The Princes' Ques -part The Eighth Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Now as it chanced the day was almost spent	A
When down the lonely mountain side he went	A
The whitehaired man the Prince that was and ere	B
He won the silence of the valley where	B
The city's many towers uprose the gate	C
Was closed against him for the hour was late	C
So even as they that have not wherewithal	D
To roof them from the rain if it should fall	D
Upon the grassy ground this king's son lay	E
And slept till nigh the coming of the day	E
	-
But while as any vagabond he slept	F
Or outcast from the homes of men there crept	F
Unto him lying in such sorry sort	G
A something fairer than the kingliest court	G
In all the peopled world had witness of	H
Even the shadow of the throne of Love	H
That from a height beyond all height did creep	I
Along the pavement of the halls of sleep	I
O fair and wonderful that shadow was	J
The golden dream of dreams that came across	K
His youth full half an hundred years before	L
And sent him wandering through the world Once more	L
In a lone boat that sails and oars had none	M
Midmost a land of summer and the sun	M
Where nothing was that was not fair to see	N
Adown a gliding river glided he	N
And saw the city that was built thereby	O
And saw the chariot of the queen draw nigh	O
And gazed upon her in the goodly street	P
Whereat he waked and rose upon his feet	P
Remembering the Vision of the Seer	Q
And what the spirit spake unto his ear	Q
'When in thy wanderings thou shalt dream once more	L
The fateful dream thou haddest heretofore	L
That filled thy veins with longing as with wine	R
Till all thy being brimm'd over by that sign	R
Thou mayest know thyself at last to be	N
Within the borders of his empery	L
Who hath the mystic emerald stone whose gleam	S
Shall light thee to the country of thy dream '	-
	-
Then rose the heart within his heart and said	T
'O bitter scornful Fate in days long dead	T
I asked and thou denied'st mine asking now	U
The boon can no wise profit me and thou	U
Dost mock me with bestowal ' Thereupon	V
He fell to thinking of his youthhood gone	W
And wept For now the goal the longtime sought	X
Was even at hand 'but how shall I ' he thought	X
'I that am old and sad and hoary haired	Y
Enter the place for youth and love prepared	Y
For in my veins the wellspring of desire	L
Hath failed and in mine heart the golden fire	L
Burneth no more for ever I draw near	L
The night that is about our day and hear	L
The sighing of the darkness as I go	Z
Whose ancient secret there is none doth know '	-
	-
Ev'n so to his own heart he spake full sad	A2
And many and bitter were the thoughts he had	A2
Of days that were and days that were to be	N
But now the East was big with dawn and he	N
Drew nigh the city gates and entered in	B2
Ere yet the place remurmured with the din	B2
Of voices and the tread of human feet	P
And going up the void and silent street	P
All in the chill gleam of the new lit air	L
A Thought found way into his soul and there	L
Abode and grew and in brief while became	C2
Desire and quickened to a quenchless flame	C2
And holding converse with himself he said	T
'Though in my heart the heart's desire be dead	T
And can no more these time stilled pulses move	D2
Though Death were lovelier to these eyes than Love	H
Yet would these eyes behold or ere I pass	E2
The land that mirror'd lay as in a glass	E2
In the deep wells of dream And her that is	F2
The sunlight of that city of all bliss	G2
Her would I fain see once with waking eyes	H2
Whom sleep hath rendered unto vision twice	I2
And having seen her beauty I would go	Z
My way even to the river which doth flow	Z
From daylight unto darkness and the place	J2
Of silence where the ghosts are face to face '	-
	-
So mused the man and evermore his thought	X
Gave him no peace Wherefore next morn he sought	X
The palace of the king but on his way	E
Tarried till nigh the middle of the day	E
In talk with certain of the city folk	K2
Whereby he learned if that were true they spoke	K2
How that the king their lord was nigh distract	L2
With torture of a strange disease that racked	L2
Each day his anguished body more and more	L
Setting at naught the leeches and their lore	L
