The Fudge Family In Paris Letter Vii. From Phelim Connor To-- Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AA BBCDEEFFGGHHIIJJ KKLMNNAAJJOOPPCDQQRR SSTTUUDCVVFFWWXXDDOO JJYY AAZZEEXXVSA2A2B2B2VV CD C2C2D2D2C2C2A2TC2C2V VC2C2 RRE2E2HHHE2E2C2C2VVF 2F2G2G2C2C2H2H2F2I2I 2DDPPF2F2J2J2K2K2L2M 2C2C2N2N2FFH2C2H2R O2O2H2H2H2C2H2P2P2C2 C2E2E2XXP2P2Q2Q2RRR2 R2Before we sketch the Present let us cast | A |
A few short rapid glances to the Past | A |
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When he who had defied all Europe's strength | B |
Beneath his own weak rashness sunk at length | B |
When loosed as if by magic from a chain | C |
That seemed like Fate's the world was free again | D |
And Europe saw rejoicing in the sight | E |
The cause of Kings for once the cause of Right | E |
Then was indeed an hour of joy to those | F |
Who sighed for justice liberty repose | F |
And hoped the fall of one great vulture's nest | G |
Would ring its warning round and scare the rest | G |
All then was bright with promise Kings began | H |
To own a sympathy with suffering Man | H |
And man was grateful Patriots of the South | I |
Caught wisdom from a Cossack Emperor's mouth | I |
And heard like accents thawed in Northern air | J |
Unwonted words of freedom burst forth there | J |
- | |
Who did not hope in that triumphant time | K |
When monarchs after years of spoil and crime | K |
Met round the shrine of Peace and Heaven lookt on | L |
Who did not hope the lust of spoil was gone | M |
That that rapacious spirit which had played | N |
The game of Pilnitz o'er so oft was laid | N |
And Europe's Rulers conscious of the past | A |
Would blush and deviate into right at last | A |
But no the hearts that nurst a hope so fair | J |
Had yet to learn what men on thrones can dare | J |
Had yet to know of all earth's ravening things | O |
The only quite untameable are Kings | O |
Scarce had they met when to its nature true | P |
The instinct of their race broke out anew | P |
Promises treaties charters all were vain | C |
And Rapine rapine was the cry again | D |
How quick they carved their victims and how well | Q |
Let Saxony let injured Genoa tell | Q |
Let all the human stock that day by day | R |
Was at that Royal slave mart truckt away | R |
The million souls that in the face of heaven | S |
Were split to fractions bartered sold or given | S |
To swell some despot Power too huge before | T |
And weigh down Europe with one Mammoth more | T |
How safe the faith of Kings let France decide | U |
Her charter broken ere its ink had dried | U |
Her Press enthralled her Reason mockt again | D |
With all the monkery it had spurned in vain | C |
Her crown disgraced by one who dared to own | V |
He thankt not France but England for his throne | V |
Her triumphs cast into the shade by those | F |
Who had grown old among her bitterest foes | F |
And now returned beneath her conqueror's shields | W |
Unblushing slaves to claim her heroes' fields | W |
To tread down every trophy of her fame | X |
And curse that glory which to them was shame | X |
Let these let all the damning deeds that then | D |
Were dared thro' Europe cry aloud to men | D |
With voice like that of crashing ice that rings | O |
Round Alpine huts the perfidy of Kings | O |
And tell the world when hawks shall harmless bear | J |
The shrinking dove when wolves shall learn to spare | J |
The helpless victim for whose blood they lusted | Y |
Then and then only monarchs may be trusted | Y |
- | |
It could not last these horrors could not last | A |
France would herself have risen in might to cast | A |
The insulters off and oh that then as now | Z |
Chained to some distant islet's rocky brow | Z |
NAPOLEON ne'er had come to force to blight | E |
Ere half matured a cause so proudly bright | E |
To palsy patriot arts with doubt and shame | X |
And write on Freedom's flag a despot's name | X |
To rush into the list unaskt alone | V |
And make the stake of all the game of one | S |
Then would the world have seen again what power | A2 |
A people can put forth in Freedom's hour | A2 |
Then would the fire of France once more have blazed | B2 |
For every single sword reluctant raised | B2 |
In the stale cause of an oppressive throne | V |
Millions would then have leaped forth in her own | V |
And never never had the unholy stain | C |
