France: An Ode Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCCBDEDEFFGHGHAIAGGI G A GGGGJGJGGGJKJLGMGNNM N A OPPOG GGGGDQDQRGRJJG SGGSGTGTGGGUGUGVGGGV G JNNJWWWWGGXYYYZA2ZB2 B2A2B2I | A |
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Ye clouds that far above me float and pause | B |
Whose pathless march no mortal may control | C |
Ye Ocean Waves that whereso'er ye roll | C |
Yield homage only to eternal laws | B |
Ye Woods that listen to the night birds singing | D |
Midway the smooth and perilous slope reclined | E |
Save when your own imperious branches swinging | D |
Have made a solemn music of the wind | E |
Where like a man beloved of God | F |
Through glooms which never woodmand trod | F |
How oft pursuing fancies holy | G |
My moonlight way o'er flowering weeds I wound | H |
Inspired beyond the guess of folly | G |
By each rude shape and wild unconquerable sound | H |
O ye loud Waves and O ye Forests high | A |
And O ye Clouds that far above me soared | I |
Thou rising Sun thou blue rejoicing Sky | A |
Yea every thing that is and will be free | G |
Bear witness for me whereso'er ye be | G |
With what deep worship I have still adored | I |
The spirit of divinest Liberty | G |
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II | A |
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When France in wrath her giant limbs upreared | G |
And with that oath which smote air earth and sea | G |
Stamped her strong foot and said she would be free | G |
Bear witness for me how I hoped and feared | G |
With what a joy my lofty gratulation | J |
Unawed I sang amid a slavish band | G |
And when to whelm the disenchanted nation | J |
Like fiends embattled by a wizard's wand | G |
The Monarchs marched in evil day | G |
And Britain joined the dire array | G |
Though dear her shores and circling ocean | J |
Though many friendships many youthful loves | K |
Had swoln the patriot emotion | J |
And flung a magic light o'er all the hills and groves | L |
Yet still my voice unaltered sang defeat | G |
To all that braved the tyrant quelling lance | M |
And shame too long delayed and vain retreat | G |
For ne'er O Liberty with parial aim | N |
I dimmed thy light or damped thy holy flame | N |
But blessed the paeans of delivered France | M |
And hung my head and wept at Britain's name | N |
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III | A |
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'And what ' I said 'though Blasphemy's loud scream | O |
With that sweet music of deliverance strove | P |
Though all the fierce and drunken passions wove | P |
A dance more wild than e'er was maniac's dream | O |
Ye storms that round the dawning East assembled | G |
The Sun was rising though ye hid his light ' | - |
And when to soothe my soul that hoped and trembled | G |
The dissonance ceased and all that seemed calm and bright | G |
When France her front deep scarr'd and gory | G |
Concealed with clustering wreaths of glory | G |
When unsupportably advancing | D |
Her arm made mockery of the warrior's ramp | Q |
While timid looks of fury glancing | D |
Domestic treason crushed beneath her fatal stamp | Q |
Writhed like a wounded dragon in his gore | R |
Then I reproached my fears that would not flee | G |
'And soon ' I said 'shall Wisdom teach her lore | R |
In the low huts of them that toil and groan | J |
And conquering by her happiness alone | J |
Shall France compel the nations to be free | G |
Till love and Joy look round and call the Earth their own ' | - |
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Forgive me Freedom O forgive those dreams | S |
I hear thy voice I hear thy loud lament | G |
From bleak Helvetia's icy caverns sent | G |
I hear thy groans upon her blood stained streams | S |
Heroes that for your peaceful country perished | G |
And ye that fleeing spot your mountain snows | T |
With bleeding wounds forgive me that I cherished | G |
One thought that ever blessed your cruel foes | T |
To scatter rage and traitorous guilt | G |
Where Peace her jealous home had built | G |
A patriot race to disinherit | G |
Of all that made their stormy wilds so dear | U |
And with inexpiable spirit | G |
To taint the bloodless freedom of the mountaineer | U |
O France that mockest Heaven adulterous blind | G |
And patriot only in pernicious toils | V |
Are these thy boasts Champion of human kind | G |
To mix with Kings in the low lust of sway | G |
Yell in the hunt and share the murderous prey | G |
To insult the shrine of Liberty with spoils | V |
From freemen torn to tempt and to betray | G |
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The Sensual and the Dark rebel in vain | J |
Slaves by their own compulsion In mad game | N |
They burst their manacles and wear the name | N |
Of Freedom graven on a heavier chain | J |
O Liberty with profitless endeavour | W |
Have I pursued thee many a weary hour | W |
But thou nor swell'st the victor's strain nor ever | W |
Didst breathe thy soul in forms of human power | W |
Alike from all howe'er they praise thee | G |
Nor prayer nor boastful name delays thee | G |
Alike from Priestcraft's harpy minions | X |
And factious Blasphemy's obscener slaves | Y |
Thou speedest on thy subtle pinions | Y |
The guide of homeless winds and playmate of the waves | Y |
And there I felt thee on that sea cliff's verge | Z |
Whose pines scarce travelled by the breeze above | A2 |
Had made one murmur with the distant surge | Z |
Yes while I stood and gazed my temples bare | B2 |
And shot my being through earth sea and air | B2 |
Possessing all things with intensest love | A2 |
O Liberty my spirit felt thee there | B2 |
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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