The Funeral Of The German Emperor Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABB CDEF GGHH EEII JKLL MMNO PPQR SSTT GGLL MMUV WWEEXXYYZZA2A2B2B2C2 C2D2D2MMAAD2D2 EEE2E2 LLSS F2F2AA G2G2II KKLLOO| Ye sons of Germany your noble Emperor William now is dead | A |
| Who oft great armies to battle hath led | A |
| He was a man beloved by his subjects all | B |
| Because he never tried them to enthral | B |
| - | |
| The people of Germany have cause now to mourn | C |
| The loss of their hero who to them will ne'er return | D |
| But his soul I hope to Heaven has fled away | E |
| To the realms of endless bliss for ever and aye | F |
| - | |
| He was much respected throughout Europe by the high and the low | G |
| And all over Germany people's hearts are full of woe | G |
| For in the battlefield he was a hero bold | H |
| Nevertheless a lover of peace to his credit be it told | H |
| - | |
| 'Twas in the year of and on March the th day | E |
| That the peaceful William's remains were conveyed away | E |
| To the royal mausoleum of Charlottenburg their last resting place | I |
| The God fearing man that never did his country disgrace | I |
| - | |
| The funeral service was conducted in the cathedral by the court chaplain Dr Kogel | J |
| Which touched the hearts of his hearers as from his lips it fell | K |
| And in conclusion he recited the Lord's Prayer | L |
| In the presence of kings princes dukes and counts assembled there | L |
| - | |
| And at the end of the service the infantry outside fired volley after volley | M |
| While the people inside the cathedral felt melancholy | M |
| As the sound of the musketry smote upon the ear | N |
| In honour of the illustrous William whom they loved most dear | O |
| - | |
| Then there was a solemn pause as the kings and princes took their places | P |
| Whilst the hot tears are trickling down their faces | P |
| And the mourners from shedding tears couldn't refrain | Q |
| And in respect of the good man above the gateway glared a bituminous flame | R |
| - | |
| Then the coffin was placed on the funeral car | S |
| By the kings and princes that came from afar | S |
| And the Crown Prince William heads the procession alone | T |
| While behind him are the four heirs apparent to the throne | T |
| - | |
| Then followed the three Kings of Saxony and the King of the Belgians also | G |
| Together with the Prince of Wales with their hearts full of woe | G |
| Besides the Prince of Naples and Prince Rudolph of Austria were there | L |
| Also the Czarevitch and other princes in their order I do declare | L |
| - | |
| And as the procession passes the palace the blinds are drawn completely | M |
| And every house is half hidden with the sable drapery | M |
| And along the line of march expansive arches were erected | U |
| While the spectators standing by seemed very dejected | V |
| - | |
| And through the Central Avenue to make the decorations complete | W |
| There were pedestals erected rising fourteen to fifteen feet | W |
| And at the foot and top of each pedestal were hung decorations of green bay | E |
| Also beautiful wreaths and evergreen festoons all in grand array | E |
| And there were torches fastened on pieces of wood stuck in the ground | X |
| And as the people gazed on the weird like scene their silence was profound | X |
| And the shopkeepers closed their shops and hotel keepers closed in the doorways | Y |
| And with torchlight and gaslight Berlin for once was all ablaze | Y |
| The authorities of Berlin in honour of the Emperor considered it no sin | Z |
| To decorate with crape the beautiful city of Berlin | Z |
| Therefore Berlin I declare was a city of crape | A2 |
| Because few buildings crape decoration did escape | A2 |
| First in the procession was the Emperor's bodyguard | B2 |
| And his great love for them nothing could it retard | B2 |
| Then followed a squadron of the hussars with their band | C2 |
| Playing Jesus Thou my Comfort most solemn and grand | C2 |
| And to see the procession passing the sightseers tried their best | D2 |
| Especially when the cavalry hove in sight riding four abreast | D2 |
| Men and officers with their swords drawn a magnificent sight to see | M |
| In the dim sun's rays their burnished swords glinting dimly | M |
| Then followed the footguards with slow and solemn tread | A |
| Playing the Dead March in Saul most appropriate for the dead | A |
| And behind them followed the artillery with four guns abreast | D2 |
| Also the ministers and court officials dressed in their best | D2 |
| - | |
| The whole distance to the grave was covered over with laurel and bay | E |
| So that the body should be borne along smoothly all the way | E |
| And the thousands of banners in the procession were beautiful to view | E2 |
| Because they were composed of cream coloured silk and light blue | E2 |
| - | |
| There were thousands of thousands of men and women gathered there | L |
| And standing ankle deep in snow and seemingly didn't care | L |
| So as they got a glimpse of the funeral car | S |
| Especially the poor souls that came from afar | S |
| - | |
| And when the funeral car appeared there was a general hush | F2 |
| And the spectators in their anxiety to see began to crush | F2 |
| And when they saw the funeral car by the Emperor's charger led | A |
| Every hat and cap was lifted reverently from off each head | A |
| - | |
| And as the procession moved on to the royal mausoleum | G2 |
| The spectators remained bareheaded and seemingly quite dumb | G2 |
| And as the coffin was borne into its last resting place | I |
| Sorrow seemed depicted in each one's face | I |
| - | |
| And after the burial service the mourners took a last farewell | K |
| Of the noble hearted William they loved so well | K |
| Then rich and poor dispersed quietly that were assembled there | L |
| While two batteries of field guns fired a salute which did rend the air | L |
| In honour of the immortal hero they loved so dear | O |
| The founder of the Fatherland Germany that he did revere | O |
William Topaz Mcgonagall
(1)
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