Marmion: Introduction To Canto I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCAADDEEFF GGHHIIAAJJKKLLMMNNOO PP QQAARST AALLUUTT VVWXYYZZLLA2A2B2B2C2 C2 D2D2E2E2BJUUAA F2G2AAA2A2E2E2AAE2E2 JJH2H2A2A2 AAI2I2J2J2JJK2K2LL J2J2J2J2J2J2J2J2A2A2 J2J2J2J2AAA E2E2L2C2J2J2J2J2JJLL E2E2J2J2A2A2M2M2N2N2 J J2J2J2J2K2K2E2E2J2J2 J2J2E2E2J2J2 J2J2A2A2AAJ2J2JJE2E2 E2E2A2A2JJJ2J2AAJ2J2 E2E2C2C2J A2A2A2A2JJC2C2M2M2 LLJ2J2AAJ2J2LLE2A2J2 J2M2November's sky is chill and drear | A |
November's leaf is red and sear | A |
Late gazing down the steepy linn | B |
That hems our little garden in | B |
Low in its dark and narrow glen | C |
You scarce the rivulet might ken | C |
So thick the tangled greenwood grew | A |
So feeble thrilled the streamlet through | A |
Now murmuring hoarse and frequent seen | D |
Through bush and briar no longer green | D |
An angry brook it sweeps the glade | E |
Brawls over rock and wild cascade | E |
And foaming brown with doubled speed | F |
Hurries its waters to the Tweed | F |
- | |
No longer Autumn's glowing red | G |
Upon our forest hills is shed | G |
No more beneath the evening beam | H |
Fair Tweed reflects their purple gleam | H |
Away hath passed the heather bell | I |
That bloomed so rich on Needpath Fell | I |
Sallow his brow and russet bare | A |
Are now the sister heights of Yair | A |
The sheep before the pinching heaven | J |
To sheltered dale and down are driven | J |
Where yet some faded herbage pines | K |
And yet a watery sunbeam shines | K |
In meek despondency they eye | L |
The withered sward and wintry sky | L |
And far beneath their summer hill | M |
Stray sadly by Glenkinnon's rill | M |
The shepherd shifts his mantle's fold | N |
And wraps him closer from the cold | N |
His dogs no merry circles wheel | O |
But shivering follow at his heel | O |
A cowering glance they often cast | P |
As deeper moans the gathering blast | P |
- | |
My imps though hardy bold and wild | Q |
As best befits the mountain child | Q |
Feel the sad influence of the hour | A |
And wail the daisy's vanished flower | A |
Their summer gambols tell and mourn | R |
And anxious ask 'Will spring return | S |
And birds and lambs again be gay | T |
And blossoms clothe the hawthorn spray ' | - |
- | |
Yes prattlers yes The daisy's flower | A |
Again shall paint your summer bower | A |
Again the hawthorn shall supply | L |
The garlands you delight to tie | L |
The lambs upon the lea shall bound | U |
The wild birds carol to the round | U |
And while you frolic light as they | T |
Too short shall seem the summer day | T |
- | |
To mute and to material things | V |
New life revolving summer brings | V |
The genial call dead Nature hears | W |
And in her glory reappears | X |
But oh my country's wintry state | Y |
What second spring shall renovate | Y |
What powerful call shall bid arise | Z |
The buried warlike and the wise | Z |
The mind that thought for Britain's weal | L |
The hand that grasped the victor steel | L |
The vernal sun new life bestows | A2 |
Even on the meanest flower that blows | A2 |
But vainly vainly may he shine | B2 |
Where glory weeps o'er Nelson's shrine | B2 |
And vainly pierce the solemn gloom | C2 |
That shrouds O Pitt thy hallowed tomb | C2 |
- | |
Deep graved in every British heart | D2 |
Oh never let those names depart | D2 |
Say to your sons Lo here his grave | E2 |
Who victor died on Gadite wave | E2 |
To him as to the burning levin | B |
Short bright resistless course was given | J |
Where'er his country's foes were found | U |
Was heard the fated thunder's sound | U |
Till burst the bolt on yonder shore | A |
Rolled blazed destroyed and was no more | A |
- | |
Nor mourn ye less his perished worth | F2 |
Who bade the conqueror go forth | G2 |
And launched that thunderbolt of war | A |
On Egypt Hafnia Trafalgar | A |
Who born to guide such high emprize | A2 |
For Britain's weal was early wise | A2 |
Alas to whom the Almighty gave | E2 |
For Britain's sins an early grave | E2 |
His worth who in his mightiest hour | A |
A bauble held the pride of power | A |
Spurned at the sordid lust of pelf | E2 |
And served his Albion for herself | E2 |
Who when the frantic crowd amain | J |
Strained at subjection's bursting rein | J |
O'er their wild mood full conquest gained | H2 |
The pride he would not crush restrained | H2 |
Showed their fierce zeal a worthier cause | A2 |
And brought the freeman's arm to aid the freeman's laws | A2 |
- | |
Hadst thou but lived though stripped of power | A |
A watchman on the lonely tower | A |
Thy thrilling trump had roused the land | I2 |
When fraud or danger were at hand | I2 |
By thee as by the beacon light | J2 |
Our pilots had kept course aright | J2 |
As some proud column though alone | J |
Thy strength had propped the tottering throne | J |
Now is the stately column broke | K2 |
The beacon light is quenched in smoke | K2 |
