Samson Agonistes (excerpts) Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKHLMNOPQRS TUVLWXYPZA2B2C2D2E2F 2PG2H2D2HI2J2PE2LK2L 2GGM2N2O2PHP2Q2R2BR2 HR2S2T2U2QV2R2U2W2X2 Y2WZ2P2GA3PR2TB3C3D3 E3F3R2GPC3WG3H3HR2WR RRHRRI3R2G3RR2J3HH3R K3HE3HRHL3 M3 N3RO3R2HR2R2L2 RPRM3RRM3 R2RL2RP3RRQ3 R3S3RRRRR T3HU3V3 HT3W3I2 M3RR M3X3RRRX2H N3RW3 M3M3RG2Y3RE3Z3RRM3RM 3Y3M3RRRRRRRSamson's Opening Speech | A |
A little onward lend thy guiding hand | B |
To these dark steps a little further on | C |
For yonder bank hath choice of sun or shade | D |
There I am wont to sit when any chance | E |
Relieves me from my task of servile toil | F |
Daily in the common prison else enjoin'd me | G |
Where I a prisoner chain'd scarce freely draw | H |
The air imprison'd also close and damp | I |
Unwholesome draught but here I feel amends | J |
The breath of Heav'n fresh blowing pure and sweet | K |
With day spring born here leave me to respire | H |
This day a solemn feast the people hold | L |
To Dagon their sea idol and forbid | M |
Laborious works unwillingly this rest | N |
Their superstition yields me hence with leave | O |
Retiring from the popular noise I seek | P |
This unfrequented place to find some ease | Q |
Ease to the body some none to the mind | R |
From restless thoughts that like a deadly swarm | S |
Of hornets arm'd no sooner found alone | T |
But rush upon me thronging and present | U |
Times past what once I was and what am now | V |
O wherefore was my birth from Heaven foretold | L |
Twice by an angel who at last in sight | W |
Of both my parents all in flames ascended | X |
From off the altar where an off'ring burn'd | Y |
As in a fiery column charioting | P |
His godlike presence and from some great act | Z |
Of benefit reveal'd to Abraham's race | A2 |
Why was my breeding order'd and prescrib'd | B2 |
As of a person separate to God | C2 |
Design'd for great exploits if I must die | D2 |
Betray'd captiv'd and both my eyes put out | E2 |
Made of my enemies the scorn and gaze | F2 |
To grind in brazen fetters under task | P |
With this Heav'n gifted strength O glorious strength | G2 |
Put to the labour of a beast debas'd | H2 |
Lower than bondslave Promise was that I | D2 |
Should Israel from Philistian yoke deliver | H |
Ask for this great deliverer now and find him | I2 |
Eyeless in Gaza at the mill with slaves | J2 |
Himself in bonds under Philistian yoke | P |
Yet stay let me not rashly call in doubt | E2 |
Divine prediction what if all foretold | L |
Had been fulfill'd but through mine own default | K2 |
Whom have I to complain of but myself | L2 |
Who this high gift of strength committed to me | G |
In what part lodg'd how easily bereft me | G |
Under the seal of silence could not keep | M2 |
But weakly to a woman must reveal it | N2 |
O'ercome with importunity and tears | O2 |
O impotence of mind in body strong | P |
But what is strength without a double share | H |
Of wisdom vast unwieldy burdensome | P2 |
Proudly secure yet liable to fall | Q2 |
By weakest subtleties not made to rule | R2 |
But to subserve where wisdom bears command | B |
God when he gave me strength to show withal | R2 |
How slight the gift was hung it in my hair | H |
But peace I must not quarrel with the will | R2 |
Of highest dispensation which herein | S2 |
Haply had ends above my reach to know | T2 |
Suffices that to me strength is my bane | U2 |
And proves the source of all my miseries | Q |
So many and so huge that each apart | V2 |
Would ask a life to wail but chief of all | R2 |
O loss of sight of thee I most complain | U2 |
Blind among enemies O worse than chains | W2 |
Dungeon or beggary or decrepit age | X2 |
Light the prime work of God to me is extinct | Y2 |
And all her various objects of delight | W |
Annull'd which might in part my grief have eas'd | Z2 |
Inferior to the vilest now become | P2 |
Of man or worm the vilest here excel me | G |
They creep yet see I dark in light expos'd | A3 |
To daily fraud contempt abuse and wrong | P |
Within doors or without still as a fool | R2 |
In power of others never in my own | T |
Scarce half I seem to live dead more than half | B3 |
O dark dark dark amid the blaze of noon | C3 |
Irrecoverably dark total eclipse | D3 |
Without all hope of day | E3 |
O first created Beam and thou great Word | F3 |
Let there be light and light was over all | R2 |
Why am I thus bereav'd thy prime decree | G |
The sun to me is dark | P |