Of Bourbon feet disgraced her shores again | D |
- | |
But fate decreed not so the Imperial Bird | C2 |
That in his neighboring cage unfeared unstirred | C2 |
Had seemed to sleep with head beneath his wing | D2 |
Yet watched the moment for a daring spring | D2 |
Well might he watch when deeds were done that made | C2 |
His own transgressions whiten in their shade | C2 |
Well might he hope a world thus trampled o'er | A2 |
By clumsy tyrants would be his once more | T |
Forth from his cage the eagle burst to light | C2 |
From steeple on to steeple winged his flight | C2 |
With calm and easy grandeur to that throne | V |
From which a Royal craven just had flown | V |
And resting there as in his eyry furled | C2 |
Those wings whose very rustling shook the world | C2 |
- | |
What was your fury then ye crowned array | R |
Whose feast of spoil whose plundering holiday | R |
Was thus broke up in all its greedy mirth | E2 |
By one bold chieftain's stamp on Gallic earth | E2 |
Fierce was the cry and fulminant the ban | H |
Assassinate who will enchain who can | H |
The vile the faithless outlawed lowborn man | H |
Faithless and this from you from you forsooth | E2 |
Ye pious Kings pure paragons of truth | E2 |
Whose honesty all knew for all had tried | C2 |
Whose true Swiss zeal had served on every side | C2 |
Whose fame for breaking faith so long was known | V |
Well might ye claim the craft as all your own | V |
And lash your lordly tails and fume to see | F2 |
Such low born apes of Royal perfidy | F2 |
Yes yes to you alone did it belong | G2 |
To sin for ever and yet ne'er do wrong | G2 |
The frauds the lies of Lords legitimate | C2 |
Are but fine policy deep strokes of state | C2 |
But let some upstart dare to soar so high | H2 |
In Kingly craft and outlaw is the cry | H2 |
What tho' long years of mutual treachery | F2 |
Had peopled full your diplomatic shelves | I2 |
With ghosts of treaties murdered 'mong yourselves | I2 |
Tho' each by turns was knave and dupe what then | D |
A holy League would set all straight again | D |
Like JUNO'S virtue which a dip or two | P |
In some blest fountain made as good as new | P |
Most faithful Russia faithful to whoe'er | F2 |
Could plunder best and give him amplest share | F2 |
Who even when vanquisht sure to gain his ends | J2 |
For want of foes to rob made free with friends | J2 |
And deepening still by amiable gradations | K2 |
When foes were stript of all then fleeced relations | K2 |
Most mild and saintly Prussia steeped to the ears | L2 |
In persecuted Poland's blood and tears | M2 |
And now with all her harpy wings outspread | C2 |
O'er severed Saxony's devoted head | C2 |
Pure Austria too whose history naught repeats | N2 |
But broken leagues and subsidized defeats | N2 |
Whose faith as Prince extinguisht Venice shows | F |
Whose faith as man a widowed daughter knows | F |
And thou oh England who tho' once as shy | H2 |
As cloistered maids of shame or perfidy | C2 |
Art now broke in and thanks to CASTLEREAGH | H2 |
In all that's worst and falsest lead'st the way | R |
- | |
Such was the pure divan whose pens and wits | O2 |
The escape from Elba frightened into fits | O2 |
Such were the saints who doomed NAPOLEON'S life | H2 |
In virtuous frenzy to the assassin's knife | H2 |
Disgusting crew who would not gladly fly | H2 |
To open downright bold faced tyranny | C2 |
To honest guilt that dares do all but lie | H2 |
From the false juggling craft of men like these | P2 |
Their canting crimes and varnisht villanies | P2 |
These Holy Leaguers who then loudest boast | C2 |
Of faith and honor when they've stained them most | C2 |
From whose affection men should shrink as loath | E2 |
As from their hate for they'll be fleeced by both | E2 |
Who even while plundering forge Religion's name | X |
To frank their spoil and without fear or shame | X |
Call down the Holy Trinity to bless | P2 |
Partition leagues and deeds of devilishness | P2 |
But hold enough soon would this swell of rage | Q2 |
O'erflow the boundaries of my scanty page | Q2 |
So here I pause farewell another day | R |
Return we to those Lords of prayer and prey | R |
Whose loathsome cant whose frauds by right divine | R2 |
Deserve a lash oh weightier far than mine | R2 |
Thomas Moore
(1)
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