In Arthur's House Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABCDDEEFGHIJJKKL MNNOOPPQ QRRSSRRRRRRRRTURRFFV VRRWWXXYYAARRZZFFA2A 2FFPPB2RRWWAAC2C2 FF D2D2FF E2E2 F2F2F FAAW WG2G2H2H2FFWWI2E2E2P PFF RRFFRRJ2J2PAVK2 E2E2L2L2J2J2RRFFRRFF J2J2RRPPJ2J2RRFFM2N2 FFO2O2J2J2FFFFPPR RE2E2PPFFR RFFP2P2J2J2PPUD2 AARRP2P2L2Q2R2 R2P2P2R RPPJ2J2RRRRRRBBS2S2P PRRP2P2PPT2T2 WWPPWIn Arthur's house whileome was I | A |
When happily the time went by | A |
In midmost glory of his days | B |
He held his court then in a place | C |
Whereof ye shall not find the name | D |
In any story of his fame | D |
Caerliel good sooth men called it not | E |
Nor London Town nor Camelot | E |
Yet therein had we bliss enow | F |
Ah far off was the overthrow | G |
Of all that Britain praised and loved | H |
And though among us lightly moved | I |
A love that could but lead to death | J |
Smooth skinned he seemed of rosy breath | J |
A fear to sting a lady's lip | K |
No ruin of goodly fellowship | K |
No shame and death of all things good | L |
- | |
Forgive the old carle's babbling mood | M |
As here I sit grey haired and old | N |
My life gone as a story told | N |
Ye bid me tell a story too | O |
And then the evil days and few | O |
That yet were overlong for me | P |
Rise up so clear I may not see | P |
The pictures of my minstrel lore | Q |
- | |
Well hearken on a day of yore | Q |
From prime of morn the court did ride | R |
Amidmost of the summertide | R |
To search the dwellings of the deer | S |
Until the heat of noon was near | S |
Then slackening speed awhile they went | R |
Adown a ragged thorn bushed bent | R |
At whose feet grew a tangled wood | R |
Of oak and holly nowise good | R |
But therethrough with some pain indeed | R |
And rending of the ladies' weed | R |
They won at last and after found | R |
A space of green sward grown around | R |
By oak and holly set full close | T |
And in the midst of it arose | U |
Two goodly sycamores that made | R |
A wide and little sun pierced shade | R |
About their high boles straight and green | F |
A fount was new born there between | F |
And running on as clear as glass | V |
Flowed winding on amid the grass | V |
Until the thick wood swallowed it | R |
A place for happy folk to sit | R |
While the hot day grew hotter still | W |
Till eve began to work his will | W |
So might those happy people think | X |
Who grudged to see the red sun sink | X |
And end another day of bliss | Y |
Although no joy tomorn should miss | Y |
They laughed for joy as they drew nigh | A |
The shade and fount but lo thereby | A |
A man beside the fountain laid | R |
The while his horse 'twixt sun and shade | R |
Cropped the sweet grass but little care | Z |
Had these of guile or giant's lair | Z |
And scarce a foot before the Queen | F |
Rode Gawain o'er the daisied green | F |
To see what man his pleasure took | A2 |
Who rose up in meanwhile and shook | A2 |
His tangled hair aback as one | F |
Who e'en but now his sleep hath done | F |
Rough head and yellow haired was he | P |
Great eyed as folk have told to me | P |
And big and stout enow of limb | B2 |
As one who thinks no harm he smiled | R |
And cried out Well met in the wild | R |
Fair King and Queen and ye withal | W |
Sweet dames and damsels Well befal | W |
This day whereon I see thee nigh | A |
O Lancelot before I die | A |
And surely shall my heart rejoice | C2 |
Sir Gawain when I hear thy voice | C2 |
- | |
Then Lancelot laughed Thou knowest us then | F |
Full well among a many men | F |
- | |
As quoth the lion to the mouse | D2 |
The man said in King Arthur's House | D2 |
Men are not names of men alone | F |
But coffers rather of deeds done | F |
- | |
The Queen smiled blithe of heart and spake | E2 |
Hast thou done deeds for ladies' sake | E2 |
- | |
Nay Dame he said I am but young | F2 |
A little have I lived and sung | F2 |
And seen thy face this happy noon | F |
- | |
The King said May we hearken soon | F |
Some merry tale of thee for I | A |
Am skilled to know men low and high | A |
And deem thee neither churl nor fool | W |
- | |
Said he My fathers went to school | W |
Where folk are taught a many things | G2 |
But not by bliss men called them kings | G2 |
In days when kings were near to seek | H2 |
But as a long thread waxeth weak | H2 |
So is it with our house and now | F |
I wend me home from oaken bough | F |
Unto a stead where roof and wall | W |
Shall not have over far to fall | W |
When their last day comes | I2 |
As he spake | E2 |
He reddened Nathless for their sake | E2 |
Whom the world loved once mock not me | P |
O King if thence I bring to thee | P |
A morsel and a draught of wine | F |
Though nothing king like here thou dine | F |
- | |
Of some kind word King Arthur thought | R |
But ere he spake the woodman caught | R |