And silent as the moon | C3 |
When she deserts the night | W |
Hid in her vacant interlunar cave | G3 |
Since light so necessary is to life | H3 |
And almost life itself if it be true | H |
That light is in the soul | R2 |
She all in every part why was the sight | W |
To such a tender ball as th' eye confin'd | R |
So obvious and so easy to be quench'd | R |
And not as feeling through all parts diffus'd | R |
That she might look at will through every pore | H |
Then had I not been thus exil'd from light | R |
As in the land of darkness yet in light | R |
To live a life half dead a living death | I3 |
And buried but O yet more miserable | R2 |
Myself my sepulchre a moving grave | G3 |
Buried yet not exempt | R |
By privilege of death and burial | R2 |
From worst of other evils pains and wrongs | J3 |
But made hereby obnoxious more | H |
To all the miseries of life | H3 |
Life in captivity | R |
Among inhuman foes | K3 |
But who are these for with joint pace I hear | H |
The tread of many feet steering this way | E3 |
Perhaps my enemies who come to stare | H |
At my affliction and perhaps to insult | R |
Their daily practice to afflict me more | H |
L3 | |
- | |
Chorus Manoah Samson | M3 |
- | |
CHORUS | N3 |
Just are the ways of God | R |
And justifiable to men | O3 |
Unless there be who think not God at all | R2 |
If any be they walk obscure | H |
For of such doctrine never was there school | R2 |
But the heart of the fool | R2 |
And no man therein doctor but himself | L2 |
- | |
Yet more there be who doubt his ways not just | R |
As to his own edicts found contradicting | P |
Then give the reins to wand'ring thought | R |
Regardless of his glory's diminution | M3 |
Till by their own perplexities involv'd | R |
They ravel more still less resolv'd | R |
But never find self satisfying solution | M3 |
- | |
As if they would confine th' interminable | R2 |
And tie him to his own prescript | R |
Who made our laws to bind us not himself | L2 |
And hath full right to exempt | R |
Whom so it pleases him by choice | P3 |
From national obstriction without taint | R |
Of sin or legal debt | R |
For with his own laws he can best dispense | Q3 |
- | |
He would not else who never wanted means | R3 |
Nor in respect of the enemy just cause | S3 |
To set his people free | R |
Have prompted this heroic Nazarite | R |
Against his vow of strictest purity | R |
To seek in marriage that fallacious bride | R |
Unclean unchaste | R |
- | |
Down Reason then at least vain reasonings down | T3 |
Though Reason here aver | H |
That moral verdit quits her of unclean | U3 |
Unchaste was subsequent her stain not his | V3 |
- | |
But see here comes thy reverend sire | H |
With careful step locks white as down | T3 |
Old Manoa advise | W3 |
Forthwith how thou ought'st to receive him | I2 |
- | |
SAMSON | M3 |
Ay me another inward grief awak'd | R |
With mention of that name renews th' assault | R |
- | |
MANOA | M3 |
Brethren and men of Dan for such ye seem | X3 |
Though in this uncouth place if old respect | R |
As I suppose towards your once gloried friend | R |
My son now captive hither hath inform'd | R |
Your younger feet while mine cast back with age | X2 |
Came lagging after say if he be here | H |
- | |
CHORUS | N3 |
As signal now in low dejected state | R |
As erst in highest behold him where he lies | W3 |
- | |
MANOA | M3 |
O miserable change is this the man | M3 |
That invincible Samson far renown'd | R |
The dread of Israel's foes who with a strength | G2 |
Equivalent to angels' walk'd their streets | Y3 |
None offering fight who single combatant | R |
Duell'd their armies rank'd in proud array | E3 |
Himself an army now unequal match | Z3 |
To save himself against a coward arm'd | R |
At one spear's length O ever failing trust | R |
In mortal strength and oh what not in man | M3 |
Deceivable and vain Nay what thing good | R |
Pray'd for but often proves our woe our bane | M3 |
I pray'd for children and thought barrenness | Y3 |
In wedlock a reproach I gain'd a son | M3 |
And such a son as all men hail'd me happy | R |
Who would be now a father in my stead | R |
O wherefore did God grant me my request | R |
And as a blessing with such pomp adorn'd | R |
Why are his gifts desirable to tempt | R |
Our earnest prayers then giv'n with solemn hand | R |
As graces draw a scorpion's tail behind | R |
John Milton
(1)
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