Goliath Of Gath Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIJKK LLMMNEJJOOGGPPQQRRBB SSTTUVRRRNEKKWXHHYYE EPPXZGGA2A2EEEEEEDDG GEEWB2EEEEOOEEEEEEC2 D2WWE2E2EEYYGGEEEEEE E2E2F2F2EEGGEEEEG2G2 EEGGH2I2I2J2J2RRREEK 2K2GGEEEEL2L2GGEEGGM 2N2O2P2EEERERRKKL2L2 PPQ2R2RRPPRREEEERRER EEEEEEEEGGRREEGGEEQ2 Q2EEEEAAS2S2EEEEPT2

Ye martial pow'rs and all ye tuneful nineA
Inspire my song and aid my high designA
The dreadful scenes and toils of war I writeB
The ardent warriors and the fields of fightB
You best remember and you best can singC
The acts of heroes to the vocal stringC
Resume the lays with which your sacred lyreD
Did then the poet and the sage inspireD
Now front to front the armies were display'dE
Here Israel rang'd and there the foes array'dE
The hosts on two opposing mountains stoodF
Thick as the foliage of the waving woodF
Between them an extensive valley layG
O'er which the gleaming armour pour'd the dayG
When from the camp of the Philistine foesH
Dreadful to view a mighty warrior roseH
In the dire deeds of bleeding battle skill'dI
The monster stalks the terror of the fieldJ
From Gath he sprung Goliath was his nameK
Of fierce deportment and gigantic frameK
A brazen helmet on his head was plac'dL
A coat of mail his form terrific grac'dL
The greaves his legs the targe his shoulders prestM
Dreadful in arms high tow'ring o'er the restM
A spear he proudly wav'd whose iron headN
Strange to relate six hundred shekels weigh'dE
He strode along and shook the ample fieldJ
While Phoebus blaz'd refulgent on his shieldJ
Through Jacob's race a chilling horror ranO
When thus the huge enormous chief beganO
Say what the cause that in this proud arrayG
You set your battle in the face of dayG
One hero find in all your vaunting trainP
Then see who loses and who wins the plainP
For he who wins in triumph may demandQ
Perpetual service from the vanquish'd landQ
Your armies I defy your force despiseR
By far inferior in Philistia's eyesR
Produce a man and let us try the fightB
Decide the contest and the victor's rightB
Thus challeng'd he all Israel stood amaz'dS
And ev'ry chief in consternation gaz'dS
But Jesse's son in youthful bloom appearsT
And warlike courage far beyond his yearsT
He left the folds he left the flow'ry meadsU
And soft recesses of the sylvan shadesV
Now Israel's monarch and his troops ariseR
With peals of shouts ascending to the skiesR
In Elah's vale the scene of combat liesR
When the fair morning blush'd with orient redN
What David's fire enjoin'd the son obey'dE
And swift of foot towards the trench he cameK
Where glow'd each bosom with the martial flameK
He leaves his carriage to another's careW
And runs to greet his brethren of the warX
While yet they spake the giant chief aroseH
Repeats the challenge and insults his foesH
Struck with the sound and trembling at the viewY
Affrighted Israel from its post withdrewY
Observe ye this tremendous foe they cry'dE
Who in proud vaunts our armies hath defy'dE
Whoever lays him prostrate on the plainP
Freedom in Israel for his house shall gainP
And on him wealth unknown the king will pourX
And give his royal daughter for his dow'rZ
Then Jesse's youngest hope My brethren sayG
What shall be done for him who takes awayG
Reproach from Jacob who destroys the chiefA2
And puts a period to his country's griefA2
He vaunts the honours of his arms abroadE
And scorns the armies of the living GodE
Thus spoke the youth th' attentive people ey'dE
The wond'rous hero and again reply'dE
Such the rewards our monarch will bestowE
On him who conquers and destroys his foeE
Eliab heard and kindled into ireD
To hear his shepherd brother thus inquireD
And thus begun What errand brought thee sayG
Who keeps thy flock or does it go astrayG
I know the base ambition of thine heartE
But back in safety from the field departE
Eliab thus to Jesse's youngest heirW
Express'd his wrath in accents most severeB2
When to his brother mildly he reply'dE
What have I done or what the cause to chideE
The words were told before the king who sentE
For the young hero to his royal tentE
Before the monarch dauntless he beganO
For this Philistine fail no heart of manO
I'll take the vale and with the giant fightE
I dread not all his boasts nor all his mightE
When thus the king Dar'st thou a stripling goE
And venture combat with so great a foeE
Who all his days has been inur'd to fightE
And made its deeds his study and delightE
Battles and bloodshed brought the monster forthC2
And clouds and whirlwinds usher'd in his birthD2
When David thus I kept the fleecy careW
And out there rush'd a lion and a bearW
A tender lamb the hungry lion tookE2
And with no other weapon than my crookE2
Bold I pursu'd and chas d him o'er the fieldE
The prey deliver'd and the felon kill'dE
As thus the lion and the bear I slewY
So shall Goliath fall and all his crewY
The God who sav'd me from these beasts of preyG
By me this monster in the dust shall layG
So David spoke The wond'ring king reply'dE
Go thou with heav'n and victory on thy sideE
