“Robin Hood and the Scotchman”
Now bold Robin Hood to the north would go,
With valour and mickle might;
With sword by his side, which oft had been try’d,
To fight and recover his right.
The first that he met was a jolly stout Scot,
His servant he said he would be;
No quoth Robin Hood, it cannot be good.
For thou wilt prove false unto me.
Thou hast not been true to sire or cuz:
Nay marry, the Scot he said;
As true as your heart, I never will part,
Good master be not afraid.
But e’er I employ you, said bold Robin Hood,
With you I must have a bout;
The Scotchman reply’d, let the battle be try’d,
For I know I will beat you out.
Thus saying, the contest did quickly begin,
Which lasted two hours and more;
The blows Sawney gave bold Robin so brave,
The battle soon made him give o’er.
Have mercy, thou Scotchman, bold Robin Hood cry’d,
Full dearly this boon have I bought;
We will both agree, and my man you shall be,
For a stouter I never have fought.
Then Sawney consented with Robin to go,
To be of his bowmen so gay;
Thus ended the fight, and with mickle delight
To Sherwood they hasted away.
Source: “Robin Hood and the Scotchman.” The Robin Hood Garlands and Ballads. Ed. John Mathew Gutch, William Hone, Francis Douce, and Edward Francis Rimbault. London: John Russell Smith and Joseph Lilly, 1750. 392-93. Google Books. Web. 24 June 2011.
How would you describe the rhyme scheme of this poem?
A. ABBA
B. AABB
C. ABAA
D. ABCB
Answer (3)
ABCB - every 2nd and 4th lines rhyme, while the 1st and 3rd do not rhyme with any
In order to obtain the rhyme scheme of a poem is necessary to analyze the ending sound of each line, once this is identified we assign a letter in order every time the ending sound change and repeat it when the sound is repeat, for example:
Now bold Robin Hood to the north would go, A (first sound)
With valour and mickle might; B (different sound than the previous one)
With sword by his side, which oft had been try’d, C (different sound than the previous two)
To fight and recover his right. B (Same sound that in the second line)
According to these the rhyme scheme of this poem would be described as ABCB .
The rhyme scheme of the poem 'Robin Hood and the Scotchman' is determined by analyzing the ending sounds of each line. The pattern reveals that it follows an ABCB rhyme scheme. Therefore, the correct answer is D. ABCB.
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