The Ages Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCBCCDEFF A AGAGGHGHH A IJIJJKJKK L MNMNOPNQP L RSRSTASAA A UVUVVWVWW A XYXYYZYZZ A AAAAAA2AA2A2 X ZXZXXZXZZ X ZZZZZB2ZB2B2 X AC2AC2C2ZC2ZZ X ZD2ZD2D2E2D2E2E2 X ZB2ZB2B2ZB2ZZ A ZB2ZB2B2ZB2ZZ A B2F2B2F2F2XF2XX A G2ZG2ZZXZXX A ZKZKKB2KB2B2 A XB2XB2B2XB2XX X AH2AH2H2KH2KK X ZI2ZI2I2ZI2ZZ X B2ZB2ZZD2ZD2D2 X ZJ2ZJ2J2XJ2XX X ZB2ZB2B2ZB2ZZ A H2B2H2B2B2XB2XX A ZZZZZXZXX A B2ZB2ZZZZZZ A ZZZZZK2ZK2K2 A ZL2ZL2L2H2L2H2H2 X ZZZZZZZZZ X H2M2H2N2M2D2M2D2D2 X ZZZZZO2ZO2O2 X ZXZXXXXXX X P2XP2XXZXZZ A XB2XB2B2ZB2ZZ A Q2D2Q2D2D2I2D2I2I2

I	A
	-
When to the common rest that crowns our days	B
Called in the noon of life the good man goes	C
Or full of years and ripe in wisdom lays	B
His silver temples in their last repose	C
When o'er the buds of youth the death wind blows	C
And blights the fairest when our bitter tears	D
Stream as the eyes of those that love us close	E
We think on what they were with many fears	F
Lest goodness die with them and leave the coming years	F
	-
II	A
	-
And therefore to our hearts the days gone by	A
When lived the honoured sage whose death we wept	G
And the soft virtues beamed from many an eye	A
And beat in many a heart that long has slept	G
Like spots of earth where angel feet have stepped	G
Are holy and high dreaming bards have told	H
Of times when worth was crowned and faith was kept	G
Ere friendship grew a snare or love waxed cold	H
Those pure and happy times the golden days of old	H
	-
III	A
	-
Peace to the just man's memory let it grow	I
Greener with years and blossom through the flight	J
Of ages let the mimic canvas show	I
His calm benevolent features let the light	J
Stream on his deeds of love that shunned the sight	J
Of all but heaven and in the book of fame	K
The glorious record of his virtues write	J
And hold it up to men and bid them claim	K
A palm like his and catch from him the hallowed flame	K
	-
IV	L
	-
But oh despair not of their fate who rise	M
To dwell upon the earth when we withdraw	N
Lo the same shaft by which the righteous dies	M
Strikes through the wretch that scoffed at mercy's law	N
And trode his brethren down and felt no awe	O
Of Him who will avenge them Stainless worth	P
Such as the sternest age of virtue saw	N
Ripens meanwhile till time shall call it forth	Q
From the low modest shade to light and bless the earth	P
	-
V	L
	-
Has Nature in her calm majestic march	R
Faltered with age at last does the bright sun	S
Grow dim in heaven or in their far blue arch	R
Sparkle the crowd of stars when day is done	S
Less brightly when the dew lipped Spring comes on	T
Breathes she with airs less soft or scents the sky	A
With flowers less fair than when her reign begun	S
Does prodigal Autumn to our age deny	A
The plenty that once swelled beneath his sober eye	A
	-
VI	A
	-
Look on this beautiful world and read the truth	U
In her fair page see every season brings	V
New change to her of everlasting youth	U
Still the green soil with joyous living things	V
Swarms the wide air is full of joyous wings	V
And myriads still are happy in the sleep	W
Of ocean's azure gulfs and where he flings	V
The restless surge Eternal Love doth keep	W
In his complacent arms the earth the air the deep	W
	-
VII	A
	-
Will then the merciful One who stamped our race	X
With his own image and who gave them sway	Y
O'er earth and the glad dwellers on her face	X
Now that our swarming nations far away	Y
Are spread where'er the moist earth drinks the day	Y
Forget the ancient care that taught and nursed	Z
His latest offspring will he quench the ray	Y
Infused by his own forming smile at first	Z
And leave a work so fair all blighted and accursed	Z
	-
VIII	A
	-
Oh no a thousand cheerful omens give	A
Hope of yet happier days whose dawn is nigh	A
He who has tamed the elements shall not live	A
The slave of his own passions he whose eye	A
Unwinds the eternal dances of the sky	A
And in the abyss of brightness dares to span	A2
The sun's broad circle rising yet more high	A
In God's magnificent works his will shall scan	A2
