The Troubadour. Canto 4 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AAABBCDEEFFGGHHIIJJB BEEKK LLMMNNOOBB PPQQRRSSTTUV WWXX YYZZNNA2A2AAB2B2 TTC2C2D2LNN MMLLPPVVWW JJE2E2AAEENNBBRRZZEE F2F2A2A2 QQOORG2D2L NNAATTBBH2H2I2I2NN LLBBXXLXPJ2NND2D2MM OOXXXXK2K2 AAL2M2N2N2XXO2M2P2RB 2B2Q2R2 NNLLNNPPXX NNIIVLB2B2F2F2XXOOBB S2S2XXBBLLBBB XXVVM2L2LL BBXXQ2R2XXBBXXXXNNG

IT was a wild and untrain'd bowerA
Enough to screen from April showerA
Or shelter from June's hotter hourA
Tapestried with starry jessaminesB
The summer's gold and silver minesB
With a moss seat and its turf setC
With crowds of the white violetD
And close beside a fountain play'dE
Dim cool from its encircling shadeE
And lemon trees grew round as paleF
As never yet to them the galeF
Had brought a message from the sunG
To say their summer task was doneG
It was a very solitudeH
For love in its despairing moodH
With just enough of breath and bloomI
With just enough of calm and gloomI
To suit a heart where love has wroughtJ
His wasting work with saddest thoughtJ
Where all its sickly fantasiesB
May call up suiting imagesB
With flowers like hopes that spring and fadeE
As only for a mockery madeE
And shadows of the boughs that fallK
Like sorrow drooping over allK
-
And LEILA loveliest can it beL
Such destiny is made for theeL
Yes it is written on thy browM
The all thy lip may not avowM
All that in woman's heart can dwellN
Save by a blush unutterableN
Alas that ever RAYMOND cameO
To light thy cheek and heart to flameO
A hidden fire but not the lessB
Consuming in its dark recessB
-
She had leant by his couch of painP
When throbbing pulse and bursting veinP
Fierce spoke the fever when fate nearQ
Rode on the tainted atmosphereQ
And though that parch'd lip spoke aloneR
Of other love in fondest toneR
And though the maiden knew that deathS
Might be upon his lightest breathS
Yet never by her lover's sideT
More fondly watch'd affianced brideT
With pain or fear more anxious stroveU
Than LEILA watch'd another's loveV
-
But he was safe that very dayW
Farewell it had been her's to sayW
And he was gone to his own landX
To seek another maiden's handX
-
Who that had look'd on her that mornY
Could dream of all her heart had borneY
Her cheek was red but who could knowZ
'Twas flushing with the strife belowZ
Her eye was bright but who could tellN
It shone with tears she strove to quellN
Her voice was gay her step was lightA2
And beaming beautiful and brightA2
It was as if life could conferA
Nothing but happiness on herA
Ah who could think that all so fairB2
Was semblance and but misery thereB2
-
'Tis strange with how much power and prideT
The softness is of love alliedT
How much of power to force the breastC2
To be in outward show at restC2
How much of pride that never eyeD2
May look upon its agonyL
Ah little will the lip revealN
Of all the burning heart can feelN
-
But this was past and she was nowM
With clasped hands prest to her browM
And head bow'd down upon her kneeL
And heart pulse throbbing audiblyL
And tears that gush'd like autumn rainP
The more for that they gush'd in vainP
Oh why should woman ever loveV
Trusting to one false star aboveV
And fling her little chance awayW
Of sunshine for its treacherous rayW
-
At first ELVIRA had not soughtJ
To break upon her lonely thoughtJ
But it was now the vesper timeE2
And she return'd not at the chimeE2
Of holy bells she knew the hourA
At last they search'd her favourite bowerA
Beside the fount they found the maidE
On head bow'd down as if she pray'dE
Her long black hair fell like a veilN
Making her pale brow yet more paleN
'Twas strange to look upon her faceB
Then turn and see its shadowy traceB
Within the fountain one like stoneR
So cold so colourless so loneR
A statue nymph placed there to showZ
How far the sculptor's art could goZ
The other and that too the shadeE
In light and crimson warmth array'dE
For the red glow of day decliningF2
Was now upon the fountain shiningF2
And the shape in its mirror brightA2
Of sparkling waves caught warmth and lightA2
-
ELVIRA spoke not though so nearQ
Her words lay mute in their own fearQ
At last she whisper'd LEILA'S nameO
No answer from the maiden cameO
She took one cold hand in her ownR
Started and it dropp'd lifeless downG2
She gazed upon the fixed eyeD2
And read in it mortalityL
-
