Sir Hornbook Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCBC DEDE FGFG ACAC HIHI JDKKKD LMLL NONO A GPQR STST LULU PVPV WXYX ZXZXZX LXLX ZLZZL A GXQX HXHHX HA2HA2 LLLL A XXXX B2RC2R XD2XD2 RZRZ E2RE2R XXXX XF2XF2 ZRZR LLLL LRLR RARA ZLZL R XZXZ LXLXLX LXLX XRXR XB2XB2 G2XG2X ZLZL ZLZL A XXXX RH2RH2 I2ZI2Z J2ZK2Z UXUX XF2XXXF2 ZF2ZF2 LD2LD2 F2XF2X ZF2ZF2 XXXX XRXR ALAL XRXR XLXL A AF2AF2 XL2XL2 F2XF2XF2X F2I | A |
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O'er bush and briar Childe Launcelot sprung | B |
With ardent hopes elate | C |
And loudly blew the horn that hung | B |
Before Sir Hornbook's gate | C |
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The inner portals opened wide | D |
And forward strode the chief | E |
Arrayed in paper helmet's pride | D |
And arms of golden leaf | E |
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What means he cried This daring noise | F |
That wakes the summer day | G |
I hate all idle truant boys | F |
Away Sir Childe away | G |
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No idle truant boy am I | A |
Childe Launcelot answered straight | C |
Resolved to climb this hill so high | A |
I seek thy castle gate | C |
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Behold the talisman I bear | H |
And aid my bold design | I |
Sir Hornbook gazed and written there | H |
Knew Emulation's sign | I |
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If Emulation sent thee here | J |
Sir Hornbook quick replied | D |
My merrymen all shall soon appear | K |
To aid thy cause with shield and spear | K |
And I will head thy bold career | K |
And prove thy faithful guide | D |
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Loud rung the chains the drawbridge fell | L |
The gates asunder flew | M |
The knight thrice beat the portal bell | L |
And thrice he call'd Halloo | L |
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And out and out in hasty rout | N |
By ones twos threes and fours | O |
His merrymen rush'd the walls without | N |
And stood before the doors | O |
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II | A |
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Full six and twenty men were they | G |
In line of battle spread | P |
The first that came was mighty A | Q |
The last was little Z | R |
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Six Vocal men Sir Hornbook had | S |
Four Double men to boot | T |
And four were Liquids soft and sad | S |
And all the rest were Mute | T |
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He called his Corporal Syllable | L |
To range the scatter'd throng | U |
And Captain Word dispos'd them well | L |
In bands compact and strong | U |
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Now mark Sir Childe Sir Hornbook said | P |
These well compacted powers | V |
Shall lead thy vent'rous steps to tread | P |
Through all the Muses' bowers | V |
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If rightly thou thyself address | W |
To use their proffer'd aid | X |
Still unallur'd by idleness | Y |
By labor undismay'd | X |
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For many troubles intervene | Z |
And perils widely spread | X |
Around the groves of evergreen | Z |
That crown this mountain's head | X |
But rich reward he finds I ween | Z |
Who through them all has sped | X |
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Childe Launcelot felt his bosom glow | L |
At thought of noble deed | X |
Resolved through every path to go | L |
Where that bold knight should lead | X |
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Sir Hornbook wound his bugle horn | Z |
Full long and loud and shrill | L |
His merrymen all for conquest born | Z |
With armour glittering to the morn | Z |
Went marching up the hill | L |
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III | A |
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What men are you beside the way | G |
The bold Sir Hornbook cried | X |
My name is The my brother's A | Q |
Sir Article replied | X |
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My brother's home is any where | H |
At large and undefin'd | X |
But I a preference ever bear | H |
For one fix'd spot and settle there | H |
Which speaks my constant mind | X |
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What ho Childe Launcelot seize them there | H |
And look you have them sure | A2 |
Sir Hornbook cried my men shall bear | H |
Your captives off secure | A2 |
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The twain were seized Sir Hornbook blew | L |
His bugle loud and shrill | L |
His merrymen all so stout and true | L |
Went marching up the hill | L |
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IV | A |
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And now a wider space they gained | X |
A steeper harder ground | X |
Where by one ample wall contained | X |
All earthly things they found | X |
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All beings rich poor weak or wise | B2 |
Were there full strange to see | R |
And attributes and qualities | C2 |
Of high and low degree | R |
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Before the circle stood a knight | X |
Sir Substantive his name | D2 |
With Adjective his lady bright | X |
Who seemed a portly dame | D2 |
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Yet only seemed for whenso'er | R |
She strove to stand alone | Z |
She proved no more than smoke and air | R |
Who looked like flesh and bone | Z |
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And therefore to her husband's arm | E2 |
She clung for evermore | R |
And lent him many a grace and charm | E2 |
He had not known before | R |
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Yet these the knight felt well advised | X |
He might have done without | X |
For lightly foreign help he prized | X |
He was so staunch and stout | X |
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Five sons had they their dear delight | X |
Of different forms and faces | F2 |
And two of them were Numbers bright | X |
And three they christened Cases | F2 |
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Now loudly rung Sir Hornbook's horn | Z |
Childe Launcelot poised his spear | R |
And on they rushed to conquest borne | Z |
In swift and full career | R |
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Sir Substantive kicked down the wall | L |
