The Firemen's Ball Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCCDDEFDEGGDDDCHHBB BBBIBEJKJDDLMNMCODOD OFPQBRQBRCSTSCUVWVXV ODODOFPQBRQBRDDDCDDD DDDDO Y DOD WDWZA2ZAB2ADC2LC2QAQ CD2E2D2CF2DF2F2G2SWD G2PQH2F2QH2F2I2I2F2G 2J2G2F2BCSCSK2OI2I2O O DA2H2G2JH2G2SG2L2M2F 2N2CDCM2O2DO2AF2F2BF 2F2G2BPQBF2QBF2DP2P2 F2DDDDDDODO D F2C PDDF2Q2M2A F2CCR2CF2O2F2O2CCF2C L2O2F2O2CCM2 CF2O2YO2F2F2S2T2T2CF 2BF2BBBIBF2F2U2U2V2W 2U2DDDDDD| Section One | A |
| - | |
| Give the engines room | B |
| Give the engines room | B |
| Louder faster | C |
| The little band master | C |
| Whips up the fluting | D |
| Hurries up the tooting | D |
| He thinks that he stands | E |
| To be read or chanted with the heavy buzzing bass | F |
| of fire engines pumping | D |
| The reins in his hands | E |
| In the fire chief's place | G |
| In the night alarm chase | G |
| The cymbals whang | D |
| The kettledrums bang | D |
| In this passage the reading or chanting | D |
| is shriller and higher | C |
| Clear the street | H |
| Clear the street | H |
| Clear the street Boom boom | B |
| In the evening gloom | B |
| In the evening gloom | B |
| Give the engines room | B |
| Give the engines room | B |
| Lest souls be trapped | I |
| In a terrible tomb | B |
| The sparks and the pine brands | E |
| Whirl on high | J |
| From the black and reeking alleys | K |
| To the wide red sky | J |
| Hear the hot glass crashing | D |
| Hear the stone steps hissing | D |
| Coal black streams | L |
| Down the gutters pour | M |
| There are cries for help | N |
| From a far fifth floor | M |
| For a longer ladder | C |
| Hear the fire chief call | O |
| Listen to the music | D |
| Of the firemen's ball | O |
| Listen to the music | D |
| Of the firemen's ball | O |
| To be read or chanted in a heavy bass | F |
| 'Tis the | P |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of doom | B |
| Say the ding dong doom bells | R |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of doom | B |
| Say the ding dong doom bells | R |
| Faster faster | C |
| The red flames come | S |
| Hum grum say the engines | T |
| Hum grum grum | S |
| Shriller and higher | C |
| Buzz buzz | U |
| Says the crowd | V |
| See see | W |
| Calls the crowd | V |
| Look out | X |
| Yelps the crowd | V |
| And the high walls fall | O |
| Listen to the music | D |
| Of the firemen's ball | O |
| Listen to the music | D |
| Of the firemen's ball | O |
| Heavy bass | F |
| 'Tis the | P |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of doom | B |
| Say the ding dong doom bells | R |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of doom | B |
| Say the ding dong doom bells | R |
| Whangaranga whangaranga | D |
| Whang whang whang | D |
| Clang clang clangaranga | D |
| Bass much slower | C |
| Clang clang clang | D |
| Clang a ranga | D |
| Clang a ranga | D |
| Clang | D |
| Clang | D |
| Clang | D |
| Listen to the music | D |
| Of the firemen's ball | O |
| - | |
| - | |
| Section Two | Y |
| - | |
| Many's the heart that's breaking | D |
| If we could read them all | O |
| After the ball is over An old song | D |
| - | |
| - | |
| To be read or sung slowly and softly | W |
| in the manner of lustful insinuating music | D |
| Scornfully gaily | W |
| The bandmaster sways | Z |
| Changing the strain | A2 |
| That the wild band plays | Z |
| With a red and royal intoxication | A |
| A tangle of sounds | B2 |
| And a syncopation | A |
| Sweeping and bending | D |
| From side to side | C2 |
| Master of dreams | L |
| With a peacock pride | C2 |
| A lord of the delicate flowers of delight | Q |
| He drives compunction | A |
| Back through the night | Q |
| Dreams he's a soldier | C |
| Plumed and spurred | D2 |
| And valiant lads | E2 |
| Arise at his word | D2 |
| Flaying the sober | C |
| Thoughts he hates | F2 |
| Driving them back | D |
| From the dream town gates | F2 |
| How can the languorous | F2 |
| Dancers know | G2 |
| The red dreams come | S |
| To be read or chanted slowly and softly | W |
| in the manner of lustful insinuating music | D |
| When the good dreams go | G2 |
| 'Tis the | P |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of love | H2 |
| Call the silver joy bells | F2 |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of love | H2 |
| Call the silver joy bells | F2 |
| Honey and wine | I2 |
| Honey and wine | I2 |
