Marmion: Introduction To Canto Iv. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEEFFGGHHIJKKLLMM NNOOPPQQRRSSTTEEMMUU EEVVMMQQWWRRXXVVYYXX ZZA2A2XXKKKB2B2C2D2E 2E2KKF2G2H2H2B2B2I2I 2SSB2B2B2B2SSKKJ2J2K 2K2PPEEUUB2B2PPL2L2M 2M2N2N2B2B2B2B2O2O2B 2B2EEP2P2Q2R2S2S2C2C 2T2T2U2U2B2B2RRV2V2W 2W2QBOOX2BUUY2Z2B2B2 V2V2LLQQA3A3V2V2QQB3 B3B3C3D3DDE3E3AAPPF3 F3G3G3QQH3H3G3G3G3QQ G3G3U2U2I3I3B2B2J2J2 G3G3W2W2J3J3B2B2G3G3An ancient minstrel sagely said | A |
'Where is the life which late we led ' | B |
That motley clown in Arden wood | C |
Whom humorous Jaques with envy viewed | D |
Not even that clown could amplify | E |
On this trite text so long as I | E |
Eleven years we now may tell | F |
Since we have known each other well | F |
Since riding side by side our hand | G |
First drew the voluntary brand | G |
And sure through many a varied scene | H |
Unkindness never came between | H |
Away these winged years have flown | I |
To join the mass of ages gone | J |
And though deep marked like all below | K |
With checkered shades of joy and woe | K |
Though thou o'er realms and seas hast ranged | L |
Marked cities lost and empires changed | L |
While here at home my narrower ken | M |
Somewhat of manners saw and men | M |
Though varying wishes hopes and fears | N |
Fevered the progress of these years | N |
Yet now days weeks and months but seem | O |
The recollection of a dream | O |
So still we glide down to the sea | P |
Of fathomless eternity | P |
Even now it scarcely seems a day | Q |
Since first I tuned this idle lay | Q |
A task so often thrown aside | R |
When leisure graver cares denied | R |
That now November's dreary gale | S |
Whose voice inspired my opening tale | S |
That same November gale once more | T |
Whirls the dry leaves on Yarrow shore | T |
Their vexed boughs streaming to the sky | E |
Once more our naked birches sigh | E |
And Blackhouse heights and Ettrick Pen | M |
Have donned their wintry shrouds again | M |
And mountain dark and flooded mead | U |
Bid us forsake the banks of Tweed | U |
Earlier than wont along the sky | E |
Mixed with the rack the snow mists fly | E |
The shepherd who in summer sun | V |
Had something of our envy won | V |
As thou with pencil I with pen | M |
The features traced of hill and glen | M |
He who outstretched the livelong day | Q |
At ease among the heath flowers lay | Q |
Viewed the light clouds with vacant look | W |
Or slumbered o'er his tattered book | W |
Or idly busied him to guide | R |
His angle o'er the lessened tide | R |
At midnight now the snowy plain | X |
Finds sterner labour for the swain | X |
When red hath set the beamless sun | V |
Through heavy vapours dark and dun | V |
When the tired ploughman dry and warm | Y |
Hears half asleep the rising storm | Y |
Hurling the hail and sleeted rain | X |
Against the casement's tinkling pane | X |
The sounds that drive wild deer and fox | Z |
To shelter in the brake and rocks | Z |
Are warnings which the shepherd ask | A2 |
To dismal and to dangerous task | A2 |
Oft he looks forth and hopes in vain | X |
The blast may sink in mellowing rain | X |
Till dark above and white below | K |
Decided drives the flaky snow | K |
And forth the hardy swain must go | K |
Long with dejected look and whine | B2 |
To leave the hearth his dogs repine | B2 |
Whistling and cheering them to aid | C2 |
Around his back he wreathes the plaid | D2 |
His flock he gathers and he guides | E2 |
To open downs and mountain sides | E2 |
Where fiercest though the tempest blow | K |
Least deeply lies the drift below | K |
The blast that whistles o'er the fells | F2 |
Stiffens his locks to icicles | G2 |
Oft he looks back while streaming far | H2 |
His cottage window seems a star | H2 |
Loses its feeble gleam and then | B2 |
Turns patient to the blast again | B2 |
And facing to the tempest's sweep | I2 |
Drives through the gloom his lagging sheep | I2 |
If fails his heart if his limbs fail | S |
Benumbing death is in the gale | S |
His paths his landmarks all unknown | B2 |
Close to the hut no more his own | B2 |
Close to the aid he sought in vain | B2 |
The morn may find the stiffened swain | B2 |
The widow sees at dawning pale | S |
His orphans raise their feeble wail | S |
And close beside him in the snow | K |
Poor Yarrow partner of their woe | K |
Couches upon his master's breast | J2 |
And licks his cheek to break his rest | J2 |
Who envies now the shepherd's lot | K2 |
His healthy fare his rural cot | K2 |
His summer couch by greenwood tree | P |
His rustic kirn's loud revelry | P |
His native hill notes tuned on high | E |
To Marion of the blithesome eye | E |
His crook his scrip his oaten reed | U |
