Sir Peter Harpdon's End Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CDEF G HI B AA G JK B JL G BMAB B F ANM O PEN F G AQAB B G G RBB B S G BABT B B G QGBAUAVWBGXBYAGAAZAB AA2WP B B2BPC2HD2 G ME2 B M O G AD2GAD2D2D2F2PHAAAD2 AD2ZG2 MASH2AABD2GYPI2D2D2A BD2D2GABGAD2G2P D2 APGAP ACF2J2AAAG2AAG2GCYAK 2 G2BAAAAAF2L2G H AAGBAAAAPM2AAA B G B AG2 G AAA B B G BGN2AGIn an English Castle in Poictou Sir Peter Harpdon a Gascon knight in the English service and John Curzon his lieutenant | A |
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John Curzon | B |
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Of those three prisoners that before you came | C |
We took down at St John's hard by the mill | D |
Two are good masons we have tools enough | E |
And you have skill to set them working | F |
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Sir Peter | G |
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So | H |
What are their names | I |
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John Curzon | B |
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Why Jacques Aquadent | A |
And Peter Plombiere but | A |
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Sir Peter | G |
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What colour'd hair | J |
Has Peter now has Jacques got bow legs | K |
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John Curzon | B |
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Why sir you jest what matters Jacques' hair | J |
Or Peter's legs to us | L |
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Sir Peter | G |
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O John John John | B |
Throw all your mason's tools down the deep well | M |
Hang Peter up and Jacques they're no good | A |
We shall not build man | B |
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John Curzon | B |
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going | F |
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Shall I call the guard | A |
To hang them sir and yet sir for the tools | N |
We'd better keep them still sir fare you well | M |
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Muttering as he goes | O |
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What have I done that he should jape at me | P |
And why not build the walls are weak enough | E |
And we've two masons and a heap of tools | N |
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Goes still muttering | F |
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Sir Peter | G |
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To think a man should have a lump like that | A |
For his lieutenant I must call him back | Q |
Or else as surely as St George is dead | A |
He'll hang our friends the masons here John John | B |
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John Curzon | B |
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At your good service sir | G |
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Sir Peter | G |
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Come now and talk | R |
This weighty matter out there we've no stone | B |
To mend our walls with neither brick nor stone | B |
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John Curzon | B |
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There is a quarry sir some ten miles off | S |
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Sir Peter | G |
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We are not strong enough to send ten men | B |
Ten miles to fetch us stone enough to build | A |
In three hours' time they would be taken or slain | B |
The cursed Frenchmen ride abroad so thick | T |
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John Curzon | B |
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But we can send some villaynes to get stone | B |
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Sir Peter | G |
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Alas John that we cannot bring them back | Q |
They would go off to Clisson or Sanxere | G |
And tell them we were weak in walls and men | B |
Then down go we for look you times are changed | A |
And now no longer does the country shake | U |
At sound of English names our captains fade | A |
From off our muster rolls At Lusac Bridge | V |
I daresay you may even yet see the hole | W |
That Chandos beat in dying far in Spain | B |
Pembroke is prisoner Phelton prisoner here | G |
Manny lies buried in the Charterhouse | X |
Oliver Clisson turn'd these years agone | B |
The Captal died in prison and over all | Y |
Edward the prince lies underneath the ground | A |
Edward the king is dead at Westminster | G |
The carvers smooth the curls of his long beard | A |
Everything goes to rack eh and we too | A |
Now Curzon listen if they come these French | Z |
Whom have I got to lean on here but you | A |
A man can die but once will you die then | B |
Your brave sword in your hand thoughts in your heart | A |
Of all the deeds we have done here in France | A2 |
And yet may do So God will have your soul | W |
Whoever has your body | P |
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John Curzon | B |
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Why sir I | B2 |
Will fight till the last moment until then | B |
Will do whate'er you tell me Now I see | P |
We must e'en leave the walls well well perhaps | C2 |
They're stronger than I think for pity though | H |
For some few tons of stone if Guesclin comes | D2 |
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Sir Peter | G |
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Farewell John pray you watch the Gascons well | M |
I doubt them | E2 |
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John Curzon | B |