And love and peace shall make their paradise with man	A2
	-
IX	X
	-
Sit at the feet of history through the night	Z
Of years the steps of virtue she shall trace	X
And show the earlier ages where her sight	Z
Can pierce the eternal shadows o'er their face	X
When from the genial cradle of our race	X
Went forth the tribes of men their pleasant lot	Z
To choose where palm groves cooled their dwelling place	X
Or freshening rivers ran and there forgot	Z
The truth of heaven and kneeled to gods that heard them not	Z
	-
X	X
	-
Then waited not the murderer for the night	Z
But smote his brother down in the bright day	Z
And he who felt the wrong and had the might	Z
His own avenger girt himself to slay	Z
Beside the path the unburied carcass lay	Z
The shepherd by the fountains of the glen	B2
Fled while the robber swept his flock away	Z
And slew his babes The sick untended then	B2
Languished in the damp shade and died afar from men	B2
	-
XI	X
	-
But misery brought in love in passion's strife	A
Man gave his heart to mercy pleading long	C2
And sought out gentle deeds to gladden life	A
The weak against the sons of spoil and wrong	C2
Banded and watched their hamlets and grew strong	C2
States rose and in the shadow of their might	Z
The timid rested To the reverent throng	C2
Grave and time wrinkled men with locks all white	Z
Gave laws and judged their strifes and taught the way of right	Z
	-
XII	X
	-
Till bolder spirits seized the rule and nailed	Z
On men the yoke that man should never bear	D2
And drove them forth to battle Lo unveiled	Z
The scene of those stern ages What is there	D2
A boundless sea of blood and the wild air	D2
Moans with the crimson surges that entomb	E2
Cities and bannered armies forms that wear	D2
The kingly circlet rise amid the gloom	E2
O'er the dark wave and straight are swallowed in its womb	E2
	-
XIII	X
	-
Those ages have no memory but they left	Z
A record in the desert columns strown	B2
On the waste sands and statues fallen and cleft	Z
Heaped like a host in battle overthrown	B2
Vast ruins where the mountain's ribs of stone	B2
Were hewn into a city streets that spread	Z
In the dark earth where never breath has blown	B2
Of heaven's sweet air nor foot of man dares tread	Z
The long and perilous ways the Cities of the Dead	Z
	-
XIV	A
	-
And tombs of monarchs to the clouds up piled	Z
They perished but the eternal tombs remain	B2
And the black precipice abrupt and wild	Z
Pierced by long toil and hollowed to a fane	B2
Huge piers and frowning forms of gods sustain	B2
The everlasting arches dark and wide	Z
Like the night heaven when clouds are black with rain	B2
But idly skill was tasked and strength was plied	Z
All was the work of slaves to swell a despot's pride	Z
	-
XV	A
	-
And Virtue cannot dwell with slaves nor reign	B2
O'er those who cower to take a tyrant's yoke	F2
She left the down trod nations in disdain	B2
And flew to Greece when Liberty awoke	F2
New born amid those glorious vales and broke	F2
Sceptre and chain with her fair youthful hands	X
As rocks are shivered in the thunder stroke	F2
And lo in full grown strength an empire stands	X
Of leagued and rival states the wonder of the lands	X
	-
XVI	A
	-
Oh Greece thy flourishing cities were a spoil	G2
Unto each other thy hard hand oppressed	Z
And crushed the helpless thou didst make thy soil	G2
Drunk with the blood of those that loved thee best	Z
And thou didst drive from thy unnatural breast	Z
Thy just and brave to die in distant climes	X
Earth shuddered at thy deeds and sighed for rest	Z
From thine abominations after times	X
That yet shall read thy tale will tremble at thy crimes	X
	-
XVII	A
	-
Yet there was that within thee which has saved	Z
Thy glory and redeemed thy blotted name	K
The story of thy better deeds engraved	Z
On fame's unmouldering pillar puts to shame	K
Our chiller virtue the high art to tame	K
The whirlwind of the passions was thine own	B2
And the pure ray that from thy bosom came	K
Far over many a land and age has shone	B2
And mingles with the light that beams from God's own throne	B2
