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 K2Z2A3N2B3

THUS they with freaks of proud delightA
Beguile the remnant of the nightA
And many a snatch of jovial songB
Regales them as they wind alongB
While to the music from on highC
The echoes make a glad replyC
But the sage Muse the revel heedsD
No farther than her story needsD
Nor will she servilely attendE
The loitering journey to its endE
Blithe spirits of her own impelF
The Muse who scents the morning airG
To take of this transported pairG
A brief and unreproved farewellF
To quit the slow paced waggon's sideH
And wander down yon hawthorn dellF
With murmuring Greta for her guideH
There doth she ken the awful formI
Of Raven crag black as a stormI
Glimmering through the twilight paleJ
And Ghimmer crag his tall twin brotherK
Each peering forth to meet the otherK
And while she roves through St John's ValeJ
Along the smooth unpathwayed plainL
By sheep track or through cottage laneL
Where no disturbance comes to intrudeM
Upon the pensive solitudeM
Her unsuspecting eye perchanceN
With the rude shepherd's favoured glanceN
Beholds the faeries in arrayO
Whose party coloured garments gayO
The silent company betrayO
Red green and blue a moment's sightA
For Skiddaw top with rosy lightA
Is touched and all the band take flightA
Fly also Muse and from the dellF
Mount to the ridge of Nathdale FellF
Thence look thou forth o'er wood and lawnP
Hoar with the frost like dews of dawnP
Across yon meadowy bottom lookQ
Where close fogs hide their parent brookQ
And see beyond that hamlet smallR
The ruined towers of Threlkeld hallR
Lurking in a double shadeS
By trees and lingering twilight madeS
There at Blencathara's rugged feetT
Sir Lancelot gave a safe retreatT
To noble Clifford from annoyU
Concealed the persecuted boyU
Well pleased in rustic garb to feedV
His flock and pipe on shepherd's reedV
Among this multitude of hillsW
Crags woodlands waterfalls and rillsW
Which soon the morning shall enfoldX
From east to west in ample vestY
Of massy gloom and radiance boldX
The mists that o'er the streamlet's bedZ
Hung low begin to rise and spreadZ
Even while I speak their skirts of greyO
Are smitten by a silver rayO
And lo up Castrigg's naked steepA2
Where smoothly urged the vapours sweepA2
Along and scatter and divideH
Like fleecy clouds self multipliedH
The stately waggon is ascendingB2
With faithful Benjamin attendingB2
Apparent now beside his teamC2
Now lost amid a glittering steamC2
And with him goes his Sailor friendE
By this time near their journey's endE
And after their high minded riotD2
Sickening into thoughtful quietD2
As if the morning's pleasant hourK
Had for their joys a killing powerK
And sooth for Benjamin a veinL
Is opened of still deeper painL
As if his heart by notes were stungE2
From out the lowly hedge rows flungE2
As if the Warbler lost in lightA
Reproved his soarings of the nightA
In strains of rapture pure and holyF2
Upbraided his distempered follyF2
Drooping is he his step is dullG2
But the horses stretch and pullH2
With increasing vigour climbI2
Eager to repair lost timeI2
Whether by their own desertJ2
Knowing what cause there is for shameK2
They are labouring to avertJ2
As much as may be of the blameK2
Which they foresee must soon alightA
Upon 'his' head whom in despiteA
Of all his failings they love bestY
Whether for him they are distrestY
Or by length of fasting rousedY
Are impatient to be housedY
Up against the hill they strainL
Tugging at the iron chainL
Tugging all with might and mainL
Last and foremost every horseW
To the utmost of his forceW
And the smoke and respirationL2
Rising like an exhalationL2
Blend with the mist a moving shroudY
To form an undissolving cloudY
Which with slant ray the merry sunL2
Takes delight to play uponM2
Never golden haired ApolloN2
Pleased some favourite chief to followN2
Through accidents of peace or warO2
In a perilous moment threwP2
Around the object of his careG
Veil of such celestial hueP2