And lingers yet that maiden's taleN
A legend of the lemon valeN
They say that never from that hourA
Has flourish'd there a single flowerA
The jasmine droop'd the violets diedT
Nothing grew by that fountain sideT
Save the pale pining lemon treesB
And the dark weeping cypressesB
And now when to the twilight starH2
The lover wakes his lone guitarH2
Or maiden bids a song impartI2
All that is veil'd in her own heartI2
The wild and mournful tale they tellN
Of her who loved alas too wellN
-
And where was RAYMOND where was heL
Borne homeward o'er the rapid seaL
While sunny days and favouring galesB
Brought welcome speed to the white sailsB
With bended knee and upraised handX
He stood upon his native landX
With all that happiness can beL
When resting on futurityX
On on he went and o'er the plainP
He rode an armed knight againJ2
He urged his steed with hand and heelN
It bounded concious of the steelN
And never yet to RAYMOND'S eyeD2
Spread such an earth shone such a skyD2
Blew such sweet breezes o'er his browM
As those his native land had nowM
-
He thought upon young EVA'S nameO
And felt that she was still the sameO
He thought on AMIRALD his childX
Had surely his dark cares beguiledX
He thought upon the welcome sweetX
It would be his so soon to meetX
And never had the star of hopeK2
Shone on a lovelier horoscopeK2
-
And evening shades were on the hourA
When RAYMOND rode beneath the towerA
Remember'd well for ADELINEL2
Had there been his heart's summer queenM2
Could this be it he knew the heathN2
Which lake like spread its walls beneathN2
He saw the dark old chesnut woodX
Which had for ages by it stoodX
And but for these the place had beenO2
As one that he had never seenM2
The walls were rent the gates were goneP2
No red light from the watch tower shoneR
He enter'd and the hall was bareB2
It show'd the spoiler had been thereB2
Even upon the very hearthQ2
The green grass found a place of birthR2
-
Oh vanity that the stone wallN
May sooner than a blossom fallN
The tower in its strength may beL
Laid low before the willow treeL
There stood the wood subject to allN
The autumn wind the winter fallN
There stood the castle which the rainP
And wind had buffetted in vainP
But one in ruins stood besideX
The other green in its spring prideX
-
And RAYMOND paced the lonely hallN
As if he feared his own footfallN
It is the very worst the gloomI
Of a deserted banquet roomI
To see the spider's web outvieV
The torn and faded tapestryL
To shudder at the cold damp airB2
Then think how once were burning thereB2
The incense vase with odour glowingF2
The silver lamp its softness throwingF2
O'er cheeks as beautiful and brightX
As roses bathed in summer lightX
How through the portals sweeping cameO
Proud cavalier and high born dameO
With gems like stars 'mid raven curlsB
And snow white plumes and wreathed pearlsB
Gold cups whose lighted flames made dimS2
The sparkling stones around the brimS2
Soft voices answering to the luteX
The swelling harp the sigh waked fluteX
The glancing lightness of the danceB
Then starting sudden from thy tranceB
Gaze round the lonely place and seeL
Its silence and obscurityL
Then commune with thine heart and sayB
These are the foot prints of decayB
And I even thus shall pass awayB
-
And RAYMOND turn'd him to departX
With darken'd brow and heavy heartX
Can outrage or can time removeV
The sting the scar of slighted loveV
He could not look upon the sceneM2
And not remember ADELINEL2
Fair queen of gone festivityL
Oh where was it and where was sheL
-
At distance short a village layB
And thither RAYMOND took his wayB
And in its hostel shelter foundX
While the dark night was closing roundX
It was a cheerful scene the hearthQ2
Was bright with wood fire and with mirthR2
And in the midst a harper bentX
O'er his companion instrumentX
'Twas an old man his hair was greyB
For winter tracks in snow its wayB
But yet his dark keen eye was brightX
With somewhat of its youthful lightX
Like one whose path of life had madeX
Its course through mingled sheen and shadeX
But one whose buoyant spirit stillN
Pass'd lightly on through good or illN
OneG

Letitia Elizabeth Landon



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about The Troubadour. Canto 4 poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 6 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets