The Prophecy Of St. Oran: Part Iv Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBCDD AEAEAFG AHIJIKK ALMNMJJ AOPOPGG AQMQMRS ATPTPUU APPPPVO QQPQPEE QPWPXAA QYZYZAA QPQPQQQ QA2JA2B2C2C2 AMAMQD2E2 AZPZPF2F2 APPPPPP AQPQPQQ AG2PG2PPP QAMAMA Q H2PC2J QEI2EI2P QQXQXPP QPEPEJI | A |
It is the night across the starless waste | B |
Of silent heaven the solitary moon | C |
Flits like a frightened maid who flies in haste | B |
And wild with terror seems to reel and swoon | C |
As in her rear the multitudinous clouds | D |
Follow like spectral huntsmen in their shrouds | D |
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II | A |
And sometimes the wild rout o'ertakes its prey | E |
And holds her captive in the lowering sky | A |
But ever and anon she bursts away | E |
And her white orb floats lustrously on high | A |
And with its lambent flame transmutes the haze | F |
Into a living halo for her face | G |
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III | A |
And far o'er black morass and barren moor | H |
The fitful splendour of the moonlight falls | I |
Its broken eddies sweep across the floor | J |
And dance in chequered silver on the walls | I |
And flood the chapel's grave encircled site | K |
With sudden flashes of unearthly light | K |
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IV | A |
And as the unquiet moonlight comes and flies | L |
Athwart the little roofless house of prayer | M |
Like some lost spirit strayed from Paradise | N |
Or d mon angel of the realms of air | M |
A pallid shape flits through the open door | J |
And flings itself low wailing on the floor | J |
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V | A |
And wailing wailing lay there in its pain | O |
When suddenly it snatched from the out the sod | P |
Some late forgotten spade while tears like rain | O |
Poured from its eyes enough to melt the clod | P |
And digging hard the small breach grew apace | G |
Till the soil lay like molehills round the place | G |
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VI | A |
But through the silence suddenly there swells | Q |
Along the gusty breaths of midnight air | M |
The mellow tinkling sound of magic bells | Q |
Such as the pious brethren love to wear | M |
To keep the fiends and goblins off that prowl | R |
For ever near to catch a tripping soul | S |
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VII | A |
And as the monks chanting a solemn hymn | T |
Draw nigh the chapel to perform their rite | P |
That wailing shape flies far into the dim | T |
Recess behind the altar full of night | P |
While they with burning torches move in file | U |
To consecrate afresh their sacred pile | U |
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VIII | A |
Three days three nights have fled since in that spot | P |
Where fiends and d mons revelled unforbid | P |
They buried that false monk who was a blot | P |
Upon their rule but since the earth has hid | P |
His bones accursed God's sun has shone again | V |
Nor has fresh ill assailed their prospering fane | O |
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IX | Q |
Which now they enter singing hymns of praise | Q |
Columba at their head when lo behold | P |
The grave yawns open and a bloodless face | Q |
The face of him they knew rose from the mould | P |
Slowly he rose from the incumbent clay | E |
Lifting the white shroud in the moonlight grey | E |
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X | Q |
Slowly his arm beneath the winding sheet | P |
He waved three times as though to bid them hear | W |
Then in the moonlight rose he to his feet | P |
Showing his shrunken body and his sere | X |
Discoloured hair and smouldering eyes that lie | A |
Sunk in their sockets glaring hot and dry | A |
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XI | Q |
Slowly he raised his voice once rich in tone | Y |
Like sweetest music now a mournful knell | Z |
With dull sepulchral sounds as of a stone | Y |
Cast down into a black unfathomed well | Z |
And murmured 'Lo I come back from the grave | A |
Behold there is no God to smite or save | A |
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XII | Q |
'Poor fools wild dreamers No there is no God | P |
Yon heaven is deaf and dumb to prayer and praise | Q |
Lo no almighty tyrant wields the rod | P |
For evermore above our hapless race | Q |
Nor fashioned us frail creatures that we be | Q |
To bear the burden of eternity | Q |
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XIII | Q |
'Hear it self torturing monks and cease to wage | A2 |
Your mad delirious suicidal war | J |
There is no devil who from age to age | A2 |
Waylays and tempts all souls of men that are | B2 |
For ever seeking whom he may devour | C2 |
And damn with wine and woman gold and power | C2 |
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XIV | A |
'Deluded priests ye think the world a snare | M |
Denouncing every tender human tie | A |
Behold your heaven is unsubstantial air | M |
Your future bliss a sick brain's phantasy | Q |
There is no room amid the stars which gem | D2 |
The firmament for your Jerusalem | E2 |
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XV | A |
'Rejoice poor sinners for I come to tell | Z |
To you who hardly dare to live for fright | P |
There is no burning everlasting hell | Z |
Where souls shall be tormented day and night | P |
The fever ye call life ends with your breath | F2 |
All weary souls set in the night of death | F2 |
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XVI | A |
'Then let your life on earth be life indeed | P |
Nor drop the substance snatching at a shade | P |
Ye can have Eden here ye bear the seed | P |
Of all the hells and heavens and gods ye made | P |
Within that mighty world transforming thought | P |
Which permeates the universe it wrought | P |
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XVII | A |
'Wrought out of stones and plants and birds and beasts | Q |
To flower in man and know itself at last | P |
Around about you see what endless feasts | Q |
The spring and summer bountifully cast | P |
'A vale of tears ' ye cry 'if ye were wise | Q |
The earth itself would change to Paradise | Q |
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XVIII | A |
'The earth itself the old despis d earth | G2 |
Would render back your love a thousandfold | P |
Nor yet afflict the sons of men with dearth | G2 |
Disease and misery and drought and cold | P |
If you would seek a blessing in her sod | P |
Instead of crying vainly on your God | P |
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XIX | Q |
'Cast down the crucifix take up the plough | A |
Nor waste your breath which is the life in prayer | M |
Dare to be men and break you impious vow | A |
Nor fly from woman as the devil's snare | M |
For if within around beneath above | A |
There is a living God that God is Love ' | - |
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XX | Q |
'The fool says in his heart There is no God ' | - |
Cried St Columba white with Christian ire | H2 |
'Seize Oran re inter him in the sod | P |
And may his soul awake in endless fire | C2 |
Earth on his mouth the earth he would adore | J |
That his blaspheming tongue may blab no more ' | - |
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XXI | Q |
Then like swart ravens swooping on their prey | E |
These monks rushed upon Oran when there came | I2 |
One gliding towards them in wild disarray | E |
With hair that streamed behind her like a flame | I2 |
And face dazed with the moon who shrilly cried | P |
'Let not death part the bridegroom from his bride ' | - |
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XXII | Q |
But deeming her some fiend in female guise | Q |
They drive her forth with threats till crazed with fear | X |
Across the stones and mounded graves she flies | Q |
Towards that lapping moon illumined mere | X |
And like a child seeking its mother's breast | P |
She casts her life thereon and is at rest | P |
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XXIII | Q |
And while the waves close gurgling o'er her head | P |
A grave is dug whence he may never stray | E |
Or come back prophesying from the dead | P |
All shouting as they stifle him with clay | E |
'Earth on his mouth the earth he would adore | J |
That his blaspheming tongue may blab no more ' | - |
Mathilde Blind
(1)
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