The Missionary - Canto First Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCDEEFFGGDDHHGEII JJKKLLMNEEJJEEEEHHEE GGEEOOPQRREEEESSTTRR UUVWEEEEEEEXXEEGGEEE EEEEEEEEVVEEEEEEGGEE YYJJEEZZEEEEA2A2JJEE SSB2B2EEC2C2D2E2EEEF 2G2TTH2H2I2I2EEEEJ2J 2GGHHK2K2EESSC2C2JJJ JL2L2EESSEETJ2EEJGBeneath aerial cliffs and glittering snows | A |
The rush roof of an aged warrior rose | A |
Chief of the mountain tribes high overhead | B |
The Andes wild and desolate were spread | B |
Where cold Sierras shot their icy spires | C |
And Chillan trailed its smoke and smouldering fires | D |
A glen beneath a lonely spot of rest | E |
Hung scarce discovered like an eagle's nest | E |
Summer was in its prime the parrot flocks | F |
Darkened the passing sunshine on the rocks | F |
The chrysomel and purple butterfly | G |
Amid the clear blue light are wandering by | G |
The humming bird along the myrtle bowers | D |
With twinkling wing is spinning o'er the flowers | D |
The woodpecker is heard with busy bill | H |
The mock bird sings and all beside is still | H |
And look the cataract that bursts so high | G |
As not to mar the deep tranquillity | E |
The tumult of its dashing fall suspends | I |
And stealing drop by drop in mist descends | I |
Through whose illumined spray and sprinkling dews | J |
Shine to the adverse sun the broken rainbow hues | J |
Chequering with partial shade the beams of noon | K |
And arching the gray rock with wild festoon | K |
Here its gay net work and fantastic twine | L |
The purple cogul threads from pine to pine | L |
And oft as the fresh airs of morning breathe | M |
Dips its long tendrils in the stream beneath | N |
There through the trunks with moss and lichens white | E |
The sunshine darts its interrupted light | E |
And 'mid the cedar's darksome boughs illumes | J |
With instant touch the Lori's scarlet plumes | J |
So smiles the scene but can its smiles impart | E |
Aught to console yon mourning warrior's heart | E |
He heeds not now when beautifully bright | E |
The humming bird is circling in his sight | E |
Nor ev'n above his head when air is still | H |
Hears the green woodpecker's resounding bill | H |
But gazing on the rocks and mountains wild | E |
Rock after rock in glittering masses piled | E |
To the volcano's cone that shoots so high | G |
Gray smoke whose column stains the cloudless sky | G |
He cries Oh if thy spirit yet be fled | E |
To the pale kingdoms of the shadowy dead | E |
In yonder tract of purest light above | O |
Dear long lost object of a father's love | O |
Dost thou abide or like a shadow come | P |
Circling the scenes of thy remembered home | Q |
And passing with the breeze or in the beam | R |
Of evening light the desert mountain stream | R |
Or at deep midnight are thine accents heard | E |
In the sad notes of that melodious bird | E |
Which as we listen with mysterious dread | E |
Brings tidings from our friends and fathers dead | E |
Perhaps beyond those summits far away | S |
Thine eyes yet view the living light of day | S |
Sad in the stranger's land thou may'st sustain | T |
A weary life of servitude and pain | T |
With wasted eye gaze on the orient beam | R |
And think of these white rocks and torrent stream | R |
Never to hear the summer cocoa wave | U |
Or weep upon thy father's distant grave | U |
Ye who have waked and listened with a tear | V |
When cries confused and clangours rolled more near | W |
With murmured prayer when Mercy stood aghast | E |
As War's black trump pealed its terrific blast | E |
And o'er the withered earth the armed giant passed | E |
Ye who his track with terror have pursued | E |
When some delightful land all blood imbrued | E |
He swept where silent is the champaign wide | E |
That echoed to the pipe of yester tide | E |
Save when far off the moonlight hills prolong | X |
The last deep echoes of his parting gong | X |
Nor aught is seen in the deserted spot | E |
Where trailed the smoke of many a peaceful cot | E |
Save livid corses that unburied lie | G |
And conflagrations reeking to the sky | G |
Come listen whilst the causes I relate | E |
That bowed the warrior to the storms of fate | E |
And left these smiling scenes forlorn and desolate | E |
In other days when in his manly pride | E |
Two children for a father's fondness vied | E |
Oft they essayed in mimic strife to wield | E |
His lance or laughing peeped behind his shield | E |
Oft in the sun or the magnolia's shade | E |
Lightsome of heart as gay of look they played | E |
