Part V: Ex Fumo Dare Lucem Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CDCDEFEF GHGHIJI HKHKLMLM NOPOPGNG QRSRGDG HTHTUVUV UUUUWUWU U HXHXYZYZ A2B2A2B2A2UA2U GUGUHUHU CC2CC2D2E2D2E2 GUGUUF2UF2 G2H2G2H2HI2HI2 HDHDDUDU D2 HJHJGJ2GJ2 HDHDDADA K2DK2DA2DL2D UM2UM2A2N2A2N2 UD2UD2UO2UZ U UDGP2G D2DD2DD2L2D2L2 UUUUHDHD DD2DD2A2ZA2O2 DN2DN2D2DD2D UUUUUQ2UR2 HD'Twixt the Cup and the Lip | A |
- | |
Prologue | B |
- | |
Calm and clear the bright day is declining | C |
The crystal expanse of the bay | D |
Like a shield of pure metal lies shining | C |
'Twixt headlands of purple and grey | D |
While the little waves leap in the sunset | E |
And strike with a miniature shock | F |
In sportive and infantine onset | E |
The base of the iron stone rock | F |
- | |
Calm and clear the sea breezes are laden | G |
With a fragrance a freshness a power | H |
With a song like the song of a maiden | G |
With a scent like the scent of a flower | H |
And a whisper half weird half prophetic | I |
Comes home with the sigh of the surf | J |
But I pause for your fancies poetic | I |
Never rise from the level of 'Turf ' | - |
- | |
Fellow bungler of mine fellow sinner | H |
In public performances past | K |
In trials whence touts take their winner | H |
In rumours that circulate fast | K |
In strains from Prunella or Priam | L |
Staying stayers or goers that go | M |
You're much better posted than I am | L |
'Tis little I care less I know | M |
- | |
Alas neither poet nor prophet | N |
Am I though a jingler of rhymes | O |
'Tis a hobby of mine and I'm off it | P |
At times and I'm on it at times | O |
And whether I'm off it or on it | P |
Your readers my counsels will shun | G |
Since I scarce know Van Tromp from Blue Bonnet | N |
Though I might know Cigar from The Nun | G |
- | |
With 'visions' you ought to be sated | Q |
And sicken'd by this time I swear | R |
That mine are all myths self created | S |
Air visions that vanish in air | R |
If I had some loose coins I might chuck one | G |
To settle this question and say | D |
Here goes 'this is tails for the black one | G |
And heads for my fav'rite the bay ' | - |
- | |
And must I rob Paul to pay Peter | H |
Or Peter defraud to pay Paul | T |
My rhymes are they stale if my metre | H |
Is varied one chime rings through all | T |
One chime though I sing more or sing less | U |
I have but one string to my lute | V |
And it might have been better if stringless | U |
And songless the same had been mute | V |
- | |
Yet not as a seer of visions | U |
Nor yet as a dreamer of dreams | U |
I send you these partial decisions | U |
On hackney'd impoverish'd themes | U |
But with song out of tune sung to pass time | W |
Flung heedless to friends or to foes | U |
Where the false notes that ring for the last time | W |
May blend with some real ones who knows | U |
- | |
THE RACE | U |
- | |
On the hill they are crowding together | H |
In the stand they are crushing for room | X |
Like midge flies they swarm on the heather | H |
They gather like bees on the broom | X |
They flutter like moths round a candle | Y |
Stale similes granted what then | Z |
I've got a stale subject to handle | Y |
A very stale stump of a pen | Z |
- | |
Hark the shuffle of feet that are many | A2 |
Of voices the many tongued clang | B2 |
'Has he had a bad night ' 'Has he any | A2 |
Friends left ' How I hate your turf slang | B2 |
'Tis stale to begin with not witty | A2 |
But dull and inclined to be coarse | U |
But bad men can't use more's the pity | A2 |
Good words when they slate a good horse | U |
- | |
Heu heu quantus equis that's Latin | G |
For 'bellows to mend' with the weeds | U |
They're off lights and shades silk and satin | G |
A rainbow of riders and steeds | U |
And one shows in front and another | H |
Goes up and is seen in his place | U |
Sic transit more Latin Oh bother | H |
Let's get to the end of the race | U |
- | |
- | |
- | |
See they come round the last turn careering | C |
Already Tait's colours are struck | C2 |
And the green in the vanguard is steering | C |
And the red's in the rear of the ruck | C2 |
Are the stripes in the shade doom'd to lie long | D2 |
Do the blue stars on white skies wax dim | E2 |
Is it Tamworth or Smuggler 'Tis Bylong | D2 |
That wins either Bylong or Tim | E2 |
- | |
As the shell through the breach that is riven | G |
And sapp'd by the springing of mines | U |
