The Vision Of The Maid Of Orleans - The First Book Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJG KLMNOPQRSTUVMWSXYZA2 B2FGC2D2E2F2G2OH2I2J 2K2L2 M2HE2N2O2P2 Q2R2RS2T2U2K2G E2V2W2X2Y2P2Z2A3B3C3 D3E3S2F3 G3H3I3I3GMSJ3 C2K3L3M3RQI3N3K2P2OU N O3P3Q3R3S3PL3I3GI3MM 3XT3I3I3TI3U3V3W3L2R RTHI3X3Y3Z3I3 A4I3L2Q3I3B4M2L2E2C4 X3A4I3A2HM2I3C3X2 I3Y3I3I3D4E4F4G4H4W2 I4J4A4V3D4A4 D4I3D4K4XK4D4D4K4T3G K4L4K4N3GM4A4 I3K4K4I3K4N4Orleans was hush'd in sleep Stretch'd on her couch | A |
The delegated Maiden lay with toil | B |
Exhausted and sore anguish soon she closed | C |
Her heavy eye lids not reposing then | D |
For busy Phantasy in other scenes | E |
Awakened Whether that superior powers | F |
By wise permission prompt the midnight dream | G |
Instructing so the passive faculty | H |
Or that the soul escaped its fleshly clog | I |
Flies free and soars amid the invisible world | J |
And all things 'are' that 'seem' | G |
- | |
Along a moor | K |
Barren and wide and drear and desolate | L |
She roam'd a wanderer thro' the cheerless night | M |
Far thro' the silence of the unbroken plain | N |
The bittern's boom was heard hoarse heavy deep | O |
It made most fitting music to the scene | P |
Black clouds driven fast before the stormy wind | Q |
Swept shadowing thro' their broken folds the moon | R |
Struggled sometimes with transitory ray | S |
And made the moving darkness visible | T |
And now arrived beside a fenny lake | U |
She stands amid its stagnate waters hoarse | V |
The long sedge rustled to the gales of night | M |
An age worn bark receives the Maid impell'd | W |
By powers unseen then did the moon display | S |
Where thro' the crazy vessel's yawning side | X |
The muddy wave oozed in a female guides | Y |
And spreads the sail before the wind that moan'd | Z |
As melancholy mournful to her ear | A2 |
As ever by the dungeon'd wretch was heard | B2 |
Howling at evening round the embattled towers | F |
Of that hell house of France ere yet sublime | G |
The almighty people from their tyrant's hand | C2 |
Dash'd down the iron rod | D2 |
Intent the Maid | E2 |
Gazed on the pilot's form and as she gazed | F2 |
Shiver'd for wan her face was and her eyes | G2 |
Hollow and her sunk cheeks were furrowed deep | O |
Channell'd by tears a few grey locks hung down | H2 |
Beneath her hood then thro' the Maiden's veins | I2 |
Chill crept the blood for as the night breeze pass'd | J2 |
Lifting her tattcr'd mantle coil'd around | K2 |
She saw a serpent gnawing at her heart | L2 |
- | |
The plumeless bat with short shrill note flits by | M2 |
And the night raven's scream came fitfully | H |
Borne on the hollow blast Eager the Maid | E2 |
Look'd to the shore and now upon the bank | N2 |
Leaps joyful to escape yet trembling still | O2 |
In recollection | P2 |
- | |
There a mouldering pile | Q2 |
Stretch'd its wide ruins o'er the plain below | R2 |
Casting a gloomy shade save where the moon | R |
Shone thro' its fretted windows the dark Yew | S2 |
Withering with age branched there its naked roots | T2 |
And there the melancholy Cypress rear'd | U2 |
Its head the earth was heav'd with many a mound | K2 |
And here and there a half demolish'd tomb | G |
- | |
And now amid the ruin's darkest shade | E2 |
The Virgin's eye beheld where pale blue flames | V2 |
Rose wavering now just gleaming from the earth | W2 |
And now in darkness drown'd An aged man | X2 |
Sat near seated on what in long past days | Y2 |
Had been some sculptur'd monument now fallen | P2 |
And half obscured by moss and gathered heaps | Z2 |
Of withered yew leaves and earth mouldering bones | A3 |
And shining in the ray was seen the track | B3 |
Of slimy snail obscene Composed his look | C3 |
His eye was large and rayless and fix'd full | D3 |
Upon the Maid the blue flames on his face | E3 |
Stream'd a pale light his face was of the hue | S2 |
Of death his limbs were mantled in a shroud | F3 |
- | |
Then with a deep heart terrifying voice | G3 |
Exclaim'd the Spectre 'Welcome to these realms | H3 |
These regions of DESPAIR O thou whose steps | I3 |
By GRIEF conducted to these sad abodes | I3 |
Have pierced welcome welcome to this gloom | G |
Eternal to this everlasting night | M |
Where never morning darts the enlivening ray | S |
Where never shines the sun but all is dark | J3 |
Dark as the bosom of their gloomy King ' | - |
- | |
So saying he arose and by the hand | C2 |
The Virgin seized with such a death cold touch | K3 |
As froze her very heart and drawing on | L3 |
Her to the abbey's inner ruin led | M3 |
Resistless Thro' the broken roof the moon | R |
Glimmer'd a scatter'd ray the ivy twined | Q |
Round the dismantled column imaged forms | I3 |
