Flight Of The Duchess, The Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Robert Browning

Flight Of The Duchess, The Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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I	A
	-
You're my friend	B
I was the man the Duke spoke to	C
I helped the Duchess to cast off his yoke too	C
So here's the tale from beginning to end	B
My friend	B
	-
II	A
	-
Ours is a great wild country	D
If you climb to our castle's top	E
I don't see where your eye can stop	E
For when you've passed the cornfield country	D
Where vineyards leave off flocks are packed	F
And sheep range leads to cattle tract	F
And cattle tract to open chase	G
And open chase to the very base	G
Of the mountain where at a funeral pace	G
Round about solemn and slow	H
One by one row after row	H
Up and up the pine trees go	H
So like black priests up and so	H
Down the other side again	I
To another greater wilder country	D
That's one vast red drear burnt up plain	J
Branched through and through with many a vein	J
Whence iron's dug and copper's dealt	K
Look right look left look straight before	L
Beneath they mine above they smelt	K
Copper ore and iron ore	L
And forge and furnace mould and melt	K
And so on more and ever more	L
Till at the last for a bounding belt	K
Comes the salt sand hoar of the great sea shore	L
And the whole is our Duke's country	D
	-
III	A
	-
I was born the day this present Duke was	M
And O says the song ere I was old	N
In the castle where the other Duke was	M
When I was happy and young not old	N
I in the kennel he in the bower	O
We are of like age to an hour	O
My father was huntsman in that day	P
Who has not heard my father say	P
That when a boar was brought to bay	P
Three times four times out of five	Q
With his huntspear he'd contrive	Q
To get the killing place transfixed	R
And pin him true both eyes betwixt	R
And that's why the old Duke would rather	O
He lost a salt pit than my father	O
And loved to have him ever in call	S
That's why my father stood in the hall	S
When the old Duke brought his infant out	T
To show the people and while they passed	U
The wondrous bantling round about	T
Was first to start at the outside blast	U
As the Kaiser's courier blew his horn	V
Just a month after the babe was born	V
And '' quoth the Kaiser's courier since	W
The Duke has got an heir our Prince	W
Needs the Duke's self at his side ''	-
The Duke looked down and seemed to wince	W
But he thought of wars o'er the world wide	X
Castles a fire men on their march	Y
The toppling tower the crashing arch	Y
And up he looked and awhile he eyed	X
The row of crests and shields and banners	Z
Of all achievements after all manners	Z
And ay '' said the Duke with a surly pride	X
The more was his comfort when he died	X
At next year's end in a velvet suit	A2
With a gilt glove on his hand his foot	B2
In a silken shoe for a leather boot	A2
Petticoated like a herald	C2
In a chamher next to an ante room	D2
Where he breathed the breath of page and groom	D2
What he called stink and they perfume	D2
They should have set him on red Berold	C2
Mad with pride like fire to manage	E2
They should have got his cheek fresh tannage	E2
Such a day as to day in the merry sunshine	F2
Had they stuck on his fist a rough foot merlin	G2
Hark the wind's on the heath at its game	H2
Oh for a noble falcon lanner	O
To flap each broad wing like a banner	O
And turn in the wind and dance like flame	H2
Had they broached a white beer cask from Berlin	G2
Or if you incline to prescribe mere wine	F2
Put to his lips when they saw him pine	F2
A cup of our own Moldavia fine	F2
Cotnar for instance green as May sorrel	I2
And ropy with sweet we shall not quarrel	I2
	-
IV	Q
	-
So at home the sick tall yellow Duchess	J2
Was left with the infant in her clutches	K2
She being the daughter of God knows who	C
And now was the time to revisit her tribe	L2
Abroad and afar they went the two	C
And let our people rail and gibe	L2
At the empty hall and extinguished fire	O
As loud as we liked but ever in vain	J
Till after long years we had our desire	O
And back came the Duke and his mother again	I
	-
V	Q
	-
And he came back the pertest little ape	M2
That ever affronted human shape	M2
