The Singer In The Prison Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AA BCDEFGH AA IJKLMNOJPQR R SSTT AA UUVV AA WWKK AA VVXY AA ZZA2B2A2C2D2E2 ZB2ZZGXKZD2KFF2G2H2I 2 AAO sight of shame and pain and dole | A |
O fearful thought a convict Soul | A |
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RANG the refrain along the hall the prison | B |
Rose to the roof the vaults of heaven above | C |
Pouring in floods of melody in tones so pensive sweet and strong | D |
the like whereof was never heard | E |
Reaching the far off sentry and the armed guards who ceas'd their | F |
pacing | G |
Making the hearer's pulses stop for extasy and awe | H |
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O sight of pity gloom and dole | A |
O pardon me a hapless Soul | A |
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The sun was low in the west one winter day | I |
When down a narrow aisle amid the thieves and outlaws of the land | J |
There by the hundreds seated sear faced murderers wily | K |
counterfeiters | L |
Gather'd to Sunday church in prison walls the keepers round | M |
Plenteous well arm'd watching with vigilant eyes | N |
All that dark cankerous blotch a nation's criminal mass | O |
Calmly a Lady walk'd holding a little innocent child by either hand | J |
Whom seating on their stools beside her on the platform | P |
She first preluding with the instrument a low and musical prelude | Q |
In voice surpassing all sang forth a quaint old hymn | R |
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THE HYMN | R |
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A Soul confined by bars and bands | S |
Cries Help O help and wrings her hands | S |
Blinded her eyes bleeding her breast | T |
Nor pardon finds nor balm of rest | T |
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O sight of shame and pain and dole | A |
O fearful thought a convict Soul | A |
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Ceaseless she paces to and fro | U |
O heart sick days O nights of wo | U |
Nor hand of friend nor loving face | V |
Nor favor comes nor word of grace | V |
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O sight of pity gloom and dole | A |
O pardon me a hapless Soul | A |
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It was not I that sinn'd the sin | W |
The ruthless Body dragg'd me in | W |
Though long I strove courageously | K |
The Body was too much for me | K |
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O Life no life but bitter dole | A |
O burning beaten baffled Soul | A |
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Dear prison'd Soul bear up a space | V |
For soon or late the certain grace | V |
To set thee free and bear thee home | X |
The Heavenly Pardoner Death shall come | Y |
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Convict no more nor shame nor dole | A |
Depart a God enfranchis'd Soul | A |
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The singer ceas'd | Z |
One glance swept from her clear calm eyes o'er all those upturn'd | Z |
faces | A2 |
Strange sea of prison faces a thousand varied crafty brutal | B2 |
seam'd and beauteous faces | A2 |
Then rising passing back along the narrow aisle between them | C2 |
While her gown touch'd them rustling in the silence | D2 |
She vanish'd with her children in the dusk | E2 |
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While upon all convicts and armed keepers ere they stirr'd | Z |
Convict forgetting prison keeper his loaded pistol | B2 |
A hush and pause fell down a wondrous minute | Z |
With deep half stifled sobs and sound of bad men bow'd and moved | Z |
to weeping | G |
And youth's convulsive breathings memories of home | X |
The mother's voice in lullaby the sister's care the happy | K |
childhood | Z |
The long pent spirit rous'd to reminiscence | D2 |
A wondrous minute then But after in the solitary night to many | K |
many there | F |
Years after even in the hour of death the sad refrain the tune | F2 |
the voice the words | G2 |
Resumed the large calm Lady walks the narrow aisle | H2 |
The wailing melody again the singer in the prison sings | I2 |
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O sight of shame and pain and dole | A |
O fearful thought a convict Soul | A |
Walt Whitman
(1)
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