The Mystic Selvagee Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBACCDDA EFGGHIIEEH JJKKLMMNNL DDKKOPPQRO SSKKTUURRT VVWWULOXXY RRFFPZZA2A2P RRLLLFFPPL B2B2LOC2FFD2D2C2 PPE2E2LSSLOL RRPPPLBE2E2P| Perhaps already you may know | A |
| SIR BLENNERHASSET PORTICO | A |
| A Captain in the Navy he | B |
| A Baronet and K C B | B |
| You do I thought so | A |
| It was that Captain's favourite whim | C |
| A notion not confined to him | C |
| That RODNEY was the greatest tar | D |
| Who ever wielded capstan bar | D |
| He had been taught so | A |
| - | |
| BENBOW CORNWALLIS HOOD Belay | E |
| Compared with RODNEY he would say | F |
| No other tar is worth a rap | G |
| The great LORD RODNEY was the chap | G |
| The French to polish | H |
| Though mind you I respect LORD HOOD | I |
| CORNWALLIS too was rather good | I |
| BENBOW could enemies repel | E |
| LORD NELSON too was pretty well | E |
| That is tol lol ish | H |
| - | |
| SIR BLENNERHASSET spent his days | J |
| In learning RODNEY'S little ways | J |
| And closely imitated too | K |
| His mode of talking to his crew | K |
| His port and paces | L |
| An ancient tar he tried to catch | M |
| Who'd served in RODNEY'S famous batch | M |
| But since his time long years have fled | N |
| And RODNEY'S tars are mostly dead | N |
| EHEU FUGACES | L |
| - | |
| But after searching near and far | D |
| At last he found an ancient tar | D |
| Who served with RODNEY and his crew | K |
| Against the French in 'Eighty two | K |
| That gained the peerage | O |
| He gave him fifty pounds a year | P |
| His rum his baccy and his beer | P |
| And had a comfortable den | Q |
| Rigged up in what by merchantmen | R |
| Is called the steerage | O |
| - | |
| Now JASPER 't was that sailor's name | S |
| Don't fear that you'll incur my blame | S |
| By saying when it seems to you | K |
| That there is anything I do | K |
| That RODNEY wouldn't | T |
| The ancient sailor turned his quid | U |
| Prepared to do as he was bid | U |
| Ay ay yer honour to begin | R |
| You've done away with 'swifting in' | R |
| Well sir you shouldn't | T |
| - | |
| Upon your spars I see you've clapped | V |
| Peak halliard blocks all iron capped | V |
| I would not christen that a crime | W |
| But 'twas not done in RODNEY'S time | W |
| It looks half witted | U |
| Upon your maintop stay I see | L |
| You always clap a selvagee | O |
| Your stays I see are equalized | X |
| No vessel such as RODNEY prized | X |
| Would thus be fitted | Y |
| - | |
| And RODNEY honoured sir would grin | R |
| To see you turning deadeyes in | R |
| Not UP as in the ancient way | F |
| But downwards like a cutter's stay | F |
| You didn't oughter | P |
| Besides in seizing shrouds on board | Z |
| Breast backstays you have quite ignored | Z |
| Great RODNEY kept unto the last | A2 |
| Breast backstays on topgallant mast | A2 |
| They make it tauter | P |
| - | |
| SIR BLENNERHASSET swifted in | R |
| Turned deadeyes up and lent a fin | R |
| To strip as told by JASPER KNOX | L |
| The iron capping from his blocks | L |
| Where there was any | L |
| SIR BLENNERHASSET does away | F |
| With selvagees from maintop stay | F |
| And though it makes his sailors stare | P |
| He rigs breast backstays everywhere | P |
| In fact too many | L |
| - | |
| One morning when the saucy craft | B2 |
| Lay calmed old JASPER toddled aft | B2 |
| My mind misgives me sir that we | L |
| Were wrong about that selvagee | O |
| I should restore it | C2 |
| Good said the Captain and that day | F |
| Restored it to the maintop stay | F |
| Well practised sailors often make | D2 |
| A much more serious mistake | D2 |
| And then ignore it | C2 |
| - | |
| Next day old JASPER came once more | P |
| I think sir I was right before | P |
| Well up the mast the sailors skipped | E2 |
| The selvagee was soon unshipped | E2 |
| And all were merry | L |
| Again a day and JASPER came | S |
| I p'r'aps deserve your honour's blame | S |
| I can't make up my mind said he | L |
| About that cursed selvagee | O |
| It's foolish very | L |
| - | |
| On Monday night I could have sworn | R |
| That maintop stay it should adorn | R |
| On Tuesday morning I could swear | P |
| That selvagee should not be there | P |
| The knot's a rasper | P |
| Oh you be hanged said CAPTAIN P | L |
| Here go ashore at Caribbee | B |
| Get out good bye shove off all right | E2 |
| Old JASPER soon was out of sight | E2 |
| Farewell old JASPER | P |
William Schwenck Gilbert
(1)
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