The Pied Piper Of Hamelin Poem Rhyme Scheme

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 128 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Wonderful Women
by Umaru Kanneh Boima
Freedom To Scratch In Peace
by Olute Aete
Happy New Year
by Felix Menda
Human Beings
by Dana Graslie
Lust
by Wisdom Greatness
An Isolated Tree's Song
by Sayeed Abubakar
A Strange Boy
by Sayeed Abubakar
O Soil
by Sayeed Abubakar
No War, No War-monger
by Sayeed Abubakar
Night's Town
by Sayeed Abubakar

Popular Poets

1. Emily Dickinson(2414 poems)
2. Madison Julius Cawein(1231 poems)
3. Ella Wheeler Wilcox(1136 poems)
4. William Wordsworth(1016 poems)
5. Robert Burns(986 poems)
6. Edgar Albert Guest(945 poems)
7. Thomas Moore(849 poems)
8. Robert Service(831 poems)

Robert Browning

The Pied Piper Of Hamelin Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Write your comment about The Pied Piper Of Hamelin poem by Robert Browning

Recent Interactions*

New Poems

Popular Poets

A Child's Story	A
	-
Hamelin Town's in Brunswick	B
By famous Hanover city	A
The river Weser deep and wide	C
Washes its wall on the southern side	C
A pleasanter spot you never spied	C
But when begins my ditty	A
Almost five hundred years ago	D
To see the townsfolk suffer so	D
From vermin was a pity	A
	-
Rats	E
They fought the dogs and killed the cats	E
And bit the babies in the cradles	F
And ate the cheeses out of the vats	E
And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles	F
Split open the kegs of salted sprats	F
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats	F
And even spoiled the women's chats	F
By drowning their speaking	G
With shrieking and squeaking	G
In fifty different sharps and flats	F
	-
At last the people in a body	A
To the Town Hall came flocking	G
'Tis clear cried they our Mayor's a noddy	A
And as for our Corporation shocking	G
To think we buy gowns lined with ermine	H
For dolts that can't or won't determine	H
What's best to rid us of our vermin	I
You hope because you're old and obese	F
To find in the furry civic robe ease	F
Rouse up Sirs Give your brains a racking	G
To find the remedy we're lacking	G
Or sure as fate we'll send you packing	G
At this the Mayor and Corporation	H
Quaked with a mighty consternation	H
	-
An hour they sate in council	J
At length the Mayor broke silence	F
For a guilder I'd my ermine gown sell	K
I wish I were a mile hence	F
It's easy to bid one rack one's brain	L
I'm sure my poor head aches again	M
I've scratched it so and all in vain	L
Oh for a trap a trap a trap	N
Just as he said this what should hap	N
At the chamber door but a gentle tap	N
Bless us cried the Mayor what's that	A
With the Corporation as he sat	A
Looking little though wondrous fat	A
Nor brighter was his eye nor moister	A
Than a too long opened oyster	A
Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous	F
For a plate of turtle green and glutinous	F
Only a scraping of shoes on the mat	A
Anything like the sound of a rat	A
Makes my heart go pit a pat	A
	-
Come in the Mayor cried looking bigger	A
And in did come the strangest figure	A
His queer long coat from heel to head	A
Was half of yellow and half of red	A
And he himself was tall and thin	I
With sharp blue eyes each like a pin	I
And light loose hair yet swarthy skin	I
No tuft on cheek nor beard on chin	I
But lips where smiles went out and in	I
There was no guessing his kith and kin	I
And nobody could enough admire	A
The tall man and his quaint attire	A
Quoth one It's as my great grandsire	A
Starting up at the Trump of Doom's tone	O
Had walked this way from his painted tombstone	O
	-
He advanced to the council table	J
And Please your honours said he I'm able	J
By means of a secret charm to draw	A
All creatures living beneath the sun	H
That creep or swim or fly or run	H
After me so as you never saw	A
And I chiefly use my charm	P
On creatures that do people harm	P
The mole and toad and newt and viper	A
And people call me the Pied Piper	A
And here they noticed round his neck	Q
A scarf of red and yellow stripe	R
To match with his coat of the selfsame cheque	Q
And at the scarf's end hung a pipe	R
And his fingers they noticed were ever straying	Q
As if impatient to be playing	Q
Upon this pipe as low it dangled	A
Over his vesture so old fangled	A
Yet said he poor piper as I am	S
In Tartary I freed the Cham	S