Full of his travel struck at himself	Q
You'd say he despised our bluff old ways	N2
Not he For in Paris they told the elf	Q
Our rough North land was the Land of Lays	N2
The one good thing left in evil days	N2
Since the Mid Age was the Heroic Time	O2
And only in wild nooks like ours	Z
Could you taste of it yet as in its prime	O2
And see true castles with proper towers	Z
Young hearted women old minded men	I
And manners now as manners were then	I
So all that the old Dukes had been without knowing it	C2
This Duke would fain know he was without being it	C2
'Twas not for the joy's self but the joy of his showing it	C2
Nor for the pride's self but the pride of our seeing it	C2
He revived all usages thoroughly worn out	C2
The souls of them fumed forth the hearts of them torn out	C2
And chief in the chase his neck he perilled	C2
On a lathy horse all legs and length	P2
With blood for bone all speed no strength	P2
They should have set him on red Berold	C2
With the red eye slow consuming in fire	O
And the thin stiff ear like an abbey spire	O
	-
VI	Q
	-
Well such as he was he must marry we heard	C2
And out of a convent at the word	C2
Came the lady in time of spring	Q2
Oh old thoughts they cling they cling	Q2
That day I know with a dozen oaths	R2
I clad myself in thick hunting clothes	R2
Fit for the chase of urochs or buffle	I2
In winter time when you need to muffle	I2
But the Duke had a mind we should cut a figure	O
And so we saw the lady arrive	Q
My friend I have seen a white crane bigger	O
She was the smallest lady alive	Q
Made in a piece of nature's madness	J2
Too small almost for the life and gladness	J2
That over filled her as some hive	Q
Out of the bears' reach on the high trees	J2
Is crowded with its safe merry bees	J2
In truth she was not hard to please	J2
Up she looked down she looked round at the mead	C2
Straight at the castle that's best indeed	C2
To look at from outside the walls	J2
As for us styled the serfs and thralls ''	-
She as much thanked me as if she had said it	C2
With her eyes do you understand	C2
Because I patted her horse while I led it	C2
And Max who rode on her other hand	C2
Said no bird flew past but she inquired	C2
What its true name was nor ever seemed tired	C2
If that was an eagle she saw hover	O
And the green and grey bird on the field was the plover	O
When suddenly appeared the Duke	S2
And as down she sprung the small foot pointed	C2
On to my hand as with a rebuke	S2
And as if his backbone were not jointed	C2
The Duke stepped rather aside than forward	C2
And welcomed her with his grandest smile	I2
And mind you his mother all the while	I2
Chilled in the rear like a wind to Nor'ward	C2
And up like a weary yawn with its pullies	J2
Went in a shriek the rusty portcullis	J2
And like a glad sky the north wind sullies	J2
The lady's face stopped its play	I2
As if her first hair had grown grey	I2
For such things must begin some one day	I2
	-
VII	Q
	-
In a day or two she was well again	I
As who should say You labour in vain	J
This is all a jest against God who meant	C2
I should ever be as I am content	C2
And glad in his sight therefore glad I will be ''	-
So smiling as at first went she	Q
	-
VIII	Q
	-
She was active stirring all fire	O
Could not rest could not tire	O
To a stone she might have given life	Q
I myself loved once in my day	I2
For a shepherd's miner's huntsman's wife	Q
I had a wife I know what I say	I2
Never in all the world such an one	T2
And here was plenty to be done	T2
And she that could do it great or small	I2
She was to do nothing at all	I2
There was already this man in his post	C2
This in his station and that in his office	J2
And the Duke's plan admitted a wife at most	C2
To meet his eye with the other trophies	J2
Now outside the hall now in it	C2
To sit thus stand thus see and be seen	U2
At the proper place in the proper minute	C2
And die away the life between	U2
And it was amusing enough each infraction	T2
Of rule but for after sadness that came	H2
To hear the consummate self satisfaction	T2
With which the young Duke and the old dame	H2
Would let her advise and criticise	J2
And being a fool instruct the wise	J2
And child like parcel out prais	J2