Marmion: Introduction To Canto Iv. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABCDDEEFFGGHIJJKKLL MMNNOOPPQQRRSSDDLLTT DDUULLPPVVQQWWUUXXWW YYZZWWJJJA2A2B2C2D2D 2JJE2F2G2G2A2A2H2H2R RA2A2A2A2RRJJI2I2J2J 2OODDTTA2A2OOK2K2L2L 2M2M2A2A2A2A2N2N2A2A 2DDO2O2P2Q2R2R2B2B2S 2S2T2T2A2A2QQU2U2V2V 2PPNNW2J2TTX2Y2A2A2U 2U2KKPPZ2Z2U2U2PPA3A 3A3B3C3CCD3D3AAOOE3E 3F3F3PPG3G3F3F3F3PPF 3F3T2T2H3H3A2A2I2I2F 3F3V2V2I3I3A2A2F3F3An ancient minstrel sagely said | A |
Where is the life which late we led | A |
That motley clown in Arden wood | B |
Whom humorous Jaques with envy viewed | C |
Not even that clown could amplify | D |
On this trite text so long as I | D |
Eleven years we now may tell | E |
Since we have known each other well | E |
Since riding side by side our hand | F |
First drew the voluntary brand | F |
And sure through many a varied scene | G |
Unkindness never came between | G |
Away these winged years have flown | H |
To join the mass of ages gone | I |
And though deep marked like all below | J |
With checkered shades of joy and woe | J |
Though thou o'er realms and seas hast ranged | K |
Marked cities lost and empires changed | K |
While here at home my narrower ken | L |
Somewhat of manners saw and men | L |
Though varying wishes hopes and fears | M |
Fevered the progress of these years | M |
Yet now days weeks and months but seem | N |
The recollection of a dream | N |
So still we glide down to the sea | O |
Of fathomless eternity | O |
Even now it scarcely seems a day | P |
Since first I tuned this idle lay | P |
A task so often thrown aside | Q |
When leisure graver cares denied | Q |
That now November's dreary gale | R |
Whose voice inspired my opening tale | R |
That same November gale once more | S |
Whirls the dry leaves on Yarrow shore | S |
Their vexed boughs streaming to the sky | D |
Once more our naked birches sigh | D |
And Blackhouse heights and Ettrick Pen | L |
Have donned their wintry shrouds again | L |
And mountain dark and flooded mead | T |
Bid us forsake the banks of Tweed | T |
Earlier than wont along the sky | D |
Mixed with the rack the snow mists fly | D |
The shepherd who in summer sun | U |
Had something of our envy won | U |
As thou with pencil I with pen | L |
The features traced of hill and glen | L |
He who outstretched the livelong day | P |
At ease among the heath flowers lay | P |
Viewed the light clouds with vacant look | V |
Or slumbered o'er his tattered book | V |
Or idly busied him to guide | Q |
His angle o'er the lessened tide | Q |
At midnight now the snowy plain | W |
Finds sterner labour for the swain | W |
When red hath set the beamless sun | U |
Through heavy vapours dark and dun | U |
When the tired ploughman dry and warm | X |
Hears half asleep the rising storm | X |
Hurling the hail and sleeted rain | W |
Against the casement's tinkling pane | W |
The sounds that drive wild deer and fox | Y |
To shelter in the brake and rocks | Y |
Are warnings which the shepherd ask | Z |
To dismal and to dangerous task | Z |
Oft he looks forth and hopes in vain | W |
The blast may sink in mellowing rain | W |
Till dark above and white below | J |
Decided drives the flaky snow | J |
And forth the hardy swain must go | J |
Long with dejected look and whine | A2 |
To leave the hearth his dogs repine | A2 |
Whistling and cheering them to aid | B2 |
Around his back he wreathes the plaid | C2 |
His flock he gathers and he guides | D2 |
To open downs and mountain sides | D2 |
Where fiercest though the tempest blow | J |
Least deeply lies the drift below | J |
The blast that whistles o'er the fells | E2 |
Stiffens his locks to icicles | F2 |
Oft he looks back while streaming far | G2 |
His cottage window seems a star | G2 |
Loses its feeble gleam and then | A2 |
Turns patient to the blast again | A2 |
And facing to the tempest's sweep | H2 |
Drives through the gloom his lagging sheep | H2 |
If fails his heart if his limbs fail | R |
Benumbing death is in the gale | R |
His paths his landmarks all unknown | A2 |
Close to the hut no more his own | A2 |
Close to the aid he sought in vain | A2 |
The morn may find the stiffened swain | A2 |
The widow sees at dawning pale | R |
His orphans raise their feeble wail | R |
And close beside him in the snow | J |
Poor Yarrow partner of their woe | J |
Couches upon his master's breast | I2 |
And licks his cheek to break his rest | I2 |
Who envies now the shepherd's lot | J2 |
His healthy fare his rural cot | J2 |
His summer couch by greenwood tree | O |
His rustic kirn's loud revelry | O |
His native hill notes tuned on high | D |
To Marion of the blithesome eye | D |
His crook his scrip his oaten reed | T |
