Sohrab And Rustum Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABBCDEFGFHF IJKLJMNJOPFEIFEQRCE ST EUVUWXYZA2B2QC2D2E2F 2G2C2H2G2YI2J2UK2KKL 2M2N2L JE O2P2Q2B2R2S2Q2LT2KM2 QYLU2LV2W2X2Y2Z2QG2A 3QQB3YQ C3LNH2D3GE3LF3G3 HQH3I3J3K3L3QQQQM3L3 N3QO3QP3LQQ3QR3S3QQQ T3LQLU3V3L3I2W3LR3X3 QQMR3IJE LLQD2 Y3QZ3ED2A4 LQVQVQQB4QL C4R3D4Z2E C4

And the first grey of morning fill'd the eastA
And the fog rose out of the Oxus streamB
But all the Tartar camp along the streamB
Was hush'd and still the men were plunged in sleepC
Sohrab alone he slept not all night longD
He had lain wakeful tossing on his bedE
But when the grey dawn stole into his tentF
He rose and clad himself and girt his swordG
And took his horseman's cloak and left his tentF
And went abroad into the cold wet fogH
Through the dim camp to Peran Wisa's tentF
-
Through the black Tartar tents he pass'd which stoodI
Clustering like bee hives on the low flat strandJ
Of Oxus where the summer floods o'erflowK
When the sun melts the snows in high PamereL
Through the black tents he pass'd o'er that low strandJ
And to a hillock came a little backM
From the stream's brink the spot where first a boatN
Crossing the stream in summer scrapes the landJ
The men of former times had crown'd the topO
With a clay fort but that was fall'n and nowP
The Tartars built there Peran Wisa's tentF
A dome of laths and o'er it felts were spreadE
And Sohrab came there and went in and stoodI
Upon the thick piled carpets in the tentF
And found the old man sleeping on his bedE
Of rugs and felts and near him lay his armsQ
And Peran Wisa heard him though the stepR
Was dull'd for he slept light an old man's sleepC
And he rose quickly on one arm and saidE
-
Who art thou for it is not yet clear dawnS
Speak is there news or any night alarmT
-
But Sohrab came to the bedside and saidE
Thou know'st me Peran Wisa it is IU
The sun is not yet risen and the foeV
Sleep but I sleep not all night long I lieU
Tossing and wakeful and I come to theeW
For so did King Afrasiab bid me seekX
Thy counsel and to heed thee as thy sonY
In Samarcand before the army march'dZ
And I will tell thee what my heart desiresA2
Thou know'st if since from Ader baijan firstB2
I came among the Tartars and bore armsQ
I have still served Afrasiab well and shownC2
At my boy's years the courage of a manD2
This too thou know'st that while I still bear onE2
The conquering Tartar ensigns through the worldF2
And beat the Persians back on every fieldG2
I seek one man one man and one aloneC2
Rustum my father who I hoped should greetH2
Should one day greet upon some well fought fieldG2
His not unworthy not inglorious sonY
So I long hoped but him I never findI2
Come then hear now and grant me what I askJ2
Let the two armies rest to day but IU
Will challenge forth the bravest Persian lordsK2
To meet me man to man if I prevailK
Rustum will surely hear it if I fallK
Old man the dead need no one claim no kinL2
Dim is the rumour of a common fightM2
Where host meets host and many names are sunkN2
But of a single combat fame speaks clearL
-
He spoke and Peran Wisa took the handJ
Of the young man in his and sigh'd and saidE
-
O Sohrab an unquiet heart is thineO2
Canst thou not rest among the Tartar chiefsP2
And share the battle's common chance with usQ2
Who love thee but must press for ever firstB2
In single fight incurring single riskR2
To find a father thou hast never seenS2
That were far best my son to stay with usQ2
Unmurmuring in our tents while it is warL
And when 'tis truce then in Afrasiab's townsT2
But if this one desire indeed rules allK
To seek out Rustum seek him not through fightM2
Seek him in peace and carry to his armsQ
O Sohrab carry an unwounded sonY
But far hence seek him for he is not hereL
For now it is not as when I was youngU2
When Rustum was in front of every frayL
But now he keeps apart and sits at homeV2
In Seistan with Zal his father oldW2
Whether that his own mighty strength at lastX2
Feels the abhorr'd approaches of old ageY2
Or in some quarrel with the Persian KingZ2
There go Thou wilt not Yet my heart forebodesQ
