The Sick King In Bokhara Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCDC E BFBCB DGHI A GJKJLMNE D O E PDQDCRR D R A ESERRR TUR U VWV XY DZRZ RKDE A2DB2B2 C2RD2RE2EE F2G2RG2EH2EEI2 RI2J2 RRRB2 RERK PRE RYRX ENRN DERE G2RK2 DRR RRL2R CM2E GNG2N N2EO2E G2 P2R DEP2E E RQ2RQ2 XR2RR2 L2G2CG2 S2VRT2 RU2V2U2 GEW2E G2RM2R ERNR WX2I2Y2 RR2Z2R2 A3EPE B3DU2D D C3CRC LRT2R Q2ND3L EE3F3E3 RG3R EAH3A I3RS2R NCEC B3J3U2J3 K3B3L3B3 M3RN3R EWO3W P3OQ3| HUSSEIN | A |
| - | |
| O most just Vizier send away | B |
| The cloth merchants and let them be | C |
| Them and their dues this day the King | D |
| Is ill at ease and calls for thee | C |
| - | |
| THE VIZIER | E |
| - | |
| O merchants tarry yet a day | B |
| Here in Bokhara but at noon | F |
| To morrow come and ye shall pay | B |
| Each fortieth web of cloth to me | C |
| As the law is and go your way | B |
| - | |
| O Hussein lead me to the King | D |
| Thou teller of sweet tales thine own | G |
| Ferdousi's and the others' lead | H |
| How is it with my lord | I |
| - | |
| HUSSEIN | A |
| - | |
| Alone | G |
| Ever since prayer time he doth wait | J |
| O Vizier without lying down | K |
| In the great window of the gate | J |
| Looking into the Regist n | L |
| Where through the sellers' booths the slaves | M |
| Are this way bringing the dead man | N |
| O Vizier here is the King's door | E |
| - | |
| THE KING | D |
| - | |
| O Vizier I may bury him | O |
| - | |
| THE VIZIER | E |
| - | |
| O King thou know'st I have been sick | P |
| These many days and heard no thing | D |
| For Allah shut my ears and mind | Q |
| Not even what thou dost O King | D |
| Wherefore that I may counsel thee | C |
| Let Hussein if thou wilt make haste | R |
| To speak in order what hath chane'd | R |
| - | |
| THE KING | D |
| - | |
| O Vizier be it as thou say'st | R |
| - | |
| HUSSEIN | A |
| - | |
| Three days since at the time of prayer | E |
| A certain Moollah with his robe | S |
| All rent and dust upon his hair | E |
| Watch'd my lord's coming forth and push'd | R |
| The golden mace bearers aside | R |
| And fell at the King's feet and cried | R |
| - | |
| 'Justice O King and on myself | T |
| On this great sinner who hath broke | U |
| The law and by the law must die | R |
| Vengeance O King ' | - |
| - | |
| But the King spoke | U |
| - | |
| 'What fool is this that hurts our ears | V |
| With folly or what drunken slave | W |
| My guards what prick him with your spears | V |
| Prick me the fellow from the path ' | - |
| As the King said so was it done | X |
| And to the mosque my lord pass'd on | Y |
| - | |
| But on the morrow when the King | D |
| Went forth again the holy book | Z |
| Carried before him as is right | R |
| And through the square his path he took | Z |
| - | |
| My man comes running fleck'd with blood | R |
| From yesterday and falling down | K |
| Cries out most earnestly 'O King | D |
| My lord O King do right I pray | E |
| - | |
| 'How canst thou ere thou hear discern | A2 |
| It I speak folly but a king | D |
| Whether a thing be great or small | B2 |
| Like Allah hears and judges all | B2 |
| - | |
| 'Wherefore hear thou Thou know'st how fierce | C2 |
| In these last days the sun hath burn'd | R |
| That the green water in the tanks | D2 |
| Is to a putrid puddle turnd | R |
| And the canal that from the stream | E2 |
| Of Samarcand is brought this way | E |
| Wastes and runs thinner every day | E |
| - | |
| 'Now I at nightfall had gone forth | F2 |
| Alone and in a darksome place | G2 |
| Under some mulberry trees I found | R |
| A little pool and in brief space | G2 |
| With all the water that was there | E |
| I fill'd my pitcher and stole home | H2 |
| Unseen and having drink to spare | E |
