Angelo Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJFKGLMNFOGP MGQR STUPVWXGYGZOA2B2C2D2 P GKE2F2G2GC2H2H2I2J2K 2L2M2 Y GJ2GF2GN2GO2F2P2Q2R2 K2S2F2 O2T2U2V2P W2L2UUC2X2U2Y2G2C2XK 2Z2OF2UW2G2A3GB3F CL2C3XD3MGF E3GGOGF3O2GI2UG3H3G I3G3J3GF2GK3L3M3T2O2 OE2N3O2F O3P3TGW2GI2Q3O2F2R3I 2GE2B3XS3T3GGO2I GHO2IS3IF2IF2IX2GIIG U3 IFIGSeven moons new moons had eastward set their horns | A |
Averted from the sun seven moons old moons | B |
Westward their sun averted horns had set | C |
Since Angelo had brought his young bride home | D |
Lucia to queen it in his Tuscan halls | E |
And much the folk had marvelled on that day | F |
Seeing the bride how young and fair she was | G |
How all unlike the groom for she had known | H |
Twenty and five soft summers woo the world | I |
He twice as many winters take 't by storm | J |
And in those half an hundred winters ay | F |
And in the summer's blaze and blush of spring | K |
And pomp of grave and grandiose autumntides | G |
Full many a wind had beat upon his heart | L |
Of grief and frustrate hope full many a wind | M |
And rains full many but no rains could damp | N |
The fuel that was stored within which lay | F |
Unlighted waiting for the tinder touch | O |
Until a chance spark fall'n from Lucia's eyes | G |
Kindled the fuel and the fire was love | P |
Not such as rises blown upon the wind | M |
Goaded to flame by gusts of phantasy | G |
But still and needing no replenishment | Q |
Unquenchable that would not be put out | R |
- | |
Albeit the lady Lucia's bosom lacked | S |
The ore had made her heart a richer mine | T |
Than earth's auriferous heart unsunned from her | U |
Love went not out in whom there was no love | P |
Cold from the first her breast grew frore and bit | V |
Her kind lord's bosom with its stinging frost | W |
Because he loved the fields and forests made | X |
Few banquetings for highborn winebibbers | G |
Eschewed the city and led no sumptuous life | Y |
She courtly sneered at his uncourtliness | G |
Deeming his manners of a bygone mode | Z |
And for that he was gentle overmuch | O |
And overmuch forbearant she despised | A2 |
Mocked slighted taunted him and of her scorn | B2 |
Made a sharp shaft to wound his life at will | C2 |
She filled her cup with hate and bade him drink | D2 |
And he returned it brimming o'er with love | P |
- | |
And so seven moons had waxed and waned since these | G |
Were wedded And it chanced one morn of Spring | K |
Lucia bespake her spouse in even more | E2 |
Ungentle wise than was her wont and he | F2 |
For the first time reproved her not as one | G2 |
That having from another ta'en ill words | G |
Will e'en cry quits and barter words as ill | C2 |
But liker as a father whom his child | H2 |
With insolent lips hath wounded chides the child | H2 |
Less than he knows it had been wise to do | I2 |
Saying within himself 'The time will come | J2 |
When thou wilt think on thy dead father how | K2 |
Thou might'st have spoken gentlier unto him | L2 |
One day when yet thy father was alive | M2 |
So shall thy heart rebuke thy heart enow ' | - |
Ev'n thus did Angelo reprove his wife | Y |
- | |
But though the words from his rough bearded lips | G |
Were like sweet water from the mouth of some | J2 |
Rock fountain hewn with elemental hands | G |
They fell as water cast i' the fire to be | F2 |
Consumed with hissing rage Her wrath let loose | G |
Blew to and fro and hither and thither like | N2 |
A wind that seems to have forgotten whence | G |
It came and whither it was bidden blow | O2 |
She cursed the kinsfolk who had willed that she | F2 |
Should wed with him and cursed herself that gave | P2 |
Ear to the utterance of their will and cursed | Q2 |
The day on which their will became her deed | R2 |
Saying and this he knew not until now | K2 |
'Fool I should ne'er have wedded thee at all | S2 |
No neither thee nor any like to thee | F2 |
Had not my father wellnigh forced me to 't ' | - |
And he that hearkened the Lord Angelo | O2 |
Spake not a word but bowed his head and went | T2 |
Forth of his castle to the forest nigh | U2 |
And roamed all day about the forest filled | V2 |
With grief and marvelling at her lack of love | P |
- | |
But that which sorelier bruised his breast than ev'n | W2 |
Lucia's exceeding lack of love for him | L2 |
Was this new knowledge that in taking her | U |
To wife in the very act of taking her | U |
To wife himself had crossed the secret will | C2 |
Of her whose will in all things it had been | X2 |
His soul's most perfect bliss to gratify | U2 |
Wherefore to make atonement in some sort | Y2 |
For this one wrong he deemed that he had done | G2 |
