Faithless Nelly Gray. - A Pathetic Ballad Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCB DEFG HCIC JKLK KMCM KNON PQRQ STUT KVCW XBYB KYRY ZA2B2A2 KC2D2C2 E2F2G2F2 H2CI2C J2K2L2K2 M2N2O2N2Ben Battle was a soldier bold | A |
And used to war's alarms | B |
But a cannon ball took off his legs | C |
So he laid down his arms | B |
- | |
Now as they bore him off the field | D |
Said he Let others shoot | E |
For here I leave my second leg | F |
And the Forty second Foot | G |
- | |
The army surgeons made him limbs | H |
Said he They're only pegs | C |
But there's as wooden members quite | I |
As represent my legs | C |
- | |
Now Ben he loved a pretty maid | J |
Her name was Nelly Gray | K |
So he went to pay her his devours | L |
When he'd devour'd his pay | K |
- | |
But when he called on Nelly Gray | K |
She made him quite a scoff | M |
And when she saw his wooden legs | C |
Began to take them off | M |
- | |
O Nelly Gray O Nelly Gray | K |
Is this your love so warm | N |
The love that loves a scarlet coat | O |
Should be more uniform | N |
- | |
Said she I loved a soldier once | P |
For he was blithe and brave | Q |
But I will never have a man | R |
With both legs in the grave | Q |
- | |
Before you had those timber toes | S |
Your love I did allow | T |
But then you know you stand upon | U |
Another footing now | T |
- | |
O Nelly Gray O Nelly Gray | K |
For all your jeering speeches | V |
At duty's call I left my legs | C |
In Badajos's breaches | W |
- | |
Why then said she you've lost the feet | X |
Of legs in war's alarms | B |
And now you cannot wear your shoes | Y |
Upon your feats of arms | B |
- | |
O false and fickle Nelly Gray | K |
I know why you refuse | Y |
Though I've no feet some other man | R |
Is standing in my shoes | Y |
- | |
I wish I ne'er had seen your face | Z |
But now a long farewell | A2 |
For you will be my death alas | B2 |
You will not be my Nell | A2 |
- | |
Now when he went from Nelly Gray | K |
His heart so heavy got | C2 |
And life was such a burthen grown | D2 |
It made him take a knot | C2 |
- | |
So round his melancholy neck | E2 |
A rope he did entwine | F2 |
And for his second time in life | G2 |
Enlisted in the Line | F2 |
- | |
One end he tied around a beam | H2 |
And then removed his pegs | C |
And as his legs were off of course | I2 |
He soon was off his legs | C |
- | |
And there he hung till he was dead | J2 |
As any nail in town | K2 |
For though distress had cut him up | L2 |
It could not cut him down | K2 |
- | |
A dozen men sat on his corpse | M2 |
To find out why he died | N2 |
And they buried Ben in four cross roads | O2 |
With a stake in his inside | N2 |
Thomas Hood
(1)
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