The End Of The Century Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAABAB BBBCBD EEFEFE EEGHGI JJFEFE EEKLKL LLFLFL LLLELE EEFMFN EEKLKL EELLLL LLILIL LLOEOE EEFPFP EELILE JJLELE IILILI IIL LL| There are moments when as missions | A |
| God reveals to us strange visions | A |
| When within their separate stations | A |
| We may see the Centuries | B |
| Like revolving constellations | A |
| Shaping out Earth's destinies | B |
| - | |
| I have gazed in Time's abysses | B |
| Where no smallest thing Earth misses | B |
| That was hers once 'Mid her chattels | B |
| There the Past's gigantic ghost | C |
| Sits and dreams of thrones and battles | B |
| In the night of ages lost | D |
| - | |
| Far before her eyes unholy | E |
| Mist was spread that darkly slowly | E |
| Rolled aside like some huge curtain | F |
| Hung above the land and sea | E |
| And beneath it wild uncertain | F |
| Rose the wraiths of memory | E |
| - | |
| First I saw colossal spectres | E |
| Of dead cities Troy once Hector's | E |
| Pride then Babylon and Tyre | G |
| Karnac Carthage and the gray | H |
| Walls of Thebes Apollo's lyre | G |
| Built and Rome and Nineveh | I |
| - | |
| Empires followed first in seeming | J |
| Old Chaldea lost in dreaming | J |
| Egypt next a bulk Memnonian | F |
| Staring from her pyramids | E |
| Then Assyria Babylonian | F |
| Night beneath her hell lit lids | E |
| - | |
| Greece in classic white sidereal | E |
| Armored Rome in dark imperial | E |
| Purple crowned with blood and fire | K |
| Down the deeps barbaric strode | L |
| Gaul and Britain stalking by her | K |
| Skin clad and tattooed with woad | L |
| - | |
| All around them rent and scattered | L |
| Lay their gods with features battered | L |
| Brute and human stone and iron | F |
| Caked with gems and gnarled with gold | L |
| Temples that did once environ | F |
| These in wreck around them rolled | L |
| - | |
| While I stood and gazed and waited | L |
| Slowly night obliterated | L |
| All and other phantoms drifted | L |
| Out of darkness pale as stars | E |
| Shapes that tyrant faces lifted | L |
| Sultans kings and emperors | E |
| - | |
| Man and steed in ponderous metal | E |
| Panoplied they seemed to settle | E |
| Condors gaunt of devastation | F |
| On the world behind their march | M |
| Desolation conflagration | F |
| Loomed before them with her torch | N |
| - | |
| Helmets flamed like fearful flowers | E |
| Chariots rose and moving towers | E |
| Captains passed each fierce commander | K |
| With his gauntlet on his sword | L |
| Agamemnon Alexander | K |
| C sar each led on his horde | L |
| - | |
| Huns and Vandals wild invaders | E |
| Goths and Arabs stern Crusaders | E |
| Each like some terrific torrent | L |
| Rolled above a ruined world | L |
| Till a cataract abhorrent | L |
| Seemed the swarming spears uphurled | L |
| - | |
| Banners and escutcheons kindled | L |
| By the light of slaughter dwindled | L |
| Died in darkness the chimera | I |
| Of the Past was laid at last | L |
| But behold another era | I |
| From her corpse rose vague and vast | L |
| - | |
| Demogorgon of the Present | L |
| Who in one hand raised a Crescent | L |
| In the other with submissive | O |
| Fingers lifted up a Cross | E |
| Reverent and yet derisive | O |
| Seemed she robed in gold and dross | E |
| - | |
| In her skeptic eyes professions | E |
| Of great faith I saw expressions | E |
| Christian and humanitarian | F |
| Played around her cynic lip | P |
| Still I knew her a barbarian | F |
| By the sword upon her hip | P |
| - | |
| And she cherished strange eidolons | E |
| Pagan shadows Platos Solons | E |
| From whose teachings she indentured | L |
| Forms of law and sophistry | I |
| Seeking still for truth she ventured | L |
| Just so far as these could see | E |
| - | |
| When she vanished I uplifting | J |
| Eyes to where the dawn was rifting | J |
| Darkness lo beheld a shadow | L |
| Towering on Earth's utmost peaks | E |
| 'Round whom morning's eldorado | L |
| Rivered gold in blinding streaks | E |
| - | |
| On her brow I saw the stigma | I |
| Still of death and life's enigma | I |
| Filled her eyes around her shimmered | L |
| Folds of silence and afar | I |
| Faint above her forehead glimmered | L |
| Lone the light of one pale star | I |
| - | |
| Then a voice above or under | I |
| Earth against her seemed to thunder | I |
| Questions wherein was repeated | L |
| 'Christ or Cain ' and'God or beast ' | - |
| And the Future shadowy sheeted | L |
| Turning pointed towards the East | L |
Madison Julius Cawein
(1)
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