Book Eleventh: France [concluded] Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST UVWXYZA2B2C2D2E2F2G2 H2I2H2H2JG2G2H2J2G2K 2L2M2D2N2D2H2G2O2M2H 2P2H2G2G2G2H2UG2Q2E2 G2H2G2G2H2H2H2R2S2G2 T2H2H2G2Q2H2H2H2G2U2 JG2H2H2H2T2H2V2H2QH2 W2H2H2U2X2G2SG2G2H2 Y2H2Z2A3G2G2G2G2G2B3 C3OD3G2H2B3E3MH2H2G2 H2F3H2G2G3H2H2G2H2G2 H2JH3UG2G3H2H2I3 E2R2R2TH2G2G2L2 H2G2H2H2H2I3E2H2G2C3 H2I3E2J3H2H2JH2H2K3 H2V2G2Z2G2H2H2G2G2G2 H2G2L3H2FROM that time forth Authority in France | A |
Put on a milder face Terror had ceased | B |
Yet everything was wanting that might give | C |
Courage to them who looked for good by light | D |
Of rational Experience for the shoots | E |
And hopeful blossoms of a second spring | F |
Yet in me confidence was unimpaired | G |
The Senate's language and the public acts | H |
And measures of the Government though both | I |
Weak and of heartless omen had not power | J |
To daunt me in the People was my trust | K |
And in the virtues which mine eyes had seen | L |
I knew that wound external could not take | M |
Life from the young Republic that new foes | N |
Would only follow in the path of shame | O |
Their brethren and her triumphs be in the end | P |
Great universal irresistible | Q |
This intuition led me to confound | R |
One victory with another higher far | S |
Triumphs of unambitious peace at home | T |
And noiseless fortitude Beholding still | U |
Resistance strong as heretofore I thought | V |
That what was in degree the same was likewise | W |
The same in quality that as the worse | X |
Of the two spirits then at strife remained | Y |
Untired the better surely would preserve | Z |
The heart that first had roused him Youth maintains | A2 |
In all conditions of society | B2 |
Communion more direct and intimate | C2 |
With Nature hence ofttimes with reason too | D2 |
Than age or manhood even To Nature then | E2 |
Power had reverted habit custom law | F2 |
Had left an interregnum's open space | G2 |
For 'her' to move about in uncontrolled | H2 |
Hence could I see how Babel like their task | I2 |
Who by the recent deluge stupified | H2 |
With their whole souls went culling from the day | H2 |
Its petty promises to build a tower | J |
For their own safety laughed with my compeers | G2 |
At gravest heads by enmity to France | G2 |
Distempered till they found in every blast | H2 |
Forced from the street disturbing newsman's horn | J2 |
For her great cause record or prophecy | G2 |
Of utter ruin How might we believe | K2 |
That wisdom could in any shape come near | L2 |
Men clinging to delusions so insane | M2 |
And thus experience proving that no few | D2 |
Of our opinions had been just we took | N2 |
Like credit to ourselves where less was due | D2 |
And thought that other notions were as sound | H2 |
Yea could not but be right because we saw | G2 |
That foolish men opposed them | O2 |
To a strain | M2 |
More animated I might here give way | H2 |
And tell since juvenile errors are my theme | P2 |
What in those days through Britain was performed | H2 |
To turn 'all' judgments out of their right course | G2 |
But this is passion over near ourselves | G2 |
Reality too close and too intense | G2 |
And intermixed with something in my mind | H2 |
Of scorn and condemnation personal | U |
That would profane the sanctity of verse | G2 |
Our Shepherds this say merely at that time | Q2 |
Acted or seemed at least to act like men | E2 |
Thirsting to make the guardian crook of law | G2 |
A tool of murder they who ruled the State | H2 |
Though with such awful proof before their eyes | G2 |
That he who would sow death reaps death or worse | G2 |
And can reap nothing better child like longed | H2 |
To imitate not wise enough to avoid | H2 |
Or left by mere timidity betrayed | H2 |
The plain straight road for one no better chosen | R2 |
Than if their wish had been to undermine | S2 |
Justice and make an end of Liberty | G2 |
- | |
But from these bitter truths I must return | T2 |
To my own history It hath been told | H2 |
That I was led to take an eager part | H2 |
In arguments of civil polity | G2 |
Abruptly and indeed before my time | Q2 |
I had approached like other youths the shield | H2 |
Of human nature from the golden side | H2 |
And would have fought even to the death to attest | H2 |
The quality of the metal which I saw | G2 |
What there is best in individual man | U2 |
Of wise in passion and sublime in power | J |
Benevolent in small societies | G2 |
And great in large ones I had oft revolved | H2 |
Felt deeply but not thoroughly understood | H2 |
By reason nay far from it they were yet | H2 |
As cause was given me afterwards to learn | T2 |
Not proof against the injuries of the day | H2 |
