Anhelli - Chapter 8 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AB CDE F DAG HI JK D LBM N OP QRS M TT UTJ OV WXYZ A2B2C2 D2E2 A2 ODF2 QG2D H2I2 TJ2 K2J2 L2L2V T

And passing further they beheld many men pale and torturedA
whose names are known in the fatherlandB
-
And they came to a subterranean lakeC
and proceeded along the shores of the dark waterD
which stirred not but was golden in places from the light of torchesE
-
And the Shaman said 'Is this the Lake of Gennesaret of the PolesF
And these men are they fishermen of misfortune '-
-
Then one of those who sat sorrowfully by the shores of the black waterD
with a thoughtful face answeredA
'They allow us to rest for today is the king's saint's day and a day of reposeG
-
'Therefore do we sit beside the dark water to think and to meditate and to restH
for our hearts are more wearied than our bodiesI
-
'For lo we lost not long since our prophetJ
whose favourite spot this rock was and these waters were dear to himK
-
'He was a man pale with gleaming eyes gaunt and full of fireD
-
'And lo seven years ago there came upon him one night the spirit of prophecyL
and he felt the shock which was in the fatherlandB
and related to us through a whole night what he saw laughing and cryingM
-
'And only in the morning did he become sad and he cried outN
Lo they have risen again but they cannot roll away the stones from their graves '-
And having said this he fell deadO
And we set up to him this wooden crossP
-
'And two years later new exiles told us what had happenedQ
and reckoning up the nights we found that that prophet had told us the truthR
therefore we wished to do him honour but he was already in the groundS
-
'Therefore do we honour this cross no longer sayingM
Lo the man who lieth under it was mad and crazed and deserving of laughter '-
What say ye to that '-
-
And turning the Shaman said to AnhelliT
'On what dost thou meditate above this black water Is it of the tears of the peopleT
Or dost thou ponder on that prophet Or on thyself '-
-
As he spoke there came a great echo from the explosion of a mineU
and it resounded above their heads ringing like an underground bellT
And the Shaman said 'Lo that is the tolling for the dead prophetJ
Behold there is an angel of the Lord for those who see not the sun Let us pray '-
-
And raising his eyes he saidO
'God God We beseech Thee that our torture may be a redemptionV
-
'And we will not supplicate Thee to return the sun to our eyesW
and the air to our breastsX
for we know that Thy judgment hath been passed upon usY
but the newborn are guiltless Have mercy O GodZ
-
'And forgive us that we bear our cross in sorrow and are not joyful like the martyrsA2
for Thou hast not said whether our torture shall be reckoned in us as a sacrificeB2
but tell us that and we shall rejoiceC2
-
'For what is life that we should regret itD2
Is it a good angel who abandoneth us in the hour of deathE2
-
'The heat of our blood is the fire of the sacrifice and the sacrifice is our desiresA2
Happy are those who can consecrate themselves for the people '-
-
And to that the wretched men saidO
'Lo this man speaketh truth for more unhappy than ourselves is that woman who followed her husband hitherD
and who suffereth for the heart of manF2
-
'Come and we will show you the damp pit where that martyr dwelleth with her husbandQ
'She was a great lady and a princessG2
and now she is as the handmaiden of a beggarD
-
'And unworthy of her pity is he whom she lovedH2
for kneeling before the emperor he pleaded for his lifeI2
and they gave it to him despising him '-
-
So saying they came up close to a wallT
and through the grating they beheld that wedded pairJ2
-
The woman was kneeling before the man and in a basin of water was washing his feetK2
for he had returned from his work as a labourerJ2
-
And the water in the basin was reddened from his bloodL2
and the woman did not shudder at the man and the bloodL2
and she was young and beautiful like the angels of heavenV
-
That man and that woman were of the tsar's peopleT

Juliusz Slowacki



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Anhelli - Chapter 8 is a poem by Juliusz Slowacki. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.



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