The Compass, With Variations.[1] Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AB CDEDCD FGHGIG JDKDLD J MNHOPN J JNQNJN J RJJJOJ J STULVT J JIGIJI I WGXGIG I YZA2TVT I B2C2YC2D2C2 I C2E2F2E2C2E2 I C2E2A2E2C2E2 J G2ITIH2I J IC2I2C2J2C2 J K2C2L2C2IC2 J JE2JE2ZE2 J M2IN2IC2I I C2O2EO2P2O2 I Q2C2R2C2S2C2 I T2C2U2C2IC2 I JQ2V2Q2JQ2 I W2E2C2E2IE2 J J2IIIQI J X2TJTE2T J Y2TTTIT J IIK2IZ2I J A3A3Q2A3A3A3 I A3E2A3E2B3E2 I JA3A3A3A3A3 I IE2JE2A3E2 I Q2TA3TC3T| The Needles have sometimes been fatal to Mariners | A |
| Picture of Isle of Wight | B |
| - | |
| - | |
| I | - |
| - | |
| One close of day 'twas in the Bay | C |
| Of Naples bay of glory | D |
| While light was hanging crowns of gold | E |
| On mountains high and hoary | D |
| A gallant bark got under weigh | C |
| And with her sails my story | D |
| - | |
| - | |
| II | - |
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| For Leghorn she was bound direct | F |
| With wine and oil for cargo | G |
| Her crew of men some nine or ten | H |
| The captain's name was Jago | G |
| A good and gallant bark she was | I |
| La Donna call'd del Lago | G |
| - | |
| - | |
| III | - |
| - | |
| Bronzed mariners were hers to view | J |
| With brown cheeks clear or muddy | D |
| Dark shining eyes and coal black hair | K |
| Meet heads for painter's study | D |
| But midst their tan there stood one man | L |
| Whose cheek was fair and ruddy | D |
| - | |
| - | |
| IV | J |
| - | |
| His brow was high a loftier brow | M |
| Ne'er shone in song or sonnet | N |
| His hair a little scant and when | H |
| He doff'd his cap or bonnet | O |
| One saw that Grey had gone beyond | P |
| A premiership upon it | N |
| - | |
| - | |
| V | J |
| - | |
| His eye a passenger was he | J |
| The cabin he had hired it | N |
| His eye was gray and when he look'd | Q |
| Around the prospect fired it | N |
| A fine poetic light as if | J |
| The Appe Nine inspir'd it | N |
| - | |
| - | |
| VI | J |
| - | |
| His frame was stout in height about | R |
| Six feet well made and portly | J |
| Of dress and manner just to give | J |
| A sketch but very shortly | J |
| His order seem'd a composite | O |
| Of rustic with the courtly | J |
| - | |
| - | |
| VII | J |
| - | |
| He ate and quaff'd and joked and laughed | S |
| And chatted with the seamen | T |
| And often task'd their skill and ask'd | U |
| What weather is't to be man | L |
| No demonstration there appeared | V |
| That he was any demon | T |
| - | |
| - | |
| VIII | J |
| - | |
| No sort of sign there was that he | J |
| Could raise a stormy rumpus | I |
| Like Prospero make breezes blow | G |
| And rocks and billows thump us | I |
| But little we supposed what he | J |
| Could with the needle compass | I |
| - | |
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| IX | I |
| - | |
| Soon came a storm the sea at first | W |
| Seem'd lying almost fallow | G |
| When lo full crash with billowy dash | X |
| From clouds of black and yellow | G |
| Came such a gale as blows but once | I |
| A cent'ry like the aloe | G |
| - | |
| - | |
| X | I |
| - | |
| Our stomachs we had just prepared | Y |
| To vest a small amount in | Z |
| When gush a flood of brine came down | A2 |
| The skylight quite a fountain | T |
| And right on end the table rear'd | V |
| Just like the Table Mountain | T |
| - | |
| - | |
| XI | I |
| - | |
| Down rush'd the soup down gush'd the wine | B2 |
| Each roll its r 'le repeating | C2 |
| Roll'd down the round of beef declar'd | Y |
| For parting not for meating | C2 |
| Off flew the fowls and all the game | D2 |
| Was too far gone for eating | C2 |
| - | |
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| XII | I |
| - | |
| Down knife and fork down went the pork | C2 |
| The lamb too broke its tether | E2 |
| Down mustard went each condiment | F2 |
| Salt pepper all together | E2 |
| Down everything like craft that seek | C2 |
| The Downs in stormy weather | E2 |
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| XIII | I |
| - | |
| Down plunged the Lady of the Lake | C2 |
| Her timbers seem'd to sever | E2 |
| Down down a dreary derry down | A2 |
| Such lurch she had gone never | E2 |
| She almost seem'd about to take | C2 |
| A bed of down forever | E2 |
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| XIV | J |
| - | |
| Down dropt the captain's nether jaw | G2 |
| Thus robbed of all its uses | I |
| He thought he saw the Evil One | T |
| Beside Vesuvian sluices | I |
| Playing at dice for soul and ship | H2 |
| And throwing Sink and Deuces | I |
| - | |
| - | |
| XV | J |
| - | |
| Down fell the steward on his face | I |
| To all the Saints commending | C2 |
| And candles to the Virgin vow'd | I2 |
| As save alls 'gain'st his ending | C2 |
| Down fell the mate he thought his fate | J2 |
| Checkmate was close impending | C2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XVI | J |
| - | |
| Down fell the cook the cabin boy | K2 |
| Their beads with fervor telling | C2 |
| While Alps of surge with snowy verge | L2 |
| Above the yards came yelling | C2 |
| Down fell the crew and on their knees | I |
| Shudder'd at each white swelling | C2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XVII | J |