| I hid the can behind the door | E |
| And went up on the roof to sleep | I2 |
| - | |
| 'But in the night which was with wind | R |
| And burning dust again I creep | I2 |
| Down having fever for a drink | J2 |
| - | |
| 'Now meanwhile had my brethren found | R |
| The water pitcher where it stood | R |
| Behind the door upon the ground | R |
| And call'd my mother and they all | B2 |
| - | |
| As they were thirsty and the night | R |
| Most sultry drain'd the pitcher there | E |
| That they sate with it in my sight | R |
| Their lips still wet when I came down | K |
| - | |
| 'Now mark I being fever'd sick | P |
| Most unblest also at that sight | R |
| Brake forth and curs'd them dost thou hear | E |
| One was my mother Now do right ' | - |
| - | |
| But my lord mus'd a space and said | R |
| 'Send him away Sirs and make on | Y |
| It is some madman ' the King said | R |
| As the King said so was it done | X |
| - | |
| The morrow at the self same hour | E |
| In the Kings path behold the man | N |
| Not kneeling sternly fix'd he stood | R |
| Right opposite and thus began | N |
| - | |
| Frowning grim down 'Thou wicked King | D |
| Most deaf where thou shouldst most give ear | E |
| What must I howl in the next world | R |
| Because thou wilt not listen here | E |
| - | |
| 'What wilt thou pray and get thee grace | G2 |
| And all grace shall to me be grudg'd | R |
| Nay but I swear from this thy path | K2 |
| I will not stir till I be judg'd ' | - |
| - | |
| Then they who stood about the King | D |
| Drew close together and conferr'd | R |
| Till that the King stood forth and said | R |
| 'Before the priests thou shalt be heard ' | - |
| - | |
| But when the Ulemas were met | R |
| And the thing heard they doubted not | R |
| But sentenc'd him as the law is | L2 |
| To die by stoning on the spot | R |
| - | |
| Now the King charg'd us secretly | C |
| 'Ston'd must he be the law stands so | M2 |
| Yet if he seek to fly give way | E |
| Forbid him not but let him go ' | - |
| - | |
| So saying the King took a stone | G |
| And cast it softly but the man | N |
| With a great joy upon his face | G2 |
| Kneel'd down and cried not neither ran | N |
| - | |
| So they whose lot it was cast stones | N2 |
| That they flew thick and bruis'd him sore | E |
| But he prais'd Allah with loud voice | O2 |
| And remain'd kneeling as before | E |
| - | |
| My lord had cover'd up his face | G2 |
| But when one told him 'He is dead ' | - |
| Turning him quickly to go in | P2 |
| 'Bring thou to me his corpse ' he said | R |
| - | |
| And truly while I speak O King | D |
| I hear the bearers on the stair | E |
| Wilt thou they straightway bring him in | P2 |
| Ho enter ye who tarry there | E |
| - | |
| THE VIZIER | E |
| - | |
| O King in this I praise thee not | R |
| Now must I call thy grief not wise | Q2 |
| Is he thy friend or of thy blood | R |
| To find such favour in thine eyes | Q2 |
| - | |
| Nay were he thine own mother's son | X |
| Still thou art king and the Law stands | R2 |
| It were not meet the balance swerv'd | R |
| The sword were broken in thy hands | R2 |
| - | |
| But being nothing as he is | L2 |
| Why for no cause make sad thy face | G2 |
| Lo I am old three kings ere thee | C |
| Have I seen reigning in this place | G2 |
| - | |
| But who through all this length of time | S2 |
| Could bear the burden of his years | V |
| If he for strangers pain'd his heart | R |
| Not less than those who merit tears | T2 |
| - | |
| Fathers we must have wife and child | R |
| And grievous is the grief for these | U2 |
| This pain alone which must be borne | V2 |
| Makes the head white and bows the knees | U2 |
| - | |
| But other loads than this his own | G |