Lodged only at the sanctuary's door | V2 |
Not safe within its bosom Thus prepared | H2 |
And with such general insight into evil | Q |
And of the bounds which sever it from good | H2 |
As books and common intercourse with life | W2 |
Must needs have given to the inexperienced mind | H2 |
When the world travels in a beaten road | H2 |
Guide faithful as is needed I began | U2 |
To meditate with ardour on the rule | X2 |
And management of nations what it is | G2 |
And ought to be and strove to learn how far | S |
Their power or weakness wealth or poverty | G2 |
Their happiness or misery depends | G2 |
Upon their laws and fashion of the State | H2 |
- | |
O pleasant exercise of hope and joy | Y2 |
For mighty were the auxiliars which then stood | H2 |
Upon our side us who were strong in love | Z2 |
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive | A3 |
But to be young was very Heaven O times | G2 |
In which the meagre stale forbidding ways | G2 |
Of custom law and statute took at once | G2 |
The attraction of a country in romance | G2 |
When Reason seemed the most to assert her rights | G2 |
When most intent on making of herself | B3 |
A prime enchantress to assist the work | C3 |
Which then was going forward in her name | O |
Not favoured spots alone but the whole Earth | D3 |
The beauty wore of promise that which sets | G2 |
As at some moments might not be unfelt | H2 |
Among the bowers of Paradise itself | B3 |
The budding rose above the rose full blown | E3 |
What temper at the prospect did not wake | M |
To happiness unthought of The inert | H2 |
Were roused and lively natures rapt away | H2 |
They who had fed their childhood upon dreams | G2 |
The play fellows of fancy who had made | H2 |
All powers of swiftness subtilty and strength | F3 |
Their ministers who in lordly wise had stirred | H2 |
Among the grandest objects of the sense | G2 |
And dealt with whatsoever they found there | G3 |
As if they had within some lurking right | H2 |
To wield it they too who of gentle mood | H2 |
Had watched all gentle motions and to these | G2 |
Had fitted their own thoughts schemers more mild | H2 |
And in the region of their peaceful selves | G2 |
Now was it that 'both' found the meek and lofty | H2 |
Did both find helpers to their hearts' desire | J |
And stuff at hand plastic as they could wish | H3 |
Were called upon to exercise their skill | U |
Not in Utopia subterranean fields | G2 |
Or some secreted island Heaven knows where | G3 |
But in the very world which is the world | H2 |
Of all of us the place where in the end | H2 |
We find our happiness or not at all | I3 |
- | |
Why should I not confess that Earth was then | E2 |
To me what an inheritance new fallen | R2 |
Seems when the first time visited to one | R2 |
Who thither comes to find in it his home | T |
He walks about and looks upon the spot | H2 |
With cordial transport moulds it and remoulds | G2 |
And is half pleased with things that are amiss | G2 |
'Twill be such joy to see them disappear | L2 |
- | |
An active partisan I thus convoked | H2 |
From every object pleasant circumstance | G2 |
To suit my ends I moved among mankind | H2 |
With genial feelings still predominant | H2 |
When erring erring on the better part | H2 |
And in the kinder spirit placable | I3 |
Indulgent as not uninformed that men | E2 |
See as they have been taught Antiquity | H2 |
Gives rights to error and aware no less | G2 |
That throwing off oppression must be work | C3 |
As well of License as of Liberty | H2 |
And above all for this was more than all | I3 |
Not caring if the wind did now and then | E2 |
Blow keen upon an eminence that gave | J3 |
Prospect so large into futurity | H2 |
In brief a child of Nature as at first | H2 |
Diffusing only those affections wider | J |
That from the cradle had grown up with me | H2 |
And losing in no other way than light | H2 |
Is lost in light the weak in the more strong | K3 |
- | |
In the main outline such it might be said | H2 |
Was my condition till with open war | V2 |
Britain opposed the liberties of France | G2 |
This threw me first out of the pale of love | Z2 |
Soured and corrupted upwards to the source | G2 |
My sentiments was not as hitherto | H2 |
A swallowing up of lesser things in great | H2 |
But change of them into their contraries | G2 |
And thus a way was opened for mistakes | G2 |
And false conclusions in degree as gross | G2 |
In kind more dangerous What had been a pride | H2 |
Was now a shame my likings and my loves | G2 |
Ran in new channels leaving old ones dry | L3 |
And hence a blow that in mat | H2 |
William Wordsworth
(1)
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