The woman this one crossing of her will | C2 |
He knelt him down under the brooding shade | X |
Of a huge oak and vowed 'fore heaven a vow | K2 |
To wit that Lucia never afterward | Z2 |
Should in his hearing utter forth a wish | O |
For aught of earthly but himself would see | F2 |
That wish fulfilled if such fulfilment were | U |
An end that mortal man could compass Then | W2 |
Uprising he beheld the sinking sun | G2 |
A vast round eye gaze in upon the wood | A3 |
Through leafy lattice of its nether boughs | G |
Whereat he turned him castlewards and owned | B3 |
A lighter heart than he had borne that day | F |
- | |
Homeward his face no sooner had he set | C |
Than through the woods came riding unto him | L2 |
A stranger of a goodly personage | C3 |
Young and right richly habited who stayed | X |
His horse and greeted Angelo and said | D3 |
'I pray you sir direct me how to find | M |
An hostel if there be such hereabouts | G |
For I have ridden far and lost my way | F |
Among these woods and twilight is at hand ' | - |
Then he that heard replied to him that asked | E3 |
Saying 'The nearest inn is farther hence | G |
Than mine own house make therefore mine own house | G |
Your inn for this one night and unto such | O |
Poor entertainment as my house affords | G |
You are most welcome ' So the stranger thanked | F3 |
In courtly speeches the Lord Angelo | O2 |
Gladly accepting hospitalities | G |
That were so gladly proffered and the two | I2 |
Fared on together host and guest that were | U |
To be until they reached the castle where | G3 |
Angelo dwelt and where his fathers lived | H3 |
Before him lords of land in olden days | G |
- | |
And entering in the castle's later lord | I3 |
Led the young signor to the chamber where | G3 |
The lady Lucia sat who rose to give | J3 |
The stranger courteous welcome When she chose | G |
Of looks and lips more gracious none than she | F2 |
But soon as she beheld the young man's face | G |
A sudden pallor seized her own and back | K3 |
She started wellnigh swooning but regained | L3 |
Her wonted self as suddenly declared | M3 |
'Twas but a momentary sickness went | T2 |
Arrow like through her sharp but therewithal | O2 |
Brief as the breath's one ebb and flow and which | O |
Passing had left her painless as before | E2 |
And truly from that moment she appeared | N3 |
More brightly beautiful if Angelo | O2 |
Erred not than she had looked for many a day | F |
- | |
So in brief while the stranger guest sat down | O3 |
With host and hostess to a table charged | P3 |
With delicate meats and fragrant fruits and wine | T |
And when the meal was over and themselves | G |
Were with themselves alone the serving men | W2 |
Having withdrawn a cheerful converse rose | G |
Concerning divers matters old and new | I2 |
And Angelo that evening let his tongue | Q3 |
Range more at freedom than he used for though | O2 |
No man was less to prating given than he | F2 |
Yet when he liked his listener he could make | R3 |
His mouth discourse in such a wise that few | I2 |
Had failed to give delighted audience | G |
For he had learning and besides the lore | E2 |
Won from his books a better wisdom owned | B3 |
A knowledge of the stuff whence books are made | X |
The human mind and all it feeds upon | S3 |
And in his youth a wanderer he had roamed | T3 |
O'er many countries not as one who sees | G |
With eyes alone and hearkens but with ears | G |
Rather as who would slake the thirst of the soul | O2 |
By sucking wisdom from the breasts of the world | I |
- | |
Wherefore the hours flew lightly winged with words | G |
Till Angelo from telling of his own | H |
Young days and early fortunes good and ill | O2 |
Was with remembrance smitten as it chanced | I |
Of some old grief 'twas grief to think upon | S3 |
And so he changed his theme o' the sudden donned | I |
A shadowy mask of laboured pleasantry | F2 |
And said 'My wife sir hath a pretty gift | I |
Of singing and of luting it may be | F2 |
If you should let your tongue turn mendicant | I |
Not for itself but for its needy kin | X2 |
Your ears she might be got to give an alms | G |
For those twin brethren ' Whereupon the guest | I |
Unto his hostess turned and smiling said | I |
'That were indeed a golden alms your voice | G |
Could well afford and never know itself | U3 |
The poorer being a mint of suchlike coin ' | - |
And she made answer archly 'I have oft | I |
Heard flatterers of a woman's singing say | F |
Her voice was silvery to compare 't with gold | I |
Is | G |
William Watson
(1)
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