The Heart Of The Bruce Poem Rhyme Scheme

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William Edmondstoune Aytoun

The Heart Of The Bruce Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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It was upon an April morn	A
While yet the frost lay hoar	B
We heard Lord James's bugle horn	A
Sound by the rocky shore	B
	-
Then down we went a hundred knights	C
All in our dark array	D
And flung our armour in the ships	E
That rode within the bay	D
	-
We spoke not as the shore grew less	F
But gazed in silence back	G
Where the long billows swept away	D
The foam behind our track	G
	-
And aye the purple hues decay'd	H
Upon the fading hill	I
And but one heart in all that ship	J
Was tranquil cold and still	I
	-
The good Lord Douglas walk'd the deck	K
And oh his brow was wan	L
Unlike the flush it used to wear	M
When in the battle van	N
	-
'Come hither come hither my trusty knight	O
Sir Simon of the Lee	P
There is a freit lies near my soul	Q
I fain would tell to thee	P
	-
'Thou know'st the words King Robert spoke	R
Upon his dying day	D
How he bade me take his noble heart	S
And carry it far away	D
	-
'And lay it in the holy soil	T
Where once the Saviour trod	U
Since he might not bear the blessed Cross	V
Nor strike one blow for God	U
	-
'Last night as in my bed I lay	D
I dream'd a dreary dream	W
Methought I saw a Pilgrim stand	X
In the moonlight's quivering beam	W
	-
'His robe was of the azure dye	Y
Snow white his scatter'd hairs	Z
And even such a cross he bore	B
As good Saint Andrew bears	Z
	-
''Why go you forth Lord James ' he said	A2
'With spear and belted brand	X
Why do you take its dearest pledge	B2
From this our Scottish land	X
	-
''The sultry breeze of Galilee	P
Creeps through its groves of palm	C2
The olives on the Holy Mount	D2
Stand glittering in the calm	C2
	-
''But 'tis not there that Scotland's heart	S
Shall rest by God's decree	P
Till the great angel calls the dead	A2
To rise from earth and sea	P
	-
''Lord James of Douglas mark my rede	A2
That heart shall pass once more	B
In fiery fight against the foe	E2
As it was wont of yore	B
	-
''And it shall pass beneath the Cross	V
And save King Robert's vow	F2
But other hands shall bear it back	G
Not James of Douglas thou '	-
	-
'Now by thy knightly faith I pray	D
Sir Simon of the Lee	P
For truer friend had never man	N
Than thou hast been to me	P
	-
'If ne'er upon the Holy Land	A2
'Tis mine in life to tread	A2
Bear thou to Scotland's kindly earth	G2
The relics of her dead '	-
	-
The tear was in Sir Simon's eye	Y
As he wrung the warrior's hand	A2
'Betide me weal betide me woe	E2
I'll hold by thy command	A2
	-
'But if in battle front Lord James	H2
'Tis ours once more to ride	A2
No force of man nor craft of fiend	A2
Shall cleave me from thy side '	-
	-
And aye we sail'd and aye we sail'd	A2
Across the weary sea	P
Until one morn the coast of Spain	I2
Rose grimly on our lee	P
	-
And as we rounded to the port	A2
Beneath the watch tower's wall	J2
We heard the clash of the atabals	P
And the trumpet's wavering call	J2
	-
'Why sounds yon Eastern music here	K2
So wantonly and long	L2
And whose the crowd of arm d men	M2
That round yon standard throng '	-
	-
'The Moors have come from Africa	N2
To spoil and waste and slay	D
And King Alonzo of Castile	D
Must fight with them to day '	-
	-
'Now shame it were ' cried good Lord James	P
'Shall never be said of me	P
That I and mine have turn'd aside	A2
From the Cross in jeopardie	A2
	-
'Have down have down my merry men all	D
Have down unto the plain	I2
We'll let the Scottish lion loose	P
Within the fields of Spain '	-
	-
'Now welcome to me noble lord	A2
Thou and thy stalwart power	O2
Dear is the sight of a Christian knight	A2
Who comes in such an hour	O2
	-
'Is it for bond or faith ye come	P2
Or yet for golden fee	P
Or bring ye France's lilies here	K2
Or the flower of Burgundie '	-
	-
'God greet thee well thou valiant King	Q2
Thee and thy belted peers	P
Sir James of Douglas am I called	A2
And these are Scottish spears	P
	-
'We do not fight for bond or plight	A2
Not yet for golden fee	P
But for the sake of our blessed Lord	A2
