Death In The Arctic Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCCDE FFAAGGHHIIFF A JJHHKKAALL MMNNIIOPAAGG A QQIIRRSSTTAA NNIIAAUU A VVIINNFFWWXX YZYZA2B2C2B2D2AD2A I E2E2WWF2F2G2G2LL GGDDH2H2LLGG A E2E2F2F2I2I2J2J2B2B2 K2E2K2E2K2E2K2E2K2E2 A JL2JM2RHRHN2O2N2O2JJ NNM2M2GGLL A AAP2P2 Q2R2Q2 E2 S2DT2DU2GU2GD2AD2AAA E2 EAEAUQ2UQ2V2AV2AI | A |
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I took the clock down from the shelf | B |
At eight said I I shoot myself | B |
It lacked a minute of the hour | C |
And as I waited all a cower | C |
A skinful of black boding pain | D |
Bits of my life came back again | E |
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Mother there's nothing more to eat | F |
Why don't you go out on the street | F |
Always you sit and cry and cry | A |
Here at my play I wonder why | A |
Mother when you dress up at night | G |
Red are your cheeks your eyes are bright | G |
Twining a ribband in your hair | H |
Kissing good bye you go down stair | H |
Then I'm as lonely as can be | I |
Oh how I wish you were with me | I |
Yet when you go out on the street | F |
Mother there's always lots to eat | F |
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II | A |
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For days the igloo has been dark | J |
But now the rag wick sends a spark | J |
That glitters in the icy air | H |
And wakes frost sapphires everywhere | H |
Bright bitter flames that adder like | K |
Dart here and there yet fear to strike | K |
The gruesome gloom wherein they lie | A |
My comrades oh so keen to die | A |
And I the last well here I wait | L |
The clock to strike the hour of eight | L |
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Boy it is bitter to be hurled | M |
Nameless and naked on the world | M |
Frozen by night and starved by day | N |
Curses and kicks and clouts your pay | N |
But you must fight Boy look on me | I |
Anarch of all earth misery | I |
Beggar and tramp and shameless sot | O |
Emblem of ill in rags that rot | P |
Would you be foul and base as I | A |
Oh it is better far to die | A |
Swear to me now you'll fight and fight | G |
Boy or I'll kill you here to night | G |
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III | A |
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Curse this silence soft and black | Q |
Sting little light the shadows back | Q |
Dance little flame with freakish glee | I |
Twinkle with brilliant mockery | I |
Glitter on ice robed roof and floor | R |
Jewel the bear skin of the door | R |
Gleam in my beard illume my breath | S |
Blanch the clock face that times my death | S |
But do not pierce that murk so deep | T |
Where in their sleeping bags they sleep | T |
But do not linger where they lie | A |
They who had all the luck to die | A |
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There is nothing more to say | N |
Let us part and go our way | N |
Since it seems we can't agree | I |
I will go across the sea | I |
Proud of heart and strong am I | A |
Not for woman will I sigh | A |
Hold my head up gay and glad | U |
You can find another lad | U |
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IV | A |
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Above the igloo piteous flies | V |
Our frayed flag to the frozen skies | V |
Oh would you know how earth can be | I |
A hell go north of Eighty three | I |
Go scan the snows day after day | N |
And hope for help and pray and pray | N |
Have seal hide and sea lice to eat | F |
Melt water with your body's heat | F |
Sleep all the fell black winter through | W |
Beside the dear dead men you knew | W |
The walrus blubber flares and gleams | X |
O God how long a minute seems | X |
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Mary many a day has passed | Y |
Since that morn of hot head youth | Z |
Come I back at last at last | Y |
Crushed with knowing of the truth | Z |
How through bitter barren years | A2 |
You loved me and me alone | B2 |
Waited wearied wept your tears | C2 |
Oh could I atone atone | B2 |
I would pay a million fold | D2 |
Pay you for the love you gave | A |
Mary look down as of old | D2 |
I am kneeling by your grave | A |
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V | I |
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Olaf the Blonde was first to go | E2 |
Bitten his eyes were by the snow | E2 |
Sightless and sealed his eyes of blue | W |