Last June from his huge swarms of gnats	F
I eased in Asia the Nizam	S
Of a monstrous brood of vampire bats	F
And as for what your brain bewilders	F
If I can rid your town of rats	F
Will you give me a thousand guilders	F
One fifty thousand was the exclamation	H
Of the astonished Mayor and Corporation	H
	-
Into the street the Piper stepped	A
Smiling first a little smile	T
As if he knew what magic slept	A
In his quiet pipe the while	T
Then like a musical adept	A
To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled	A
And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled	A
Like a candle flame where salt is sprinkled	A
And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered	A
You heard as if an army muttered	A
And the muttering grew to a grumbling	Q
And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling	Q
And out of the houses the rats came tumbling	Q
Great rats small rats lean rats brawny rats	F
Brown rats black rats grey rats tawny rats	F
Grave old plodders gay young friskers	F
Fathers mothers uncles cousins	F
Cocking tails and pricking whiskers	F
Families by tens and dozens	F
Brothers sisters husbands wives	F
Followed the Piper for their lives	F
From street to street he piped advancing	Q
And step for step they followed dancing	Q
Until they came to the river Weser	A
Wherein all plunged and perished	A
Save one who stout a Julius Caesar	A
Swam across and lived to carry	A
As he the manuscript he cherished	A
To Rat land home his commentary	A
Which was At the first shrill notes of the pipe	R
I heard a sound as of scraping tripe	R
And putting apples wondrous ripe	R
Into a cider press's gripe	R
And a moving away of pickle tub boards	F
And a leaving ajar of conserve cupboards	F
And a drawing the corks of train oil flasks	F
And a breaking the hoops of butter casks	F
And it seemed as if a voice	F
Sweeter far than by harp or by psaltery	A
Is breathed called out 'Oh rats rejoice	F
The world is grown to one vast drysaltery	A
So munch on crunch on take your nuncheon	H
Breakfast supper dinner luncheon '	-
And just as a bulky sugar puncheon	H
All ready staved like a great sun shone	H
Glorious scarce and inch before me	A
Just as methought it said 'Come bore me '	-
I found the Weser rolling o'er me	A
	-
You should have heard the Hamelin people	J
Ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple	J
Go cried the Mayor and get long poles	F
Poke out the nests and block up the holes	F
Consult with carpenters and builders	F
And leave in our town not even a trace	F
Of the rats when suddenly up the face	F
Of the Piper perked in the market place	F
With a First if you please my thousand guilders	F
	-
A thousand guilders The Mayor looked blue	U
So did the Corporation too	U
For council dinners made rare havoc	Q
With Claret Moselle Vin de Grave Hock	Q
And half the money would replenish	V
Their cellar's biggest butt with Rhenish	V
To pay this sum to a wandering fellow	D
With a gypsy coat of red and yellow	D
Beside quoth the Mayor with a knowing wink	Q
Our business was done at the river's brink	Q
We saw with our eyes the vermin sink	Q
And what's dead can't come to life I think	Q
So friend we're not the folks to shrink	Q
From the duty of giving you something for drink	Q
And a matter of money to put in your poke	Q
But as for the guilders what we spoke	Q
Of them as you very well know was in joke	Q
Beside our losses have made us thrifty	A
A thousand guilders Come take fifty	A
	-
The Piper's face fell and he cried	A
No trifling I can't wait beside	A
I've promised to visit by dinner time	S
Bagdat and accept the prime	S
Of the Head Cook's pottage all he's rich in	H
For having left in the Calip's kitchen	H
Of a nest of scorpions no survivor	A
With him I proved no bargain driver	A
With you don't think I'll bate a stiver	A
And folks who put me in a passion	H
May find me pipe to another fashion	H
	-
How cried the Mayor d'ye think I'll brook	Q
Being worse treated than a Cook	Q
Insulted by a lazy ribald	A
With idle pipe and vesture piebald	A
You threaten us fellow Do your worst	A
Blow your pipe there till you burst	A
	-
Once more he stepped into the street	A
And to his lips again	H
Laid his long pipe of smooth straight cane	H
And ere he blew three notes such sweet	A
Soft notes as yet musician's cunning	Q
Never gave the enraptured air	A