	-
XVIII	A
	-
And Rome thy sterner younger sister she	X
Who awed the world with her imperial frown	B2
Rome drew the spirit of her race from thee	X
The rival of thy shame and thy renown	B2
Yet her degenerate children sold the crown	B2
Of earth's wide kingdoms to a line of slaves	X
Guilt reigned and we with guilt and plagues came down	B2
Till the north broke its floodgates and the waves	X
Whelmed the degraded race and weltered o'er their graves	X
	-
XIX	X
	-
Vainly that ray of brightness from above	A
That shone around the Galilean lake	H2
The light of hope the leading star of love	A
Struggled the darkness of that day to break	H2
Even its own faithless guardians strove to slake	H2
In fogs of earth the pure immortal flame	K
And priestly hands for Jesus' blessed sake	H2
Were red with blood and charity became	K
In that stern war of forms a mockery and a name	K
	-
XX	X
	-
They triumphed and less bloody rites were kept	Z
Within the quiet of the convent cell	I2
The well fed inmates pattered prayer and slept	Z
And sinned and liked their easy penance well	I2
Where pleasant was the spot for men to dwell	I2
Amid its fair broad lands the abbey lay	Z
Sheltering dark orgies that were shame to tell	I2
And cowled and barefoot beggars swarmed the way	Z
All in their convent weeds of black and white and gray	Z
	-
XXI	X
	-
Oh sweetly the returning muses' strain	B2
Swelled over that famed stream whose gentle tide	Z
In their bright lap the Etrurian vales detain	B2
Sweet as when winter storms have ceased to chide	Z
And all the new leaved woods resounding wide	Z
Send out wild hymns upon the scented air	D2
Lo to the smiling Arno's classic side	Z
The emulous nations of the west repair	D2
And kindle their quenched urns and drink fresh spirit there	D2
	-
XXII	X
	-
Still Heaven deferred the hour ordained to rend	Z
From saintly rottenness the sacred stole	J2
And cowl and worshipped shrine could still defend	Z
The wretch with felon stains upon his soul	J2
And crimes were set to sale and hard his dole	J2
Who could not bribe a passage to the skies	X
And vice beneath the mitre's kind control	J2
Sinned gaily on and grew to giant size	X
Shielded by priestly power and watched by priestly eyes	X
	-
XXIII	X
	-
At last the earthquake came the shock that hurled	Z
To dust in many fragments dashed and strown	B2
The throne whose roots were in another world	Z
And whose far stretching shadow awed our own	B2
From many a proud monastic pile o'erthrown	B2
Fear struck the hooded inmates rushed and fled	Z
The web that for a thousand years had grown	B2
O'er prostrate Europe in that day of dread	Z
Crumbled and fell as fire dissolves the flaxen thread	Z
	-
XXIV	A
	-
The spirit of that day is still awake	H2
And spreads himself and shall not sleep again	B2
But through the idle mesh of power shall break	H2
Like billows o'er the Asian monarch's chain	B2
Till men are filled with him and feel how vain	B2
Instead of the pure heart and innocent hands	X
Are all the proud and pompous modes to gain	B2
The smile of heaven till a new age expands	X
Its white and holy wings above the peaceful lands	X
	-
XXV	A
	-
For look again on the past years behold	Z
How like the nightmare's dreams have flown away	Z
Horrible forms of worship that of old	Z
Held o'er the shuddering realms unquestioned sway	Z
See crimes that feared not once the eye of day	Z
Rooted from men without a name or place	X
See nations blotted out from earth to pay	Z
The forfeit of deep guilt with glad embrace	X
The fair disburdened lands welcome a nobler race	X
	-
XXVI	A
	-
Thus error's monstrous shapes from earth are driven	B2
They fade they fly but truth survives their flight	Z
Earth has no shades to quench that beam of heaven	B2
Each ray that shone in early time to light	Z
The faltering footsteps in the path of right	Z
Each gleam of clearer brightness shed to aid	Z
In man's maturer day his bolder sight	Z
All blended like the rainbow's radiant braid	Z
Pour yet and still shall pour the blaze that cannot fade	Z
	-
XXVII	A
	-
Late from this western shore that morning chased	Z
