Requiescit Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST OUVWEXYBZA2 DB2C2D2E2XTXZXC2F2G2 XH2 I2 J2K2XPL2WBM2ZN2O2DP2 JTPJQ2R2K THS2T2U2V2LXAW2X2C2A Y2Z2 A3JB3C3I cannot tell his story He was one | A |
To whom the riddle of our human life | B |
Was strangely put and who because of that | C |
And that he could not read it died But a short hour | D |
Before he passed the woman who stood by | E |
Weeping as once she had wept to see him born | F |
Tired with her watching looked into his face | G |
And saw the heavy eyelids dropping down | H |
Loaded with sleep And she for all her tears | I |
Bent for the hundredth time to ease his bed | J |
And as she almost touched him smoothing out | K |
The ruffled pillows close into her ear | L |
He whispered never lifting up his eyes | M |
No matter now I shall be soon asleep '' | N |
And then as if he would pursue the thought | O |
A little way as once he loved to do | P |
And yet too weak to catch it he went on | Q |
And what a trouble it has been to keep | R |
This pillow smooth And in a little while | S |
It will not want another touch and then | T |
This aching head of mine will have done with thought | O |
Thought Thought '' But loud the aged woman sobbed | U |
Poor soul poor gentleman '' So they remained | V |
For a brief space the goodwife standing there | W |
Knotting her wrinkled hands and he hard by | E |
Upon the bed and breathing heavily | X |
For he seemed sunk again in that dull trance | Y |
Through which men often pass away from life | B |
When death as the lion does has shaken his prey | Z |
And he lies numb and dumb and powerless | A2 |
- | |
She listened He was telling slowly over | D |
The names of those whom he had loved in youth | B2 |
Many were strange to her and then there came | C2 |
One she knew well She started at the sound | D2 |
She had not heard for years and bending near | E2 |
Heard him repeat it twice She whispered hoarsely | X |
Have you no word for her '' yet stopped again | T |
Because his eyes were open Doubtingly | X |
They wandered to her own and seemed to say | Z |
Who and what is it that you ask '' And she | X |
Spoke it again He seemed to catch the name | C2 |
And said it after her but like a child | F2 |
Which knows not what it speaks and afterwards | G2 |
Ah Bridget I have quite forgot that story | X |
And now in half an hour it is not long | H2 |
I shall have clean forgotten the name too '' | - |
She cried Oh Sir it is a life too late | I2 |
Would God you had forgot it long ago '' | - |
- | |
The tears stole slowly down her withered cheeks | J2 |
And fell upon his hands She did not move | K2 |
While he went murmuring on 'Tis very well | X |
Thus to forget And what a wonder too | P |
It now is'' and there came a sudden light | L2 |
Into his eyes that one should ever care | W |
To recollect a single day of life | B |
I used to think and plan and plot and scheme | M2 |
How I might build my life in such a way | Z |
That I should take fine memories to my grave | N2 |
And now what a small matter 'tis to know | O2 |
How the years went when death in half an hour | D |
Is all that is left of them No matter now | P2 |
But only to sleep sound in any bed | J |
And have no dreams '' His eyes grew dim again | T |
As he ceased speaking And the woman knew | P |
That he was dying He is gone '' she said | J |
And then she started muttering half aloud | Q2 |
They cannot pass without the sacraments | R2 |
These gentle folks '' And so she hurried out | K |
- | |
The dying man smiled When they came again | T |
She whispered in his ear and looking down | H |
Saw him still smiling so she lit in haste | S2 |
A candle by the bed and knelt aside | T2 |
They put the holy oils upon his hands | U2 |
Which closed upon the fingers of the priest | V2 |
The priest bent over him and laid his ear | L |
To the half open mouth and presently | X |
Thinking he heard some words gave absolution | A |
But when they would have gone on with the rest | W2 |
They found that he was dead They buried him | X2 |
With some small pomp to comfort the old dame | C2 |
Who said her master was a gentleman | A |
And must be followed with a mourning coach | Y2 |
And mutes and weepers There was no one else | Z2 |
- | |
His name is cut upon a stone His dreams | A3 |
Were written on Time's hem and Time has fled | J |
And taken him and them The grass is green | B3 |
Upon his grave I cannot doubt he sleeps | C3 |
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
(1)
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