There was a rustling that seemed like a bustling	Q
Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling	Q
Small feet were pattering wooden shoes clattering	Q
Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering	Q
And like fowls in a farmyard when barley is scattering	Q
Out came the children running	Q
All the little boys and girls	F
With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls	F
And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls	F
Tripping and skipping ran merrily after	A
The wonderful music with shouting and laughter	A
	-
The Mayor was dumb and the Council stood	A
As if they were changed into blocks of wood	A
Unable to move a step or cry	A
To the children merrily skipping by	A
And could only follow with the eye	A
That joyous crowd at the Piper's back	Q
But how the Mayor was on the rack	Q
And the wretched Council's bosoms beat	A
As the Piper turned from the High Street	A
To where the Weser rolled its waters	F
Right in the way of their sons and daughters	F
However he turned from South to West	A
And to Koppelberg Hill his steps addressed	A
And after him the children pressed	A
Great was the joy in every breast	A
He never can cross that mighty top	W
He's forced to let the piping drop	W
And we shall see our children stop	W
When lo as they reached the mountain's side	A
A wondrous portal opened wide	A
As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed	A
And the Piper advanced and the children followed	A
And when all were in to the very last	A
The door in the mountain side shut fast	A
Did I say all No One was lame	S
And could not dance the whole of the way	X
And in after years if you would blame	S
His sadness he was used to say	X
It's dull in our town since my playmates left	A
I can't forget that I'm bereft	A
Of all the pleasant sights they see	A
Which the Piper also promised me	A
For he led us he said to a joyous land	A
Joining the town and just at hand	A
Where waters gushed and fruit trees grew	U
And flowers put forth a fairer hue	U
And everything was strange and new	U
The sparrows were brighter than peacocks here	A
And their dogs outran our fallow deer	A
And honey bees had lost their stings	F
And horses were born with eagles' wings	F
And just as I became assured	A
My lame foot would be speedily cured	A
The music stopped and I stood still	Y
And found myself outside the Hill	Y
Left alone against my will	Y
To go now limping as before	A
And never hear of that country more	A
	-
Alas alas for Hamelin	H
There came into many a burgher's pate	A
A text which says that Heaven's Gate	A
Opes to the Rich at as easy rate	A
As the needle's eye takes a camel in	H
The Mayor sent East West North and South	Z
To offer the Piper by word of mouth	Z
Wherever it was men's lot to find him	S
Silver and gold to his heart's content	A
If he'd only return the way he went	A
And bring the children behind him	S
But when they saw 'twas a lost endeavour	A
And Piper and dancers were gone for ever	A
They made a decree that lawyers never	A
Should think their records dated duly	A
If after the day of the month and year	A
These words did not as well appear	A
And so long after what happened here	A
On the Twenty second of July	A
Thirteen hundred and seventy six	F
And the better in memory to fix	F
The place of the children's last retreat	A
They called it the Pied Piper's Street	A
Where any one playing on pipe or tabor	A
Was sure for the future to lose his labour	A
Nor suffered they hostelry or tavern	H
To shock with mirth a street so solemn	H
But opposite the place of the cavern	H
They wrote the story on a column	H
And on the great Church Window painted	A
The same to make the world acquainted	A
How their children were stolen away	X
And there it stands to this very day	X
And I must not omit to say	X
That in Transylvania there's a tribe	A2
Of alien people that ascribe	A2
The outlandish ways and dress	F
On which their neighbours lay such stress	F
To their fathers and mothers having risen	H
Out of some subterraneous prison	H
Into which they were trepanned	X
Long time ago in a mighty band	X
Out of Hamelin town in Brunswick land	X
But how or why they don't understand	X
	-
So Willy let you and me be wipers	F
Of scores out with all men especially pipers	F
And whether they pipe us free from rats or from mice	F
If we've promised them aught let us keep our promise	F