Danger or death awaits thee on this fieldG2
Fain would I know thee safe and well though lostA3
To us fain therefore send thee hence in peaceQ
To seek thy father not seek single fightsQ
In vain but who can keep the lion's cubB3
From ravening and who govern Rustum's sonY
Go I will grant thee what thy heart desiresQ
-
So said he and dropp'd Sohrab's hand and leftC3
His bed and the warm rugs whereon he layL
And o'er his chilly limbs his woollen coatN
He pass'd and tied his sandals on his feetH2
And threw a white cloak round him and he tookD3
In his right hand a ruler's staff no swordG
And on his head he set his sheep skin capE3
Black glossy curl'd the fleece of Kara KulL
And raised the curtain of his tent and call'dF3
His herald to his side and went abroadG3
-
The sun by this had risen and clear'd the fogH
From the broad Oxus and the glittering sandsQ
And from their tents the Tartar horsemen filedH3
Into the open plain so Haman badeI3
Haman who next to Peran Wisa ruledJ3
The host and still was in his lusty primeK3
From their black tents long files of horse they stream'dL3
As when some grey November morn the filesQ
In marching order spread of long neck'd cranesQ
Stream over Casbin and the southern slopesQ
Of Elburz from the Aralian estuariesQ
Or some frore Caspian reed bed southward boundM3
For the warm Persian sea board so they stream'dL3
The Tartars of the Oxus the King's guardN3
First with black sheep skin caps and with long spearsQ
Large men large steeds who from Bokhara comeO3
And Khiva and ferment the milk of maresQ
Next the more temperate Toorkmuns of the southP3
The Tukas and the lances of SaloreL
And those from Attruck and the Caspian sandsQ
Light men and on light steeds who only drinkQ3
The acrid milk of camels and their wellsQ
And then a swarm of wandering horse who cameR3
From far and a more doubtful service own'dS3
The Tartars of Ferghana from the banksQ
Of the Jaxartes men with scanty beardsQ
And close set skull caps and those wilder hordesQ
Who roam o'er Kipchak and the northern wasteT3
Kalmucks and unkempt Kuzzaks tribes who strayL
Nearest the Pole and wandering KirghizzesQ
Who come on shaggy ponies from PamereL
These all filed out from camp into the plainU3
And on the other side the Persians form'dV3
First a light cloud of horse Tartars they seem'dL3
The Ilyats of Khorassan and behindI2
The royal troops of Persia horse and footW3
Marshall'd battalions bright in burnish'd steelL
But Peran Wisa with his herald cameR3
Threading the Tartar squadrons to the frontX3
And with his staff kept back the foremost ranksQ
And when Ferood who led the Persians sawQ
That Peran Wisa kept the Tartars backM
He took his spear and to the front he cameR3
And check'd his ranks and fix'd them where they stoodI
And the old Tartar came upon the sandJ
Betwixt the silent hosts and spake and saidE
-
Ferood and ye Persians and Tartars hearL
Let there be truce between the hosts to dayL
But choose a champion from the Persian lordsQ
To fight our champion Sohrab man to manD2
-
As in the country on a morn in JuneY3
When the dew glistens on the pearled earsQ
A shiver runs through the deep corn for joyZ3
So when they heard what Peran Wisa saidE
A thrill through all the Tartar squadrons ranD2
Of pride and hope for Sohrab whom they lovedA4
-
But as a troop of pedlars from CaboolL
Cross underneath the Indian CaucasusQ
That vast sky neighbouring mountain of milk snowV
Crossing so high that as they mount they passQ
Long flocks of travelling birds dead on the snowV
Choked by the air and scarce can they themselvesQ
Slake their parch'd throats with sugar'd mulberriesQ
In single file they move and stop their breathB4
For fear they should dislodge the o'er hanging snowsQ
So the pale Persians held their breath with fearL
-
And to Ferood his brother chiefs came upC4
To counsel Gudurz and Zoarrah cameR3
And Feraburz who ruled the Persian hostD4
Second and was the uncle of the KingZ2
These came and counsell'd and then Gudurz saidE
-
Ferood shame bids us take their challenge upC4
Yet champion h-

Matthew Arnold



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