Song To The God Of War. (the Missionary.) Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDEFFGHIIJJKKJJ LMNNIIAA BBOPQQRRSSTTUUVVBBWX XYYZIA2A2CCIIUUJJCCU UVB2B2C2C2D2D2CCE2E2 E2

By thy habitation dreadA
In the valley of the deadA
Where no sun nor day nor nightB
Breaks the red and dusky lightB
By the grisly troops that rideC
Of slaughtered Spaniards at thy sideC
Slaughtered by the Indian spearD
Mighty Epananum hearE
Hark the battle Hark the dinF
Now the deeds of Death beginF
The Spaniards come in clouds aboveG
I hear their hoarse artillery moveH
Spirits of our fathers slainI
Haste pursue the dogs of SpainI
The noise was in the northern skyJ
Haste pursue They fly they flyJ
Now from the cavern's secret cellK
Where the direst phantoms dwellK
See they rush and riding highJ
Break the moonlight as they flyJ
And on the shadowed plain beneathL
Shoot unseen the shafts of DeathM
O'er the devoted Spanish campN
Like a vapour dark and dampN
May they hover till the plainI
Is hid beneath the countless slainI
And none but silent women treadA
From corse to corse to seek the deadA
-
The wavering fire flashed with expiring lightB
When shrill and hollow through the cope of nightB
A distant shout was heard at intervalsO
Increasing on the listening ear it fallsP
It ceased when bursting from the thickest woodQ
With lifted axe two gloomy warriors stoodQ
Wan in the midst with dark and streaming hairR
Blown by the winds upon her bosom bareR
A woman faint from terror's wild alarmsS
And folding a white infant in her armsS
Appeared Each warrior stooped his lance to gazeT
On her pale looks seen ghastlier through the blazeT
Save she exclaimed with harrowed aspect wildU
Oh save my innocent my helpless childU
Then fainting fell as from death's instant strokeV
Caupolican with stern inquiry spokeV
Whence come to interrupt our awful riteB
At this dread hour the warriors of the nightB
From oceanW
Who is she who fainting liesX
And now scarce lifts her supplicating eyesX
The Spanish ship went down the seamen boreY
In a small boat this woman to the shoreY
They fell beneath our hatchets and againZ
We gave them back to the insulted mainI
The child and woman of a race we hateA2
Warriors 'tis yours here to decide their fateA2
Vengeance aloud fierce Mariantu criedC
Let vengeance on the race be satisfiedC
Let none of hated Spanish blood remainI
Woman or child to violate our plainI
Amid that dark and bloody scene the childU
Stretched to the mountain chief his hands and smiledU
A starting tear of pity dimmed the eyeJ
Of the old warrior though he knew not whyJ
Oh think upon your little ones he criedC
Nor be compassion to the weak deniedC
Caupolican then fixed his aspect mildU
On the white woman and her shrinking childU
Then firmly spokeV
White woman we were freeB2
When first thy brethren of the distant seaB2
Came to our shores White woman theirs the guiltC2
Theirs if the blood of innocence be spiltC2
Yet blood we seek not though our arms opposeD2
The hate of foreign and remorseless foesD2
Thou camest here a captive so abideC
Till the Great Spirit shall our cause decideC
He spoke the warriors of the night obeyE2
And ere the earliest streak of dawning dayE2
They lead her from the scene of blood awayE2

William Lisle Bowles



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