Death In A Ball-room Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABB CDCDD EFEGF HCHCC CCCCC IJKJJ LKLIK CCCMC CCCCC CNCNN HIOPP CCCCC QJQRJ SLTLL FCFCC HCOCC CUCVW XYXZZ MA2MB2B2

Oh many many thus have died alasA
Children poor things The grave will have its preyB
Some flowers must still be mown down with the grassA
And in life's wild quadrille the dancers gayB
Must trample here and there a weak one in their wayB
-
Yes thus it is After the day the nightC
A night that has no waking Who shall tellD
A joyous crowd sits down to feast arightC
But always some one guest where all seemed wellD
Gets up and leaves his chair and hears the passing bellD
-
I have seen many go cheeks rosy pinkE
And blue eyes wide as if entranced with songF
And forms so frail it seemed that on death's brinkE
A bird had bent the branch to which it clungG
So frail the body was the tyrant soul so strongF
-
One knew I who in her deliriumH
Uttered a name which troubled all aroundC
And then like a lost chaunt for ever dumbH
She left us smiling In her breast we foundC
Some faded violets hid by a blue ribbon boundC
-
Poor flowers poor souls and only born to dieC
Fair fledglings torn untimely from their nestC
Halcyons our Earth had borrowed from the skyC
For one short Spring and then as if confessedC
Unworthy that high charge given back to Heaven's breastC
-
Such have I known and such alas was oneI
Whom now I picture sadly here Her eyesJ
Had gleams where April's fitful beauty shoneK
I know not why she heaved so many sighsJ
She was sixteen perhaps and cared not to be wiseJ
-
Yet think not it was love that was her deathL
Love had no song for her of any toneK
Her heart had never beat too fast for brerthL
Though all men called her pretty there was noneI
To whisper that soft fable in her ear aloneK
-
No It was dancing dancing which she lovedC
Beyond all else that caused her thus to dieC
Her very dust methinks by night is movedC
When the pale moon beneath heaven's canopyM
Holds revel with the clouds in the quick circling skyC
-
Balls she adored Each evening that she dancedC
She thought three days and dreamed three nights of itC
And visions brave where goblin partners prancedC
Beset her pillows till she could not sitC
Still in her bed but she must rise and dance a bitC
-
By night and day her fancy framed the sightC
Of scarves and flowers and ribbons bright as noonN
And jewels gleaming with unearthly lightC
And skirts of gossamer in wild festoonN
And lace like spiders' webs of spiders in the moonN
-
When the ball opened she was first to comeH
With her proud father honest gentlemanI
Like a little mouse she ran about the roomO
Oh how she frowned and rattled with her fanP
And beat her pretty foot until the dance beganP
-
It did us good to see her dance Her feetC
Twinkled like stars in a dark firmamentC
They moved so fast they made our pulses beatC
Lest those frail laces should be overspentC
And the white satin shoes be whirled away or rentC
-
She was all movement laughter and mad joyQ
Child How we followed her with our sad eyesJ
Forgetful of the fever and annoyQ
And rush and dust and nameless miseriesR
The punishment of souls too proud or sad or wiseJ
-
But she borne off upon her pleasure's wingS
Whirled round and round She never stopped for breathL
She seemed to drink the fiddler's fiddling inT
She seemed to smell the flowers of every wreathL
To dance with every step the dancers danced beneathL
-
'Twas joy to her to leap and bound alongF
To feel as though she had a thousand feetC
To grow so giddy in the turning throngF
She knew not where she was Her heart so beatC
She could not see the chairs to find herself a seatC
-
Alas alas that ever morn should comeH
On such sweet nights Alas that she must standC
Those hours of woe in the chill waiting roomO
Oh often ere the coach was at commandC
The dawn had touched her shoulders with its naked handC
-
'Tis ever a sad waking the next dayC
No laughter now but only a dull coughU
The crumpled dresses have been put awayC
Pleasure is dead and there stands Pleasure's scoffV
Fever with cheeks all red and tongue all white and roughW
-
She died at sixteen happy loved by allX
Died as she left off dancing All of usY
Wore mourning long in token of that ballX
She died upon the threshold of the houseZ
In her white robe and wreath and sable lined burnousZ
-
Death took her thus that she might ever beM
Dressed for new dancing When she wakes againA2
She shall be ready for EternityM
And if in Heaven such raptures are not vainB2
Shall tread fair measures still to seraph angels' strainB2

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about Death In A Ball-room poem by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 1 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets