slack bridles o'er the flurried manes | L |
Ply well the rowel with faint trembling heels | M |
Scampering to death at last | N |
First Knight The enemy | A |
Bears his flaunt standard close upon their rear | O |
Second Knight Sure of a bloody prey seeing the fens | M |
Will swamp them girth deep | P |
Stephen Over head and ears | M |
No matter 'Tis a gallant enemy | A |
How like a comet he goes streaming on | Q |
But we must plague him in the flank hey friends | M |
We are well breathed follow | R |
Enter Earl BALDWIN and Soldiers as defeated | S |
Stephen De Redvers | M |
What is the monstrous bugbear that can fright | T |
Baldwin | U |
Baldwin No scare crow but the fortunate star | V |
Of boisterous Chester whose fell truncheon now | W |
Points level to the goal of victory | A |
This way he comes and if you would maintain | X |
Your person unaffronted by vile odds | M |
- | |
Take horse my Lord | Y |
Stephen And which way spur for life | Z |
Now I thank Heaven I am in the toils | M |
That soldiers may bear witness how my arm | A2 |
Can burst the meshes Not the eagle more | G |
Loves to beat up against a tyrannous blast | N |
Than I to meet the torrent of my foes | M |
This is a brag be 't so but if I fall | B2 |
Carve it upon my 'scutcheon'd sepulchre | G |
On fellow soldiers Earl of Redvers back | C2 |
Not twenty Earls of Chester shall brow beat | D2 |
The diadem Exeunt Alarum | A2 |
- | |
SCENE II Another part of the Field | E2 |
Trumpets sounding a Victory Enter GLOCESTER Knights and Forces | M |
Glocester Now may we lift our bruised vizors up | F2 |
And take the flattering freshness of the air | G |
While the wide din of battle dies away | H |
Into times past yet to be echoed sure | G |
In the silent pages of our chroniclers | M |
First Knight Will Stephen's death be marked there my good | G2 |
Lord | Y |
Or that we gave him lodging in yon towers | M |
Glocester Fain would I know the great usurper's fate | H2 |
Enter two Captains severally | A |
First Captain My Lord | Y |
Second Captain Most noble Earl | I2 |
First Captain The King | J2 |
Second Captain The Empress greets | M |
Glocester What of the King | J2 |
First Captain He sole and lone maintains | M |
A hopeless bustle mid our swarming arms | M |
And with a nimble savageness attacks | M |
Escapes makes fiercer onset then anew | K2 |
Eludes death giving death to most that dare | G |
Trespass within the circuit of his sword | Y |
He must by this have fallen Baldwin is taken | U |
And for the Duke of Bretagne like a stag | L2 |
He flies for the Welsh beagles to hunt down | M2 |
God save the Empress | M |
Glocester Now our dreaded Queen | N2 |
What message from her Highness | M |
Second Captain Royal Maud | O2 |
From the throng'd towers of Lincoln hath look'd down | M2 |
Like Pallas from the walls of Ilion | M2 |
And seen her enemies havock'd at her feet | D2 |
She greets most noble Glocester from her heart | P2 |
Intreating him his captains and brave knights | M |
To grace a banquet The high city gates | M |
Are envious which shall see your triumph pass | M |
The streets are full of music | Q2 |
Enter Second Knight | T |
Glocester Whence come you | K2 |
Second Knight From Stephen my good Prince Stephen | M2 |
Stephen | M2 |
Glocester Why do you make such echoing of his name | A2 |
Second Knight Because I think my lord he is no man | M2 |
But a fierce demon Anointed safe from wounds | M |
And misbaptized with a Christian name | A2 |
Glocester A mighty soldier Does he still hold out | R2 |
Second Knight He shames our victory His valour still | S2 |
Keeps elbow room amid our eager swords | M |
And holds our bladed falchions all aloof | T2 |
His gleaming battle axe being slaughter sick | Q2 |
Smote on the morion of a Flemish knight | T |
Broke short in his hand upon the which he flung | U2 |
The heft away with such a vengeful force | M |
- | |
It paunch'd the Earl of Chester's horse who then | M2 |
Spleen hearted came in full career at him | A2 |
Glocester Did no one take him at a vantage then | M2 |
Second Knight Three then with tiger leap upon him flew | K2 |
Whom with his sword swift drawn and nimbly held | V2 |
He stung away again and stood to breathe | W2 |
Smiling Anon upon him rush'd once more | G |
A throng of foes and in this renew'd strife | Z |
My sword met his and snapp'd off at the hilts | M |
Glocester Come lead me to this Mars and let us move | X2 |
In silence not insulting his sad doom | A2 |
With clamorous trumpets To the Empress bear | G |
My salutation as befits the time | A2 |
Exeunt GLOCESTER and Forces | M |
- | |
SCENE III The Field of Battle Enter STEPHEN unarmed | Y2 |
Stephen Another sword And what if I could seize | M |
One from Bellona's gleaming armoury | G |
Or choose the fairest of her sheaved spears | M |
Where are my enemies Here close at hand | Z2 |
Here come the testy brood O for a sword | Y |
I'm faint a biting sword A noble sword | Y |
A hedge stake or a ponderous stone to hurl | I2 |
With brawny vengeance like the labourer Cain | M2 |
Come on Farewell my kingdom and all hail | A3 |
Thou superb plum'd and helmeted renown | M2 |
All hail I would not truck this brilliant day | H |
To rule in Pylos with a Nestor's beard | B3 |
Come on | M2 |
Enter DE KAIMS and Knights c | A |
De Kaims Is 't madness or a hunger after death | C3 |
That makes thee thus unarm'd throw taunts at us | M |
Yield Stephen or my sword's point dip in | M2 |
'he gloomy current of a traitor's heart | P2 |
Stephen Do it De Kaims I will not budge an inch | D3 |
De Kaims Yes of thy madness thou shalt take the meed | P2 |
Stephen Darest thou | W |
De Kaims How dare against a man disarmed | P2 |
Stephen What weapons has the lion but himself | E3 |
Come not near me De Kaims for by the price | M |
Of all the glory I have won this day | P2 |
Being a king I will not yield alive | F3 |
To any but the second man of the realm | A2 |
Robert of Glocester | G |
De Kaims Thou shalt vail to me | A |
Stephen Shall I when I have sworn against it sir | G |
Thou think'st it brave to take a breathing king | J2 |
That on a court day bow'd to haughty Maud | P2 |
The awed presence chamber may be bold | P2 |
To whisper there's the man who took alive | F3 |
Stephen me prisoner Certes De Kaims | M |
The ambition is a noble one | M2 |
De Kaims 'Tis true | G |
And Stephen I must compass it | P2 |
Stephen No no | M2 |
Do not tempt me to throttle you on the gorge | G3 |
Or with my gauntlet crush your hollow breast | P2 |
Just when your knighthood is grown ripe and full | H3 |
For lordship | F2 |
A Soldier Is an honest yeoman's spear | G |
Of no use at a need Take that | P2 |
Stephen Ah dastard | P2 |
De Kaims What you are vulnerable my prisoner I | B |
Stephen No not yet I disclaim it and demand | P2 |
Death as a sovereign right unto a king | J2 |
Who 'sdains to yield to any but his peer | G |
If not in title yet in noble deeds | M |
The Earl of Glocester Stab to the hilts De Kaims | M |
For I will never by mean hands be led | P2 |
From this so famous field Do ye hear Be quick | Q2 |
Trumpets Enter the Earl of CHESTER and Knights | M |
- | |
SCENE IV A Presence Chamber Queen MAUD in a Chair of State the | I3 |
Earls of GLOCESTER and CHESTER Lords Attendants | M |
Maud Glocester no more I will behold that Boulogne | M2 |
Set him before me Not for the poor sake | J3 |
Of regal pomp and a vain glorious hour | G |
As thou with wary speech yet near enough | K3 |
Hast hinted | P2 |
Glocester Faithful counsel have I given | M2 |
If wary for your Highness' benefit | P2 |
Maud The Heavens forbid that I should not think so | M |
For by thy valour have I won this realm | A2 |
Which by thy wisdom I will ever keep | F2 |
To sage advisers let me ever bend | P2 |
'A meek attentive ear so that they treat | P2 |
Of the wide kingdom's rule and government | P2 |
Not trenching on our actions personal | S2 |
Advis'd not school'd I would be and henceforth | L3 |
Spoken to in clear plain and open terms | M |
Not side ways sermon'd at | P2 |
Glocester Then in plain terms | M |
Once more for the fallen king | J2 |
Maud Your pardon Brother | G |
I would no more of that for as I said | P2 |
Tis not for worl | S2 |
John Keats
(1)
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