The Waggoner - Canto Fourth Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFGGFHFHIIJ KKJLLMMNNOOOAAAFFPPQ QRRSSTTUUVVWWXYXZZOO A2A2HHB2B2C2C2EED2D2 KKLLE2E2AAF2F2G2H2I2 I2J2K2J2K2AAYYYYLLLW WL2L2YYL2M2N2N2O2P2G P2Q2Q2YYYYF2F2KR2R2K OOYYYYS2S2T2T2B2B2U2 U2WWF2F2Q2YYQ2B2B2WW OOV2L2L2WV2WYYWYJYJK KKKWP2WYYP2L2L2YYYYY YKO2W2W2YYX2X2YYLL K2BK2BC2C2YX2X2YWWYY A2A2WYYY2Q2WWF2F2WK2 K2Z2A3N2B3THUS they with freaks of proud delight | A |
Beguile the remnant of the night | A |
And many a snatch of jovial song | B |
Regales them as they wind along | B |
While to the music from on high | C |
The echoes make a glad reply | C |
But the sage Muse the revel heeds | D |
No farther than her story needs | D |
Nor will she servilely attend | E |
The loitering journey to its end | E |
Blithe spirits of her own impel | F |
The Muse who scents the morning air | G |
To take of this transported pair | G |
A brief and unreproved farewell | F |
To quit the slow paced waggon's side | H |
And wander down yon hawthorn dell | F |
With murmuring Greta for her guide | H |
There doth she ken the awful form | I |
Of Raven crag black as a storm | I |
Glimmering through the twilight pale | J |
And Ghimmer crag his tall twin brother | K |
Each peering forth to meet the other | K |
And while she roves through St John's Vale | J |
Along the smooth unpathwayed plain | L |
By sheep track or through cottage lane | L |
Where no disturbance comes to intrude | M |
Upon the pensive solitude | M |
Her unsuspecting eye perchance | N |
With the rude shepherd's favoured glance | N |
Beholds the faeries in array | O |
Whose party coloured garments gay | O |
The silent company betray | O |
Red green and blue a moment's sight | A |
For Skiddaw top with rosy light | A |
Is touched and all the band take flight | A |
Fly also Muse and from the dell | F |
Mount to the ridge of Nathdale Fell | F |
Thence look thou forth o'er wood and lawn | P |
Hoar with the frost like dews of dawn | P |
Across yon meadowy bottom look | Q |
Where close fogs hide their parent brook | Q |
And see beyond that hamlet small | R |
The ruined towers of Threlkeld hall | R |
Lurking in a double shade | S |
By trees and lingering twilight made | S |
There at Blencathara's rugged feet | T |
Sir Lancelot gave a safe retreat | T |
To noble Clifford from annoy | U |
Concealed the persecuted boy | U |
Well pleased in rustic garb to feed | V |
His flock and pipe on shepherd's reed | V |
Among this multitude of hills | W |
Crags woodlands waterfalls and rills | W |
Which soon the morning shall enfold | X |
From east to west in ample vest | Y |
Of massy gloom and radiance bold | X |
The mists that o'er the streamlet's bed | Z |
Hung low begin to rise and spread | Z |
Even while I speak their skirts of grey | O |
Are smitten by a silver ray | O |
And lo up Castrigg's naked steep | A2 |
Where smoothly urged the vapours sweep | A2 |
Along and scatter and divide | H |
Like fleecy clouds self multiplied | H |
The stately waggon is ascending | B2 |
With faithful Benjamin attending | B2 |
Apparent now beside his team | C2 |
Now lost amid a glittering steam | C2 |
And with him goes his Sailor friend | E |
By this time near their journey's end | E |
And after their high minded riot | D2 |
Sickening into thoughtful quiet | D2 |
As if the morning's pleasant hour | K |
Had for their joys a killing power | K |
And sooth for Benjamin a vein | L |
Is opened of still deeper pain | L |
As if his heart by notes were stung | E2 |
From out the lowly hedge rows flung | E2 |
As if the Warbler lost in light | A |
Reproved his soarings of the night | A |
In strains of rapture pure and holy | F2 |
Upbraided his distempered folly | F2 |
Drooping is he his step is dull | G2 |
But the horses stretch and pull | H2 |
With increasing vigour climb | I2 |
Eager to repair lost time | I2 |
Whether by their own desert | J2 |
Knowing what cause there is for shame | K2 |
They are labouring to avert | J2 |
As much as may be of the blame | K2 |
Which they foresee must soon alight | A |
Upon 'his' head whom in despite | A |
Of all his failings they love best | Y |
Whether for him they are distrest | Y |
Or by length of fasting roused | Y |
Are impatient to be housed | Y |
Up against the hill they strain | L |
Tugging at the iron chain | L |
Tugging all with might and main | L |
Last and foremost every horse | W |
To the utmost of his force | W |
And the smoke and respiration | L2 |
Rising like an exhalation | L2 |
Blend with the mist a moving shroud | Y |
To form an undissolving cloud | Y |
Which with slant ray the merry sun | L2 |
Takes delight to play upon | M2 |
Never golden haired Apollo | N2 |
Pleased some favourite chief to follow | N2 |