Who died upon the tree	P
	-
'We bring our great King Robert's heart	A2
Across the weltering wave	R2
To lay it in the holy soil	D
Hard by the Saviour's grave	R2
	-
'True pilgrims we by land or sea	P
Where danger bars the way	D
And therefore are we here Lord King	Q2
To ride with thee this day '	-
	-
The King has bent his stately head	A2
And the tears were in his eyne	I2
'God's blessing on thee noble knight	A2
For this brave thought of thine	I2
	-
'I know thy name full well Lord James	P
And honour'd may I be	P
That those who fought beside the Bruce	P
Should fight this day for me	P
	-
'Take thou the leading of the van	I2
And charge the Moors amain	I2
There is not such a lance as thine	I2
In all the host of Spain '	-
	-
The Douglas turned towards us then	I2
O but his glance was high	Y
'There is not one of all my men	I2
But is as bold as I	Y
	-
'There is not one of all my knights	P
But bears as true a spear	S2
Then onwards Scottish gentlemen	I2
And think King Robert's here '	-
	-
The trumpets blew the cross bolts flew	D
The arrows flashed like flame	T2
As spur in side and spear in rest	A2
Against the foe we came	T2
	-
And many a bearded Saracen	I2
Went down both horse and man	I2
For through their ranks we rode like corn	I2
So furiously we ran	I2
	-
But in behind our path they closed	A2
Though fain to let us through	D
For they were forty thousand men	I2
And we were wondrous few	D
	-
We might not see a lance's length	U2
So dense was their array	D
But the long fell sweep of the Scottish blade	A2
Still held them hard at bay	D
	-
'Make in make in ' Lord Douglas cried	A2
'Make in my brethren dear	S2
Sir William of Saint Clair is down	I2
We may not leave him here '	-
	-
But thicker thicker grew the swarm	V2
And sharper shot the rain	I2
And the horses reared amid the press	P
But they would not charge again	I2
	-
'Now Jesu help thee ' said Lord James	P
'Thou kind and true St Clair	M
An' if I may not bring thee off	W2
I'll die beside thee there '	-
	-
Then in his stirrups up he stood	A2
So lionlike and bold	A2
And held the precious heart aloft	A2
All in its case of gold	A2
	-
He flung it from him far ahead	A2
And never spake he more	B
But 'Pass thee first thou dauntless heart	A2
As thou wert wont of yore '	-
	-
The roar of fight rose fiercer yet	A2
And heavier still the stour	B
Till the spears of Spain came shivering in	I2
And swept away the Moor	B
	-
'Now praised be God the day is won	I2
They fly o'er flood and fell	D
Why dost thou draw the rein so hard	A2
Good knight that fought so well '	-
	-
'Oh ride ye on Lord King ' he said	A2
'And leave the dead to me	P
For I must keep the dreariest watch	X2
That ever I shall dree	B
	-
'There lies beside his master's heart	A2
The Douglas stark and grim	Y2
And woe is me I should be here	B
Not side by side with him	Y2
	-
'The world grows cold my arm is old	A2
And thin my lyart hair	B
And all that I loved best on earth	G2
Is stretch'd before me there	B
	-
'O Bothwell banks that bloom so bright	A2
Beneath the sun of May	D
The heaviest cloud that ever blew	D
Is bound for you this day	D
	-
'And Scotland thou may'st veil thy head	A2
In sorrow and in pain	I2
The sorest stroke upon thy brow	B
Hath fallen this day in Spain	I2
	-
'We'll bear them back unto our ship	J
We'll bear them o'er the sea	P
And lay them in the hallowed earth	G2
Within our own countrie	B
	-
'And be thou strong of heart Lord King	Q2
For this I tell thee sure	B
The sod that drank the Douglas' blood	A2
Shall never bear the Moor '	-
	-
The King he lighted from his horse	P
He flung his brand away	D
And took the Douglas by the hand	A2
So stately as he lay	D
	-
'God give thee rest thou valiant soul	D
That fought so well for Spain	I2
I'd rather half my land were gone	I2
So thou wert here again '	-
	-
We bore the good Lord James away	D
And the priceless heart he bore	B
And heavily we steer'd our ship	J
Towards the Scottish shore	B
	-
No welcome greeted our return	I2
Nor clang of martial tread	A2
But all were dumb and hushed as death	Z2
Before the mighty dead	A2
	-
We laid our chief in Douglas Kirk	A3
The heart in fair Melrose	P
And woeful men were we that day	D
God grant their souls repose	P