The Campaign, A Poem, To His Grace The Duke Of Marlborough Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABCDDEEFF GGHHIJGGJJ KKLLFFMNOO PPJJQQJJOO MROOJJQQSS TRUUOOOOOO FFJJJJOOVV OOOOJJOOJJ JJWWNNJJOO OOGGTROOEE XXOOJJJJJJ YYJJOOJJJJ OOOONNJJQQ OOZZJJNNOO NNJJA2A2VVB2B2 C2D2QQE2E2RRJJ JJFMOOJJJJ MMOO

While crowds of princes your deserts proclaimA
Proud in their number to enrol your nameA
While emperors to you commit their causeB
And Anna's praises crown the vast applauseC
Accept great leader what the Muse recitesD
That in ambitious verse attempts your fightsD
Fir'd and transported with a theme so newE
Ten thousand wonders opening to my viewE
Shine forth at once sieges and storms appearF
And wars and conquests fill the' important yearF
-
Rivers of blood I see and hills of slainG
And Iliad rising out of one campaignG
The haughty Gaul beheld with towering prideH
His ancient bounds enlarg'd on every sideH
Pyrene's lofty barriers were subduedI
And in the midst of his wide empire stoodJ
Ausonia's states the victor to restrainG
Opposed their Alps and Apennines in vainG
Nor found themselves with strength of rocks immur'dJ
Behind their everlasting hills secur'dJ
-
The rising Danube its long race beganK
And half its course through the new conquests ranK
Amaz'd and anxious for her soverign's fatesL
Germania trembled through a hundred statesL
Great Leopold himself was seiz'd with fearF
He gaz'd around but saw no succour nearF
He gaz'd and half abandon'd to despairM
His hopes on heaven and confidence in prayN
To Britain's queen the nations turn their eyesO
On her resolves the western world reliesO
-
Confiding still amidst its dire alarmsP
In Anna's conncils and in Churchill's armsP
Thrice happy Britain from the kingdoms rentJ
To fit the guardian of the continentJ
That sees her bravest son advanc'd so highQ
And flourishing so near her prince's eyeQ
Thy favourites grow not up by fortune's sportJ
Or from the crimes or follies of a courtJ
On the firm basis of desert they riseO
From long try'd faith and friendship's holy tyesO
-
Their soverign's well distinguish'd smiles they shareM
Her ornaments in peace her strength in warR
The nation thanks them with a public voiceO
By showers of blessings heaven approves their choiceO
Envy itself is dumb in wonder lostJ
And factions strive who shall applaud them mostJ
Soon as soft vernal breezes warm the skyQ
Britannia's colours in the zephyrs flyQ
Her chief already has his march begunS
Crossing the provinces himself had wonS
-
Till the Moselle appearing from afarT
Retards the progress of the moving warR
Delightful stream had nature bid her fallU
In distant climes far from the perjur'd GaulU
But now a purchase to the sword she liesO
Her harvests for uncertain owners riseO
Each vineyard doubtful of its master growsO
And to the victor's bowl each vintage flowsO
The discontented shades of slaughter'd hostsO
That wander'd on her banks her heroes ghostsO
-
Hop'd when they saw Britannia's arms appearF
The vengeance due to their great deaths was nearF
Our godlike leader ere the stream he pastJ
The mighty scheme of all his labours castJ
Forming the wondrous year within his thoughtJ
His bosom glow'd with battles yet unfoughtJ
The long laborious march he first surveysO
And joins the distant Danube to the MaeseO
Between whose floods such pathless forests growV
Such mountains rise so many rivers flowV
-
The toil looks lovely in the hero's eyesO
And danger serves but to enhance the prizeO
Big with the fate of Europe he renewsO
His dreadful course and the proud foe pursuesO
Infected by the burning Scorpion's heatJ
the sultry gales round his chas'd temples beatJ
Till on the borders of the Maine he findsO
Defensive shadows and refreshing windsO
Our British youth with in born freedom boldJ
Unnumber'd scenes of servitude beholdJ
-
Nations of slaves with tyranny debas'dJ
Their maker's image more than half defac'dJ
Hourly instructed as they urge their toilW
To prize their queen and love their native soilW
Still to the rising sun they take their wayN
