The Dream Of Margaret Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABABCCBDBDBDAA BEBEBEFF GHGIJHKI CBCBCBCC CCCLMCMC NMNM BOBO BPBP GQGQQQCC FRFRFFQQ FFFFFFCC FQFQFQSS TCTCTCCCQMQMQMCC UMUMUMFF BBBBBBCC QBQBQBEECQCQCQQQ BCBCBCQQ BQBQBQQQ MMMMMMMM EBEBEBCC BQBQBQEE BFBFBFCC CFCFCFEE BQBQBQIt fell upon a summer night | A |
The village folk were soundly sleeping | B |
Unconscious of the glamour white | A |
In which the moon all things was steeping | B |
One window only showed a light | A |
Behind it silent vigil keeping | B |
Sat Margaret as one in trance | C |
The dark eyed daughter of the Manse | C |
A flood of strange sweet thoughts was surging | B |
Her passionate heart and brain within | D |
At last some secret impulse urging | B |
She laid aside her garment thin | D |
And from its snowy folds emerging | B |
Like Lamia from the serpent skin | D |
She stood before her mirror bright | A |
Naked and lovely as the night | A |
- | |
Her dark hair o er her shoulders flowing | B |
Might well have been a silken pall | E |
O er Galatea s image glowing | B |
To life and love she was withal | E |
The lamplight o er her radiance throwing | B |
With her high bosom virginal | E |
A woman made to madden men | F |
A Cleopatra born again | F |
- | |
Hers was the beauty dark and splendid | G |
Whose spell upon the heart of man | H |
Falls swiftly as when day is ended | G |
Night falls in lands Australian | I |
Her rich ripe scarlet lips bow bended | J |
Smiled as such ripe lips only can | H |
Her eyes wherein strange lightnings shone | K |
Were deeper than Oblivion | I |
- | |
With round white arms whose warm caress | C |
No lover knew raised towards the ceiling | B |
She looked like some young Pythoness | C |
The secrets dark of Fate revealing | B |
Or goddess in divine distress | C |
To higher powers for help appealing | B |
This invocation standing so | C |
She sang in clear sweet tones but low | C |
- | |
- | |
Soul from this narrow | C |
Mean life we know | C |
Speed as an arrow | C |
From bended bow | L |
Seek and discover | M |
On land or sea | C |
My destined lover | M |
Where er he be | C |
- | |
How shalt thou know him | N |
My heart s desire | M |
His mien will show him | N |
His glance of fire | M |
- | |
High is his bearing | B |
His pride is high | O |
His spirit daring | B |
Burns in his eye | O |
- | |
Birds have done mating | B |
The Spring is past | P |
My arms are waiting | B |
My heart beats fast | P |
- | |
Oh why she sighed has Fate awarded | G |
This lot to me whose heart is bold | Q |
My days by trifles are recorded | G |
My suitors men whose God is gold | Q |
Oh for the Heroes helmed and sworded | Q |
The lovers of the days of old | Q |
Who broke for ladies many a lance | C |
In gallant days of old Romance | C |
- | |
Would I had lived in that great time when | F |
A lady s love was knight s best boon | R |
When sword with sword made ringing rhyme when | F |
Mailed sea kings fought from noon to moon | R |
And thought the slaughter grim no crime when | F |
The prize was golden haired Gudrun | F |
Then I might find swords broad and bright | Q |
And keen as theirs for me to fight | Q |
- | |
But narrow bounds my life environ | F |
And hold my eager spirit in | F |
The men I see no heart of fire in | F |
Their bodies bear My love to win | F |
A man must have a will of iron | F |
A soul of flame Then sweet were sin | F |
Or Death for him With ardent glance | C |
Thus spake the daughter of the Manse | C |
- | |
Then with a smile she fell asleep in | F |
Her white and dainty maiden bed | Q |
The chaste cold moon alone could peep in | F |
And view her tresses dark outspread | Q |
Upon an arm whose clasp might keep in | F |
The life of one given up for dead | Q |
And as she drifted down the stream | S |
Of Slumber deep she dreamt a dream | S |
- | |
- | |
It was a banquet rich and rare | T |
The wine of France was foaming madly | C |
The proud and great of earth were there | T |
And all were slaves to serve her gladly | C |
And yet on them with haughty air | T |
She gazed half scornfully half sadly | C |
The Lady of the Feast was she | C |
So ran her strange dream fantasy | C |
A Prince was at her fair right hand | Q |
And at her left a famous leader | M |
