A Letter To Monsieur Boileau Despreaux, Occasioned By The Victory At Blenheim Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Matthew Prior

A Letter To Monsieur Boileau Despreaux, Occasioned By The Victory At Blenheim Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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Since hired for life thy servile Muse must sing	A
Successive conquests and a glorious King	A
Must of a man immortal vainly boast	B
And bring him laurels whatsoe'er they cost	C
What turn wilt thou employ what colours lay	D
On the event of that superior day	D
In which one English subject's prosperous hand	E
So Jove did will so Anna did command	E
Broke the proud column of thy master's praise	F
Which sixty winters had conspired to raise	F
From the lost field a hundred standards brought	G
Must be the work of Chance and Fortune's fault	H
Bavaria's stars must be accused which shone	I
That fatal day the mighty work was done	J
With rays oblique upon the Gallic sun	J
Some demon envying France misled the sight	K
And Mars mistook though Louis order'd right	K
When thy young Muse invoked the tuneful Nine	L
To say how Louis did not pass the Rhine	L
What work had we with Wageninghen Arnheim	M
Places that could not be reduced to rhyme	M
And though the poet made his last efforts	N
Wurts who could mention in heroic Wurts	N
But tell me hast thou reason to complain	O
Of the rough triumphs of the last campaign	O
The Danube rescued and the Empire saved	P
Say is the majesty of verse retrieved	Q
And would it prejudice thy softer vein	O
To sing the princes Louis and Eugene	R
Is it too hard in happy verse to place	N
The Vans and Vanders of the Rhine and Maese	N
Her warriors Anna sends from Tweed and Thames	N
That France may fall by more harmonious names	N
Canst thou not Hamilton or Lumley bear	S
Would Ingoldsby or Palmes offend thy ear	T
And is there not a sound in Marlbro's name	M
Which thou and all thy brethren ought to claim	M
Sacred to verse and sure of endless fame	M
Cutts is in metre something harsh to read	U
Place me the valiant Gouram in his stead	U
Let the intention make the number good	V
Let generous Sylvius speak for honest Wood	V
And though rough Churchill scarce in verse will stand	E
So as to have one rhyme at his command	E
With ease the bard reciting Blenheim's plain	O
May close the verse remembering but the Dane	O
I grant old friend old foe for such we are	W
Alternate as the chance of peace and war	X
That we poetic folks who must restrain	O
Our measured sayings in an equal chain	O
Have troubles utterly unknown to those	N
Who let their fancy loose in rambling prose	N
For instance now how hard is it for me	M
To make my matter and my my verse agree	M
In one great day on Hochstets fatal plain	O
French and Bavarians twenty thousand slain	O
Push'd through the Danube to the shores of Styx	N
Squadrons eighteen battalions twenty six	N
Officers captive made and private men	Y
Of these twelve hundred of those thousands ten	Y
Tents ammunition colours carriages	N
Cannons and kettle drums sweet numbers these	N
But is it thus you English bards compose	N
With Runic lays thus tag insipid prose	N
And when you should your hero's deeds rehearse	N
Give us a commissary's list in verse	N
Why faith Despreaux there's sense in what you say	N
I told you where my difficulty lay	N
So vast so numerous were great Blenheim's spoils	N
They scorn the bounds of verse and mock the muse's toils	N
To make the rough recital aptly chime	M
Or bring the sum of Gallia's loss to rhyme	M
'Tis mighty hard what poet would essay	N
To count the streamers of my Lord Mayor's day	N
To number all the several dishes dress'd	Z
By honest Lamb last coronation feast	A2
Or make arithmetic and epic meet	B2
And Newton's thoughts in Dryden's style repeat	B2
O Poet had it been Apollo's will	C2
That I had shared a portion of thy skill	C2
Had this poor breast received the heavenly beam	M
Or could I hope my verse might reach my theme	M
Yet Boileau yet the labouring muse should strive	D2
Beneath the shades of Marlbro's wreaths to live	D2
Should call aspiring gods to bless her choice	N
And to their favourite's strain exalt her voice	N
Arms and a Queen to sing who great and good	V
From peaceful Thames to Danube's wondering flood	E2
Sent forth the terror of her high commands	N
To save the nations from invading hands	N
To prop fair Liberty's declining cause	N
And fix the jarring world with equal laws	N
The queen should sit in Windsor's sacred grove	F2
Attended by the gods of War and Love	G2
Both should with equal zeal her smiles implore	X
To fix her joys or to extend her Power	H2
Sudden the Nymphs and Tritons should appear	I2
And as great Anna smiles dispel their fear	I2
