Santa Christina Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFGHHIIJJKK LLLLL MLLLN LLOOLLPPQQLLLLRRSSLL LLL LTTLLLLMMLLU VVJJW FFLL LCCXXLLYYLLZZA2A2LL NNEELLB2 L C2 LLLLLLMMIILLD2D2LLCC E2AF2F2LLNNLLG2G2TTH 2I2J2K2LLF2F2LLL2 LLLLLLLAAZZB LLLLLLLLM2M2N2N2LLQQ LLNNSO2LLSSSP2P2Q2B2 CCR2R2LLJ2K2LLLLS2S2 T2T2RRLLLLA2A2RRU2U2 RM2LLLLL MT2T2T2L LLT2T2V2 M2W2CCLLLX2X2JJLLY2Y 2 T2T2M2M2TTX2X2NNLLBB LLTTZ2Z2Z2

At Tiro in her father's towerA
The young Cristina had her bowerA
Over blue Bolsena's lakeB
Where small frolic ripples breakB
Under a grove of sycamoreC
On the sandy eastern shoreC
There one clear May eve she satD
Leaning over the rich matD
Hung across the window sillE
While her doves with eager billE
Fluttered round her for the grainF
In her spread hands up againG
Now they soared through golden lightH
Radiant in a swerve of whiteH
Round the trees now scatteringI
With a shiver of many a wingI
Soft as snowy drops of foamJ
Singly they alighted homeJ
And swaying each a sheeny throatK
Crooned their comfortable noteK
-
On a sudden another soundL
Smote Cristina from the groundL
Bending over she espiedL
Wretched ragged folk who criedL
Hoarsely See the doves are fedL
We men and women have not bread ''-
While Cristina with a shyM
Courteous simplicityL
Looked upon them her young heartL
New to sorrow felt the dartL
Of pity pierce her body throughN
And she spoke What must I do ''-
Then with a thought her bosom beatL
And swift away on frightened feetL
To her father's chapel richO
With images in carven nicheO
Breathless and bright eyed she spedL
Most in dread of her own dreadL
Traitor to her purpose tookP
The idols in her hands that shookP
And brought them gathered in her gownQ
And from the window cast them downQ
The ragged people cried and snatchedL
This broken treasure then were matchedL
Strange companions here the bustL
Of gazing Jupiter augustL
Weighed on a sore blotched cripple thereR
Against a scullion's clouted hairR
Apollo's silver shoulder shoneS
While near by a withered croneS
Hugged into her bosom oldL
Venus' arm and breast of goldL
Mumbling o'er their spoils they wentL
A troop to stir the merrimentL
Of gods but sad Cristina sobbedL
-
When the stately father robbedL
Entering found his pagan shrineT
Emptied of its works divineT
Each by a famous craftsman wroughtL
Chosen well and dearly boughtL
And suffered only to be scannedL
With fond touches of the handL
By the nice appraising eyeM
Duke Urban cried a grievous cryM
But when at last he understoodL
The crime of his own flesh and bloodL
Grief was swallowed up in rageU
Pest on this corrupted age ''-
He cried This is this new god's workV
And now I find the venom lurkV
In my own child in my own homeJ
I am a citizen of RomeJ
She shall have justice take her henceW
And let my dungeon teach her sense ''-
Cristina weeping pleads the painF
Of the famished folk in vainF
Straightway she is cast and boundL
In a dungeon undergroundL
Three days went Now bring her out ''-
Said Urban Servants much in doubtL
Led her from the dungeon doorC
Much in doubt yet wondering moreC
For the damp and starving gloomX
Had but glorified her bloomX
And her brow was brave as sheL
Stepped before her father heL
With a sullen doubtful glanceY
Some moments looked on her askanceY
Art thou taught '' at last he saidL
Proud she lifted up her headL
Father if I wronged thee thouZ
Didst mar the face of mercy NowZ
By God's grace thy cruel wrongA2
Hath but made my soul more strongA2
I have suffered for thy prideL
Let thy poor be satisfiedL
See God stands upon my side ''-
Duke Urban flushed an angry hueN
Wilt thou brave me to thy rueN
Child '' he cried Since in thee stillE
Some imp of evil works his willE
Pricking thee outrageouslyL
I will burn him out of theeL
Go build a furnace bind her inB2
And let the flame purge out her sin ''-
All her women wept imploredL
Ah be merciful dear lord ''-
But the more imperious cameC2
His answer Cast her to the flame ''-
-
When that evening fell a lightL
Rose and shuddered up the nightL
On the reddened shore aroundL
Soldiers kept the fiery groundL
Where amid the furnace stoodL
Cristina spite of hardihoodL
None but turned away his eyeM
To see so sweet a creature dieM
Swifter roared the bright fire dancingI
Madder on their armour glancingI
While the people kneeling wailedL
Suddenly all faces paledL
In their ears a clear voice sangD2
From amidst the fire it sprangD2
Joyous and the soldiers raisedL
Their heads and all the people gazedL
There in the moving crimson coreC
Of the flames that sound and soarC
Coil and quiver twist and spireE2
'Mid the insufferable fireA
Like a breathing beauteous roseF2
Nay like a precious vase that glowsF2
Outlined intense and clear and whiteL
Absorbing all the burning lightL
Into its tissue through and throughN
To purify the shell like hueN
They behold Cristina standL
Lifting either little handL
And with parted lips and eyesG2
That the fierce flame glorifiesG2