His forest nag and leapt thereon | F |
And through the tangled brake was gone | F |
Then leapt the King down glad at heart | R |
Thinking This day shall not depart | R |
Without some voice from days that were | J2 |
And lightly leapt down Guenevere | J2 |
And man and maid lay presently | P |
Neath the bee laden branches high | A |
And sweet the scent of trodden grass | V |
Amid the blossoms' perfume was | K2 |
- | |
There long they lay and little spake | E2 |
As folk right loth the calm to break | E2 |
Till lo upon the forest breeze | L2 |
A noise of folk and from the trees | L2 |
They came the first seen forester | J2 |
A grizzled carle in such like gear | J2 |
And then two maidens poorly clad | R |
Though each a silver chaplet had | R |
And round her neck a golden chain | F |
And last two varlets led a wain | F |
Drawn by white oxen well bedight | R |
With oaken boughs and lilies white | R |
Therein there lay a cask of wine | F |
And baskets piled with bread full fine | F |
And flesh of hart and roe and hare | J2 |
And in the midst upon a chair | J2 |
Done over with a cloth of gold | R |
There sat a man exceeding old | R |
With long white locks and clad was he | P |
No other than his company | P |
Save that a golden crown he bore | J2 |
Full fairly fashioned as of yore | J2 |
And with a sword was girt about | R |
Such as few folk will see I doubt | R |
Right great it was the scabbard thin | F |
Was fashioned of a serpent's skin | F |
In every scale a stone of worth | M2 |
Of tooth of sea lion of the north | N2 |
The cross was and the blood boot stone | F |
That heals the hurt the blade hath done | F |
Hung down therefrom in silken purse | O2 |
The ruddy kin of Niblung's curse | O2 |
O'er tresses of a sea wife's hair | J2 |
Was wrapped about the handle fair | J2 |
And last a marvellous sapphire stone | F |
Amidst of the great pommel shone | F |
A blue flame in the forest green | F |
And Arthur deemed he ne'er had seen | F |
So fair a sword nay not when he | P |
The wonder of the land locked sea | P |
Drew from the stone that Christmas tide | R |
- | |
Now forth the forest youth did ride | R |
Leapt down beside the King and spake | E2 |
King Arthur for thy greatness' sake | E2 |
My grandsire comes to look on thee | P |
My father standeth here by me | P |
These maidens are my sisters twain | F |
My brethren draw out from the wain | F |
Somewhat thy woodland cheer to mend | R |
- | |
Thereat his sire the knee did bend | R |
Before the King who o'er the brown | F |
Rough sleeve of the man's homespun gown | F |
Beheld a goodly golden ring | P2 |
And fell to greater marvelling | P2 |
When he beheld how fine and fair | J2 |
The woodman's kneeling sisters were | J2 |
And all folk thereby deemed in sooth | P |
That save indeed the first seen youth | P |
These folk were nobler e'en than those | U |
Of Arthur's wonder of a house | D2 |
- | |
But now the elder drew anigh | A |
By half a head was he more high | A |
Than Arthur or than Lancelot | R |
Nor had eld bent him he kneeled not | R |
Before the King but smiling took | P2 |
His hands in hands that nowise shook | P2 |
And the King joyed as he who sees | L2 |
One of his fathers' images | Q2 |
Stand glad before him in a dream | R2 |
- | |
Then down beside the bubbling stream | R2 |
They sat together and the King | P2 |
Was loth to fall a questioning | P2 |
So first the elder spake and said | R |
- | |
It joys me of thy goodlihead | R |
O great king of our land and though | P |
Our blood within thee doth not flow | P |
And I who was a king of yore | J2 |
May scarcely kneel thy feet before | J2 |
Yet do I deem thy right the best | R |
Of all the kings who rule the West | R |
I love thy name and fame behold | R |
King Arthur I am grown so old | R |
In guilelessness the Gods have sent | R |
Be I content or uncontent | R |
This gift unto my latter days | B |
That I may see as through a haze | B |
The lives and deeds of days to come | S2 |
I laugh for some I weep for some | S2 |
I neither laugh nor weep for thee | P |
But trembling through the clouds I see | P |
Thy life and glory to the end | R |
And how the sweet and bitter blend | R |
Within the cup that thou must drink | P2 |
Good is it that thou shalt not shrink | P2 |
From either that the afterdays | P |
Shall still win glory from thy praise | P |
And scarce believe thee laid asleep | T2 |
When o'er thy deeds the days lie deep | T2 |
- | |
He ceased but his old lips moved still | W |
As though they would the tale fulfil | W |
His heart kept secret Arthur's eyes | P |
Gleamed with the pride that needs would rise | P |
Up from his heart and low | W |
William Morris
(2)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about In Arthur's House poem by William Morris
Best Poems of William Morris