The Italian In England Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ KKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTT UUVVWW XXAAYYZZHHCCA2B2C2C2 D2D2E2E2F2F2LLG2G2GG H2H2I2J2K2K2L2L2M2M2 N2N2O2 O2P2P2KKJ2J2Q2Q2PPA2 A2R2R2S2S2XXAAT2T2 U2U2AU2V2V2U2U2AAW2W 2U2U2U2U2U2U2X2X2U2U 2HHU2U2OOU2U2Y2Y2U2U 2U2U2Z2Z2A3A3B3B3U2U 2C3C3U2U2HH D3D3That second time they hunted me | A |
From hill to plain from shore to sea | A |
And Austria hounding far and wide | B |
Her blood hounds through the countryside | B |
Breathed hot and instant on my trace | C |
I made six days a hiding place | C |
Of that dry green old aqueduct | D |
Where I and Charles when boys have plucked | D |
The fire flies from the roof above | E |
Bright creeping throuoh the moss they love | E |
How long it seems since Charles was lost | F |
Six days the soldiers crossed and crossed | F |
The country in my very sight | G |
And when that peril ceased at night | G |
The sky broke out in red dismay | H |
With signal fires well there I lay | H |
Close covered o'er in my recess | I |
Up to the neck in ferns and cress | I |
Thinking on Metternich our friend | J |
And Charles's miserable end | J |
And much beside two days the third | K |
Hunger o'ercame me when I heard | K |
The peasants from the village go | L |
To work among the maize you know | L |
With us in Lombardy they bring | M |
Provisions packed on mules a string | M |
With little bells that cheer their task | N |
And casks and boughs on every cask | N |
To keep the sun's heat from the wine | O |
These I let pass in jingling line | O |
And close on them dear noisy crew | P |
The peasants from the village too | P |
For at the very rear would troop | Q |
Their wives and sisters in a group | Q |
To help I knew when these had passed | R |
I threw my glove to strike the last | R |
Taking the chance she did not start | S |
Much less cry out but stooped apart | S |
One instant rapidly glanced round | T |
And saw me beckon from the ground | T |
A wild bush grows and hides my crypt | U |
She picked my glove up while she stripped | U |
A branch off then rejoined the rest | V |
With that my glove lay in her breast | V |
Then I drew breath they disappeared | W |
It was for Italy I feared | W |
- | |
An hour and she returned alone | X |
Exactly where my glove was thrown | X |
Meanwhile come many thoughts on me | A |
Rested the hopes of Italy | A |
I had devised a certain tale | Y |
Which when 'twas told her could not fail | Y |
Persuade a peasant of its truth | Z |
I meant to call a freak of youth | Z |
This hiding and give hopes of pay | H |
And no temptation to betray | H |
But when I saw that woman's face | C |
Its calm simplicity of grace | C |
Our Italy's own attitude | A2 |
In which she walked thus far and stood | B2 |
Planting each naked foot so firm | C2 |
To crush the snake and spare the worm | C2 |
At first sight of her eyes I said | D2 |
I am that man upon whose head | D2 |
They fix the price because I hate | E2 |
The Austrians over us the State | E2 |
Will give you gold oh gold so much | F2 |
If you betray me to their clutch | F2 |
And be your death for aught I know | L |
If once they find you saved their foe | L |
Now you must bring me food and drink | G2 |
And also paper pen and ink | G2 |
And carry safe what I shall write | G |
To Padua which you'll reach at night | G |
Before the Duomo shuts go in | H2 |
And wait till Tenebrae begin | H2 |
Walk to the Third Confessional | I2 |
Between the pillar and the wall | J2 |
And Kneeling whisper whence comes peace | K2 |
Say it a second time then cease | K2 |
And if the voice inside returns | L2 |
From Christ and Freedom what concerns | L2 |
The cause of Peace for answer slip | M2 |
My letter where you placed your lip | M2 |
Then come back happy we have done | N2 |
Our mother service I the son | N2 |
As you daughter of our land | O2 |
- | |
Three mornings more she took her stand | O2 |
In the same place with the same eyes | P2 |
I was no surer of sunrise | P2 |
Than of her coming we conferred | K |
Of her own prospects and I heard | K |
She had a lover stout and tall | J2 |
She said then let her eyelids fall | J2 |
He could do much as if some doubt | Q2 |
Entered her heart then passing out | Q2 |
She could not speak for others who | P |
Had other thoughts herself she knew | P |
And so she brought me drink and food | A2 |
After four days the scouts pursued | A2 |
Another path at last arrived | R2 |
The help my Paduan friends contrived | R2 |
To furnish me she brought the news | S2 |
For the first time I could not choose | S2 |
But kiss her hand and lay my own | X |
Upon her head This faith was shown | X |
To Italy our mother she | A |
Uses my hand and blesses thee | A |
She followed down to the seashore | T2 |
I left and never saw her more | T2 |
- | |
How very long since I have thought | U2 |
Concerning much less wished for aught | U2 |
Beside the good of Italy | A |
For which I live and mean to die | U2 |
I never was in love and since | V2 |
Charles proved false nothing could convince | V2 |
My inmost heart I had a friend | U2 |
However if I pleased to spend | U2 |
Real wishes on myself say Three | A |
I know at least what one should be | A |
I would grasp Metternich until | W2 |
I felt his red wet throat distil | W2 |
In blood through these two hands and next | U2 |
Nor much for that am I perplexed | U2 |
Charles perjured traitor for his part | U2 |
Should die slow of a broken heart | U2 |
Under his new employers last | U2 |
Ah there what should I wish For fast | U2 |
Do I grow old and out of strength | X2 |
If I resolved to seek at length | X2 |
My father's house again how scared | U2 |
They all would look and unprepared | U2 |
My brothers live in Austria's pay | H |
Disowned me long ago men say | H |
And all my early mates who used | U2 |
To praise me so perhaps induced | U2 |
More than one early step of mine | O |
Are turning wise while some opine | O |
Freedom grows License some suspect | U2 |
Haste breeds Delay and recollect | U2 |
They always said such premature | Y2 |
Beginnings never could endure | Y2 |
So with a sullen All's for best | U2 |
The land seems settling to its rest | U2 |
I think then I should wish to stand | U2 |
This evening in that dear lost land | U2 |
Over the sea the thousand miles | Z2 |
And know if yet that woman smiles | Z2 |
With the calm smile some little farm | A3 |
She lives in there no doubt what harm | A3 |
If I sate on the door side bench | B3 |
And while her spindle made a trench | B3 |
Fantastically in the dust | U2 |
Inquired of all her fortunes just | U2 |
Her children's ages and their names | C3 |
And what may be the husband's aims | C3 |
For each of them I'd talk this out | U2 |
And sit there for and hour about | U2 |
Then kiss her hand once more and lay | H |
Mine on her head and go my way | H |
- | |
So much for idle wishing how | D3 |
It steals the time To business now | D3 |
Robert Browning
(1)
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