Battle Of Hastings - I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABBBBBCC BCCCDADBDD BBBDBDBDEE FBFBBCBCGB EHBHBEBEAA EDGDBBBBCC BCBCABBBII BCBCJBJBBB DBDBEBEBCC ABABKCKCII LMLMDGDGKK MBMBGBGBKK BJBJBMBMBB MDMDBNBGBB MJMJMJMJII BBBBLBLBKK MMBMBGBGMM MBMBKBLBM| O CHRYSTE it is a grief for me to tell | A |
| HOW manie a nobil erle and valrous knyghte | B |
| In fyghtynge for Kynge Harrold noblie fell | A |
| Al sleyne in Hastyngs feeld in bloudie fyghte | B |
| O sea our teeming donore han thy floude | B |
| Han anie fructuous entendement | B |
| Thou wouldst have rose and sank wyth tydes of bloude | B |
| Before Duke Wyllyam's knyghts han hither went | B |
| Whose cowart arrows manie erles sleyne | C |
| And brued the feeld wyth bloude as season rayne | C |
| - | |
| And of his knyghtes did eke full manie die | B |
| All passyng hie of mickle myghte echone | C |
| Whose poygnant arrowes typp'd with destynie | C |
| Caus'd manie wydowes to make myckle mone | C |
| Lordynges avaunt that chycken harted are | D |
| From out of hearynge quicklie now deparle | A |
| Full well I wote to synge of bloudie warre | D |
| Will greeve your tenderlie and mayden harte | B |
| Go do the weaklie womman inn mann's geare | D |
| And scond your mansion if grymm war come there | D |
| - | |
| Soone as the erlie maten belle was tolde | B |
| And sonne was come to byd us all good daie | B |
| Bothe armies on the feeld both brave and bolde | B |
| Prepar'd for fyghte in champyon arraie | D |
| As when two bulles destynde for Hocktide fyghte | B |
| Are yoked bie the necke within a sparre | D |
| Theie rend the erthe and travellyrs affryghte | B |
| Lackynge to gage the sportive bloudie warre | D |
| Soe lacked Harroldes menne to come to blowes | E |
| The Normans lacked for to wielde their bowes | E |
| - | |
| Kynge Harrolde turnynge to hys leegemen spake | F |
| My merrie men be not caste downe in mynde | B |
| Your onlie lode for aye to mar or make | F |
| Before yon sunne has donde his welke you'll fynde | B |
| Your lovyng wife who erst dyd rid the londe | B |
| Of Lurdanes and the treasure that you han | C |
| Wyll falle into the Normanne robber's honde | B |
| Unlesse with honde and harte you plaie the manne | C |
| Cheer up youre hartes chase sorrowe farre awaie | G |
| Godde and Seyncte Cuthbert be the worde to daie | B |
| - | |
| And thenne Duke Wyllyam to his knyghtes did saie | E |
| My merrie menne be bravelie everiche | H |
| Gif I do gayn the honore of the daie | B |
| Ech one of you I will make myckle riche | H |
| Beer you in mynde we for a kyngdomm fyghte | B |
| Lordshippes and honores echone shall possesse | E |
| Be this the worde to daie God and my Ryghte | B |
| Ne doubte but God will oure true cause blesse | E |
| The clarions then sounded sharpe and shrille | A |
| Deathdoeynge blades were out intent to kille | A |
| - | |
| And brave Kyng Harrolde had nowe donde hys saie | E |
| He threwe wythe myghte amayne hys shorte horse spear | D |
| The noise it made the duke to turn awaie | G |
| And hytt his knyghte de Beque upon the ear | D |
| His cristede beaver dyd him smalle abounde | B |
| The cruel spear went thorough all his hede | B |
| The purpel blonde came goushynge to the ground | B |
| And at Duke Wyllyam's feet he tumbled deade | B |
| So fell the myghtie tower of Standrip whenne | C |
| It felte the furie of the Danish menne | C |
| - | |
| O Afflem son of Cuthbert holie Sayncte | B |
| Come ayde thy freend and shewe Duke Wyllyams payne | C |
| Take up thy pencyl all hys features paincte | B |
| Thy coloryng excells a synger strayne | C |
| Duke Wyllyam sawe hys freende sleyne piteouslie | A |
| Hys lovynge freende whome he muche honored | B |
| For he han lovd hym from puerilitie | B |
| And theie together bothe han bin ybred | B |
| O in Duke Wyllyam's harte it raysde a flame | I |
| To whiche the rage of emptie wolves is tame | I |
| - | |
| He tooke a brasen crosse bowe in his honde | B |
| And drewe it harde with all hys myghte amein | C |
| Ne doubtyng but the bravest in the londe | B |
| Han by his soundynge arrowe lede bene sleyne | C |
| Alured's stede the fynest stede alive | J |
| Bye comelie forme knowlached from the rest | B |
| But nowe his destind howre did aryve | J |
| The arrowe hyt upon his milkwhite breste | B |
| So have I seen a ladie smock soe white | B |
| Blown in the mornynge and mowd downe at night | B |
| - | |
| With thilk a force it dyd his bodie gore | D |
| That in his tender guttes it entered | B |
| In veritee a fulle clothe yarde or more | D |
| And downe with flaiten noyse he sunken dede | B |
| Brave Alured benethe his faithfull horse | E |
| Was smeerd all over withe the gorie duste | B |
| And on hym laie the recer's lukewarme corse | E |
| That Alured coulde not hymself aluste | B |