| - | |
| Down sunk the sun of bloody hue | J |
| His crimson light a cleaver | E2 |
| To each red rover of a wave | J |
| To eye of fancy weaver | E2 |
| Neptune the god seemed tossing in | Z |
| A raging scarlet fever | E2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XVIII | J |
| - | |
| Sore sore afraid each Papist pray'd | M2 |
| To Saint aid Virgin Mary | I |
| But one there was that stood composed | N2 |
| Amid the waves' vagary | I |
| As staunch as rock a true game cock | C2 |
| 'Mid chicks of Mother Carey | I |
| - | |
| - | |
| XIX | I |
| - | |
| His ruddy cheek retained its streak | C2 |
| No danger seem'd to shrink him | O2 |
| His step still bold of mortal mould | E |
| The crew could hardly think him | O2 |
| The Lady of the Lake he seem'd | P2 |
| To know could never sink him | O2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XX | I |
| - | |
| Relaxed at last the furious gale | Q2 |
| Quite out of breath with racing | C2 |
| The boiling flood in milder mood | R2 |
| With gentler billows chasing | C2 |
| From stem to stern with frequent turn | S2 |
| The Stranger took to pacing | C2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXI | I |
| - | |
| And as he walked to self he talked | T2 |
| Some ancient ditty thrumming | C2 |
| In undertone as not alone | U2 |
| Now whistling and now humming | C2 |
| You're welcome Charlie Cowdenknowes | I |
| Kenmure or Campbells' Coming | C2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXII | I |
| - | |
| Down went the wind down went the wave | J |
| Fear quitted the most finical | Q2 |
| The Saints I wot were soon forgot | V2 |
| And Hope was at the pinnacle | Q2 |
| When rose on high a frightful cry | J |
| The Devil's in the binnacle | Q2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXIII | I |
| - | |
| The Saints be near the helmsman cried | W2 |
| His voice with quite a falter | E2 |
| Steady's my helm but every look | C2 |
| The needle seems to alter | E2 |
| God only knows where China lies | I |
| Jamaica or Gibraltar | E2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXIV | J |
| - | |
| The captain stared aghast at mate | J2 |
| The pilot at th' apprentice | I |
| No fancy of the German Sea | I |
| Of Fiction the event is | I |
| But when they at the compass look'd | Q |
| It seem'd non compass mentis | I |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXV | J |
| - | |
| Now north now south now east now west | X2 |
| The wavering point was shaken | T |
| 'Twas past the whole philosophy | J |
| Of Newton or of Bacon | T |
| Never by compass till that hour | E2 |
| Such latitudes were taken | T |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXVI | J |
| - | |
| With fearful speech each after each | Y2 |
| Took turns in the inspection | T |
| They found no gun no iron none | T |
| To vary its direction | T |
| It seem'd a new magnetic case | I |
| Of Poles in Insurrection | T |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXVII | J |
| - | |
| Farewell to wives farewell their lives | I |
| And all their household riches | I |
| Oh while they thought of girl or boy | K2 |
| And dear domestic niches | I |
| All down the side which holds the heart | Z2 |
| That needle gave them stitches | I |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXVIII | J |
| - | |
| With deep amaze the Stranger gazed | A3 |
| To see them so white livered | A3 |
| And walked abaft the binnacle | Q2 |
| To know at what they shivered | A3 |
| But when he stood beside the card | A3 |
| St Josef how it quivered | A3 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXIX | I |
| - | |
| No fancy motion brain begot | A3 |
| In eye of timid dreamer | E2 |
| The nervous finger of a sot | A3 |
| Ne'er showed a plainer tremor | E2 |
| To every brain it seemed too plain | B3 |
| There stood th' Infernal Schemer | E2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXX | I |
| - | |
| Mix'd brown and blue each visage grew | J |
| Just like a pullet's gizzard | A3 |
| Meanwhile the captain's wandering wit | A3 |
| From tacking like an izzard | A3 |
| Bore down in this plain course at last | A3 |
| It's Michael Scott the Wizard | A3 |
| - | |
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| XXXI | I |
| - | |
| A smile passed o'er the ruddy face | I |
| To see the poles so falter | E2 |
| I'm puzzled friends as much as you | J |
| For with no fiends I palter | E2 |
| Michael I'm not although a Scott | A3 |
| My Christian name is Walter | E2 |
| - | |
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| XXXII | I |
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| Like oil it fell that name a spell | Q2 |
| On all the fearful faction | T |
| The captain's head for he had read | A3 |
| Confess'd the needle's action | T |
| And bow'd to Him in whom the North | C3 |
| Has lodged its main attraction | T |
Thomas Hood
(1)
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About The Compass, With Variations.[1]
The Compass, With Variations.[1] is a poem by Thomas Hood. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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