The Gift Of The Sea Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCB DEFF FGHG IFFF EJFF FKFF FLGF MNFN LEME FOFF FPKF FQFF RSFF FEFE TFUF FVFV FOFF| The dead child lay in the shroud | A |
| And the widow watched beside | B |
| And her mother slept and the Channel swept | C |
| The gale in the teeth of the tide | B |
| - | |
| But the mother laughed at all | D |
| quot I have lost my man in the sea | E |
| And the child is dead Be still quot she said | F |
| quot What more can ye do to me quot | F |
| - | |
| The widow watched the dead | F |
| And the candle guttered low | G |
| And she tried to sing the Passing Song | H |
| That bids the poor soul go | G |
| - | |
| And quot Mary take you now quot she sang | I |
| quot That lay against my heart quot | F |
| And quot Mary smooth your crib to night quot | F |
| But she could not say quot Depart quot | F |
| - | |
| Then came a cry from the sea | E |
| But the sea rime blinded the glass | J |
| And quot Heard ye nothing mother quot she said | F |
| quot 'Tis the child that waits to pass quot | F |
| - | |
| And the nodding mother sighed | F |
| quot 'Tis a lambing ewe in the whin | K |
| For why should the christened soul cry out | F |
| That never knew of sin quot | F |
| - | |
| quot O feet I have held in my hand | F |
| O hands at my heart to catch | L |
| How should they know the road to go | G |
| And how should they lift the latch quot | F |
| - | |
| They laid a sheet to the door | M |
| With the little quilt atop | N |
| That it might not hurt from the cold or the dirt | F |
| But the crying would not stop | N |
| - | |
| The widow lifted the latch | L |
| And strained her eyes to see | E |
| And opened the door on the bitter shore | M |
| To let the soul go free | E |
| - | |
| There was neither glimmer nor ghost | F |
| There was neither spirit nor spark | O |
| And quot Heard ye nothing mother quot she said | F |
| quot 'Tis crying for me in the dark quot | F |
| - | |
| And the nodding mother sighed | F |
| quot 'Tis sorrow makes ye dull | P |
| Have ye yet to learn the cry of the tern | K |
| Or the wail of the wind blown gull quot | F |
| - | |
| quot The terns are blown inland | F |
| The gray gull follows the plough | Q |
| 'Twas never a bird the voice I heard | F |
| O mother I hear it now quot | F |
| - | |
| quot Lie still dear lamb lie still | R |
| The child is passed from harm | S |
| 'Tis the ache in your breast that broke your rest | F |
| And the feel of an empty arm quot | F |
| - | |
| She put her mother aside | F |
| quot In Mary's name let be | E |
| For the peace of my soul I must go quot she said | F |
| And she went to the calling sea | E |
| - | |
| In the heel of the wind bit pier | T |
| Where the twisted weed was piled | F |
| She came to the life she had missed by an hour | U |
| For she came to a little child | F |
| - | |
| She laid it into her breast | F |
| And back to her mother she came | V |
| But it would not feed and it would not heed | F |
| Though she gave it her own child's name | V |
| - | |
| And the dead child dripped on her breast | F |
| And her own in the shroud lay stark | O |
| And quot God forgive us mother quot she said | F |
| quot We let it die in the dark quot | F |
Rudyard Kipling
(1)
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