The Earthly Paradise: The Lady Of The Land Poem Rhyme Scheme

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The ArgumentA certain man having landed on an island in the Greek sea found there a beautifuldamsel whom he would fain have delivered from a strange dreadful doom butfailing herein he died soon afterwards	A
It happened once some men of Italy	B
Midst the Greek Islands went a sea roving	C
And much good fortune had they on the sea	B
Of many a man they had the ransoming	C
And many a chain they gat and goodly thing	C
And midst their voyage to an isle they came	D
Whereof my story keepeth not the name	D
Now though but little was there left to gain	E
Because the richer folk had gone away	F
Yet since by this of water they were fain	E
They came to anchor in a land locked bay	F
Whence in a while some went ashore to play	F
Going but lightly armed in twos or threes	G
For midst that folk they feared no enemies	G
	-
And of these fellows that thus went ashore	H
One was there who left all his friends behind	I
Who going inland ever more and more	H
And being left quite alone at last did find	I
A lonely valley sheltered from the wind	I
Wherein amidst an ancient cypress wood	J
A long deserted ruined castle stood	J
	-
The wood once ordered in fair grove and glade	K
With gardens overlooked by terraces	L
And marble pav egrave d pools for pleasure made	K
Was tangled now and choked with fallen trees	G
And he who went there with but little ease	G
Must stumble by the stream's side once made meet	M
For tender women's dainty wandering feet	M
	-
The raven's croak the low wind choked and drear	H
The baffled stream the grey wolf's doleful cry	H
Were all the sounds that mariner could hear	H
As through the wood he wandered painfully	B
But as unto the house he drew anigh	N
The pillars of a ruined shrine he saw	O
The once fair temple of a fallen law	O
	-
No image was there left behind to tell	P
Before whose face the knees of men had bowed	Q
An altar of black stone of old wrought well	P
Alone beneath a ruined roof now showed	R
The goal whereto the folk were wont to crowd	Q
Seeking for things forgotten long ago	C
Praying for heads long ages laid a low	C
	-
Close to the temple was the castle gate	S
Doorless and crumbling there our fellow turned	T
Trembling indeed at what might chance to wait	S
The prey entrapped yet with a heart that burned	T
To know the most of what might there be learned	T
And hoping somewhat too amid his fear	H
To light on such things as all men hold dear	H
	-
Noble the house was nor seemed built for war	H
But rather like the work of other days	U
When men in better peace than now they are	H
Had leisure on the world around to gaze	U
And noted well the past times' changing ways	U
And fair with sculptured stories it was wrought	V
By lapse of time unto dim ruin brought	V
	-
Now as he looked about on all these things	W
And strove to read the mouldering histories	G
Above the door an image with wide wings	W
Whose unclad limbs a serpent seemed to seize	G
He dimly saw although the western breeze	G
And years of biting frost and washing rain	E
Had made the carver's lab our well nigh vain	E
	-
But this though perished sore and worn away	F
He noted well because it seemed to be	B
After the fashion of another day	F
Some great man's badge of war or armoury	H
And round it a carved wreath he seemed to see	B
But taking note of these things at the last	X
The mariner beneath the gateway passed	X
	-
And there a lovely cloistered court he found	Y
A fountain in the mist o'erthrown and dry	H
And in the cloister briers twining round	Y
The slender shafts the wondrous imagery	B
Outworn by more than many years gone by	H
Because the country people in their fear	H
Of wizardry had wrought destruction here	H
	-
And piteously these fair things had been maimed	Z
There stood great Jove lacking his head of might	A2
Here was the archer swift Apollo lamed	A2
The shapely limbs of Venus hid from sight	A2
By weeds and shards Diana's ankles light	A2
Bound with the cable of some coasting ship	B2
And rusty nails through Helen's maddening lip	B2
	-
Therefrom unto the chambers did he pass	C2
And found them fair still midst of their decay	F
Though in them now no sign of man there was	D2
And everything but stone had passed away	F
That made them lovely in that vanished day	F
Nay the mere walls themselves would soon be gone	E2
And nought be left but heaps of mouldering stone	F2
	-
But he when all the place he had gone o'er	H
And with much trouble clomb the broken stair	H
And from the topmost turret seen the shore	H
And his good ship drawn up at anchor there	H
Came down again and found a crypt most fair	H
Built wonderfully beneath the greatest hall	G2
And there he saw a door within the wall	G2
	-
Well hinged close shut nor was there in that place	H2
Another on its hinges therefore he	B
Stood there and pondered for a little space	H2
And thought Perchance some marvel I shall see	B
For surely here some dweller there must be	B
Because this door seems whole and new and sound	A2
While nought but ruin I can see around	A2
	-
	-
So with that word moved by a strong desire	H
He tried the hasp that yielded to his hand	A2
And in a strange place lit as by a fire	H
Unseen but near he presently did stand	A2
And by an odorous breeze his face was fanned	A2
As though in some Arabian plain he stood	A2
Anigh the border of a spice tree wood	A2
	-
	-
He moved not for awhile but looking round	A2
He wondered much to see the place so fair	H
Because unlike the castle above ground	A2
No pillager or wrecker had been there	H
It seemed that time had passed on otherwhere	H
Nor laid a finger on this hidden place	H2
Rich with the wealth of some forgotten race	H2
	-
	-
With hangings fresh as when they left the loom	I2
The walls were hung a space above the head	A2
Slim ivory chairs were set about the room	I2
And in one corner was a dainty bed	A2
That seemed for some fair queen apparell egrave d	B
And marble was the worst stone on the floor	H
That with rich Indian webs was covered o'er	H
	-
	-
The wanderer trembled when he saw all this	J2
Because he deemed by magic it was wrought	A2
Yet in his heart a longing for some bliss	J2
Whereof the hard and changing world knows nought	A2
Arose and urged him on and dimmed the thought	A2
That there perchance some devil lurked to slay	F
The heedless wanderer from the light of day	F
	-
	-
Over against him was another door	H
Set in the wall so casting fear aside	A2
With hurried steps he crossed the varied floor	H
And there again the silver latch he tried	A2
And with no pain the door he opened wide	A2
And entering the new chamber cautiously	B
The glory of great heaps of gold could see	B
	-
	-
Upon the floor uncounted medals lay	F
Like things of little value here and there	H
Stood golden caldrons that might well outweigh	F
The biggest midst an emperor's copper ware	H
And golden cups were set on tables fair	H
Themselves of gold and in all hollow things	W
Were stored great gems worthy the crowns of kings	W
	-
	-
The walls and roof with gold were overlaid	A2
And precious raiment from the wall hung down	K2
The fall of kings that treasure might have stayed	A2
Or gained some longing conqueror great renown	K2
Or built again some God destroyed old town	K2
What wonder if this plunderer of the sea	B
Stood gazing at it long and dizzily	F
	-
	-
But at the last his troubled eyes and dazed	A2
He lifted from the glory of that gold	A2
And then the image that well nigh erased	A2
Over the castle gate he did behold	A2
Above a door well wrought in coloured gold	A2
Again he saw a naked girl with wings	W
Enfolded in a serpent's scaly rings	W
	-
	-
And even as his eyes were fixed on it	A2
A woman's voice came from the other side	A2
And through his heart strange hope	L2

William Morris

The Earthly Paradise: The Lady Of The Land Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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