Of hosts with look of high command | Q |
And blacker than the tents of Kedar | M |
An Eastern King barbaric grand | Q |
Sat near their Queen they had decreed her | M |
Below the proud the brave the wise | C |
Sat charmed by her mesmeric eyes | C |
- | |
Then thus she spake O Lords of Earth | U |
Than you I know none nobler braver | M |
And yet your fame and rank and birth | U |
And wealth in my sight find small favour | M |
For all too well I know their worth | U |
Long since for me they lost their savour | M |
The Spirit fit to mate with mine | F |
Must be demoniac or divine | F |
- | |
A toast she cried The gallant throng | B |
Sprang up their foaming glasses clinking | B |
Satan The Spirit proud and strong | B |
The bravest lover to my thinking | B |
The Wine of Life I ve drunk too long | B |
The Wine of death I now am drinking | B |
Our Queen she was a moment since | C |
Bear forth the body said the Prince | C |
- | |
- | |
A ghostly wind arose all wet | Q |
With tears and full of cries and wailing | B |
And wringing hands and faces set | Q |
In bitter anguish unavailing | B |
It bore the soul of Margaret | Q |
To where a voice in tones of railing | B |
Cried Spirit proud thou hast done well | E |
Thou art within the Gates of Hell | E |
The soul of Margaret passed slowly | C |
Yet bravely through the Hall of Dread | Q |
The roof whereof was hidden wholly | C |
By black clouds hanging overhead | Q |
No sound disturbed the melancholy | C |
Deep silence which itself seemed dead | Q |
No wailing of the damned was heard | Q |
No voice the fearful stillness stirred | Q |
- | |
But that deep silence held in keeping | B |
The secret of Eternal Woe | C |
That yet seemed like a serpent creeping | B |
Around the walls It was as though | C |
The cries of pain and hopeless weeping | B |
Had died out ages long ago | C |
No face was seen no figure dread | Q |
Were all the damned and devils dead | Q |
- | |
No lustre known on earth was gleaming | B |
In that dread Hall but some weird light | Q |
Around the pillars vast was streaming | B |
And down the vistas infinite | Q |
A light like that men see in dreaming | B |
And waking shudder with affright | Q |
Its glare a baleful splendour shed | Q |
For ever through the Hall of Dread | Q |
- | |
Then suddenly she was aware | M |
That from the walls and all around her | M |
In motionless and burning stare | M |
Millions of eyes glowed that spellbound her | M |
The everlasting dumb despair | M |
That spoke from them made Pity founder | M |
And as she passed along the floor | M |
She trod on burning millions more | M |
- | |
For floor and pillar roof and all | E |
Were full of eyes for ever burning | B |
Twas these that lit the Dreadful Hall | E |
These were the damned beyond returning | B |
Sealed up in pillar floor and wall | E |
Without a tongue to voice their yearning | B |
Or grief or hate so God might know | C |
Their eyes alone could speak their woe | C |
- | |
Her way lit by the weird light flowing | B |
From those sad awful eyes she passed | Q |
To where her terror ever growing | B |
Upon a Throne in fire set fast | Q |
And like a Rose of fire far glowing | B |
She saw a Figure Veiled and Vast | Q |
She trembled for she knew full well | E |
She stood before the Lord of Hell | E |
- | |
And then an instant courage taking | B |
She knelt before the burning throne | F |
And all her hopes of heaven forsaking | B |
She cried O Lord make me thine own | F |
For men though they be of God s making | B |
I love not Thee I love alone | F |
The figure veiled spake thus Arise | C |
O Spirit proud and most unwise | C |
- | |
And as It spake unveiling slowly | C |
A brow of awful beauty shone | F |
On Margaret s soul yet Melancholy | C |
And Woe Eternal sat thereon | F |
But lo the form was woman wholly | C |
A faint smile played her lips upon | F |
As in a voice low sweet and level | E |
She said My dear I am the Devil | E |
- | |
With one wild wail of bitter scorning | B |
The stricken soul of Margaret fled | Q |
Sore harrowed by that dreadful warning | B |
And shrieking through the Hall of Dread | Q |
She passed and woke and it was morning | B |
And she was in her own white bed | Q |
Victor James Daley
(1)
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