Pied Piper Of Hamelin, The Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A B CADDDAEEA FFGFGGGGHHG AHAHIIJGGHH II K LGMGNON PP AABBGGAA K BBAAJJJJJJBBBQ K LLBIIBRRB STSTSSAAUUGUGGG II K AVAVAAAAAASSSGGGGGGG GSSBABBABTTTTGGGGGBG BI IIB K LLGGGGGG G WWSSXXEESSSSSSSSSB G AAUUIIBBBI B SSAAA B AIIAS

A CHILD'S STORYA
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Written for and inscribed to W M the YoungerB
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I-
-
Hamelin Town's in BrunswickC
By famous Hanover cityA
The river Weser deep and wideD
Washes its wall on the southern sideD
A pleasanter spot you never spiedD
But when begins my dittyA
Almost five hundred years agoE
To see the townsfolk suffer soE
From vermin was a pityA
-
II-
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RatsF
They fought the dogs and killed the catsF
And bit the babies in the cradlesG
And ate the cheeses out of the vatsF
And licked the soup from the cooks' own ladlesG
Split open the kegs of salted spratsG
Made nests inside men's Sunday hatsG
And even spoiled the women's chatsG
By drowning their speakingH
With shrieking and squeakingH
In fifty different sharps and flatsG
-
III-
-
At last the people in a bodyA
To the Town Hall came flockingH
'Tis clear '' cried they our Mayor's a noddyA
And as for our Corporation shockingH
To think we buy gowns lined with ermineI
For dolts that can't or won't determineI
What's best to rid us of our verminJ
You hope because you're old and obeseG
To find in the furry civic robe easeG
Rouse up sirs Give your brains a rackingH
To find the remedy we're lackingH
Or sure as fate we'll send you packing ''-
At this the Mayor and CorporationI
Quaked with a mighty consternationI
-
IVK
-
An hour they sat in councilL
At length the Mayor broke silenceG
For a guilder I'd my ermine gown sellM
I wish I were a mile henceG
It's easy to bid one rack one's brainN
I'm sure my poor head aches againO
I've scratched it so and all in vainN
Oh for a trap a trap a trap ''-
Just as he said this what should hapP
At the chamber door but a gentle tapP
Bless us '' cried the Mayor what's that ''-
With the Corporation as he satA
Looking little though wondrous fatA
Nor brighter was his eye nor moisterB
Than a too long opened oysterB
Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinousG
For a plate of turtle green and glutinousG
Only a scraping of shoes on the matA
Anything like the sound of a ratA
Makes my heart go pit a pat ''-
-
VK
-
Come in '' the Mayor cried looking biggerB
And in did come the strangest figureB
His queer long coat from heel to headA
Was half of yellow and half of redA
And he himself was tall and thinJ
With sharp blue eyes each like a pinJ
And light loose hair yet swarthy skinJ
No tuft on cheek nor beard on chinJ
But lips where smiles went out and inJ
There was no guessing his kith and kinJ
And nobody could enough admireB
The tall man and his quaint attireB
Quoth one It's as my great grandsireB
Starting up at the Trump of Doom's toneQ
Had walked this way from his painted tombstone ''-
-
VIK
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He advanced to the council tableL
And Please your honours '' said he I'm ableL
By means of a secret charm to drawB
All creatures living beneath the sunI
That creep or swim or fly or runI
After me so as you never sawB
And I chiefly use my charmR
On creatures that do people harmR
The mole and toad and newt and viperB
And people call me the Pied Piper ''-
And here they noticed round his neckS
A scarf of red and yellow stripeT
To match with his coat of the self same chequeS
And at the scarf's end hung a pipeT
And his fingers they noticed were ever strayingS
As if impatient to be playingS
Upon this pipe as low it dangledA
Over his vesture so old fangledA
Yet '' said he poor piper as I amU
In Tartary I freed the ChamU
Last June from his huge swarms of gnatsG
I eased in Asia the NizamU
Of a monstrous brood of vampyre batsG
And as for what your brain bewildersG
If I can rid your town of ratsG
Will you give me a thousand guilders ''-
One fifty thousand '' was the exclamationI
Of the astonished Mayor and CorporationI
-
VIIK
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Into the street the Piper steptA
