Hermotimus Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCBCDD A EFEFGG A HIHIJJ K LMLNLL K BLBLLLNO K EKEKPP K BLBLOQL K HRHRSSR Q EJEJTH Q HTHLLLH Q LRLRLLR Q QUQUVVU Q EWEWUUW K LXLYJJ K YQYQLL K YLYLUU K ZKZKHH K UKUKJJ Q EA2EA2UU Q B2UB2UQQ Q UUUUC2X Q UD2UD2UUD2 Q HJHJQQJ| I | A |
| - | |
| 'Wilt not lay thee down in quiet slumber | B |
| Weary dost thou seem and ill at rest | C |
| Sleep will bring thee dreams in starry number | B |
| Let him come to thee and be thy guest | C |
| Midnight now is past | D |
| Husband come at last | D |
| Lay thy throbbing head upon my breast ' | - |
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| II | A |
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| 'Weary am I but my soul is waking | E |
| Fain I'd lay me gently by thy side | F |
| But my spirit then its home forsaking | E |
| Through the realms of space would wander wide | F |
| Everything forgot | G |
| What would be thy lot | G |
| If I came not back to thee my bride ' | - |
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| III | A |
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| 'Music like the lute of young Apollo | H |
| Vibrates even now within mine ear | I |
| Soft and silver voices bid me follow | H |
| Yet my soul is dull and will not hear | I |
| Waking it will stay | J |
| Let me watch till day | J |
| Fainter will they come and disappear ' | - |
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| IV | K |
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| 'Speak not thus to me my own my dearest | L |
| These are but the phantoms of thy brain | M |
| Nothing can befall thee which thou fearest | L |
| Thou shalt wake to love and life again | N |
| Were this sleep thy last | L |
| I should hold thee fast | L |
| Thou shouldst strive against me but in vain ' | - |
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| V | K |
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| 'Eros will protect us and will hover | B |
| Guardian like above thee all the night | L |
| Jealous of thee as of some fond lover | B |
| Chiding back the rosy fingered light | L |
| He will be thine aid | L |
| Canst thou feel afraid | L |
| When | N |
| his | O |
| torch above us burneth bright ' | - |
| - | |
| - | |
| VI | K |
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| 'Lo the cressets of the night are waning | E |
| Old Orion hastens from the sky | K |
| Only thou of all things art remaining | E |
| Unrefreshed by slumber thou and I | K |
| Sound and sense are still | P |
| Even the distant rill | P |
| Murmurs fainter now and languidly ' | - |
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| VII | K |
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| 'Come and rest thee husband ' And no longer | B |
| Could the young man that fond call resist | L |
| Vainly was he warned for love was stronger | B |
| Warmly did he press her to his breast | L |
| Warmly met she his | O |
| Kiss succeeded kiss | Q |
| Till their eyelids closed with sleep oppressed | L |
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| VIII | K |
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| Soon Aurora left her early pillow | H |
| And the heavens grew rosy rich and rare | R |
| Laughed the dewy plain and glassy billow | H |
| For the Golden God himself was there | R |
| And the vapour screen | S |
| Rose the hills between | S |
| Steaming up like incense in the air | R |
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| IX | Q |
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| O'er her husband sate Ione bending | E |
| Marble like and marble hued he lay | J |
| Underneath her raven locks descending | E |
| Paler seemed his face and ashen gray | J |
| And so white his brow | T |
| White and cold as snow | H |
| 'Husband Gods his soul hath passed away ' | - |
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| X | Q |
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| Raise ye up the pile with gloomy shadow | H |
| Heap it with the mournful cypress bough | T |
| And they raised the pile upon the meadow | H |
| And they heaped the mournful cypress too | L |
| And they laid the dead | L |
| On his funeral bed | L |
| And they kindled up the flames below | H |
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| XI | Q |
| - | |
| Swiftly rose they and the corse surrounded | L |
| Spreading out a pall into the air | R |
| And the sharp and sudden crackling sounded | L |
| Mournfully to all the watchers there | R |