It fell with furious rattle | L |
And earthly things and beings all | L |
Rushed forth to join the battle | L |
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But earthly things and beings all | L |
Through mixed in boundless plenty | R |
Must one by one dissolving fall | L |
To Hornbook's six and twenty | R |
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Childe Launcelot won the arduous fray | R |
And when they ceased from strife | A |
Led stout Sir Substantive away | R |
His children and his wife | A |
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Sir Hornbook wound his horn again | Z |
Full long and loud and shrill | L |
His merrymen all a warlike train | Z |
Went marching up the hill | L |
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V | R |
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Now when Sir Pronoun look'd abroad | X |
And spied the coming train | Z |
He left his fort beside the road | X |
And ran with might and main | Z |
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Two cloth yard shafts from I and U | L |
Went forth with whizzing sound | X |
Like lightning sped the arrows true | L |
Sir Pronoun pressed the ground | X |
But darts of science ever flew | L |
To conquer not to wound | X |
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His fear was great his hurt was small | L |
Childe Launcelot took his hand | X |
Sir Knight said he though doomed to fall | L |
Before my conquering band | X |
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Yet knightly treatment shall you find | X |
On faith of cavalier | R |
Then join Sir Substantive behind | X |
And follow our career | R |
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Sir Substantive that man of might | X |
Felt knightly anger rise | B2 |
For he had marked Sir Pronoun's flight | X |
With no approving eyes | B2 |
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Great Substantive my sovereign liege | G2 |
Thus sad Sir Pronoun cried | X |
When you had fallen in furious siege | G2 |
Could I the shock abide | X |
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That all resistance would be vain | Z |
Too well alas I knew | L |
For what could I when you were ta'en | Z |
Your poor lieutenant do | L |
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Then louder rung Sir Hornbook's horn | Z |
In signals long and shrill | L |
His merrymen all for conquest born | Z |
Went marching up the hill | L |
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VI | A |
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Now steeper grew the rising ground | X |
And rougher grew the road | X |
As up the steep ascent they wound | X |
To bold Sir Verb's abode | X |
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Sir Verb was old and many a year | R |
All scenes and climates seeing | H2 |
Had run a wild and strange career | R |
Through every mode of being | H2 |
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And every aspect shape and change | I2 |
Of action and of passion | Z |
And known to him was all the range | I2 |
Of feeling taste and fashion | Z |
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He was an Augur quite at home | J2 |
In all things present done | Z |
Deeds past and every act to come | K2 |
In ages yet to run | Z |
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Entrenched in intricacies strong | U |
Ditch fort and palisado | X |
He marked with scorn the coming throng | U |
And breathed a bold bravado | X |
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Ho who are you that dare invade | X |
My turrets moats and fences | F2 |
Soon will your vaunting courage fade | X |
When you on the walls in lines array'd | X |
You see me marshal undismay'd | X |
My host of moods and tenses | F2 |
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In vain Childe Launcelot cried in scorn | Z |
On them is your reliance | F2 |
Sir Hornbook wound his bugle horn | Z |
And twange'd a loud defiance | F2 |
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They swam the moat they scal'd the wall | L |
Sir Verb with rage and shame | D2 |
Beheld his valiant general fall | L |
Infinitive by name | D2 |
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Indicative declar'd the foes | F2 |
Should perish by his hand | X |
And stout Imperative arose | F2 |
The squadron to command | X |
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Potential and Subjunctive then | Z |
Came forth with doubt and chance | F2 |
All fell alike with all their men | Z |
Before Sir Hornbook's lance | F2 |
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Action and Passion nought could do | X |
To save Sir Verb from fate | X |
Whose doom poor Participle knew | X |
He must participate | X |
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Then Adverb who had skulk'd behind | X |
To shun the mighty jar | R |
Came forward and himself resign'd | X |
A prisoner of war | R |
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Three children of Imperative | A |
Full strong though somewhat small | L |
Next forward came themselves to give | A |
To conquering Launcelot's thrall | L |
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Conjunction press'd to join the crowd | X |
But Preposition swore | R |
Though Interjection sobb'd aloud | X |
That he would go before | R |
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Again his horn Sir Hornbook blew | X |
Full long and loud and shrill | L |
His merrymen all so stout and true | X |
Went marching up the hill | L |
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VII | A |
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Sir Syntax dwelt in thick fir grove | A |
All strown with scraps of flowers | F2 |
Which he had pluck'd to please his love | A |
Among the Muses' bowers | F2 |
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His love was gentle Prosody | X |
More fair than morning beam | L2 |
Who liv'd beneath a flowering tree | X |
Beside a falling stream | L2 |
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And these two claim'd with high pretence | F2 |
The whole Parnassian ground | X |
Albeit some little difference | F2 |
Between their taste was found | X |
Sir Syntax he was all for sense | F2 |
And Prosody for sound | X |
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Yet in them both the Muses | F2 |
Thomas Love Peacock
(1)
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