Epitaphs Of The War Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B C DD E FF E GH I JJKKLMNN G OOFF P QQ R SS T BBUU V WX YM ZMZM X XA2XA2 X B2C2B2C2 D2 B2B2B2B2 D E2B2E2B2 M F2XF2X E XX G2 H2H2B2B2 E B2B2 I2 B2B2 E J2J2XXK2K2 G2 B2L2B2L2XB2XB2B2A2B2 A2 B2 B2M2B2AB2N2B2O2N2 A2 B2P2B2P2 E B2B2B2B2 B2 Q2B2Q2B2 R2 B2B2S2T2 B2 B2B2U2V2 M W2B2X2Y2B2Y2 A2 B2B2B2B2 B2Y2B2Y2 B2B2B2B2 XXXX E B2B2Z2Z2 Y2 A3B3 B2B2B2B2 Y2 Y2 B2EQUALITY OF SACRIFICE | A |
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A I was a Have B I was a 'have not ' | - |
Together What hast thou given which I gave not | B |
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A SERVANT | C |
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We were together since the War began | D |
He was my servant and the better man | D |
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A SON | E |
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My son was killed while laughing at some jest I would I knew | F |
What it was and it might serve me in a time when jests are few | F |
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AN ONLY SON | E |
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I have slain none except my Mother | G |
She Blessing her slayer died of grief for me | H |
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EX CLERK | I |
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Pity not The Army gave | J |
Freedom to a timid slave | J |
In which Freedom did he find | K |
Strength of body will and mind | K |
By which strength he came to prove | L |
Mirth Companionship and Love | M |
For which Love to Death he went | N |
In which Death he lies content | N |
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THE WONDER | G |
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Body and Spirit I surrendered whole | O |
To harsh Instructors and received a soul | O |
If mortal man could change me through and through | F |
From all I was what may The God not do | F |
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HINDU SEPOY IN FRANCE | P |
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This man in his own country prayed we know not to what Powers | Q |
We pray Them to reward him for his bravery in ours | Q |
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THE COWARD | R |
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I could not look on Death which being known | S |
Men led me to him blindfold and alone | S |
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SHOCK | T |
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My name my speech my self I had forgot | B |
My wife and children came I knew them not | B |
I died My Mother followed At her call | U |
And on her bosom I remembered all | U |
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A GRAVE NEAR CAIRO | V |
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Gods of the Nile should this stout fellow here | W |
Get out get out He knows not shame nor fear | X |
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PELICANS IN THE WILDERNESS | Y |
A Grave Near Halfa | M |
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The blown sand heaps on me that none may learn | Z |
Where I am laid for whom my children grieve | M |
O wings that beat at dawning ye return | Z |
Out of the desert to your young at eve | M |
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THE FAVOUR | X |
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Death favoured me from the first well knowing I could not endure | X |
To wait on him day by day He quitted my betters and came | A2 |
Whistling over the fields and when he had made all sure | X |
Thy line is at end he said but at least I have saved its name | A2 |
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THE BEGINNER | X |
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On the first hour of my first day | B2 |
In the front trench I fell | C2 |
Children in boxes at a play | B2 |
Stand up to watch it well | C2 |
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R A F AGED EIGHTEEN | D2 |
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Laughing through clouds his milk teeth still unshed | B2 |
Cities and men he smote from overhead | B2 |
His deaths delivered he returned to play | B2 |
Childlike with childish things now put away | B2 |
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THE REFINED MAN | D |
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I was of delicate mind I stepped aside for my needs | E2 |
Disdaining the common office I was seen from afar and killed | B2 |
How is this matter for mirth Let each man be judged by his deeds | E2 |
I have paid my price to live with myself on the terms that I willed | B2 |
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NATIVE WATER CARRIER M E F | M |
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Prometheus brought down fire to men | F2 |
This brought up water | X |
The Gods are jealous now as then | F2 |
Giving no quarter | X |
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BOMBED IN LONDON | E |
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On land and sea I strove with anxious care | X |
To escape conscription It was in the air | X |
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THE SLEEPY SENTINEL | G2 |
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Faithless the watch that I kept now I have none to keep | H2 |
I was slain because I slept now I am slain I sleep | H2 |
Let no man reproach me again whatever watch is unkept | B2 |
I sleep because I am slain They slew me because I slept | B2 |