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Truly sir I will watch well | M |
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Goes | O |
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Sir Peter | G |
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Farewell good lump and yet when all is said | A |
'Tis a good lump Why then if Guesclin comes | D2 |
Some dozen stones from his petrariae | G |
And under shelter of his crossbows just | A |
An hour's steady work with pickaxes | D2 |
Then a great noise some dozen swords and glaives | D2 |
A playing on my basnet all at once | D2 |
And little more cross purposes on earth | F2 |
For me | P |
Now this is hard a month ago | H |
And a few minutes' talk had set things right | A |
'Twixt me and Alice if she had a doubt | A |
As may Heaven bless her I scarce think she had | A |
'Twas but their hammer hammer in her ears | D2 |
Of 'how Sir Peter fail'd at Lusac Bridge ' | - |
And 'how he was grown moody of late days ' | - |
And 'how Sir Lambert think now 'his dear friend | A |
His sweet dear cousin could not but confess | D2 |
That Peter's talk tended towards the French | Z |
Which he' for instance Lambert 'was glad of | G2 |
Being' Lambert you see on the French side ' | - |
Well | M |
If I could but have seen her on that day | A |
Then when they sent me off | S |
I like to think | H2 |
Although it hurts me makes my head twist what | A |
If I had seen her what I should have said | A |
What she my darling would have said and done | B |
As thus perchance | D2 |
To find her sitting there | G |
In the window seat not looking well at all | Y |
Crying perhaps and I say quietly | P |
'Alice ' she looks up chokes a sob looks grave | I2 |
Changes from pale to red but ere she speaks | D2 |
Straightway I kneel down there on both my knees | D2 |
And say O lady have I sinn'd your knight | A |
That still you ever let me walk alone | B |
In the rose garden that you sing no songs | D2 |
When I am by that ever in the dance | D2 |
You quietly walk away when I come near | G |
Now that I have you will you go think you | A |
Ere she could answer I would speak again | B |
Still kneeling there | G |
'What they have frighted you | A |
By hanging burs and clumsily carven puppets | D2 |
Round my good name but afterwards my love | G2 |
I will say what this means this moment see | P |
Do I kneel here and can you doubt me Yea ' | - |
For she would put her hands upon my face | D2 |
'Yea that is best yea feel love am I changed ' | - |
And she would say Good knight come kiss my lips ' | - |
And afterwards as I sat there would say | A |
'Please a poor silly girl by telling me | P |
What all those things they talk of really were | G |
For it is true you did not help Chandos | A |
And true poor love you could not come to me | P |
When I was in such peril ' | - |
I should say | A |
'I am like Balen all things turn to blame | C |
I did not come to you At Bergerath | F2 |
The Constable had held us close shut up | J2 |
If from the barriers I had made three steps | A |
I should have been but slain at Lusac too | A |
We struggled in a marish half the day | A |
And came too late at last you know my love | G2 |
How heavy men and horses are all arm'd | A |
All that Sir Lambert said was pure unmix'd | A |
Quite groundless lies as you can think sweet love' | G2 |
She holding tight my hand as we sat there | G |
Started a little at Sir Lambert's name | C |
But otherwise she listen'd scarce at all | Y |
To what I said Then with moist weeping eyes | A |
And quivering lips that scarcely let her speak | K2 |
She said 'I love you ' | - |
Other words were few | G2 |
The remnant of that hour her hand smooth'd down | B |
My foolish head she kiss'd me all about | A |
My face and through the tangles of my beard | A |
Her little fingers crept | A |
O God my Alice | A |
Not this good way my lord but sent and said | A |
That Lambert's sayings were taken at their worth | F2 |
Therefore that day I was to start and keep | L2 |
This hold against the French and I am here | G |
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Looks out of the window | H |
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A sprawling lonely gard with rotten walls | A |
And no one to bring aid if Guesclin comes | A |
Or any other | G |
There's a pennon now | B |
At last | A |
But not the Constable's whose arms | A |
I wonder does it bear Three golden rings | A |
On a red ground my cousin's by the rood | A |
Well I should like to kill him certainly | P |
But to be kill'd by him | M2 |
A trumpet sounds | A |
That's for a herald | A |
I doubt this does not mean assaulting yet | A |
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Enter John Curzon | B |
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What says the herald of our cousin sir | G |
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John Curzon | B |
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So please you sir concerning your estate | A |
He has good will to talk with you | G2 |
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Sir Peter | G |
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Outside | A |
I'll talk with him close by the gate St Ives | A |
Is he unarm'd | A |
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John Curzon | B |
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Yea sir in a long gown | B |
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Sir Peter | G |
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Then bid them bring me hither my furr'd gown | B |
With the long sleeves and under it I'll wear | G |
By Lambert's leave a secret coat of mail | N2 |
And will you lend me John your little axe | A |
I mean the one with Paul wr | G |
William Morris
(2)
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