Over The Parapet Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCD CECECFCF GHGHIJIJ ACACAFAF KLKLMNMN AOAOPQPQ RSRSMTMT CUCUQVQV QFQFAWAX AAAAMBMB| All day long when the shells sail over | A |
| I stand at the sandbags and take my chance | B |
| But at night at night I'm a reckless rover | A |
| And over the parapet gleams Romance | B |
| Romance Romance How I've dreamed it writing | C |
| Dreary old records of money and mart | D |
| Me with my head chuckful of fighting | C |
| And the blood of vikings to thrill my heart | D |
| - | |
| But little I thought that my time was coming | C |
| Sudden and splendid supreme and soon | E |
| And here I am with the bullets humming | C |
| As I crawl and I curse the light of the moon | E |
| Out alone for adventure thirsting | C |
| Out in mysterious No Man's Land | F |
| Prone with the dead when a star shell bursting | C |
| Flares on the horrors on every hand | F |
| - | |
| There are ruby stars and they drip and wiggle | G |
| And the grasses gleam in a light blood red | H |
| There are emerald stars and their tails they wriggle | G |
| And ghastly they glare on the face of the dead | H |
| But the worst of all are the stars of whiteness | I |
| That spill in a pool of pearly flame | J |
| Pretty as gems in their silver brightness | I |
| And etching a man for a bullet's aim | J |
| - | |
| Yet oh it's great to be here with danger | A |
| Here in the weird death pregnant dark | C |
| In the devil's pasture a stealthy ranger | A |
| When the moon is decently hiding Hark | C |
| What was that Was it just the shiver | A |
| Of an eerie wind or a clammy hand | F |
| The rustle of grass or the passing quiver | A |
| Of one of the ghosts of No Man's Land | F |
| - | |
| It's only at night when the ghosts awaken | K |
| And gibber and whisper horrible things | L |
| For to every foot of this God forsaken | K |
| Zone of jeopard some horror clings | L |
| Ugh What was that It felt like a jelly | M |
| That flattish mound in the noisome grass | N |
| You three big rats running free of its belly | M |
| Out of my way and let me pass | N |
| - | |
| But if there's horror there's beauty wonder | A |
| The trench lights gleam and the rockets play | O |
| That flood of magnificent orange yonder | A |
| Is a battery blazing miles away | O |
| With a rush and a singing a great shell passes | P |
| The rifles resentfully bicker and brawl | Q |
| And here I crouch in the dew drenched grasses | P |
| And look and listen and love it all | Q |
| - | |
| God What a life But I must make haste now | R |
| Before the shadow of night be spent | S |
| It's little the time there is to waste now | R |
| If I'd do the job for which I was sent | S |
| My bombs are right and my clippers ready | M |
| And I wriggle out to the chosen place | T |
| When I hear a rustle Steady Steady | M |
| Who am I staring slap in the face | T |
| - | |
| There in the dark I can hear him breathing | C |
| A foot away and as still as death | U |
| And my heart beats hard and my brain is seething | C |
| And I know he's a Hun by the smell of his breath | U |
| Then Will you surrender I whisper hoarsely | Q |
| For it's death swift death to utter a cry | V |
| English schwein hund he murmurs coarsely | Q |
| Then we'll fight it out in the dark say I | V |
| - | |
| So we grip and we slip and we trip and wrestle | Q |
| There in the gutter of No Man's Land | F |
| And I feel my nails in his wind pipe nestle | Q |
| And he tries to gouge but I bite his hand | F |
| And he tries to squeal but I squeeze him tighter | A |
| Now I say I can kill you fine | W |
| But tell me first you Teutonic blighter | A |
| Have you any children He answers Nein | X |
| - | |
| Nine Well I cannot kill such a father | A |
| So I tie his hands and I leave him there | A |
| Do I finish my little job Well rather | A |
| And I get home safe with some light to spare | A |
| Heigh ho by day it's just prosy duty | M |
| Doing the same old song and dance | B |
| But oh with the night joy glory beauty | M |
| Over the parapet Life Romance | B |
Robert Service
(1)
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About Over The Parapet
Over The Parapet is a poem by Robert Service. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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