The Death Of President Lincoln Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CCDDEEFFAAGGHH IIJJIIIKIK LLAAMMNNKKOK PPQQIIRRSSTTUU RRVVCWXXYYZA2A2A2A2Z RRB2C2D2B2ZZWWB2E2E2 F2PPOG2H2A2I2 LLJ2K2J2K2L2L2M2M2LL N2EN2EO2B2O2B2 AACP2WWC2Q2Q2C2R2R2J B2B2B2B2JQ2Q2N2N2 LPPLS2S2S2JM2M2JT2T2 S2JS2JA2G2 S2S2JU2U2S2S2V2U2U2S 2W2S2W2 X2X2Y2X2X2Y2GGGGLZ2Z 2 Z2LS2S2S2S2S2S2WWWWA 3A3S2S2 OF2F2COCB3C3B3C3S2S2 S2S2S2S2GCGC S2S2S2S2S2S2S2S2B3B3| A Romance | A |
| - | |
| December th | B |
| - | |
| The fleecy clouds had passed away | C |
| Before the bright approach of day | C |
| And now the morning's radiance shines | D |
| Upon an Army's order'd lines | D |
| And light the glancing sunbeams play'd | E |
| On bayonet point and sabre blade | E |
| Slow rolled the ponderous mass along | F |
| A hundred thousand bayonets strong | F |
| And thirty thousand horses prance | A |
| Impatient of the slow advance | A |
| While o'er those glittering groves of steel | G |
| The striped and coloured spangles reel | G |
| And Hail Columbia lofty notes | H |
| Peel from the trumpets brazen throats | H |
| - | |
| From post to post the generals ride | I |
| The army's steady march to guide | I |
| And aides fly swiftly o'er the plain | J |
| With bloody spur and slacken'd rein | J |
| And far and wide on every side | I |
| The hollow trembling earth replied | I |
| To those grim legions measured stride | I |
| On dark Virginia's shore | K |
| And many a heart bounds high with pride | I |
| That soon shall beat no more | K |
| - | |
| The foe of far inferior force | L |
| Scarce sixty thousand foot and horse | L |
| Stand watching with undaunted glance | A |
| The Federal foeman's grim advance | A |
| And turn again their hopeful eyes | M |
| To where their own loved banner flies | M |
| That flag of tesselated bars | N |
| That on its checks bore seven white stars | N |
| Which waved on many a field before | K |
| But now alas is seen no more | K |
| Its short and bright career is o'er | O |
| Its light was quenched in streams of gore | K |
| - | |
| Far on the left where rank on rank | P |
| Kentucky's footmen held the flank | P |
| A youthful warrior rode alone | Q |
| To every Southern soldier known | Q |
| For that long falchion by his side | I |
| Had turn'd the battle's doubtful tide | I |
| In many a dark and desperate fight | R |
| When right still triumphed over might | R |
| His simple dress undeck'd with lace | S |
| Bore no brigade's distinctive trace | S |
| 'Twas Booth who long had vow'd to stand | T |
| The Champion of his Fatherland | T |
| Unflinching faithful firm and fast | U |
| And strike for freedom to the last | U |
| - | |
| - | |
| He rode a horse of spotless white | R |
| With ample chest and limbs of might | R |
| That fiercely strains upon the reins | V |
| As slow advancing o'er the plains | V |
| He marks the Union ranks of grey | C |
| And greets them with a furious neigh | W |
| He lists the hollow thundering drum | X |
| Which tells him that the time is come | X |
| To charge these hostile columns home | Y |
| And flashing flakes of feathery foam | Y |
| Fly from his chafing mouth | Z |
| First in the charge's wild career | A2 |
| And in retreat the last in rear | A2 |
| And first or last unknowing fear | A2 |
| That noble beast had not his peer | A2 |
| In all the spacious South | Z |
| - | |
| At once on centre left and right | R |
| The loud artillery woke the fight | R |
| With round shot grape and shell | B2 |
| And loud the cry of conflict rose | C2 |
| As fiercely now the armies close | D2 |
| And vain it were to tell | B2 |
| How charging on the cannon's mouth | Z |
| The fiery soldiers of the South | Z |
| Were midway met in deadly strife | W |
| Where each man fought for death or life | W |
| And thousands bled and fell | B2 |
| Before the Federals charged ere yet | E2 |
| The heavy armed battalions met | E2 |
| In conflict fierce and dire | F2 |
| While skirmishers in scatter'd rank | P |
| Extended far on front and flank | P |
| Maintained a dropping fire | O |
| While every ear was bent to hear | G2 |
| Their proud Commander's word | H2 |
| To bid them charge at full career | A2 |
| With bayonet and sword | I2 |
| - | |
| Booth calmly watched their threatening course | L |
| And sternly reined his furious horse | L |
| But when the opening cannon rung | J2 |
| And bugles blew and charged aloud | K2 |
| His weapon from the scabbard sprung | J2 |
| Like lightning from the thunder cloud | K2 |
| And where the bayonets reddest shine | L2 |
| Along the Federals' charging line | L2 |
| Where wounded horses wildly leap | M2 |
| Through pools of life blood fetlock deep | M2 |
| There his gigantic battle horse | L |
| Swept onward in resistless course | L |
| Round his invulnerable head | N2 |
| His reeking crescent blade | E |
| Still scattering drops of crimson red | N2 |
| In lightning circles played | E |
| Through fire and smoke the war horse dash'd | O2 |
| Unharm'd by shot or shell | B2 |
| And where that falling weapon flash'd | O2 |