The deep and ancient night that threw its shroud	Z
O'er the green land of groves the beautiful waste	Z
Nurse of full streams and lifter up of proud	Z
Sky mingling mountains that o'erlook the cloud	Z
Erewhile where yon gay spires their brightness rear	K2
Trees waved and the brown hunter's shouts were loud	Z
Amid the forest and the bounding deer	K2
Fled at the glancing plume and the gaunt wolf yelled near	K2
	-
XXVIII	A
	-
And where his willing waves yon bright blue bay	Z
Sends up to kiss his decorated brim	L2
And cradles in his soft embrace the gay	Z
Young group of grassy islands born of him	L2
And crowding nigh or in the distance dim	L2
Lifts the white throng of sails that bear or bring	H2
The commerce of the world with tawny limb	L2
And belt and beads in sunlight glistening	H2
The savage urged his skiff like wild bird on the wing	H2
	-
XXIX	X
	-
Then all this youthful paradise around	Z
And all the broad and boundless mainland lay	Z
Cooled by the interminable wood that frowned	Z
O'er mount and vale where never summer ray	Z
Glanced till the strong tornado broke his way	Z
Through the gray giants of the sylvan wild	Z
Yet many a sheltered glade with blossoms gay	Z
Beneath the showery sky and sunshine mild	Z
Within the shaggy arms of that dark forest smiled	Z
	-
XXX	X
	-
There stood the Indian hamlet there the lake	H2
Spread its blue sheet that flashed with many an oar	M2
Where the brown otter plunged him from the brake	H2
And the deer drank as the light gale flew o'er	N2
The twinkling maize field rustled on the shore	M2
And while that spot so wild and lone and fair	D2
A look of glad and guiltless beauty wore	M2
And peace was on the earth and in the air	D2
The warrior lit the pile and bound his captive there	D2
	-
XXXI	X
	-
Not unavenged the foeman from the wood	Z
Beheld the deed and when the midnight shade	Z
Was stillest gorged his battle axe with blood	Z
All died the wailing babe the shrieking maid	Z
And in the flood of fire that scathed the glade	Z
The roofs went down but deep the silence grew	O2
When on the dewy woods the day beam played	Z
No more the cabin smokes rose wreathed and blue	O2
And ever by their lake lay moored the light canoe	O2
	-
XXXII	X
	-
Look now abroad another race has filled	Z
These populous borders wide the wood recedes	X
And towns shoot up and fertile realms are tilled	Z
The land is full of harvests and green meads	X
Streams numberless that many a fountain feeds	X
Shine disembowered and give to sun and breeze	X
Their virgin waters the full region leads	X
New colonies forth that toward the western seas	X
Spread like a rapid flame among the autumnal trees	X
	-
XXXIII	X
	-
Here the free spirit of mankind at length	P2
Throws its last fetters off and who shall place	X
A limit to the giant's unchained strength	P2
Or curb his swiftness in the forward race	X
Far like the cornet's way through infinite space	X
Stretches the long untravelled path of light	Z
Into the depths of ages we may trace	X
Distant the brightening glory of its flight	Z
Till the receding rays are lost to human sight	Z
	-
XXXIV	A
	-
Europe is given a prey to sterner fates	X
And writhes in shackles strong the arms that chain	B2
To earth her struggling multitude of states	X
She too is strong and might not chafe in vain	B2
Against them but might cast to earth the train	B2
That trample her and break their iron net	Z
Yes she shall look on brighter days and gain	B2
The meed of worthier deeds the moment set	Z
To rescue and raise up draws near but is not yet	Z
	-
XXXV	A
	-
But thou my country thou shalt never fall	Q2
Save with thy children thy maternal care	D2
Thy lavish love thy blessings showered on all	Q2
These are thy fetters seas and stormy air	D2
Are the wide barrier of thy borders where	D2
Among thy gallant sons that guard thee well	I2
Thou laugh'st at enemies who shall then declare	D2
The date of thy deep founded strength or tell	I2
How happy in thy lap the sons of men shall dwell	I2

William Cullen Bryant

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