| The standyng Normans drew theyr bowe echone | C |
| And broght full manie Englysh champyons downe | C |
| - | |
| The Normans kept aloofe at distaunce stylle | A |
| The Englysh nete but short horse spears could welde | B |
| The Englysh manie dethe sure dartes did kille | A |
| And manie arrowes twang'd upon the sheelde | B |
| Kynge Haroldes knyghts desir'de for hendie stroke | K |
| And marched furious o'er the bloudie pleyne | C |
| In bodie close and made the pleyne to smoke | K |
| Theire sheelds rebounded arrowes back agayne | C |
| The Normans stode aloof nor hede the same | I |
| Their arrowes woulde do dethe tho' from far of they came | I |
| - | |
| Duke Wyllyam drewe agen hys arrowe strynge | L |
| An arrowe withe a sylver hede drewe he | M |
| The arrowe dauncynge in the ayre dyd synge | L |
| And hytt the horse of Tosselyn on the knee | M |
| At this brave Tosslyn threwe his short horse speare | D |
| Duke Wyllyam stooped to avoyde the blowe | G |
| The yrone weapon hummed in his eare | D |
| And hitte Sir Doullie Naibor on the prowe | G |
| Upon his helme foe surious was the stroke | K |
| It splete his bever and the ryvets broke | K |
| - | |
| Downe fell the beaver by Tosslyn splete in tweine | M |
| And onn his hede expos'd a punie wounde | B |
| But on Destoutvilles sholder came ameine | M |
| And fell'd the champyon to the bloudie grounde | B |
| Then Doullie myghte his bowestrynge drewe | G |
| Enthoughte to gyve brave Tosslyn bloudie wounde | B |
| But Harolde's asenglave stopp'd it as it flewe | G |
| And it fell bootless on the bloudie grounde | B |
| Siere Doullie when he sawe hys venge thus broke | K |
| Death doynge blade from out the scabard toke | K |
| - | |
| And now the battail closde on everych syde | B |
| And face to face appeard the knyghts full brave | J |
| They lifted up theire bylles with myckle pryde | B |
| And manie woundes unto the Normans gave | J |
| So have I sene two weirs at once give grounde | B |
| White fomyng hygh to rorynge combat runne | M |
| In roaryng dyn and heaven breaking sounde | B |
| Burste waves on waves and spangle in the sunne | M |
| And when their myghte in burstynge waves is fled | B |
| Like cowards stele alonge their ozy bede | B |
| - | |
| Yonge Egelrede a knyghte of comelie mien | M |
| Affynd unto the kynge of Dynefarre | D |
| At echone tylte and tourney he was seene | M |
| And lov'd to be amonge the bloudie warre | D |
| He couch'd hys launce and ran wyth mickle myghte | B |
| Ageinste the brest of Sieur de Bonoboe | N |
| He grond and sunken on the place of fyghte | B |
| O Chryste to fele his wounde his harte was woe | G |
| Ten thousand thoughtes push'd in upon his mynde | B |
| Not for hymself but those he left behynde | B |
| - | |
| He dy'd and leffed wyfe and chyldren tweine | M |
| Whom he wyth cheryshment did dearlie love | J |
| In England's court in goode Kynge Edwarde's regne | M |
| He wonne the tylte and ware her crymson glove | J |
| And thence unto the place where he was borne | M |
| Together with hys welthe better wyfe | J |
| To Normandie he dyd perdie returne | M |
| In peace and quietnesse to lead his lyfe | J |
| And now with sovrayn Wyllyam he came | I |
| To die in battel or get welthe and fame | I |
| - | |
| Then swefte as lyghtnynge Egelredus set | B |
| Agaynst du Barlie of the mounten head | B |
| In his dere hartes bloude his longe launce was wett | B |
| And from his courser down he tumbled dede | B |
| So have I sene a mountayne oak that longe | L |
| Has caste his shadowe to the mountayne syde | B |
| Brave all the wyndes tho' ever they so stronge | L |
| And view the briers belowe with self taught pride | B |
| But whan throwne downe by mightie thunder stroke | K |
| He'de rather bee a bryer than an oke | K |
| - | |
| Then Egelred dyd in a declynie | M |
| Hys launce uprere with all hys myghte ameine | M |
| And strok Fitzport upon the dexter eye | B |
| And at his pole the spear came out agayne | M |
| Butt as he drewe it forthe an arrowe fledde | B |
| Wyth mickle myght lent from de Tracy's bowe | G |
| And at hys syde the arrowe entered | B |
| And oute the crymson streme of bloude gan flowe | G |
| In purple strekes it dyd his armer staine | M |
| And smok'd in puddles on the dustie plaine | M |
| - | |
| But Egelred before he sunken downe | M |
| With all his myghte amein his spear besped | B |
| It hytte Bertrammil Manne upon the crowne | M |
| And bothe together quicklie sunken dede | B |
| So have I seen a roche o'er others hang | K |
| Who stronglie plac'd laughde at his slippry state | B |
| But when he falls with heaven peercynge bange | L |
| That he the sleeve unravels all theire fate | B |
| And broken onn the beech thys lesson | M |
Thomas Chatterton
(1)
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