Poor Honest Men Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBBBCB DDBEEB CCBFFB GHIEEB JJIKKBLLIEEB EEIIBB BBBMNB OOBOOB EEIOJB IIIEEB| A D | A |
| - | |
| - | |
| Your jar of Virginny | B |
| Will cost you a guinea | B |
| Which you reckon too much by five shillings or ten | B |
| But light your churchwarden | B |
| And judge it according | C |
| When I've told you the troubles of poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| From the Capes of the Delaware | D |
| As you are well aware | D |
| We sail which tobacco for England but then | B |
| Our own British cruisers | E |
| They watch us come through sirs | E |
| And they press half a score of us poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| Or if by quick sailing | C |
| Thick weather prevailing | C |
| We leave them behind as we do now and then | B |
| We are sure of a gun from | F |
| Each frigate we run from | F |
| Which is often destruction to poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| Broadsides the Atlantic | G |
| We tumble short handed | H |
| With shot holes to plug and new canvas to bend | I |
| And off the Azores | E |
| Dutch Dons and Monsieurs | E |
| Are waiting to terrify poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| Napoleon's embargo | J |
| Is laid on all cargo | J |
| Which comfort or aid to King George may intend | I |
| And since roll twist and leaf | K |
| Of all comforts is chief | K |
| They try for to steal it from poor honest men | B |
| With no heart for fight | L |
| We take refuge in flight | L |
| But fire as we run our retreat to defend | I |
| Until our stern chasers | E |
| Cut up her fore braces | E |
| And she flies off the wind from us poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| 'Twix' the Forties and Fifties | E |
| South eastward the drift is | E |
| And so when we think we are making Land's End | I |
| Alas it is Ushant | I |
| With half the King's Navy | B |
| Blockading French ports against poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| But they may not quit station | B |
| Which is our salvation | B |
| So swiftly we stand to the Nor'ard again | B |
| And finding the tail of | M |
| A homeward bound convoy | N |
| We slip past the Scillies like poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| 'Twix' the Lizard and Dover | O |
| We hand our stuff over | O |
| Though I may not inform how we do it nor when | B |
| But a light on each quarter | O |
| Low down on the water | O |
| Is well understanded by poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| Even then we have dangers | E |
| From meddlesome strangers | E |
| Who spy on our business and are not content | I |
| To take a smooth answer | O |
| Except with a handspike | J |
| And they say they are murdered by poor honest men | B |
| - | |
| To be drowned or be shot | I |
| Is our natural lot | I |
| Why should we moreover be hanged in the end | I |
| After all our great pains | E |
| For to dangle in chains | E |
| As though we were smugglers not poor honest men | B |
Rudyard Kipling
(1)
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