The White Squall Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AAABAAABAAAB CCCADEDAFFFA GGGHDDDHAAAH IIIHGGGHJJKH AAAH FAIIGGFFAAAAALLLMMNN JJAAAAFFOO GGPPQOGG GGAFN PPGG DDRSOOFFFFOOOO OOIIOOGGG OONNIINNIIIII GGGOAAAO

On deck beneath the awningA
I dozing lay and yawningA
It was the gray of dawningA
Ere yet the sun aroseB
And above the funnel's roaringA
And the fitful wind's deploringA
I heard the cabin snoringA
With universal noseB
I could hear the passengers snortingA
I envied their disportingA
Vainly I was courtingA
The pleasure of a dozeB
-
So I lay and wondered why lightC
Came not and watched the twilightC
And the glimmer of the skylightC
That shot across the deckA
And the binnacle pale and steadyD
And the dull glimpse of the dead eyeE
And the sparks in fiery eddyD
That whirled from the chimney neckA
In our jovial floating prisonF
There was sleep from fore to mizzenF
And never a star had risenF
The hazy sky to speckA
-
Strange company we harboredG
We'd a hundred Jews to larboardG
Unwashed uncombed unbarberedG
Jews black and brown and grayH
With terror it would seize yeD
And make your souls uneasyD
To see those Rabbis greasyD
Who did naught but scratch and prayH
Their dirty children pukingA
Their dirty saucepans cookingA
Their dirty fingers hookingA
Their swarming fleas awayH
-
To starboard Turks and Greeks wereI
Whiskered and brown their cheeks wereI
Enormous wide their breeks wereI
Their pipes did puff alwayH
Each on his mat allottedG
In silence smoked and squattedG
Whilst round their children trottedG
In pretty pleasant playH
He can't but smile who tracesJ
The smiles on those brown facesJ
And the pretty prattling gracesK
Of those small heathens gayH
-
And so the hours kept tollingA
And through the ocean rollingA
Went the brave 'Iberia' bowlingA
Before the break of dayH
-
When A SQUALL upon a suddenF
Came o'er the waters scuddingA
And the clouds began to gatherI
And the sea was lashed to latherI
And the lowering thunder grumbledG
And the lightning jumped and tumbledG
And the ship and all the oceanF
Woke up in wild commotionF
Then the wind set up a howlingA
And the poodle dog a yowlingA
And the cocks began a crowingA
And the old cow raised a lowingA
As she heard the tempest blowingA
And fowls and geese did cackleL
And the cordage and the tackleL
Began to shriek and crackleL
And the spray dashed o'er the funnelsM
And down the deck in runnelsM
And the rushing water soaks allN
From the seamen in the fo'ksalN
To the stokers whose black facesJ
Peer out of their bed placesJ
And the captain he was bawlingA
And the sailors pulling haulingA
And the quarter deck tarpaulingA
Was shivered in the squallingA
And the passengers awakenF
Most pitifully shakenF
And the steward jumps up and hastensO
For the necessary basinsO
-
Then the Greeks they groaned and quiveredG
And they knelt and moaned and shiveredG
As the plunging waters met themP
And splashed and overset themP
And they call in their emergenceQ
Upon countless saints and virginsO
And their marrowbones are bendedG
And they think the world is endedG
-
And the Turkish women for'ardG
Were frightened and behorror'dG
And shrieking and bewilderingA
The mothers clutched their childrenF
The men sung 'Allah IllahN
Mashallah Bismillah '-
As the warring waters doused themP
And splashed them and soused themP
And they called upon the ProphetG
And thought but little of itG
-
Then all the fleas in JewryD
Jumped up and bit like furyD
And the progeny of JacobR
Did on the main deck wake upS
I wot those greasy RabbinsO
Would never pay for cabinsO
And each man moaned and jabbered inF
His filthy Jewish gaberdineF
In woe and lamentationF
And howling consternationF
And the splashing water drenchesO
Their dirty brats and wenchesO
And they crawl from bales and benchesO
In a hundred thousand stenchesO
-
This was the White Squall famousO
Which latterly o'ercame usO
And which all will well rememberI
On the th SeptemberI
When a Prussian captain of LancersO
Those tight laced whiskered prancersO
Came on the deck astonishedG
By that wild squall admonishedG
And wondering cried 'PotztausendG
Wie ist der Sturm jetzt brausend '-
And looked at Captain LewisO
Who calmly stood and blew hisO
Cigar in all the hustleN
And scorned the tempest's tussleN
And oft we've thought thereafterI
How he beat the storm to laughterI
For well he knew his vesselN
With that vain wind could wrestleN
And when a wreck we thought herI
And doomed ourselves to slaughterI
How gayly he fought herI
And through the hubbub brought herI
And as the tempest caught herI
Cried 'GEORGE SOME BRANDY AND WATER '-
-
And when its force expendedG
The harmless storm was endedG
And as the sunrise splendidG
Came blushing o'er the seaO
I thought as day was breakingA
My little girls were wakingA
And smiling and makingA
A prayer at home for meO

William Makepeace Thackeray



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