The Flight Of The Duchess Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCCBB A DEEDFFGGGHHHHIDJJKLK LKLKLD A MNMNOOPPPQQRROOSSTUT UVVWW WXYYXZZXXA2B2A2C2D2D 2D2C2E2E2F2G2H2OOH2G 2F2F2F2I2I2 Q J2K2CL2CL2OJOI Q M2M2QN2QN2N2O2ZO2ZII C2C2C2C2C2C2C2P2P2C2 OO Q C2C2Q2Q2R2R2I2I2OQOQ J2J2QJ2J2J2C2C2J2 C2C2C2C2C2C2OOS2C2S2 C2C2I2I2C2J2J2J2I2I2 I2 Q IJC2C2 Q Q OOQI2QI2T2T2I2I2C2J2 C2J2C2U2C2U2T2O| 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 | O |
Robert Browning
(1)
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