| A Federal soldier fell | B2 |
| - | |
| But Lee who mark'd with eagle glance | A |
| The Federals' last reserve advance | A |
| Call'd up his veterans grim and grey | C |
| The flower of Southern infantry | P2 |
| Down where the dark palmettos wave | W |
| Ten thousand Carolinians brave | W |
| Their double column shows | C2 |
| Each moment fringed their ranks with flame | Q2 |
| And fast the withering volleys came | Q2 |
| Against their flinching foes | C2 |
| And through the batteries of the North | R2 |
| Their fatal welcome thunder'd forth | R2 |
| In showers of iron rain | J |
| Still fiercer rose their music's swell | B2 |
| And wilder pealed their battle yell | B2 |
| While fast and faster still they fell | B2 |
| As whistling shot and shrieking shell | B2 |
| Clove many a ghastly lane | J |
| And thicker still their bullets came | Q2 |
| And closer deadlier grew their aim | Q2 |
| The Federal lines were heaped with dead | N2 |
| And fast the rising panic spread | N2 |
| - | |
| Along their wavering force | L |
| Till passing round their left ward flank | P |
| Their own reserve came rank by rank | P |
| New England's hardy horse | L |
| Forth to the front each troop advanced | S2 |
| Each ready sabre naked glanced | S2 |
| And every horse's flank was lanced | S2 |
| And slacken'd every rein | J |
| In charging column firm and deep | M2 |
| At racing gallop on they sweep | M2 |
| Who seldom charge in vain | J |
| That swift advancing avalanche | T2 |
| Boasts the same spirit stern and stanch | T2 |
| That tamed a haughty tyrant's pride | S2 |
| And crushed his servile train | J |
| On Glorious Marston's swarthy side | S2 |
| And Naseby's bloody plain | J |
| The Puritan and Cavalier | A2 |
| Of other days are pitted here | G2 |
| - | |
| But well the rifles played their part | S2 |
| For many a steed shot through the heart | S2 |
| Came headlong to the plain | J |
| And many another kept the ranks | U2 |
| With empty stirrups smote his flanks | U2 |
| Whose rider reeling from his seat | S2 |
| And trampled neath the horses' feet | S2 |
| Might never mount again | V2 |
| Till like a sea that bursts its banks | U2 |
| They dash against the bristling ranks | U2 |
| And now through whirling clouds of dust | S2 |
| And surging wreaths of smoke | W2 |
| Is seen the bayonet's furious thrust | S2 |
| The sabre's dazzling stroke | W2 |
| - | |
| With fearful slaughter backward driven | X2 |
| Their shatter'd columns rent and riven | X2 |
| The cavalry recoil | Y2 |
| A shout of triumph rose to heaven | X2 |
| And to the Southern ranks is given | X2 |
| Brief respite from their toil | Y2 |
| Again the madden'd horses wheel | G |
| Obedient to the armed heel | G |
| And charging to the bugle's peal | G |
| They rush against the serried steel | G |
| With tenfold rage and force | L |
| But as the wave breaks on the rock | Z2 |
| That seems its futile rage to mock | Z2 |
| - | |
| Still stagger'd backward from the shock | Z2 |
| The baffled Northern horse | L |
| Five times with spirit unsubdued | S2 |
| They charged in reckless hardihood | S2 |
| And still the foe his squares made good | S2 |
| And still the stubborn bayonets stood | S2 |
| With more than spartan fortitude | S2 |
| And thicker still the ground was strew'd | S2 |
| With many a quivering corse Though firmly stood the fearless few | W |
| And proudly still their banner flew | W |
| Full well each brave Confederate knew | W |
| Another charge would pierce them through | W |
| For hollow was the war like show | A3 |
| No strength was left to meet the foe | A3 |
| Their rifles clogg'd their bayonet bent | S2 |
| And well nigh every cartridge spent | S2 |
| - | |
| But Booth has marked their flagging fire | O |
| And his fierce frown of battle ire | F2 |
| Is changing to a look more dire | F2 |
| Like lion turned to bay | C |
| For that fell smile proves one desire | O |
| To slay and slay and slay | C |
| Woe to the foe who now presumes | B3 |
| To face his savage wrath | C3 |
| When gallant zouaves and tall dragoons | B3 |
| Lie bleeding in his path | C3 |
| Whose cloven heads and bosoms gored | S2 |
| Bear witness of his vengeful sword | S2 |
| Where bristling ranks unbroken frown'd | S2 |
| Like dark grey rocks with breakers crown'd | S2 |
| What though his sword no havoc made | S2 |
| His course was but a moment stay'd | S2 |
| For where the riven columns reel | G |
| In hopeless dis array | C |
| That slender blade of pliant steel | G |
| Cleaves deep its murderous way | C |
| - | |
| Once more the charging Federals sped | S2 |
| Across the rampart of the dead | S2 |
| To where upon the self same spot | S2 |
| Where they had fired their deadliest shot | S2 |
| The doomed Confederates calmly wait | S2 |
| The charge which is to seal their fate | S2 |
| Why need I tell how patriots die | S2 |
| The tale has often met our eye | S2 |
| Of those with Leonidas | B3 |
| Braved Xerxes' millions in the pas | B3 |
Joseph Furphy
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