Brother and sister She along the dew | E |
Blithe as the squirrel of the forest flew | E |
Blue rushes wreathed her head her dark brown hair | V |
Fell gently lifted on her bosom bare | V |
Her necklace shone of sparkling insects made | E |
That flit like specks of fire from sun to shade | E |
Light was her form a clasp of silver braced | E |
The azure dyed ichella round her waist | E |
Her ancles rung with shells as unconfined | E |
She danced and sung wild carols to the wind | E |
With snow white teeth and laughter in her eye | G |
So beautiful in youth she bounded by | G |
Yet kindness sat upon her aspect bland | E |
The tame alpaca stood and licked her hand | E |
She brought him gathered moss and loved to deck | Y |
With flowery twine his tall and stately neck | Y |
Whilst he with silent gratitude replies | J |
And bends to her caress his large blue eyes | J |
These children danced together in the shade | E |
Or stretched their hands to see the rainbow fade | E |
Or sat and mocked with imitative glee | Z |
The paroquet that laughed from tree to tree | Z |
Or through the forest's wildest solitude | E |
From glen to glen the marmozet pursued | E |
And thought the light of parting day too short | E |
That called them lingering from their daily sport | E |
In that fair season of awakening life | A2 |
When dawning youth and childhood are at strife | A2 |
When on the verge of thought gay boyhood stands | J |
Tiptoe with glistening eye and outspread hands | J |
With airy look and form and footsteps light | E |
And glossy locks and features berry bright | E |
And eye like the young eaglet's to the ray | S |
Of noon unblenching as he sails away | S |
A brede of sea shells on his bosom strung | B2 |
A small stone hatchet o'er his shoulder slung | B2 |
With slender lance and feathers blue and red | E |
That like the heron's crest waved on his head | E |
Buoyant with hope and airiness and joy | C2 |
Lautaro was a graceful Indian boy | C2 |
Taught by his sire ev'n now he drew the bow | D2 |
Or tracked the jagguar on the morning snow | E2 |
Startled the condor on the craggy height | E |
Then silent sat and marked its upward flight | E |
Lessening in ether to a speck of white | E |
But when the impassioned chieftain spoke of war | F2 |
Smote his broad breast or pointed to a scar | G2 |
Spoke of the strangers of the distant main | T |
And the proud banners of insulting Spain | T |
Of the barbed horse and iron horseman spoke | H2 |
And his red gods that wrapped in rolling smoke | H2 |
Roared from the guns the boy with still drawn breath | I2 |
Hung on the wondrous tale as mute as death | I2 |
Then raised his animated eyes and cried | E |
Oh let me perish by my father's side | E |
Once when the moon o'er Chillan's cloudless height | E |
Poured far and wide its softest mildest light | E |
A predatory band of mailed men | J2 |
Burst on the stillness of the sheltered glen | J2 |
They shouted Death and shook their sabres high | G |
That shone terrific to the moonlight sky | G |
Where'er they rode the valley and the hill | H |
Echoed the shrieks of death till all again was still | H |
The warrior ere he sank in slumber deep | K2 |
Had kissed his son soft breathing in his sleep | K2 |
Where on a Llama's skin he lay and said | E |
Placing his hand with tears upon his head | E |
Aerial nymphs that in the moonlight stray | S |
O gentle spirits here awhile delay | S |
Bless as ye pass unseen my sleeping boy | C2 |
Till blithe he wakes to daylight and to joy | C2 |
If the GREAT SPIRIT will in future days | J |
O'er the fall'n foe his hatchet he shall raise | J |
And 'mid a grateful nation's high applause | J |
Avenge his violated country's cause | J |
Now nearer points of spears and many a cone | L2 |
Of moving helmets in the moonlight shone | L2 |
As clanking through the pass the band of blood | E |
Sprang like hyaenas from the secret wood | E |
They rush they seize their unresisting prey | S |
Ruthless they tear the shrieking boy away | S |
But not till gashed by many a sabre wound | E |
The father sank expiring on the ground | E |
He waked from the dark trance to life and pain | T |
But never saw his darling child again | J2 |
Seven snows had fallen and seven green summers passed | E |
Since here he heard that son's loved accents last | E |
Still his beloved daughter soothed his cares | J |
Whilst time bega | G |
William Lisle Bowles
(1)
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