See her form transfigured shineT
Singing in that fiery shrineT
An embodied rapture AweH2
Fell upon all them that sawI2
The young voice melted in their earsJ2
And beauty hushed them into tearsK2
Heaven seemed opening on their sightL
To its inmost soul of lightL
And the daily world of woesF2
Fell from off them and they roseF2
In a rapture faces turnedL
Each unto his neighbour burnedL
While they cried with voices fullL2
A miracle a miracle ''-
-
Urban in his dark tower heardL
Trembling that exultant wordL
Rage by stabbing terror spurredL
Swelled his heart to madness StraightL
With a torch from the open gateL
Striding he commanded CurstL
Be this snake that I have nursedL
She has witched to her desireA
A demon lover a fiend of fireA
Yet she shall not 'scape me nowZ
Ere another night I vowZ
She shall die With morning takeB
And throw her deep into the lake ''-
-
Though men groaned and women shriekedL
At such cruel vengeance wreakedL
None this old man's rage gainsaidL
For within their hearts they prayedL
Some new marvel should confoundL
All his fury Morning foundL
On the glimmering shore assembledL
A great multitude that trembledL
Half with hope and half with fearM2
Hemmed behind the levelled spearM2
Of armed ranks and over allN2
Ringed by silent lances tallN2
In a high seat Urban satL
By threatening fingers pointed atL
Motionless with eager frownQ
And on the wide lake gazing downQ
Soon the sun's uprising glowedL
Over the eastern hill and showedL
'Mid the waters that anewN
Shivered silvering into blueN
A single boat it brightly shoneS
Where Cristina knelt thereonO2
And the hangman at her sideL
Busy bending over tiedL
Round her neck a great mill stoneS
In the water she was thrownS
Passionate arose the groanS
From those watchers but as soonP2
Changed into a paean's tuneP2
For she sank not but was seenQ2
Where death's bubble should have beenB2
Standing on the stone that boreC
Her bare feet floating toward the shoreC
With little tremblings at the kneesR2
As the buoyant urging breezeR2
Rocked her onward With a shoutL
Thronged the people stretching outL
Eager arms or under spearsJ2
Thrust their heads with joyful tearsK2
Clapped their hands and cried to seeL
So magical a wonder SheL
Simple in her lovelinessL
By one hand holding up her dressL
From the wave that washed its hemS2
With white sparkle seemed to themS2
Fresh as Venus on her shellT2
Borne o'er the blue Ionian swellT2
Round her head the soft blown hairR
Played in sunny streams of airR
Save one long tress on her breastL
That her clasping fingers pressedL
In a dream she heard the criesL
Saw the bright and crowding eyesL
Near and nearer when a strongA2
Sudden tumult rose the throngA2
Turned and lo on his high chairR
'Mid the spearmen struggling thereR
Duke Urban with head fallen backU2
And the full vein swollen blackU2
On his throat his fingers tearR
At the suffocating fearM2
That holds him by the panting heartL
Breathless and his fixed eyes startL
While the heaving hubbub roundL
Rocks about him in hoarse soundL
Of vengeance his death gasp is drownedL
-
But Cristina floating nighM
When she saw this piteouslyT2
Bowed her gentle forehead lowT2
In her hands and cried Ah woeT2
On me and mine O Lord of PeaceL
Now my wretchedness release ''-
Even as in despair she prayedL
One that on the shore delayedL
At the crowd's edge watching allT2
And doubtful what might yet befallT2
Scowled and said within his teethV2
This witch girl comes to be our death ''-
Strung his bow and spurred by fearM2
Drew an arrow to his earW2
And while still this fierce uproarC
Held the wild throng on the shoreC
Sharp upon the tender throatL
The iron barb Cristina smoteL
Ere a man had turned to noteL
She was falling ere a tongueX2
Had one cry of warning rungX2
She had fallen and the foamJ
Tossing shoreward washed her homeJ
As a sudden silence rushedL
Over lips in terror hushedL
Rolled amid the shallow sprayY2
At their feet her body layY2
-
Dark is the world to the weak willT2
As to feet stumbling on a hillT2
Benighted when no stars appearM2
But as a star that beacons clearM2
O beauty of courage thou dost shineT
On souls that falter and that pineT
But most in bodies frail and youngX2
Is thy beauty seen and sungX2
There like a fountain ever newN
Thou dost scatter sunny dewN
Troubling our self bewildered nightL
With simplicity of lightL
Therefore is Bolsena's lakeB
Dear for fair Cristina's sakeB
Yea the stone that bore her feetL
And still bears the footprint sweetL
Housed in alabaster shrineT
Of carved work as a thing divineT
And by dead lips' kisses wornZ2
Shall be kissed in sorrow's scornZ2
By lips of thousands yet unbornZ2

Robert Laurence Binyon



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about Santa Christina poem by Robert Laurence Binyon


 
Best Poems of Robert Laurence Binyon

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 2 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

Popular Poets