And all Arcadia's golden creed | U |
Changes not so with us my Skene | B2 |
Of human life the varying scene | B2 |
Our youthful summer oft we see | P |
Dance by on wings of game and glee | P |
While the dark storm reserves its rage | L2 |
Against the winter of our age | L2 |
As he the ancient Chief of Troy | M2 |
His manhood spent in peace and joy | M2 |
But Grecian fires and loud alarms | N2 |
Called ancient Priam forth to arms | N2 |
Then happy those since each must drain | B2 |
His share of pleasure share of pain | B2 |
Then happy those beloved of Heaven | B2 |
To whom the mingled cup is given | B2 |
Whose lenient sorrows find relief | O2 |
Whose joys are chastened by their grief | O2 |
And such a lot my Skene was thine | B2 |
When thou of late wert doomed to twine | B2 |
Just when thy bridal hour was by | E |
The cypress with the myrtle tie | E |
Just on thy bride her sire had smiled | P2 |
And blessed the union of his child | P2 |
When Love must change its joyous cheer | Q2 |
And wipe Affection's filial tear | R2 |
Nor did the actions next his end | S2 |
Speak more the father than the friend | S2 |
Scarce had lamented Forbes paid | C2 |
The tribute to his minstrel's shade | C2 |
The tale of friendship scarce was told | T2 |
Ere the narrator's heart was cold | T2 |
Far may we search before we find | U2 |
A heart so manly and so kind | U2 |
But not around his honoured urn | B2 |
Shall friends alone and kindred mourn | B2 |
The thousand eyes his care had dried | R |
Pour at his name a bitter tide | R |
And frequent falls the grateful dew | V2 |
For benefits the world ne'er knew | V2 |
If mortal charity dare claim | W2 |
The Almighty's attributed name | W2 |
Inscribe above his mouldering clay | Q |
'The widow's shield the orphan's stay ' | B |
Nor though it wake thy sorrow deem | O |
My verse intrudes on this sad theme | O |
For sacred was the pen that wrote | X2 |
'Thy father's friend forget thou not ' | B |
And grateful title may I plead | U |
For many a kindly word and deed | U |
To bring my tribute to his grave | Y2 |
'Tis little but 'tis all I have | Z2 |
To thee perchance this rambling strain | B2 |
Recalls our summer walks again | B2 |
When doing naught and to speak true | V2 |
Not anxious to find aught to do | V2 |
The wild unbounded hills we ranged | L |
While oft our talk its topic changed | L |
And desultory as our way | Q |
Ranged unconfined from grave to gay | Q |
Even when it flagged as oft will chance | A3 |
No effort made to break its trance | A3 |
We could right pleasantly pursue | V2 |
Our sports in social silence too | V2 |
Thou gravely labouring to portray | Q |
The blighted oak's fantastic spray | Q |
I spelling o'er with much delight | B3 |
The legend of that antique knight | B3 |
Tirante by name ycleped the White | B3 |
At either's feet a trusty squire | C3 |
Pandour and Camp with eyes of fire | D3 |
Jealous each other's motions viewed | D |
And scarce suppressed their ancient feud | D |
The laverock whistled from the cloud | E3 |
The stream was lively but not loud | E3 |
From the white thorn the Mayflower shed | A |
Its dewy fragrance round our head | A |
Not Ariel lived more merrily | P |
Under the blossomed bough than we | P |
And blithesome nights too have been ours | F3 |
When winter stript the summer's bowers | F3 |
Careless we heard what now I hear | G3 |
The wild blast sighing deep and drear | G3 |
When fires were bright and lamps beamed gay | Q |
And ladies tuned the lovely lay | Q |
And he was held a laggard soul | H3 |
Who shunned to quaff the sparkling bowl | H3 |
Then he whose absence we deplore | G3 |
Who breathes the gales of Devon's shore | G3 |
The longer missed bewailed the more | G3 |
And thou and I and dear loved Rae | Q |
And one whose name I may not say | Q |
For not Mimosa's tender tree | G3 |
Shrinks sooner from the touch than he | G3 |
In merry chorus well combined | U2 |
With laughter drowned the whistling wind | U2 |
Mirth was within and Care without | I3 |
Might gnaw her nails to hear our shout | I3 |
Not but amid the buxom scene | B2 |
Some grave discourse might intervene | B2 |
Of the good horse that bore him best | J2 |
His shoulder hoof and arching crest | J2 |
For like mad Tom's our chiefest care | G3 |
Was horse to ride and weapon wear | G3 |
Such nights we've had and though the game | W2 |
Of manhood be more sober tame | W2 |
And though the field day or the drill | J3 |
Seem less important now yet still | J3 |
Such may we hope to share again | B2 |
The sprightly thought inspires my strain | B2 |
And mark how like a horseman true | G3 |
Lord Marmion's march I thus renew | G3 |
Sir Walter Scott
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