Through accidents of peace or war | O2 |
In a perilous moment threw | P2 |
Around the object of his care | G |
Veil of such celestial hue | P2 |
Interposed so bright a screen | Q2 |
Him and his enemies between | Q2 |
Alas what boots it who can hide | Y |
When the malicious Fates are bent | Y |
On working out an ill intent | Y |
Can destiny be turned aside | Y |
No sad progress of my story | F2 |
Benjamin this outward glory | F2 |
Cannot shield thee from thy Master | K |
Who from Keswick has pricked forth | R2 |
Sour and surly as the north | R2 |
And in fear of some disaster | K |
Comes to give what help he may | O |
And to hear what thou canst say | O |
If as needs he must forebode | Y |
Thou hast been loitering on the road | Y |
His fears his doubts may now take flight | Y |
The wished for object is in sight | Y |
Yet trust the Muse it rather hath | S2 |
Stirred him up to livelier wrath | S2 |
Which he stifles moody man | T2 |
With all the patience that he can | T2 |
To the end that at your meeting | B2 |
He may give thee decent greeting | B2 |
There he is resolved to stop | U2 |
Till the waggon gains the top | U2 |
But stop he cannot must advance | W |
Him Benjamin with lucky glance | W |
Espies and instantly is ready | F2 |
Self collected poised and steady | F2 |
And to be the better seen | Q2 |
Issues from his radiant shroud | Y |
From his close attending cloud | Y |
With careless air and open mien | Q2 |
Erect his port and firm his going | B2 |
So struts yon cock that now is crowing | B2 |
And the morning light in grace | W |
Strikes upon his lifted face | W |
Hurrying the pallid hue away | O |
That might his trespasses betray | O |
But what can all avail to clear him | V2 |
Or what need of explanation | L2 |
Parley or interrogation | L2 |
For the Master sees alas | W |
That unhappy Figure near him | V2 |
Limping o'er the dewy grass | W |
Where the road it fringes sweet | Y |
Soft and cool to way worn feet | Y |
And O indignity an Ass | W |
By his noble Mastiff's side | Y |
Tethered to the waggon's tail | J |
And the ship in all her pride | Y |
Following after in full sail | J |
Not to speak of babe and mother | K |
Who contented with each other | K |
And snug as birds in leafy arbour | K |
Find within a blessed harbour | K |
With eager eyes the Master pries | W |
Looks in and out and through and through | P2 |
Says nothing till at last he spies | W |
A wound upon the Mastiff's head | Y |
A wound where plainly might be read | Y |
What feats an Ass's hoof can do | P2 |
But drop the rest this aggravation | L2 |
This complicated provocation | L2 |
A hoard of grievances unsealed | Y |
All past forgiveness it repealed | Y |
And thus and through distempered blood | Y |
On both sides Benjamin the good | Y |
The patient and the tender hearted | Y |
Was from his team and waggon parted | Y |
When duty of that day was o'er | K |
Laid down his whip and served no more | O2 |
Nor could the waggon long survive | W2 |
Which Benjamin had ceased to drive | W2 |
It lingered on guide after guide | Y |
Ambitiously the office tried | Y |
But each unmanageable hill | X2 |
Called for 'his' patience and 'his' skill | X2 |
And sure it is that through this night | Y |
And what the morning brought to light | Y |
Two losses had we to sustain | L |
We lost both WAGGONER and WAIN | L |
- | |
- | |
- | |
Accept O Friend for praise or blame | K2 |
The gift of this adventurous song | B |
A record which I dared to frame | K2 |
Though timid scruples checked me long | B |
They checked me and I left the theme | C2 |
Untouched in spite of many a gleam | C2 |
Of fancy which thereon was shed | Y |
Like pleasant sunbeams shifting still | X2 |
Upon the side of a distant hill | X2 |
But Nature might not be gainsaid | Y |
For what I have and what I miss | W |
I sing of these it makes my bliss | W |
Nor is it I who play the part | Y |
But a shy spirit in my heart | Y |
That comes and goes will sometimes leap | A2 |
From hiding places ten years deep | A2 |
Or haunts me with familiar face | W |
Returning like a ghost unlaid | Y |
Until the debt I owe be paid | Y |
Forgive me then for I had been | Y2 |
On friendly terms with this Machine | Q2 |
In him while he was wont to trace | W |
Our roads through many a long year's space | W |
A living almanack had we | F2 |
We had a speaking diary | F2 |
That in this uneventful place | W |
Gave to the days a mark and name | K2 |
By which we knew them when they came | K2 |
Yes I and all about me here | Z2 |
Through all the changes of the year | A3 |
Had seen him through the mountains go | N2 |
In pomp of | B3 |
William Wordsworth
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