So that he died before I knew | W |
Here in those poor weak arms he died | F2 |
Wolves will not get you lad I lied | F2 |
For I will watch till Spring come round | G2 |
Slumber you shall beneath the ground | G2 |
Oh how I lied I scarce can wait | L |
Strike little clock the hour of eight | L |
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Comrade can you blame me quite | G |
The horror of the long long night | G |
Is on me and I've borne with pain | D |
So long and hoped for help in vain | D |
So frail am I and blind and dazed | H2 |
With scurvy sick with silence crazed | H2 |
Beneath the Arctic's heel of hate | L |
Avid for Death I wait I wait | L |
Oh if I falter fail to fight | G |
Can you dear comrade blame me quite | G |
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VI | A |
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Big Eric gave up months ago | E2 |
But seldom do men suffer so | E2 |
His feet sloughed off his fingers died | F2 |
His hands shrunk up and mummified | F2 |
I had to feed him like a child | I2 |
Yet he was valiant joked and smiled | I2 |
Talked of his wife and little one | J2 |
Thanks be to God that I have none | J2 |
Passed in the night without a moan | B2 |
Passed and I'm here alone alone | B2 |
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I've got to kill you Dick | K2 |
Your life for mine you know | E2 |
Better to do it quick | K2 |
A swift and sudden blow | E2 |
See here's my hand to lick | K2 |
A hug before you go | E2 |
God but it makes me sick | K2 |
Old dog I love you so | E2 |
Forgive forgive me Dick | K2 |
A swift and sudden blow | E2 |
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VII | A |
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Often I start up in the dark | J |
Thinking the sound of bells to hear | L2 |
Often I wake from sleep Oh hark | J |
Help it is coming near and near | M2 |
Blindly I reel toward the door | R |
There the snow billows bleak and bare | H |
Blindly I seek my den once more | R |
Silence and darkness and despair | H |
Oh it is all a dreadful dream | N2 |
Scurvy and cold and death and dearth | O2 |
I will awake to warmth and gleam | N2 |
Silvery seas and greening earth | O2 |
Life is a dream its wakening | J |
Death gentle shadow of God's wing | J |
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Tick little clock my life away | N |
Even a second seems a day | N |
Even a minute seems a year | M2 |
Peopled with ghosts that press and peer | M2 |
Into my face so charnel white | G |
Lit by the devilish dancing light | G |
Tick little clock mete out my fate | L |
Tortured and tense I wait I wait | L |
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VIII | A |
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Oh I have sworn the hour is nigh | A |
When it strikes eight I die I die | A |
Raise up the gun it stings my brow | P2 |
When it strikes eight all ready now | P2 |
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Down from my hand the weapon dropped | Q2 |
Wildly I stared | R2 |
THE CLOCK HAD STOPPED | Q2 |
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IX | E2 |
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Phantoms and fears and ghosts have gone | S2 |
Peace seems to nestle in my brain | D |
Lo the clock stopped I'm living on | T2 |
Heart sick I was and less than sane | D |
Yet do I scorn the thing I planned | U2 |
Hearing a voice O coward fight | G |
Then the clock stopped whose was the hand | U2 |
Maybe 'twas God's ah well all's right | G |
Heap on me darkness fold on fold | D2 |
Pain wrench and rack me What care I | A |
Leap on me hunger thirst and cold | D2 |
I will await my time to die | A |
Looking to Heaven that shines above | A |
Looking to God and love and love | A |
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X | E2 |
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Hark what is that Bells dogs again | E |
Is it a dream I sob and cry | A |
See the door opens fur clad men | E |
Rush to my rescue frail am I | A |
Feeble and dying dazed and glad | U |
There is the pistol where it dropped | Q2 |
Boys it was hard but I'm not mad | U |
Look at the clock it stopped it stopped | Q2 |
Carry me out The heavens smile | V2 |
See there's an arch of gold above | A |
Now let me rest a little while | V2 |
Looking to God and Love and Love | A |
Robert William Service
(1)
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