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BATTERIES OUT OF AMMUNITION | E |
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If any mourn us in the workshop say | B2 |
We died because the shift kept holiday | B2 |
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COMMON FORM | I2 |
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If any question why we died | B2 |
Tell them because our fathers lied | B2 |
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A DEAD STATESMAN | E |
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I could not dig I dared not rob | J2 |
Therefore I lied to please the mob | J2 |
Now all my lies are proved untrue | X |
And I must face the men I slew | X |
What tale shall serve me here among | K2 |
Mine angry and defrauded young | K2 |
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THE REBEL | G2 |
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If I had clamoured at Thy Gate | B2 |
For gift of Life on Earth | L2 |
And thrusting through the souls that wait | B2 |
Flung headlong into birth | L2 |
Even then even then for gin and snare | X |
About my pathway spread | B2 |
Lord I had mocked Thy thoughtful care | X |
Before I joined the Dead | B2 |
But now I was beneath Thy Hand | B2 |
Ere yet the Planets came | A2 |
And now though Planets pass I stand | B2 |
The witness to Thy shame | A2 |
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THE OBEDIENT | B2 |
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Daily though no ears attended | B2 |
Did my prayers arise | M2 |
Daily though no fire descended | B2 |
Did I sacrifice | A |
Though my darkness did not lift | B2 |
Though I faced no lighter odds | N2 |
Though the Gods bestowed no gift | B2 |
None the less | O2 |
None the less I served the Gods | N2 |
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A DRIFTER OFF TARENTUM | A2 |
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He from the wind bitten north with ship and companions descended | B2 |
Searching for eggs of death spawned by invisible hulls | P2 |
Many he found and drew forth Of a sudden the fishery ended | B2 |
In flame and a clamorous breath not new to the eye pecking gulls | P2 |
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DESTROYERS IN COLLISION | E |
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For Fog and Fate no charm is found | B2 |
To lighten or amend | B2 |
I hurrying to my bride was drowned | B2 |
Cut down by my best friend | B2 |
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CONVOY ESCORT | B2 |
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I was a shepherd to fools | Q2 |
Causelessly bold or afraid | B2 |
They would not abide by my rules | Q2 |
Yet they escaped For I stayed | B2 |
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UNKNOWN FEMALE CORPSE | R2 |
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Headless lacking foot and hand | B2 |
Horrible I come to land | B2 |
I beseech all women's sons | S2 |
Know I was a mother once | T2 |
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RAPED AND REVENGED | B2 |
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One used and butchered me another spied | B2 |
Me broken for which thing an hundred died | B2 |
So it was learned among the heathen hosts | U2 |
How much a freeborn woman's favour costs | V2 |
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SALONIKAN GRAVE | M |
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I have watched a thousand days | W2 |
Push out and crawl into night | B2 |
Slowly as tortoises | X2 |
Now I too follow these | Y2 |
It is fever and not the fight | B2 |
Time not battle that slays | Y2 |
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THE BRIDEGROOM | A2 |
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Call me not false beloved | B2 |
If from thy scarce known breast | B2 |
So little time removed | B2 |
In other arms I rest | B2 |
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For this more ancient bride | B2 |
Whom coldly I embrace | Y2 |
Was constant at my side | B2 |
Before I saw thy face | Y2 |
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Our marriage often set | B2 |
By miracle delayed | B2 |
At last is consummate | B2 |
And cannot be unmade | B2 |
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Live then whom Life shall cure | X |
Almost of Memory | X |
And leave us to endure | X |
Its immortality | X |
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V A D MEDITERRANEAN | E |
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Ah would swift ships had never been for then we ne'er had found | B2 |
These harsh gean rocks between this little virgin drowned | B2 |
Whom neither spouse nor child shall mourn but men she nursed through pain | Z2 |
And certain keels for whose return the heathen look in vain | Z2 |
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ACTORS | Y2 |
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On a Memorial Tablet in Holy Trinity Church | A3 |
Stratford on Avon | B3 |
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We counterfeited once for your disport | B2 |
Men's joy and sorrow but our day has passed | B2 |
We pray you pardon all where we fell short | B2 |
Seeing we were your servants to this last | B2 |
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JOURNALISTS | Y2 |
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On a Panel in the Hall of the Institute of Journalists | Y2 |
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We have served our day | B2 |
Rudyard Kipling
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