A Tale Of The Sea Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCC DDBBEE AAFF CCGG HHII IIJJ KKLL DMCC NNOO BBPP BCBC BBQQ RRSS TTUU VVWW FFXX YYFF ZZXX BBA2B2 CCCC C2C2BBA pathetic tale of the sea I will unfold | A |
Enough to make one's blood run cold | A |
Concerning four fishermen cast adrift in a dory | B |
As I've been told I'll relate the story | B |
T'was on the th April on the afternoon of that day | C |
That the village of Louisburg was thrown into a wild state or dismay | C |
- | |
And the villagers flew to the beach in a state of wild uproar | D |
And in a dory they found four men were cast ashore | D |
Then the villagers in surprise assembled about the dory | B |
And they found that the bottom of the boat was gory | B |
Then their hearts were seized with sudden dread | E |
when they discovered that two of the men were dead | E |
- | |
And the two survivors were exhausted from exposure hunger and cold | A |
Which used the spectators to shudder when them they did behold | A |
And with hunger the poor men couldn't stand on their feet | F |
They felt so weakly on their legs for want of meat | F |
- | |
They were carried to a boarding house without delay | C |
But those that were looking on were stricken with dismay | C |
When the remains of James and Angus McDonald were found in the boat | G |
Likewise three pieces or flesh in a pool or blood afloat | G |
- | |
Angus McDonald's right arm was missing from the elbow | H |
and the throat was cut in a sickening manner which filled the villagers hearts with woe | H |
Especially when they saw two pieces of flesh had been cut from each thigh | I |
'Twas then the kind hearted villagers did murmur and sigh | I |
- | |
Angus McDonald must have felt the pangs of hunger before he did try | I |
to cut two pieces of fiesh from James McDonald's thigh | I |
But Oh heaven the pangs of hunger are very hard to thole | J |
And anything that's eatable is precious unto an hungry soul | J |
- | |
Alas it is most pitiful and horrible to think | K |
That with hunger christians will each other's blood drink | K |
And eat each other's flesh to save themselves from starvation | L |
But the pangs or hunger makes them mad and drives them to desperation | L |
- | |
An old American soldier that had passed through the Civil War | D |
Declared the scene surpassed anything he's seen by far | M |
And at the sight the crowd in horror turned away | C |
which no doubt they will remember for many a day | C |
- | |
Colin Chisholm one of the survivors was looking very pale | N |
Stretched on a sofa at the boarding house making his wail | N |
Poor fellow his feet was greatly swollen and with a melancholy air | O |
He gave the following account of the distressing affair | O |
- | |
We belonged to the American fishing schooner named Cicely | B |
And our captain was a brave man called McKenzie | B |
And the vessel had fourteen hands altogether | P |
And during the passage we had favourable weather | P |
- | |
'Twas on March the th we sailed from Gloucester on the Wednesday | B |
And all our hearts felt buoyant and gay | C |
And we arrived on the Western banks on the succeeding Tuesday | B |
While the time unto us seemed to pass merrily away | C |
- | |
About eight O'clock in the morning we left the vessel in a dory | B |
And I hope all kind christians will take heed to my story | B |
Well while we were at our work the sky began to frown | Q |
And with a dense fog we were suddenly shut down | Q |
- | |
Then we hunted and shouted and every nerve did strain | R |
Thinking to find our schooner but alas it was all in vain | R |
Because the thick fog hid the vessel from our view | S |
And to keep ourselves warm we closely to each other drew | S |
- | |
We had not one drop of water nor provisions of any kind | T |
Which alas soon began to tell on our mind | T |
Especially upon James McDonald who was very thinly clad | U |
And with the cold and hunger he felt almost mad | U |
- | |
And looking from the stern where he was lying | V |
he said Good bye mates Oh I am dying | V |
Poor fellow we kept his body thinking the rest of us would be saved | W |
Then with hunger Angus McDonald began to cry and madly raved | W |
- | |
And he cried Oh God send us some kind of meat | F |
Because I'm resolved to have something to eat | F |
Oh do not let us starve on the briny flood | X |
Or else I will drink of poor Jim's blood | X |
- | |
Then he suddenly seized his knife and cut off poor Jim's arm | Y |
Not thinking in his madness he'd done any harm | Y |
Then poor Jim's blood he did drink and his flesh did eat | F |
Declaring that the blood tasted like cream and was a treat | F |
- | |
Then he asked me to taste it saying It was good without doubt | Z |
Then I tasted it but in disgust I instantly spat it out | Z |
Saying if I was to die within an hour on the briny flood | X |
I would neither eat the flesh nor drink the blood | X |
- | |
Then in the afternoon again he turned to me | B |
Saying I'm going to cut Jim's throat for more blood d'ye see | B |
Then I begged of him for God's sake not to cut the throat of poor Jim | A2 |
But he cried Ha ha to save my own life I consider it no sin | B2 |
- | |
I tried to prevent him but he struck me without dismay | C |
And cut poor Jim's throat in defiance of me or all I could say | C |
Also a piece of flesh from each thigh and began to eat away | C |
But poor fellow he sickened about noon and died on the Sunday | C |
- | |
Now it is all over and I will thank all my life | C2 |
Who has preserved me and my mate McEachern in the midst of danger and strife | C2 |
And I hope that all landsmen of low and high degree | B |
Will think of the hardships of poor mariners while at sea | B |
William Topaz Mcgonagall
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about A Tale Of The Sea poem by William Topaz Mcgonagall
Best Poems of William Topaz Mcgonagall