The Princes' Quest - Part The Fifth Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCADEEFFAAGHIIJJ KL MMNNAAOOAAPPOQAAAAKK PPAABNRRSSTUOOAAPPVV KKPPKKJJWWAA KKAAVVXY ZAAAAQVAAKKA2A2AAAAP POOVVVV B2B2AAAAAAKKSC2D2E2A AKKVV PPAAIIF2F2F2F2VQF2F2 VVF2F2PPPPQQPPKKQQF2 F2QQAAKK AQQAAF2F2

So being risen the Prince in brief while wentA
Forth to the market place where babblementA
Of them that bought and them that sold was oneB
Of many sounds in murmurous unionB
buzzing as of bees about their hivesC
With shriller gossiping of garrulous wivesC
Piping a tuneless treble thereuntoA
In midst whereof he went his way as whoD
Looketh about him well before he buysE
To mark the manner of their merchandiseE
Till chancing upon one who cried for saleF
A horse and seeing it well limb'd and haleF
And therewithal right goodly to beholdA
He bought the beast and paid the man in goldA
And having gotten him the needful gearG
Rode from the market nothing loth to hearH
Its garrulous wives no longer and the dinI
Of them that daily bought and sold thereinI
So from the place he passed and slowly downJ
Street after street betook him till the townJ
Behind him and the gates before him wereK
And all without was cornland greenly fairL
-
And through the cornland wending many a mileM
And through the meadowland he came erewhileM
To where the highways parted and no manN
Was nigh to tell him whitherward they ranN
But while he halted all in doubtful moodA
An eagle as if mourning for her broodA
Stolen above him sped with rueful cryO
And when that he perceived the fowl to flyO
Plaining aloud unto himself he saidA
'Now shall yon mournful mother overheadA
Instruct the wandering of my feet and theyP
Shall follow where she leadeth ' and awayP
The bird went winging westward clamorouslyO
That westward even in her wake went heQ
And it may be that in his heart there stirredA
Some feeling as of fellowship with the birdA
For he like her was bound on a lone questA
And for his feet as for her wings no restA
Might be but only urgence of desireK
And one far goal that seemed not ever nigherK
-
So through that country wended he his wayP
Resting anights till on the seventh dayP
He passed unwares into another landA
Whose people's speech he could not understandA
A tract o'er run with tribes barbarianB
And blood red from the strife of man with manN
And truly 'twas a thing miraculousR
That one should traverse all that rude land thusR
And no man rid him of his gold nor raiseS
A hand to make abridgment of his daysS
But there was that about him could make men'sT
Hearts ere they knew it yield him reverenceU
Perchance a sovran something in his eyeO
Whereat the fierce heart failed it wist not whyO
Perchance that Fate which hovering like a doubtA
Athwart his being hemmed him round aboutA
Gloomed as a visible shadow across his wayP
And made men fearful Be this as it mayP
No harm befell him in that land and soV
He came at last to where the ebb and flowV
Of other seas than he had wandered o'erK
Upflung to landward an attempered roarK
And wandering downward to the beach he clombP
To topmost of a tall grey cliff wherefromP
He saw a smoke as of men's houses farK
Off from a jutting point peninsularK
Uprising whence he deemed that there a townJ
Must surely be And so he clambered downJ
The cliff and getting him again to horseW
Thither along the seabound held his courseW
And reached that city about sunset tideA
The smoking of whose hearths he had espiedA
-
There at an hostel rested he and thereK
Tarried the coming of the morn But ereK
He fell asleep that night a wandering thoughtA
Through darkling byeways of the spirit broughtA
Knock'd at his soul for entrance whispering lowV
'What if to night thou dream The Dream and knowV
To morrow when thou wakest from that blissX
The land wherein thou liest to be hisY
Who hath the mystic jewel in his keep '-
So full of flattering hope he fell asleepZ
And sleeping dreamed but dreamed not that he wouldA
For at one time it seemed as if he stoodA
Alone upon a sterile neck of landA
Where round about him upon either handA
Was darkness and the cry of a dark seaQ
And worldwide vapours glooming thunderouslyV
And ever as he stood the unstable groundA
Slid from beneath his feet with a great soundA
Till he could find no foothold anywhereK
That seemed not unsubstantial as the airK
At otherwhiles he wandered all aloneA2
About a lonely land and heard a moanA2
As of some bird that sang and singing grievedA
And peering all about the woods thick leavedA
If so he might espy the bird he foundA
At length after long searching that the soundA
Even from the bottom of his own heart cameP
And unawares his own mouth sang the sameP
And then in dream 'twas like as years went byO
And still he journeyed hardly knowing whyO
Till at the last a mist about him fellV
And if the mist were death he could not tellV
For after that he knew no more And soV
He slept until the cock began to crowV
-
Then came the gladful morn that sendeth sickB2
Dreams flying and all shapes mel ncholicB2
That vex the slumbers of the love distraughtA
Unto his heart the merry morning broughtA
Cheer and forewhisperings of some far off restA
When he should end in sweet that bitter questA
But going forth that morn and with his feetA
Threading the murmurous maze of street and streetA
All strangely fell upon him everywhereK
The things he saw and heard of foul or fairK
The thronging of the folk that filled the waysS
The hubbub of the street and market placeC2
The sound of heavy wain wheels on the stonesD2
The comely faces and ill favoured onesE2
The girls with apple cheeks and hair of goldA
The grey locks and the wrinkles of the oldA
All these remote and unfamiliarK
Seem'd and himself a something from afarK
Looking at men as shadows on the wallV
And even the veriest shadow among them allV
-
But now when all things dreamwise seemed to swimP
About the dubious eyes and ears of himP
That nothing in the world might be believedA
It chanced that on a sudden he perceivedA
Where one that dealt in jewels sat withinI
His doorway hearkening to the outer dinI
As who cared no wise to make fast his earsF2
Against the babble of the street farersF2
Whereat the merchant seeing a stranger passF2
Guessed by his garb what countryman he wasF2
And giving him good day right courteouslyV
Bespake him in his mother tongue for heQ
Had wandered in his youth o'er distant seasF2
And knew full many lands and languagesF2
Wherefore with him the royal stranger fellV
To talking cheerly and besought him tellV
Whence all his gems were had and costly thingsF2
Talismans amulets and charm d ringsF2
Whereto the other answered They had comeP
Some from a country not far hence and someP
From out a land a thousand leagues awayP
To eastward ev'n the birthplace of the DayP
The region of the sun's nativityQ
And giving ear to this right readilyQ
The Prince would fain be told of him the wayP
To that far homeland of the youngling DayP
So being ask'd the other answered 'SirK
There liveth but one master marinerK
Whose ship hath sailed so far and that is heQ
Who hither brought the jewels thou dost seeQ
And now as luck will have it for the nonceF2
He wills to voyage thitherward but onceF2
Before he die for he is old like meQ
And even this day se'nnight saileth heQ
Wherefore if thou be fain to see that landA
There needeth only gold within thy handA
For gold if that it jingle true and clearK
Hath still a merry music for man's earK
And where is he that hateth sound of it '-
So saying the merchant bade the stranger sitA
But the Prince thanked him for his courtesyQ
And went his way And that day se'nnight heQ
Was sailing toward the far off morninglandA
And felt the skies about him like a bandA
And heard the low wind uttering numerous noiseF2
And all the great sea singing as one voiceF2

William Watson



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