The trumpet's silver sound is still | L |
The warder silent on the hill | L |
- | |
Oh think how to his latest day | J2 |
When Death just hovering claimed his prey | J2 |
With Palinure's unaltered mood | J2 |
Firm at his dangerous post he stood | J2 |
Each call for needful rest repelled | J2 |
With dying hand the rudder held | J2 |
Till in his fall with fateful sway | J2 |
The steerage of the realm gave way | J2 |
Then while on Britain's thousand plains | A2 |
One unpolluted church remains | A2 |
Whose peaceful bells ne'er sent around | J2 |
The bloody tocsin's maddening sound | J2 |
But still upon the hallowed day | J2 |
Convoke the swains to praise and pray | J2 |
While faith and civil peace are dear | A |
Grace this cold marble with a tear | A |
He who preserved them Pitt lies here | A |
- | |
Nor yet suppress the generous sigh | E2 |
Because his rival slumbers nigh | E2 |
Nor be thy requiescat dumb | L2 |
Lest it be said o'er Fox's tomb | C2 |
For talents mourn untimely lost | J2 |
When best employed and wanted most | J2 |
Mourn genius high and lore profound | J2 |
And wit that loved to play not wound | J2 |
And all the reasoning powers divine | J |
To penetrate resolve combine | J |
And feelings keen and fancy's glow | L |
They sleep with him who sleeps below | L |
And if thou mourn'st they could not save | E2 |
From error him who owns this grave | E2 |
Be every harsher thought suppressed | J2 |
And sacred be the last long rest | J2 |
HERE where the end of earthly things | A2 |
Lays heroes patriots bards and kings | A2 |
Where stiff the hand and still the tongue | M2 |
Of those who fought and spoke and sung | M2 |
HERE where the fretted aisles prolong | N2 |
The distant notes of holy song | N2 |
As if some angel spoke again | J |
'All peace on earth goodwill to men ' | - |
If ever from an English heart | J2 |
Oh HERE let prejudice depart | J2 |
And partial feeling cast aside | J2 |
Record that Fox a Briton died | J2 |
When Europe crouched to France's yoke | K2 |
And Austria bent and Prussia broke | K2 |
And the firm Russian's purpose brave | E2 |
Was bartered by a timorous slave | E2 |
Even then dishonour's peace he spurned | J2 |
The sullied olive branch returned | J2 |
Stood for his country's glory fast | J2 |
And nailed her colours to the mast | J2 |
Heaven to reward his firmness gave | E2 |
A portion in this honoured grave | E2 |
And ne'er held marble in its trust | J2 |
Of two such wondrous men the dust | J2 |
- | |
With more than mortal powers endowed | J2 |
How high they soared above the crowd | J2 |
Theirs was no common party race | A2 |
Jostling by dark intrigue for place | A2 |
Like fabled gods their mighty war | A |
Shook realms and nations in its jar | A |
Beneath each banner proud to stand | J2 |
Looked up the noblest of the land | J2 |
Till through the British world were known | J |
The names of Pitt and Fox alone | J |
Spells of such force no wizard grave | E2 |
E'er framed in dark Thessalian cave | E2 |
Though his could drain the ocean dry | E2 |
And force the planets from the sky | E2 |
These spells are spent and spent with these | A2 |
The wine of life is on the lees | A2 |
Genius and taste and talent gone | J |
For ever tombed beneath the stone | J |
Where taming thought to human pride | J2 |
The mighty chiefs sleep side by side | J2 |
Drop upon Fox's grave the tear | A |
'Twill trickle to his rival's bier | A |
O'er Pitt's the mournful requiem sound | J2 |
And Fox's shall the notes rebound | J2 |
The solemn echo seems to cry | E2 |
'Here let their discord with them die | E2 |
Speak not for those a separate doom | C2 |
Whom Fate made brothers in the tomb | C2 |
But search the land of living men | J |
Where wilt thou find their like again ' | - |
- | |
Rest ardent spirits till the cries | A2 |
Of dying Nature bid you rise | A2 |
Not even your Britain's groans can pierce | A2 |
The leaden silence of your hearse | A2 |
Then oh how impotent and vain | J |
This grateful tributary strain | J |
Though not unmarked from northern clime | C2 |
Ye heard the Border minstrel's rhyme | C2 |
His Gothic harp has o'er you rung | M2 |
The bard you deigned to praise your deathless names has sung | M2 |
- | |
Stay yet illusion stay a while | L |
My wildered fancy still beguile | L |
From this high theme how can I part | J2 |
Ere half unloaded is my heart | J2 |
For all the tears e'er sorrow drew | A |
And all the raptures fancy knew | A |
And all the keener rush of blood | J2 |
That throbs through bard in bardlike mood | J2 |
Were here a tribute mean and low | L |
Though all their mingled streams could flow | L |
Woe wonder and sensation high | E2 |
In one spring tide of ecstasy | A2 |
It will not be it may not last | J2 |
The vision of enchantment's past | J2 |
Like frostwork | M2 |
Sir Walter Scott
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