| Soon their force was spent | L |
| And the body blent | L |
| With the embers' slow expiring glare | R |
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| XII | Q |
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| Night again was come but oh how lonely | Q |
| To the mourner did that night appear | U |
| Peace nor rest it brought but sorrow only | Q |
| Vain repinings and unwonted fear | U |
| Dimly burned the lamp | V |
| Chill the air and damp | V |
| And the winds without were moaning drear | U |
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| XIII | Q |
| - | |
| Hush a voice in solemn whispers speaking | E |
| Breaks within the twilight of the room | W |
| And Ione loud and wildly shrieking | E |
| Starts and gazes through the ghastly gloom | W |
| Nothing sees she there | U |
| All is empty air | U |
| All is empty as a rifled tomb | W |
| - | |
| - | |
| XIV | K |
| - | |
| Once again the voice beside her sounded | L |
| Low and faint and solemn was its tone | X |
| 'Nor by form nor shade am I surrounded | L |
| Fleshly home and dwelling have I none | Y |
| They are passed away | J |
| Woe is me to day | J |
| Hath robbed me of myself and made me lone ' | - |
| - | |
| - | |
| XV | K |
| - | |
| 'Vainly were the words of parting spoken | Y |
| Evermore must Charon turn from me | Q |
| Still my thread of life remains unbroken | Y |
| And unbroken ever it must be | Q |
| Only they may rest | L |
| Whom the Fates' behest | L |
| From their mortal mansion setteth free ' | - |
| - | |
| - | |
| XVI | K |
| - | |
| 'I have seen the robes of Hermes glisten | Y |
| Seen him wave afar his serpent wand | L |
| But to me the Herald would not listen | Y |
| When the dead swept by at his command | L |
| Not with that pale crew | U |
| Durst I venture too | U |
| Ever shut for me the quiet land ' | - |
| - | |
| - | |
| XVII | K |
| - | |
| 'Day and night before the dreary portal | Z |
| Phantom shapes the guards of Hades lie | K |
| None of heavenly kind nor yet of mortal | Z |
| May unchallenged pass the warders by | K |
| None that path may go | H |
| If he cannot show | H |
| His last passport to eternity ' | - |
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| XVIII | K |
| - | |
| 'Cruel was the spirit power thou gavest | U |
| Fatal O Apollo was thy love | K |
| Pythian Archer brightest God and bravest | U |
| Hear O hear me from thy throne above | K |
| Let me not I pray | J |
| Thus be cast away | J |
| Plead for me thy slave O plead to Jove ' | - |
| - | |
| - | |
| XIX | Q |
| - | |
| 'I have heard thee with the Muses singing | E |
| Heard that full melodious voice of thine | A2 |
| Silver clear throughout the ether ringing | E |
| Seen thy locks in golden clusters shine | A2 |
| And thine eye so bright | U |
| With its innate light | U |
| Hath ere now been bent so low as mine ' | - |
| - | |
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| XX | Q |
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| 'Hast thou lost the wish the will to cherish | B2 |
| Those who trusted in thy godlike power | U |
| Hyacinthus did not wholly perish | B2 |
| Still he lives the firstling of thy bower | U |
| Still he feels thy rays | Q |
| Fondly meets thy gaze | Q |
| Though but now the spirit of a flower ' | - |
| - | |
| - | |
| XXI | Q |
| - | |
| 'Hear me Phoebus Hear me and deliver | U |
| Lo the morning breaketh from afar | U |
| God thou comest bright and great as ever | U |
| Night goes back before thy burning car | U |
| All her lamps are gone | C2 |
| Lucifer alone | X |
| Lingers still for thee the blessed star ' | - |
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| XXII | Q |
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| 'Hear me Phoebus ' And therewith descended | U |
| Through the window arch a glory gleam | D2 |
| All effulgent and with music blended | U |
| For such solemn sounds arose as stream | D2 |
| From the Memnon lyre | U |
| When the morning fire | U |
| Gilds the giant's forehead with its beam | D2 |
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| XXIII | Q |
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| 'Thou hast heard thy servant's prayer Apollo | H |
| Thou dost call me mighty God of Day | J |
| Fare thee well Ione ' And more hollow | H |
| Came the phantom voice then died away | J |
| When the slaves arose | Q |
| Not in calm repose | Q |
| Not in sleep but death their mistress lay | J |
William Edmondstoune Aytoun
(1)
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