Smiling first a little smileV
As if he knew what magic sleptA
In his quiet pipe the whileV
Then like a musical adeptA
To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkledA
And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkledA
Like a candle flame where salt is sprinkledA
And ere three shrill notes the pipe utteredA
You heard as if an army mutteredA
And the muttering grew to a grumblingS
And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumblingS
And out of the houses the rats came tumblingS
Great rats small rats lean rats brawny ratsG
Brown rats black rats grey rats tawny ratsG
Grave old plodders gay young friskersG
Fathers mothers uncles cousinsG
Cocking tails and pricking whiskersG
Families by tens and dozensG
Brothers sisters husbands wivesG
Followed the Piper for their livesG
From street to street he piped advancingS
And step for step they followed dancingS
Until they came to the river WeserB
Wherein all plunged and perishedA
Save one who stout as Julius CaesarB
Swam across and lived to carryB
As he the manuscript he cherishedA
To Rat land home his commentaryB
Which was At the first shrill notes of the pipeT
I heard a sound as of scraping tripeT
And putting apples wondrous ripeT
Into a cider press's gripeT
And a moving away of pickle tub boardsG
And a leaving ajar of conserve cupboardsG
And a drawing the corks of train oil flasksG
And a breaking the hoops of butter casksG
And it seemed as if a voiceG
Sweeter far than b y' harp or b y' psalteryB
Is breathed called out Oh rats rejoiceG
The world is grown to one vast drysalteryB
So munch on crunch on take your nuncheonI
Breakfast supper dinner luncheon '-
And just as a bulky sugar puncheonI
All ready staved like a great sun shoneI
Glorious scarce an inch before meB
Just as methought it said Come bore me '-
I found the Weser rolling o'er me ''-
-
VIIIK
-
You should have heard the Hamelin peopleL
ringing the bells till they rocked the steepleL
Go '' cried the Mayor and get long polesG
Poke out the nests and block up the holesG
Consult with carpenters and buildersG
And leave in our town not even a traceG
Of the rats '' when suddenly up the faceG
Of the Piper perked in the market placeG
With a First if you please my thousand guilders ''-
-
IXG
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A thousand guilders The Mayor looked blueW
So did the Corporation tooW
For council dinners made rare havocS
With Claret Moselle Vin de Grave HockS
And half the money would replenishX
Their cellar's biggest butt with RhenishX
To pay this sum to a wandering fellowE
With a gipsy coat of red and yellowE
Beside '' quoth the Mayor with a knowing winkS
Our business was done at the river's brinkS
We saw with our eyes the vermin sinkS
And what's dead can't come to life I thinkS
So friend we're not the folks to shrinkS
From the duty of giving you something for drinkS
And a matter of money to put in your pokeS
But as for the guilders what we spokeS
Of them as you very well know was in jokeS
Beside our losses have made us thriftyB
A thousand guilders Come take fifty ''-
-
XG
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The Piper's face fell and he criedA
No trifling I can't wait besideA
I've promised to visit by dinnertimeU
Bagdat and accept the primeU
Of the Head Cook's pottage all he's rich inI
For having left in the Caliph's kitchenI
Of a nest of scorpions no survivorB
With him I proved no bargain driverB
With you don't think I'll bate a stiverB
And folks who put me in a passionI
May find me pipe after another fashion ''-
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XIB
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How '' cried the Mayor d'ye think I brookS
Being worse treated than a CookS
Insulted by a lazy ribaldA
With idle pipe and vesture piebaldA
You threaten us fellow Do your worstA
Blow your pipe there till you burst ''-
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XIIB
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Once more he stept into the streetA
And to his lips againI
Laid his long pipe of smooth straight caneI
And ere he blew three notes such sweetA
Soft notes as yet musician's cunningS

Robert Browning



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