Which having heard he went before the king	M2
Who sat upon his throne delivering	M2
Judgment his body pierced the while with pain	N2
And taking from his neck the charm d chain	N2
Which he had borne about him ever since	O2
That morn miraculous the unknown Prince	O2
Upspake and said 'O king I hold within	B2
My hand a wonder working medicine	M
Of power to make thee whole if thou wilt deign	N2
So to be heal d ' and he held the chain	N2
Aloft and straightway told unto the king	M2
The passing worth and wonder of the thing	M2
	-
Then he that heard stretched forth a hand that shook	P2
With sudden fever of half hope and took	P2
The chain and turned it over in his hand	Q2
Until his eyes had left no link unscanned	Q2
And on each separate link was character'd	Q2
A language that no living ear had heard	Q2
Occult of secret import mystic strange	R2
Then said the king 'What would'st thou in exchange	R2
For this the magic metal thou dost bring '	-
And the Prince answered him and said 'O king	M2
Even the emerald stone which some do call	D
The Emerald of the Virtues Mystical '	-
And they who thronged the hall of judgment were	L
Astonished at the stranger who could dare	L
Ask such a boon and some base mouths did curl	S2
With sneers churl whispering to his fellow churl	S2
'Who could have deemed the man so covetous	O2
So void of shame in his great greed ' For thus	O2
It shall be ever underneath the sun	M
Each man believing that high hearts are none	M
Whose own is as the dust he treads on low	S2
	-
But the king answered saying 'Be it so	S2
To night this chain of iron shall be worn	T2
About my neck and on the morrow morn	T2
If all the pain have left these limbs of mine	R
The guerdon thou demandest shall be thine	R
But if this torment still tormenteth me	N
Thy head and shoulders shall part company	N
And both be cast uncoffin'd to the worms	O2
Open thy mouth and answer if these terms	O2
Content thee ' And aloud the Prince replied	Q2
'With these conditions I am satisfied '	-
Whereafter rising from his knees he went	Q2
Out from before the king and was content	Q2
	-
Next morning when the king awoke I wis	O2
No heart was lighter in the land than his	O2
For all the grievous burden of his pains	O2
Had fall'n from off his limbs and in his veins	O2
Upleapt the glad new life and the sick soul	S2
Seemed like its body all at once made whole	S2
But hardly was the king uprisen before	L
There knock'd and entered at the chamber door	L
His chief physician a right skilful leech	U2
But given to hollow trickeries of speech	U2
And artful ways and wiles who said 'O king	M2
Be not deceived I pray thee One good thing	M2
Comes of another like from like The weed	Q2
Beareth not lilies neither do apes breed	Q2
Antelopes Thou art healed of thy pain	N2
Not by the wearing of an iron chain	N2
An iron chain forsooth ' hereat he laughed	Q2
As 'twere a huge rare jest 'but by the draught	Q2
Which I prepared for thee with mine own hands	O2
From certain precious simples grown in lands	O2
It irks me tell how many leagues away	E
Which medicine thou tookest yesterday '	-
	-
Then said the king 'O false and jealous man	V2
Who lovest better thine own praises than	V2
Thy master's welfare Little 'tis to such	W2
As thou that I should be made whole but much	W2
That men should go before thee trumpeting	M2
''Behold the man that cured our lord the king ''	-
And he was sore displeased and in no mood	Q2
To hearken But the chief physician stood	Q2
Unmoved amid this hail of kingly scorn	T2
With meek face martyr like as who hath borne	T2
Much in the name of Truth and much can bear	L
And from the mouth of him false words and fair	L
So cunningly flowed that in a little while	S2
The royal frown became a royal smile	S2
And the king hearkened to the leech and was	O2
Persuaded So that morn it came to pass	O2
That when the Prince appeared before the throne	X2
To claim his rightful meed the emerald stone	X2
The king denied his title to receive	Y2
The jewel saying 'Think'st thou I believe	Y2
Yon jingling chain hath healed my b	N

William Watson

The Princes' Ques -part The Eighth Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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