| Sing low now violins | F2 |
| Sing sing low | G2 |
| Blow gently wood wind | J2 |
| Mellow and slow | G2 |
| Like midnight poppies | F2 |
| The sweethearts bloom | B |
| Their eyes flash power | C |
| Their lips are dumb | S |
| Faster and faster | C |
| Their pulses come | S |
| Though softer now | K2 |
| The drum beats fall | O |
| Honey and wine | I2 |
| Honey and wine | I2 |
| 'Tis the firemen's ball | O |
| 'Tis the firemen's ball | O |
| - | |
| With a climax of whispered mourning | D |
| I am slain | A2 |
| Cries true love | H2 |
| There in the shadow | G2 |
| And I die | J |
| Cries true love | H2 |
| There laid low | G2 |
| When the fire dreams come | S |
| The wise dreams go | G2 |
| Suddenly interrupting To be read or sung in | L2 |
| a heavy bass First eight lines as harsh as possible | M2 |
| Then gradually musical and sonorous | F2 |
| BUT HIS CRY IS DROWNED | N2 |
| BY THE PROUD BAND MASTER | C |
| And now great gongs whang | D |
| Sharper faster | C |
| And kettledrums rattle | M2 |
| And hide the shame | O2 |
| With a swish and a swirk | D |
| In dead love's name | O2 |
| Red and crimson | A |
| And scarlet and rose | F2 |
| Magical poppies | F2 |
| The sweethearts bloom | B |
| The scarlet stays | F2 |
| When the rose flush goes | F2 |
| And love lies low | G2 |
| In a marble tomb | B |
| 'Tis the | P |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of doom | B |
| Call the ding dong doom bells | F2 |
| NIGHT | Q |
| Of Doom | B |
| Call the ding dong doom bells | F2 |
| Sharply interrupting in a very high key | D |
| Hark how the piccolos still make cheer | P2 |
| 'Tis a moonlight night in the spring of the year | P2 |
| Heavy bass | F2 |
| CLANGARANGA CLANGARANGA | D |
| CLANG CLANG CLANG | D |
| CLANG A RANGA | D |
| CLANG A RANGA | D |
| CLANG CLANG CLANG | D |
| LISTEN TO THE MUSIC | D |
| OF THE FIREMEN'S BALL | O |
| LISTEN TO THE MUSIC | D |
| OF THE FIREMEN'S BALL | O |
| - | |
| - | |
| Section Three | D |
| - | |
| In Which contrary to Artistic Custom the moral of the piece | F2 |
| is placed before the reader | C |
| - | |
| From the first Khandaka of the Mahavagga There Buddha | P |
| thus addressed his disciples 'Everything O mendicants is burning | D |
| With what fire is it burning I declare unto you it is burning | D |
| with the fire of passion with the fire of anger with the fire of ignorance | F2 |
| It is burning with the anxieties of birth decay and death | Q2 |
| grief lamentation suffering and despair A disciple | M2 |
| becoming weary of all that divests himself of passion | A |
| By absence of passion he is made free ' | - |
| - | |
| - | |
| To be intoned after the manner of a priestly service | F2 |
| I once knew a teacher | C |
| Who turned from desire | C |
| Who said to the young men | R2 |
| Wine is a fire | C |
| Who said to the merchants | F2 |
| Gold is a flame | O2 |
| That sears and tortures | F2 |
| If you play at the game | O2 |
| I once knew a teacher | C |
| Who turned from desire | C |
| Who said to the soldiers | F2 |
| Hate is a fire | C |
| Who said to the statesmen | L2 |
| Power is a flame | O2 |
| That flays and blisters | F2 |
| If you play at the game | O2 |
| I once knew a teacher | C |
| Who turned from desire | C |
| Who said to the lordly | M2 |
| - | |
| Pride is a fire | C |
| Who thus warned the revellers | F2 |
| Life is a flame | O2 |
| Be cold as the dew | Y |
| Would you win at the game | O2 |
| With hearts like the stars | F2 |
| With hearts like the stars | F2 |
| Interrupting very loudly for the last time | S2 |
| SO BEWARE | T2 |
| SO BEWARE | T2 |
| SO BEWARE OF THE FIRE | C |
| Clear the streets | F2 |
| BOOM BOOM | B |
| Clear the streets | F2 |
| BOOM BOOM | B |
| GIVE THE ENGINES ROOM | B |
| GIVE THE ENGINES ROOM | B |
| LEST SOULS BE TRAPPED | I |
| IN A TERRIBLE TOMB | B |
| SAYS THE SWIFT WHITE HORSE | F2 |
| TO THE SWIFT BLACK HORSE | F2 |
| THERE GOES THE ALARM | U2 |
| THERE GOES THE ALARM | U2 |
| THEY ARE HITCHED THEY ARE OFF | V2 |
| THEY ARE GONE IN A FLASH | W2 |
| AND THEY STRAIN AT THE DRIVER'S IRON ARM | U2 |
| CLANG A RANGA CLANG A RANGA | D |
| CLANG CLANG CLANG | D |
| CLANG A RANGA CLANG A RANGA | D |
| CLANG CLANG CLANG | D |
| CLANG A RANGA CLANG A RANGA | D |
| CLANG CLANG CLANG | D |
Vachel Lindsay
(1)
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