Interposed so bright a screenQ2
Him and his enemies betweenQ2
Alas what boots it who can hideY
When the malicious Fates are bentY
On working out an ill intentY
Can destiny be turned asideY
No sad progress of my storyF2
Benjamin this outward gloryF2
Cannot shield thee from thy MasterK
Who from Keswick has pricked forthR2
Sour and surly as the northR2
And in fear of some disasterK
Comes to give what help he mayO
And to hear what thou canst sayO
If as needs he must forebodeY
Thou hast been loitering on the roadY
His fears his doubts may now take flightY
The wished for object is in sightY
Yet trust the Muse it rather hathS2
Stirred him up to livelier wrathS2
Which he stifles moody manT2
With all the patience that he canT2
To the end that at your meetingB2
He may give thee decent greetingB2
There he is resolved to stopU2
Till the waggon gains the topU2
But stop he cannot must advanceW
Him Benjamin with lucky glanceW
Espies and instantly is readyF2
Self collected poised and steadyF2
And to be the better seenQ2
Issues from his radiant shroudY
From his close attending cloudY
With careless air and open mienQ2
Erect his port and firm his goingB2
So struts yon cock that now is crowingB2
And the morning light in graceW
Strikes upon his lifted faceW
Hurrying the pallid hue awayO
That might his trespasses betrayO
But what can all avail to clear himV2
Or what need of explanationL2
Parley or interrogationL2
For the Master sees alasW
That unhappy Figure near himV2
Limping o'er the dewy grassW
Where the road it fringes sweetY
Soft and cool to way worn feetY
And O indignity an AssW
By his noble Mastiff's sideY
Tethered to the waggon's tailJ
And the ship in all her prideY
Following after in full sailJ
Not to speak of babe and motherK
Who contented with each otherK
And snug as birds in leafy arbourK
Find within a blessed harbourK
With eager eyes the Master priesW
Looks in and out and through and throughP2
Says nothing till at last he spiesW
A wound upon the Mastiff's headY
A wound where plainly might be readY
What feats an Ass's hoof can doP2
But drop the rest this aggravationL2
This complicated provocationL2
A hoard of grievances unsealedY
All past forgiveness it repealedY
And thus and through distempered bloodY
On both sides Benjamin the goodY
The patient and the tender heartedY
Was from his team and waggon partedY
When duty of that day was o'erK
Laid down his whip and served no moreO2
Nor could the waggon long surviveW2
Which Benjamin had ceased to driveW2
It lingered on guide after guideY
Ambitiously the office triedY
But each unmanageable hillX2
Called for 'his' patience and 'his' skillX2
And sure it is that through this nightY
And what the morning brought to lightY
Two losses had we to sustainL
We lost both WAGGONER and WAINL
-
-
-
Accept O Friend for praise or blameK2
The gift of this adventurous songB
A record which I dared to frameK2
Though timid scruples checked me longB
They checked me and I left the themeC2
Untouched in spite of many a gleamC2
Of fancy which thereon was shedY
Like pleasant sunbeams shifting stillX2
Upon the side of a distant hillX2
But Nature might not be gainsaidY
For what I have and what I missW
I sing of these it makes my blissW
Nor is it I who play the partY
But a shy spirit in my heartY
That comes and goes will sometimes leapA2
From hiding places ten years deepA2
Or haunts me with familiar faceW
Returning like a ghost unlaidY
Until the debt I owe be paidY
Forgive me then for I had beenY2
On friendly terms with this MachineQ2
In him while he was wont to traceW
Our roads through many a long year's spaceW
A living almanack had weF2
We had a speaking diaryF2
That in this uneventful placeW
Gave to the days a mark and nameK2
By which we knew them when they cameK2
Yes I and all about me hereZ2
Through all the changes of the yearA3
Had seen him through the mountains goN2
In pomp ofB3

William Wordsworth



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