March To Moscow, The Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCB DBEDCCCB DBBFGCCCCCB BBHIIBJJCCBKBEKKEJLM MLBNCOCCCC CBCCCCB KBCCCCB KBCBPPPCCCCCCBBBBBCC CCCCCCCCCKKCCQQQQCCC B BBDDRRCCCB GBQQQSCCCCBTT UBUCCCCCCKTTKUUTTBThe Emperor Nap he would set off | A |
On a summer excursion to Moscow | B |
The fields were green and the sky was blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
What a splendid excursion to Moscow | B |
- | |
Four hundred thousand men and more | D |
Must go with him to Moscow | B |
There were Marshals by the dozen | E |
And Dukes by the score | D |
Princes a few and Kings one or two | C |
While the fields are so green and the sky so blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
What a pleasant excursion to Moscow | B |
- | |
There was Junot and Augereau | D |
Heigh ho for Moscow | B |
Dombrowsky and Poniatowsky | B |
Marshall Ney lack a day | F |
General Rapp and the Emperor Nap | G |
Nothing would do | C |
While the fields were so green and the sky so blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
Nothing would do | C |
For the whole of his crew | C |
But they must be marching to Moscow | B |
- | |
The Emperor Nap he talk'd so big | B |
That he frighten'd Mr Roscoe | B |
John Bull he cries if you'll be wise | H |
Ask the Emperor Nap if he will please | I |
To grant you peace upon your knees | I |
Because he is going to Moscow | B |
He'll make all the Poles come out of their holes | J |
And beat the Russians and eat the Prussians | J |
For the fields are green and the sky is blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
And he'll certainly march to Moscow | B |
And Counsellor Brougham was all in a fume | K |
At the thought of the march to Moscow | B |
The Russians he said they were undone | E |
And the great Fee Faw Fum | K |
Would presently come | K |
With a hop step and jump unto London | E |
For as for his conquering Russia | J |
However some persons might scoff it | L |
Do it he could do it he would | M |
And from doing it nothing would come but good | M |
And nothing could call him off it | L |
Mr Jeffrey said so who must certainly know | B |
For he was the Edinburgh Prophet | N |
They all of them knew Mr Jeffrey's Review | C |
Which with Holy Writ ought to be reckon'd | O |
It was through thick and thin to its party true | C |
Its back was buff and its sides were blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
It served them for law and for gospel too | C |
- | |
But the Russians stoutly they turned to | C |
Upon the road to Moscow | B |
Nap had to fight his way all through | C |
They could fight though they could not parlez vous | C |
But the fields were green and the sky was blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
And so he got to Moscow | B |
- | |
He found the place too warm for him | K |
For they set fire to Moscow | B |
To get there had cost him much ado | C |
And then no better course he knew | C |
While the fields were green and the sky was blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
But to march back again from Moscow | B |
- | |
The Russians they stuck close to him | K |
All on the road from Moscow | B |
There was Tormazow and Jemalow | C |
And all the others that end in ow | B |
Milarodovitch and Jaladovitch | P |
And Karatschkowitch | P |
And all the others that end in itch | P |
Schamscheff Souchosaneff | C |
And Schepaleff | C |
And all the others that end in eff | C |
Wasiltschikoff Kotsomaroff | C |
And Tchoglokoff | C |
And all the others that end in off | C |
Rajeffsky and Novereffsky | B |
And Rieffsky | B |
And all the others that end in effsky | B |
Oscharoffsky and Rostoffsky | B |
And all the others that end in offsky | B |
And Platoff he play'd them off | C |
And Shouvaloff he shovell'd them off | C |
And Markoff he mark'd them off | C |
And Krosnoff he cross'd them off | C |
And Touchkoff he touch'd them off | C |
And Boroskoff he bored them off | C |
And Kutousoff he cut them off | C |
And Parenzoff he pared them off | C |
And Worronzoff he worried them off | C |
And Doctoroff he doctor'd them off | C |
And Rodinoff he flogg'd them off | C |
And last of all an Admiral came | K |
A terrible man with a terrible name | K |
A name which you all know by sight very well | C |
But which no one can speak and no one can spell | C |
They stuck close to Nap with all their might | Q |
They were on the left and on the right | Q |
Behind and before and by day and by night | Q |
He would rather parlez vous than fight | Q |
But he look'd white and he look'd blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
When parlez vous no more would do | C |
For they remember'd Moscow | B |
- | |
And then came on the frost and snow | B |
All on the road from Moscow | B |
The wind and the weather he found in that hour | D |
Cared nothing for him nor for all his power | D |
For him who while Europe crouch'd under his rod | R |
Put his trust in his Fortune and not in his God | R |
Worse and worse every day the elements grew | C |
The fields were so white and the sky was so blue | C |
Sacrebleu Ventrebleu | C |
What a horrible journey from Moscow | B |
- | |
What then thought the Emperor Nap | G |
Upon the road from Moscow | B |
Why I ween he thought it small delight | Q |
To fight all day and to freeze all night | Q |
And he was besides in a very great fright | Q |
For a whole skin he liked to be in | S |
And so not knowing what else to do | C |
When the fields were so white and the sky so blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
He stole away I tell you true | C |
Upon the road from Moscow | B |
'Tis myself quoth he I must mind most | T |
So the devil may take the hindmost | T |
- | |
Too cold upon the road was he | U |
Too hot had he been at Moscow | B |
But colder and hotter he may be | U |
For the grave is colder than Moscovy | C |
And a place there is to be kept in view | C |
Where the fire is red and the brimstone blue | C |
Morbleu Parbleu | C |
Which he must go to | C |
If the Pope say true | C |
If he does not in time look about him | K |
Where his namesake almost | T |
He may have for his Host | T |
He has reckon'd too long without him | K |
If that Host get him in Purgatory | U |
He won't leave him there alone with his glory | U |
But there he must stay for a very long day | T |
For from thence there is no stealing away | T |
As there was on the road from Moscow | B |
Robert Southey
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