This coat of mail this sword gird on he saidE
And plac'd a mighty helmet on his headE
The coat the sword the helm he laid asideE
Nor chose to venture with those arms untry'dE
Then took his staff and to the neighb'ring brookE2
Instant he ran and thence five pebbles tookE2
Mean time descended to Philistia's sonF2
A radiant cherub and he thus begunF2
Goliath well thou know'st thou hast defy'dE
Yon Hebrew armies and their God deny'dE
Rebellious wretch audacious worm forbearG
Nor tempt the vengeance of their God too farG
Them who with his Omnipotence contendE
No eye shall pity and no arm defendE
Proud as thou art in short liv'd glory greatE
I come to tell thee thine approaching fateE
Regard my words The Judge of all the godsG2
Beneath whose steps the tow'ring mountain nodsG2
Will give thine armies to the savage broodE
That cut the liquid air or range the woodE
Thee too a well aim'd pebble shall destroyG
And thou shalt perish by a beardless boyG
Such is the mandate from the realms aboveH2
And should I try the vengeance to removeI2
Myself a rebel to my king would proveI2
Goliath say shall grace to him be shownJ2
Who dares heav'ns Monarch and insults his throneJ2
Your words are lost on me the giant criesR
While fear and wrath contended in his eyesR
When thus the messenger from heav'n repliesR
Provoke no more Jehovah's awful handE
To hurl its vengeance on thy guilty landE
He grasps the thunder and he wings the stormK2
Servants their sov'reign's orders to performK2
The angel spoke and turn'd his eyes awayG
Adding new radiance to the rising dayG
Now David comes the fatal stones demandE
His left the staff engag'd his better handE
The giant mov'd and from his tow'ring heightE
Survey'd the stripling and disdain'd the fightE
And thus began Am I a dog with theeL2
Bring'st thou no armour but a staff to meL2
The gods on thee their vollied curses pourG
And beasts and birds of prey thy flesh devourG
David undaunted thus Thy spear and shieldE
Shall no protection to thy body yieldE
Jehovah's name no other arms I bearG
I ask no other in this glorious warG
To day the Lord of Hosts to me will giveM2
Vict'ry to day thy doom thou shalt receiveN2
The fate you threaten shall your own becomeO2
And beasts shall be your animated tombP2
That all the earth's inhabitants may knowE
That there's a God who governs all belowE
This great assembly too shall witness standE
That needs nor sword nor spear th' Almighty'sR
handE
The battle his the conquest he bestowsR
And to our pow'r consigns our hated foesR
Thus David spoke Goliath heard and cameK
To meet the hero in the field of fameK
Ah fatal meeting to thy troops and theeL2
But thou wast deaf to the divine decreeL2
Young David meets thee meets thee not in vainP
'Tis thine to perish on th' ensanguin'd plainP
And now the youth the forceful pebble slungQ2
Philistia trembled as it whizz'd alongR2
In his dread forehead where the helmet endsR
Just o'er the brows the well aim'd stone descendsR
It pierc'd the skull and shatter'd all the brainP
Prone on his face he tumbled to the plainP
Goliath's fall no smaller terror yieldsR
Than riving thunders in aerial fieldsR
The soul still ling'red in its lov'd abodeE
Till conq'ring David o'er the giant strodeE
Goliath's sword then laid its master deadE
And from the body hew'd the ghastly headE
The blood in gushing torrents drench'd the plainsR
The soul found passage through the spouting veinsR
And now aloud th' illustrious victor saidE
Where are your boastings now your champion'sR
deadE
Scarce had he spoke when the Philistines fledE
But fled in vain the conqu'ror swift pursu'dE
What scenes of slaughter and what seas of bloodE
There Saul thy thousands grasp'd th' impurpled sandE
In pangs of death the conquest of thine handE
And David there were thy ten thousands laidE
Thus Israel's damsels musically play'dE
Near Gath and Edron many an hero layG
Breath'd out their souls and curs'd the light of dayG
Their fury quench'd by death no longer burnsR
And David with Goliath's head returnsR
To Salem brought but in his tent he plac'dE
The load of armour which the giant grac'dE
His monarch saw him coming from the warG
And thus demanded of the son of NerG
Say who is this amazing youth he cry'dE
When thus the leader of the host reply'dE
As lives thy soul I know not whence he sprungQ2
So great in prowess though in years so youngQ2
Inquire whose son is he the sov'reign saidE
Before whose conq'ring arm Philistia fledE
Before the king behold the stripling standE
Goliath's head depending from his handE
To him the king Say of what martial lineA
Art thou young hero and what sire was thineA
He humbly thus The son of Jesse IS2
I came the glories of the field to tryS2
Small is my tribe but valiant in the fightE
Small is my city but thy royal rightE
Then take the promis'd gifts the monarch cry'dE
Conferring riches and the royal brideE
Knit to my soul for ever thou remainP
With me nor quit my regal roof againT2

Phillis Wheatley



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