| One man is not well made to bear | E |
| Besides to each are his own friends | W2 |
| To mourn with him and show him care | E |
| - | |
| Look this is but one single place | G2 |
| Though it be great all the earth round | R |
| If a man bear to have it so | M2 |
| Things which might vex him shall be found | R |
| - | |
| Upon the Russian frontier where | E |
| The watchers of two armies stand | R |
| Near one another many a man | N |
| Seeking a prey unto his hand | R |
| - | |
| Hath snatch'd a little fair hair'd slave | W |
| They snatch also towards Merv | X2 |
| The Shiah dogs who pasture sheep | I2 |
| And up from thence to Orgunj | Y2 |
| - | |
| And these all labouring for a lord | R |
| Eat not the fruit of their own hands | R2 |
| Which is the heaviest of all plagues | Z2 |
| To that man's mind who understands | R2 |
| - | |
| The kaffirs also whom God curse | A3 |
| Vex one another night and day | E |
| There are the lepers and all sick | P |
| There are the poor who faint alway | E |
| - | |
| All these have sorrow and keep still | B3 |
| Whilst other men make cheer and sing | D |
| Wilt thou have pity on all these | U2 |
| No nor on this dead dog O King | D |
| - | |
| THE KING | D |
| - | |
| O Vizier thou art old I young | C3 |
| Clear in these things I cannot see | C |
| My head is burning and a heat | R |
| Is in my skin which angers me | C |
| - | |
| But hear ye this ye sons of men | L |
| They that bear rule and are obey'd | R |
| Unto a rule more strong than theirs | T2 |
| Are in their turn obedient made | R |
| - | |
| In vain therefore with wistful eyes | Q2 |
| Gazing up hither the poor man | N |
| Who loiters by the high heap'd booths | D3 |
| Below there in the Regist n | L |
| - | |
| Says 'Happy he who lodges there | E |
| With silken raiment store of rice | E3 |
| And for this drought all kinds of fruits | F3 |
| Grape syrup squares of colour'd ice | E3 |
| - | |
| 'With cherries serv'd in drifts of snow ' | - |
| In vain hath a king power to build | R |
| Houses arcades enamell'd mosques | G3 |
| And to make orchard closes fill'd | R |
| - | |
| With curious fruit trees bought from far | E |
| With cisterns for the winter rain | A |
| And in the desert spacious inns | H3 |
| In divers places if that pain | A |
| - | |
| Is not more lighten'd which he feels | I3 |
| If his will be not satisfied | R |
| And that it be not from all time | S2 |
| The Law is planted to abide | R |
| - | |
| Thou wert a sinner thou poor man | N |
| Thou wert athirst and didst not see | C |
| That though we snatch what we desire | E |
| We must not snatch it eagerly | C |
| - | |
| And I have meat and drink at will | B3 |
| And rooms of treasures not a few | J3 |
| But I am sick nor heed I these | U2 |
| And what I would I cannot do | J3 |
| - | |
| Even the great honour which I have | K3 |
| When I am dead will soon grow still | B3 |
| So have I neither joy nor fame | L3 |
| But what I can do that I will | B3 |
| - | |
| I have a fretted brick work tomb | M3 |
| Upon a hill on the right hand | R |
| Hard by a close of apricots | N3 |
| Upon the road of Samarcand | R |
| - | |
| Thither O Vizier will I bear | E |
| This man my pity could not save | W |
| And plucking up the marble flags | O3 |
| There lay his body in my grave | W |
| - | |
| Bring water nard and linen rolls | P3 |
| Wash off all blood set smooth each limb | O |
| Then say 'He was not wholly vile | Q3 |
| Because a king shall bury him ' | - |
Matthew Arnold
(1)
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About The Sick King In Bokhara
The Sick King In Bokhara is a poem by Matthew Arnold. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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