Through clouds of dust and gain upon the dayN
When now the Neckar on its friendly coastJ
With cooling streams revives the fainting hostJ
That chearfully his labours past forgetsO
The mid night watches and the noon day heatsO
-
O'er prostrate towns and palaces they passO
Now cover'd o'er with woods and hid in grassO
Breathing revenge whilst anger and disdainG
Fire every breast and boil in every veinG
Here shatter'd walls like broken rocks from farT
Rise up in hideous views the guilt of warR
Whilst here the vine o'er hills of ruin climbsO
Industrious to conceal great Bourbon's crimesO
At length the fame of England's hero drewE
Eugenio to the glorious interviewE
-
Great souls by instinct to each other turnX
Demand alliance and in friendship burnX
A sudden friendship while with stretch'd out raysO
They meet each other mingling blaze with blazeO
Polish'd in courts and harden'd in the fieldJ
Renown'd for conquest and in council skill'dJ
Their courage dwells not in a troubled floodJ
Of mounting spirits and fermenting bloodJ
Lodg'd in the soul with virtue over rul'dJ
Inflam'd by reason and by reason cool'dJ
-
In hours of peace content to be unknownY
And only in the field of battle shownY
To souls like these in mutual fiendship join'dJ
Heaven dares intrust the cause of human kindJ
Britannia's graceful sons appear in armsO
Her harrass'd troops the hero's presence warmsO
Whilst the high hills and rivers all aroundJ
With thundering peals of British shouts resoundJ
Doubling their speed they march with fresh delightJ
Eager for glory and require the fightJ
-
So the stanch hound the trembling deer pursuesO
And smells his footsteps in the tainted dewsO
The tedious track unraveling by degreesO
But when the scent comes warm in every breezeO
Fir'd at the near approach he shoots awayN
On his full stretch and bears upon his preyN
The march concludes the various realms are pastJ
Th' immortal Schellenberg appears at lastJ
Like hills th' aspiring ramparts rise on highQ
Like valley's at their feet the trenches lieQ
-
Batteries on batteries guard each fatal passO
Threatening destruction rows of hollow brassO
Tube behind tube the dreadful entrance keepZ
Whilst in thier wombs ten thousand thunders sleepZ
Great Churchill owns charm'd with the glorious sightJ
His march o'er paid by such a promis'd fightJ
The western sun now shot a feeble rayN
And faintly scatter'd the remains of dayN
Ev'ning approach'd but oh what host of foesO
Were never to behold that evening closeO
-
Thickening their ranks and wedg'd in firm arrayN
The close compacted Britons win their wayN
In vain the cannon their throng'd war defac'dJ
With tracts of death and laid the battle wasteJ
Still pressing forward to the fight they brokeA2
Through flames of sulphur and a night of smokeA2
Till slaughter'd legions fill'd the trench belowV
And bore their fierce avengers to the foeV
High on the works the mingling hosts engageB2
The battle kindled into tenfold rageB2
-
With showers of bullets and with storms of fireC2
Burns in full fury heaps on heaps expireD2
Nations with nations mix'd confus'dly dieQ
And lsot in one promiscuous carnage lieQ
How many generous Britons meet their doomE2
New to the field and heroes in the bloomE2
Th' illustrious youghts that left their native shoreR
To march where Britons never march'd beforeR
O fatal love of fame O glorious heatJ
Only destructive to the brave and greatJ
-
After such toils o'ercome such dangers pastJ
Stretch'd on Bavarian ramparts breathe their lastJ
But hold my Muse may no complaints appearF
Nor blot the day with an ungrateful tearM
While Marlborough lives Britannia's stars dispenseO
A friendly light and shine in innocenceO
Plunging through seas of blood his fiery steedJ
Where e'er his friends retire or foes succeedJ
Those he supports these drives to sudden flightJ
And turns the various fortune of the fightJ
-
Forbear great man renown'd in arms forbearM
To Brave the thickest terrors of the warM
Nor hazard thus confus'd in crowds of foesO
Britannia's sO

Joseph Addison



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