The Khalif And The Arab Poem Rhyme Scheme

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A Transcript	A
	-
	-
Among the tales wherein it hath been told	B
In golden letters in a book of gold	B
Of Hatim Ta 's hospitality	C
Who substanceless in death and shadowy	C
Made men his guests upon that mountain top	D
Whereon his tomb grayed from a thistle crop	D
A tomb of rock where women hewn of stone	E
Rude figures spread dishevelled hair whose moan	E
From dark to daybreak made the silence cry	F
The camel drivers being tented nigh	F
Ghouls or hyenas shuddering would say	G
But only girls of granite find at day	G
	-
And of that city Sheddad son of Aad	G
Built mid the Sebaa sands A king who had	G
Dominion of the world and many kings	H
Builded in pride and power out of things	H
Unstable of the earth For he had read	G
Of Paradise and to his soul had said	G
Now in this life the like of Paradise	I
I 'll build me and the Prophet's may despise	J
Knowing no need of that he promises	K
So for this city taxed the lands and seas	L
And Columned Irem on a blinding height	G
Blazed in the desert like a chrysolite	G
The manner of its building it is told	G
Alternate bricks of silver and of gold	G
How Sheddad with his women and his slaves	M
His thousand viziers armored troops as waves	M
Of ocean countless God with awful flame	N
Shot sheer in thunder on him God his shame	N
Confounded and abolished ere his eyes	J
Had glimpsed bright follies of that Paradise	I
Lay blotted to a wilderness the land	G
Accurs d and the city lost in sand	G
Among such tales who questions of their sooth	O
One is recorded of an Arab youth	O
	-
The Khalif Hisham ben Abdulmelik	P
Hunting one day by some unwonted freak	P
Rode parted from his retinue and gave	Q
Chase to an antelope Without or slave	Q
Amir or vizier to a pasture place	R
Of sheep he came where dark in tattered grace	R
Watched one an Arab youth And as it came	N
The antelope drew off with mouth of flame	N
And tongue of fire to the youth he turned	G
Shouting Ho fellow in what school hast learned	G
Seest not the buck escapes me worthless one	S
O desert dullard	G
	-
Rising in the sun	S
O ignorant he said of that just worth	O
Of those the worthy of our Muslim earth	O
In that thou look'st upon me what thou art	G
As one fit for contempt thou lack'st no part	G
Of my disdain Allah I would not own	E
A dog of thine for friend no other known	E
Of speech a tyrant manners of an ass	T
And flung him rags and rage into the grass	T
	-
Provoked astonished wrinkled angrily	C
Hissed Hisham Slave thou know'st me not I see	C
Calmly the youth Aye verily I know	U
O mannerless thy tongue hath told me so	U
Thy tongue commanding ere it spake me peace	V
Soon art thou known nor late may knowledge cease	V
	-
O dog I am thy Khalif by a hair	W
Thy life hangs rav'ling	P
	-
May it dangle there	W
Till thou art rotted Whiles upon thy head	G
Misfortunes shower Of his dwelling place	R
Allah be thou forgetful What his grace	R
Hisham ben Merwan king of many words	X
Few generosities	X
	-
A flash of swords	X
In drifts of dust and lo the Khalif's troops	X
Surrounding ride As when a merlin stoops	X
Some stranger quarry prey that swims the wind	G
Heron or eagle kenning not its kind	G
There whence 'tis cast until it towering feels	X
An eagle's tearing talons falling reels	X
In broken circles downward so the youth	O
An Arab fearless as the face of Truth	O
Of all that made him instant of his death	O
Waited with eyes indifferent equal breath	O
	-
The palace reached Bring in the prisoner	Y
Before the Khalif and he came as were	Y
He in no wise concerned unquestioning went	G
Chin bowed on breast and on his feet a bent	G
Dark gaze of scornful freedom unafraid	G
Till at the Khalif's throne his steps were staid	G
And unsaluting standing head held down	Z
An armed attendant blazed him with a frown	Z
Dog of the Bedouins thy eyes rot out	G
Insulter must the whole big world needs shout	G
'Commander of the Faithful ' so thou see	X
	-
To him the Arab sneering Verily	C
Packsaddle of an ass	X
	-
The Khalif's rage	A2
Exceeded now and By my realm and rage	A2
Arab thy hour is come thy very last	G
Thy hope is vanished and thy life is past	G
The shepherd answered Aye by Allah then	B2
O Hisham if my time be stretched again	B2
Unscissored of what Destiny ordain	C2
Little or great thy words give little pain	C2
	-
Then the chief Chamberlain O vilest one	S
Of all the Arabs wilt thou not be done	S
Bandying thy baseness with the Ruler of	D2
The Faithful spat upon his face A scoff	E2
Fiery made answer	Y
	-
There be some have heard	G
The nonsense of our God the text absurd	G
'One day each soul whatever shall be prompt	G
To bow before me and to give accompt '	-
	-
Then wroth indeed was Hisham hotly said	G
He braves us headsman ho his peevish head	G
See canst thou medicine its speech anew	F2
Doctor its multiplying words to few	F2
Divorce them well So where the Arab stood	G
Bound him made kneel upon the cloth of blood	G
With curving sword the headsman leaned at pause	X
And even as 'tis custom made of laws	X
To the descendant of the Prophet quoth	O
O Khalif shall I strike	P
	-
By Iblis' oath	O
Strike answered Hisham but again the slave	Q
Questioned and yet again the Khalif gave	Q
His nodded yea and for the third time then	B2
He asked and knowing neither men nor Jinn	B2
Might save him if the Khalif spake assent	G
Signalled the sword the youth with body bent	G
Laughed till the wang teeth of each jaw appeared	G
Laughed as with scorn the King of kings he 'd beard	G
Insulting death So with redoubled spleen	B2
Roared Hisham rising It is truly seen	B2
That thou art mad who mockest Azrael	C
	-
The Arab answered Listen Once befell	C
Commander of the Faithful that a hawk	P
A hungry hawk pounced on a sparrow cock	P
And winging nestward with his meal in claw	C
To him the sparrow for the creature saw	C
The hawk's conceit addressed this slyly 'Oh	G2
Most great most royal there is not I know	B2
That in me which will stay thy stomach's stress	X
I am too paltry for thy mightiness'	X
With which the hawk was pleased and flattered so	X
In his self praise he let the sparrow go	X
	-
Then smiled the Khalif Hisham and a sign	B2
Staying the scimitar that hung malign	B2
A threatening crescent said God bless preserve	H2
The Prophet whom all true believers serve	H2
Now by my kinship to the Prophet and	G
Had he at first but spake us thus this hand	G
Had ne'er been reckless and instead of hate	G
He had had all except the Khalifate	G
Bade stuff his mouth with jewels and entreat	G
Him courteously then from the palace beat	G

Madison Julius Cawein

The Khalif And The Arab Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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