The Companion Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST CUUVWXCYCZKA2B2UC2D2 E2SF2G2H2I2J2UK2L2KS M2| She was sitting on the rough embankment | A |
| her cape too big for her tied on slapdash | B |
| over an odd little hat with a bobble on it | C |
| her eyes brimming with tears of hopelessness | D |
| An occasional butterfly floated down | E |
| fluttering warm wings onto the rails | F |
| The clinkers underfoot were deep lilac | G |
| We got cut off from our grandmothers | H |
| while the Germans were dive bombing the train | I |
| Katya was her name She was nine | J |
| I'd no idea what I could do about her | K |
| but doubt quickly dissolved to certainty | L |
| I'd have to take this thing under my wing | M |
| girls were in some sense of the word human | N |
| a human being couldn't just be left | O |
| The droning in the air and the explosions | P |
| receded farther into the distance | Q |
| I touched the little girl on her elbow | R |
| 'Come on Do you hear What are you waiting for ' | S |
| The world was big and we were not big | T |
| and it was tough for us to walk across it | C |
| She had galoshes on and felt boots | U |
| I had a pair of second hand boots | U |
| We forded streams and tramped across the forest | V |
| each of my feet at every step it took | W |
| taking a smaller step inside the boot | X |
| The child was feeble I was certain of it | C |
| 'Boo hoo ' she'd say 'I'm tired ' she'd say | Y |
| She'd tire in no time I was certain of it | C |
| but as things turned out it was me who tired | Z |
| I growled I wasn't going any further | K |
| and sat down suddenly beside the fence | A2 |
| 'What's the matter with you ' she said | B2 |
| 'Don't be so stupid Put grass in your boots | U |
| Do you want to eat something Why won't you talk | C2 |
| Hold this tin this is crab | D2 |
| We'll have refreshments You small boys | E2 |
| you're always pretending to be brave ' | S |
| Then out I went across the prickly stubble | F2 |
| marching beside her in a few minutes | G2 |
| Masculine pride was muttering in my mind | H2 |
| I scraped together strength and I held out | I2 |
| for fear of what she'd say I even whistled | J2 |
| Grass was sticking out from my tattered boots | U |
| So on and on | K2 |
| we walked without thinking of rest | L2 |
| passing craters passing fire | K |
| under the rocking sky of ' | S |
| tottering crazy on its smoking columns | M2 |
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
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