The Merchantmen Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFFF FGFG HIJIKLML NOCOPQOQ BOFONRSR LTLTTLBL UOUOBFOF TVTVLOUO FFBFOTTT TLQLFOFO TTTTOWTW TCXCTOLO FFFFKing Solomon drew merchantmen | A |
Because of his desire | B |
For peacocks apes and ivory | C |
From Tarshish unto Tyre | D |
With cedars out of Lebanon | E |
Which Hiram rafted down | F |
But we be only sailormen | F |
That use in London Town | F |
- | |
Coastwise cross seas round the world and back again | F |
Where the flaw shall head us or the full Trade suits | G |
Plain sail storm sail lay your board and tack again | F |
And that's the way we'll pay Paddy Doyle for his boots | G |
- | |
We bring no store of ingots | H |
Of spice or precious stones | I |
But that we have we gathered | J |
With sweat and aching bones | I |
In flame beneath the tropics | K |
In frost upon the floe | L |
And jeopardy of every wind | M |
That does between them go | L |
- | |
And some we got by purchase | N |
And some we had by trade | O |
And some we found by courtesy | C |
Of pike and carronade | O |
At midnight 'mid sea meetings | P |
For charity to keep | Q |
And light the rolling homeward bound | O |
That rode a foot too deep | Q |
- | |
By sport of bitter weather | B |
We're walty strained and scarred | O |
From the kentledge on the kelson | F |
To the slings upon the yard | O |
Six oceans had their will of us | N |
To carry all away | R |
Our galley's in the Baltic | S |
And our boom's in Mossel Bay | R |
- | |
We've floundered off the Texel | L |
Awash with sodden deals | T |
We've slipped from Valparaiso | L |
With the Norther at our heels | T |
We've ratched beyond the Crossets | T |
That tusk the Southern Pole | L |
And dipped our gunnels under | B |
To the dread Agulhas roll | L |
- | |
Beyond all outer charting | U |
We sailed where none have sailed | O |
And saw the land lights burning | U |
On islands none have hailed | O |
Our hair stood up for wonder | B |
But when the night was done | F |
There danced the deep to windward | O |
Blue empty 'neath the sun | F |
- | |
Strange consorts rode beside us | T |
And brought us evil luck | V |
The witch fire climbed our channels | T |
And flared on vane and truck | V |
Till through the red tornado | L |
That lashed us nigh to blind | O |
We saw The Dutchman plunging | U |
Full canvas head to wind | O |
- | |
We've heard the Midnight Leadsman | F |
That calls the black deep down | F |
Ay thrice we've heard The Swimmer | B |
The Thing that may not drown | F |
On frozen bunt and gasket | O |
The sleet cloud drave her hosts | T |
When manned by more than signed with us | T |
We passed the Isle o' Ghosts | T |
- | |
And north amid the hummocks | T |
A biscuit toss below | L |
We met the silent shallop | Q |
That frighted whalers know | L |
For down a cruel ice lane | F |
That opened as he sped | O |
We saw dead Henry Hudson | F |
Steer North by West his dead | O |
- | |
So dealt God's waters with us | T |
Beneath the roaring skies | T |
So walked His signs and marvels | T |
All naked to our eyes | T |
But we were heading homeward | O |
With trade to lose or make | W |
Good Lord they slipped behind us | T |
In the tailing of our wake | W |
- | |
Let go let go the anchors | T |
Now shamed at heart are we | C |
To bring so poor a cargo home | X |
That had for gift the sea | C |
Let go the great bow anchors | T |
Ah fools were we and blind | O |
The worst we stored with utter toil | L |
The best we left behind | O |
- | |
Coastwise cross seas round the world and back again | F |
Whither flaw shall fail us or the Trades drive down | F |
Plain sail storm sail lay your board and tack again | F |
And all to bring a cargo up to London Town | F |
Rudyard Kipling
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