And all Arcadia's golden creed | T |
Changes not so with us my Skene | A2 |
Of human life the varying scene | A2 |
Our youthful summer oft we see | O |
Dance by on wings of game and glee | O |
While the dark storm reserves its rage | K2 |
Against the winter of our age | K2 |
As he the ancient Chief of Troy | L2 |
His manhood spent in peace and joy | L2 |
But Grecian fires and loud alarms | M2 |
Called ancient Priam forth to arms | M2 |
Then happy those since each must drain | A2 |
His share of pleasure share of pain | A2 |
Then happy those beloved of Heaven | A2 |
To whom the mingled cup is given | A2 |
Whose lenient sorrows find relief | N2 |
Whose joys are chastened by their grief | N2 |
And such a lot my Skene was thine | A2 |
When thou of late wert doomed to twine | A2 |
Just when thy bridal hour was by | D |
The cypress with the myrtle tie | D |
Just on thy bride her sire had smiled | O2 |
And blessed the union of his child | O2 |
When Love must change its joyous cheer | P2 |
And wipe Affection's filial tear | Q2 |
Nor did the actions next his end | R2 |
Speak more the father than the friend | R2 |
Scarce had lamented Forbes paid | B2 |
The tribute to his minstrel's shade | B2 |
The tale of friendship scarce was told | S2 |
Ere the narrator's heart was cold | S2 |
Far may we search before we find | T2 |
A heart so manly and so kind | T2 |
But not around his honoured urn | A2 |
Shall friends alone and kindred mourn | A2 |
The thousand eyes his care had dried | Q |
Pour at his name a bitter tide | Q |
And frequent falls the grateful dew | U2 |
For benefits the world ne'er knew | U2 |
If mortal charity dare claim | V2 |
The Almighty's attributed name | V2 |
Inscribe above his mouldering clay | P |
The widow's shield the orphan's stay | P |
Nor though it wake thy sorrow deem | N |
My verse intrudes on this sad theme | N |
For sacred was the pen that wrote | W2 |
Thy father's friend forget thou not | J2 |
And grateful title may I plead | T |
For many a kindly word and deed | T |
To bring my tribute to his grave | X2 |
'Tis little but 'tis all I have | Y2 |
To thee perchance this rambling strain | A2 |
Recalls our summer walks again | A2 |
When doing naught and to speak true | U2 |
Not anxious to find aught to do | U2 |
The wild unbounded hills we ranged | K |
While oft our talk its topic changed | K |
And desultory as our way | P |
Ranged unconfined from grave to gay | P |
Even when it flagged as oft will chance | Z2 |
No effort made to break its trance | Z2 |
We could right pleasantly pursue | U2 |
Our sports in social silence too | U2 |
Thou gravely labouring to portray | P |
The blighted oak's fantastic spray | P |
I spelling o'er with much delight | A3 |
The legend of that antique knight | A3 |
Tirante by name ycleped the White | A3 |
At either's feet a trusty squire | B3 |
Pandour and Camp with eyes of fire | C3 |
Jealous each other's motions viewed | C |
And scarce suppressed their ancient feud | C |
The laverock whistled from the cloud | D3 |
The stream was lively but not loud | D3 |
From the white thorn the Mayflower shed | A |
Its dewy fragrance round our head | A |
Not Ariel lived more merrily | O |
Under the blossomed bough than we | O |
And blithesome nights too have been ours | E3 |
When winter stript the summer's bowers | E3 |
Careless we heard what now I hear | F3 |
The wild blast sighing deep and drear | F3 |
When fires were bright and lamps beamed gay | P |
And ladies tuned the lovely lay | P |
And he was held a laggard soul | G3 |
Who shunned to quaff the sparkling bowl | G3 |
Then he whose absence we deplore | F3 |
Who breathes the gales of Devon's shore | F3 |
The longer missed bewailed the more | F3 |
And thou and I and dear loved Rae | P |
And one whose name I may not say | P |
For not Mimosa's tender tree | F3 |
Shrinks sooner from the touch than he | F3 |
In merry chorus well combined | T2 |
With laughter drowned the whistling wind | T2 |
Mirth was within and Care without | H3 |
Might gnaw her nails to hear our shout | H3 |
Not but amid the buxom scene | A2 |
Some grave discourse might intervene | A2 |
Of the good horse that bore him best | I2 |
His shoulder hoof and arching crest | I2 |
For like mad Tom's our chiefest care | F3 |
Was horse to ride and weapon wear | F3 |
Such nights we've had and though the game | V2 |
Of manhood be more sober tame | V2 |
And though the field day or the drill | I3 |
Seem less important now yet still | I3 |
Such may we hope to share again | A2 |
The sprightly thought inspires my strain | A2 |
And mark how like a horseman true | F3 |
Lord Marmion's march I thus renew | F3 |
Walter Scott (sir)
(1)
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