Jerusalem Delivered - Book 01 - Part 02 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBCDCEE AFCFFFFGG AFFFFFFFF HIFIFIFFF HFFFFFFJJ HFKFKFKAA HHLHLHLMM HNFNFNFOO AFAFAFAFF AOFOFOFAA APNPNPNOO AQRQNQRSS AFTFTFUJS HJTJTJTJJ HJFJFJFAAXI | A |
Thus when the Lord discovered had and seen | B |
The hidden secrets of each worthy's breast | C |
Out of the hierarchies of angels sheen | B |
The gentle Gabriel called he from the rest | C |
'Twixt God and souls of men that righteous been | D |
Ambassador is he forever blest | C |
The just commands of Heaven's Eternal King | E |
'Twixt skies and earth he up and down doth bring | E |
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XII | A |
To whom the Lord thus spake Godfredo find | F |
And in my name ask him why doth he rest | C |
Why be his arms to ease and peace resigned | F |
Why frees he not Jerusalem distrest | F |
His peers to counsel call each baser mind | F |
Let him stir up for chieftain of the rest | F |
I choose him here the earth shall him allow | G |
His fellows late shall be his subjects now | G |
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XIII | A |
This said the angel swift himself prepared | F |
To execute the charge imposed aright | F |
In form of airy members fair imbared | F |
His spirits pure were subject to our sight | F |
Like to a man in show and shape he fared | F |
But full of heavenly majesty and might | F |
A stripling seemed he thrive five winters old | F |
And radiant beams adorned his locks of gold | F |
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XIV | H |
Of silver wings he took a shining pair | I |
Fringed with gold unwearied nimble swift | F |
With these he parts the winds the clouds the air | I |
And over seas and earth himself doth lift | F |
Thus clad he cut the spheres and circles fair | I |
And the pure skies with sacred feathers clift | F |
On Libanon at first his foot he set | F |
And shook his wings with rory May dews wet | F |
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XV | H |
Then to Tortosa's confines swiftly sped | F |
The sacred messenger with headlong flight | F |
Above the eastern wave appeared red | F |
The rising sun yet scantly half in sight | F |
Godfrey e'en then his morn devotions said | F |
As was his custom when with Titan bright | F |
Appeared the angel in his shape divine | J |
Whose glory far obscured Phoebus' shine | J |
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XVI | H |
Godfrey quoth he behold the season fit | F |
To war for which thou waited hast so long | K |
Now serves the time if thou o'erslip not it | F |
To free Jerusalem from thrall and wrong | K |
Thou with thy Lords in council quickly sit | F |
Comfort the feeble and confirm the strong | K |
The Lord of Hosts their general doth make thee | A |
And for their chieftain they shall gladly take thee | A |
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XVII | H |
I messenger from everlasting Jove | H |
In his great name thus his behests do tell | L |
Oh what sure hope of conquest ought thee move | H |
What zeal what love should in thy bosom dwell | L |
This said he vanished to those seats above | H |
In height and clearness which the rest excel | L |
Down fell the Duke his joints dissolved asunder | M |
Blind with the light and strucken dead with wonder | M |
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XVIII | H |
But when recovered he considered more | N |
The man his manner and his message said | F |
If erst he wished now he longed sore | N |
To end that war whereof he Lord was made | F |
Nor swelled his breast with uncouth pride therefore | N |
That Heaven on him above this charge had laid | F |
But for his great Creator would the same | O |
His will increased so fire augmenteth flame | O |
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XIX | A |
The captains called forthwith from every tent | F |
Unto the rendezvous he them invites | A |
Letter on letter post on post he sent | F |
Entreatance fair with counsel he unites | A |
All what a noble courage could augment | F |
The sleeping spark of valor what incites | A |
He used that all their thoughts to honor raised | F |
Some praised some paid some counselled all pleased | F |
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XX | A |
The captains soldiers all save Boemond came | O |
And pitched their tents some in the fields without | F |
Some of green boughs their slender cabins frame | O |
Some lodged were Tortosa's streets about | F |
Of all the host the chief of worth and name | O |
Assembled been a senate grave and stout | F |
Then Godfrey after silence kept a space | A |
Lift up his voice and spake with princely grace | A |
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XXI | A |
Warriors whom God himself elected hath | P |
His worship true in Sion to restore | N |
And still preserved from danger harm and scath | P |
By many a sea and many an unknown shore | N |
You have subjected lately to his faith | P |
Some provinces rebellious long before | N |
And after conquests great have in the same | O |
Erected trophies to his cross and name | O |
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XXII | A |
But not for this our homes we first forsook | Q |
And from our native soil have marched so far | R |
Nor us to dangerous seas have we betook | Q |
Exposed to hazard of so far sought war | N |
Of glory vain to gain an idle smook | Q |
And lands possess that wild and barbarous are | R |
That for our conquests were too mean a prey | S |
To shed our bloods to work our souls' decay | S |
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XXIII | A |
But this the scope was of our former thought | F |
Of Sion's fort to scale the noble wall | T |
The Christian folk from bondage to have brought | F |
Wherein alas they long have lived thrall | T |
In Palestine an empire to have wrought | F |
Where godliness might reign perpetual | U |
And none be left that pilgrims might denay | J |
To see Christ's tomb and promised vows to pay | S |
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XXIV | H |
What to this hour successively is done | J |
Was full of peril to our honor small | T |
Naught to our first designment if we shun | J |
The purposed end or here lie fixed all | T |
What boots it us there wares to have begun | J |
Or Europe raised to make proud Asia thrall | T |
If our beginnings have this ending known | J |
Not kingdoms raised but armies overthrown | J |
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XXV | H |
Not as we list erect we empires new | J |
On frail foundations laid in earthly mould | F |
Where of our faith and country be but few | J |
Among the thousands stout of Pagans bold | F |
Where naught behoves us trust to Greece untrue | J |
And Western aid we far removed behold | F |
Who buildeth thus methinks so buildeth he | A |
As if his work should his sepulchre be | A |
Torquato Tasso
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