With active dance should her observance claim	M
With vocal shell should sound her happy name	M
Their master Thames should leave the neigh'bring shore	X
By his strong anchor known and silver oar	X
Should lay his ensigns at his sovereign's feet	B2
And audience mild with humble grace entreat	B2
To her his dear defence she should complain	O
That whilst he blesses her indulgent reign	O
Whilst further seas are by his fleets survey'd	B2
And on his happy banks each India laid	B2
His brethren Maese and Waal and Rhine and Saar	W
Feel the hard burden of oppressive war	X
That Danube scarce retains his rightful course	N
Against two rebel armies' neighbouring force	N
And all must weep sad captive to the Seine	M
Unless unchain'd and freed by Britain's queen	R
The valiant Sovereign calls her general forth	J2
Neither recites her bounty nor his worth	K2
She tells him he must Europe's fate redeem	M
And by that labour merit her esteem	M
She bids him wait her to the sacred hall	L2
Shows him Prince Edward and the conquer'd Gaul	L2
Fixing the bloody cross upon his breast	B2
Says he must die or succour the distrest	B2
Placing the saint an emblem by his side	B2
She tells him Virtue arm'd must conquer lawless Pride	B2
The hero bows obedient and retires	N
The Queen's commands exalt the warrior's fires	N
His steps are to the silent woods inclined	B2
The great designs revolving in his mind	B2
When to his sight a heavenly form appears	N
Her hand a palm her head a laurel wears	N
Me she begins the fairest child of Jove	G2
Below for ever sought and bless'd above	G2
Me the bright source of wealth and power and fame	M
Nor need I say Victoria is my name	M
Me the great Father down to thee has sent	B2
He bids me wait at thy distinguish'd tent	B2
To execute what Anna's wish would have	G2
Her subject thou I only am her slave	G2
Dare then thou much beloved by smiling Fate	B2
For Anna's sake and in her name be great	B2
Go forth and be to distant nations known	I
My future favourite and my darling son	J
At Schellenberg I'll manifest sustain	O
Thy glorious cause and spread thy wings again	Y
Conspicuous o'er thy helm in Blenheim's plain	O
The goddess said nor would admit reply	M2
But cut the liquid air and gain'd the sky	M2
His high commission is through Britain known	I
And thronging armies to his standard run	J
He marches thoughtful and he speedy sails	N
Bless him ye seas and prosper him ye gales	N
Belgia receives him welcome to her shores	N
And William's death with lessen'd grief deplores	N
His presence only must retrieve that loss	N
Marl'brough to her must be what William was	N
So when great Atlas from these low abodes	N
Recall'd was gather'd to his kindred gods	N
Alcides respited by prudent Fate	B2
Sustain'd the ball nor droop'd beneath the weight	B2
Secret and swift behold the chief advance	N
Sees half the empire join'd and friend to France	N
The British General dooms the fight his sword	B2
Dreadful he draws the captains wait the word	B2
Anne and St George the charging hero cries	N
Shrill Echo from the neighbouring wood replies	N
Anne and St George At that auspicious sign	L
The standards move the adverse armies join	N2
Of eight great hours Time measures out the sands	N
And Europe's fate in doubtful balance stands	N
The ninth Victoria comes o'er Marl'brough's head	B2
Confess'd she sits the hostile troops recede	B2
Triumphs the goddess from her promise freed	B2
The Eagle by the British Lion's might	B2
Unchain'd and free directs her upward flight	B2
Nor did she e'er with stronger pinions soar	X
From Tyber's banks than now from Danube's shore	X
Fired with the thoughts which these ideas raise	N
And great ambition of my country's praise	N
The English Muse should like the Mantuan rise	N
Scornful of earth and clouds should reach the skies	N
With wonder though with envy still pursued by human eyes	N
But we must change the style Just now I said	B2
I ne'er was master of the tuneful trade	B2
Or the small genius which my youth could boast	B2
In prose and business lies extinct and lost	B2
Bless'd if I may some younger muse excite	B2
Point out the game and animate the flight	B2
That from Marseilles to Calais France may know	O2
As we have conquerors we have poets too	B2
And either laurel does in Britain grow	O2
That though amongst ourselves with too much heat	B2
We sometimes wrangle when we should debate	B2
A consequential ill which freedom draws	N
A bad effect but from a nobler cause	N
We can with universal zeal advance	N
To curb the faithless arrogance of France	N
Nor ever shall Britannia's sons refuse	N
To answer to thy Master or thy Muse	N
Nor want just subject for victorious strains	N
While Marl'brough's arm eternal laurels gains	N
And where old Spenser sung a new Eliza reigns	N