Of Saints and warlike Chiefs moss canker'd now | N3 |
And mutilate lay strewn upon the ground | K2 |
With crumbled fragments crucifixes fallen | P2 |
And rusted trophies and amid the heap | O |
Some monument's defaced legend spake | U |
All human glory vain | N |
- | |
The loud blast roar'd | O3 |
Amid the pile and from the tower the owl | P3 |
Scream'd as the tempest shook her secret nest | Q3 |
He silent led her on and often paus'd | R3 |
And pointed that her eye might contemplate | S3 |
At leisure the drear scene | P |
He dragged her on | L3 |
Thro' a low iron door down broken stairs | I3 |
Then a cold horror thro' the Maiden's frame | G |
Crept for she stood amid a vault and saw | I3 |
By the sepulchral lamp's dim glaring light | M |
The fragments of the dead | M3 |
'Look here ' he cried | X |
'Damsel look here survey this house of Death | T3 |
O soon to tenant it soon to increase | I3 |
These trophies of mortality for hence | I3 |
Is no return Gaze here behold this skull | T |
These eyeless sockets and these unflesh'd jaws | I3 |
That with their ghastly grinning seem to mock | U3 |
Thy perishable charms for thus thy cheek | V3 |
Must moulder Child of Grief shrinks not thy soul | W3 |
Viewing these horrors trembles not thy heart | L2 |
At the dread thought that here its life's blood soon | R |
Now warm in life and feeling mingle soon | R |
With the cold clod a thought most horrible | T |
So only dreadful for reality | H |
Is none of suffering here here all is peace | I3 |
No nerve will throb to anguish in the grave | X3 |
Dreadful it is to think of losing life | Y3 |
But having lost knowledge of loss is not | Z3 |
Therefore no ill Haste Maiden to repose | I3 |
Probe deep the seat of life ' | - |
So spake DESPAIR | A4 |
The vaulted roof echoed his hollow voice | I3 |
And all again was silence Quick her heart | L2 |
Panted He drew a dagger from his breast | Q3 |
And cried again 'Haste Damsel to repose | I3 |
One blow and rest for ever ' On the Fiend | B4 |
Dark scowl'd the Virgin with indignant eye | M2 |
And dash'd the dagger down He next his heart | L2 |
Replaced the murderous steel and drew the Maid | E2 |
Along the downward vault | C4 |
The damp earth gave | X3 |
A dim sound as they pass'd the tainted air | A4 |
Was cold and heavy with unwholesome dews | I3 |
'Behold ' the fiend exclaim'd 'how gradual here | A2 |
The fleshly burden of mortality | H |
Moulders to clay ' then fixing his broad eye | M2 |
Full on her face he pointed where a corpse | I3 |
Lay livid she beheld with loathing look | C3 |
The spectacle abhorr'd by living man | X2 |
- | |
'Look here ' DESPAIR pursued 'this loathsome mass | I3 |
Was once as lovely and as full of life | Y3 |
As Damsel thou art now Those deep sunk eyes | I3 |
Once beam'd the mild light of intelligence | I3 |
And where thou seest the pamper'd flesh worm trail | D4 |
Once the white bosom heaved She fondly thought | E4 |
That at the hallowed altar soon the Priest | F4 |
Should bless her coming union and the torch | G4 |
Its joyful lustre o'er the hall of joy | H4 |
Cast on her nuptial evening earth to earth | W2 |
That Priest consign'd her and the funeral lamp | I4 |
Glares on her cold face for her lover went | J4 |
By glory lur'd to war and perish'd there | A4 |
Nor she endur'd to live Ha fades thy cheek | V3 |
Dost thou then Maiden tremble at the tale | D4 |
Look here behold the youthful paramour | A4 |
The self devoted hero ' | - |
Fearfully | D4 |
The Maid look'd down and saw the well known face | I3 |
Of THEODORE in thoughts unspeakable | D4 |
Convulsed with horror o'er her face she clasp'd | K4 |
Her cold damp hands 'Shrink not ' the Phantom cried | X |
'Gaze on for ever gaze ' more firm he grasp'd | K4 |
Her quivering arm 'this lifeless mouldering clay | D4 |
As well thou know'st was warm with all the glow | D4 |
Of Youth and Love this is the arm that cleaved | K4 |
Salisbury's proud crest now motionless in death | T3 |
Unable to protect the ravaged frame | G |
From the foul Offspring of Mortality | K4 |
That feed on heroes Tho' long years were thine | L4 |
Yet never more would life reanimate | K4 |
This murdered man murdered by thee for thou | N3 |
Didst lead him to the battle from his home | G |
Else living there in peace to good old age | M4 |
In thy defence he died strike deep destroy | A4 |
Remorse with Life ' | - |
The Maid stood motionless | I3 |
And wistless what she did with trembling hand | K4 |
Received the dagger Starting then she cried | K4 |
'Avaunt DESPAIR Eternal Wisdom deals | I3 |
Or peace to man or misery for his good | K4 |
Alike design'd and sha | N4 |
Robert Southey
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