As the bolt from the thunder cloud driven | G |
That levels the larches and pines | U |
Through yon mass parti colour'd that dashes | U |
Goal turn'd clad in many hued garb | F2 |
From rear to van surges and flashes | U |
The yellow and black of The Barb | F2 |
- | |
Past The Fly falling back on the right and | G2 |
The Gull giving way on the left | H2 |
Past Tamworth who feels the whip smite and | G2 |
Whose sides by the rowels are cleft | H2 |
Where Tim and the chestnut together | H |
Still bear of the battle the brunt | I2 |
As if eight stone twelve were a feather | H |
He comes with a rush to the front | I2 |
- | |
Tim Whiffler may yet prove a Tartar | H |
And Bylong's the horse that can stay | D |
But Kean is in trouble and Carter | H |
Is hard on the satin skinn'd bay | D |
And The Barb comes away unextended | D |
Hard held like a second Eclipse | U |
While behind the hoof thunder is blended | D |
With the whistling and crackling of whips | U |
- | |
EPILOGUE | D2 |
- | |
He wins yes he wins upon paper | H |
He hasn't yet won upon turf | J |
And these rhymes are but moonshine and vapour | H |
Air bubbles and spume from the surf | J |
So be it at least they are given | G |
Free gratis for just what they're worth | J2 |
And whatever there may be in heaven | G |
There's little worth much upon earth | J2 |
- | |
When with satellites round them the centre | H |
Of all eyes hard press'd by the crowd | D |
The pair horse and rider re enter | H |
The gate 'mid a shout long and loud | D |
You may feel as you might feel just landed | D |
Full length on the grass from the clip | A |
Of a vicious cross counter right handed | D |
Or upper cut whizzing from hip | A |
- | |
And that's not so bad if you're pick'd up | K2 |
Discreetly and carefully nursed | D |
Loose teeth by the sponge are soon lick'd up | K2 |
And next time you may get home first | D |
Still I'm not sure you'd like it exactly | A2 |
Such tastes as a rule are acquired | D |
And you'll find in a nutshell this fact lie | L2 |
Bruised optics are not much admired | D |
- | |
Do I bore you with vulgar allusions | U |
Forgive me I speak as I feel | M2 |
I've ponder'd and made my conclusions | U |
As the mill grinds the corn to the meal | M2 |
So man striving boldly but blindly | A2 |
Ground piecemeal in Destiny's mill | N2 |
At his best taking punishment kindly | A2 |
Is only a chopping block still | N2 |
- | |
Are we wise Our abstruse calculations | U |
Are based on experience long | D2 |
Are we sanguine Our high expectations | U |
Are founded on hope that is strong | D2 |
Thus we build an air castle that crumbles | U |
And drifts till no traces remain | O2 |
And the fool builds again while he grumbles | U |
And the wise one laughs building again | Z |
- | |
'How came they to pass these rash blunders | U |
These false steps so hard to defend ' | - |
Our friend puts the question and wonders | U |
We laugh and reply 'Ah my friend | D |
Could you trace the first stride falsely taken | G |
The distance misjudged where or how | P2 |
When you pick'd yourself up stunn'd and shaken | G |
At the fence 'twixt the turf and the plough ' | - |
- | |
In the jar of the panel rebounding | D2 |
In the crash of the splintering wood | D |
In the ears to the earth shock resounding | D2 |
In the eyes flashing fire and blood | D |
In the quarters above you revolving | D2 |
In the sods underneath heaving high | L2 |
There was little to aid you in solving | D2 |
Such questions the how or the why | L2 |
- | |
And destiny steadfast in trifles | U |
Is steadfast for better or worse | U |
In great things it crushes and stifles | U |
And swallows the hopes that we nurse | U |
Men wiser than we are may wonder | H |
When the future they cling to so fast | D |
To the roll of that destiny's thunder | H |
Goes down with the wrecks of the past | D |
- | |
- | |
- | |
The past the dead past that has swallow'd | D |
All the honey of life and the milk | D2 |
Brighter dreams than mere pastimes we've follow'd | D |
Better things than our scarlet or silk | D2 |
Aye and worse things that past is it really | A2 |
Dead to us who again and again | Z |
Feel sharply hear plainly see clearly | A2 |
Past days with their joy and their pain | O2 |
- | |
Like corpses embalm'd and unburied | D |
They lie and in spite of our will | N2 |
Our souls on the wings of thought carried | D |
Revisit their sepulchres still | N2 |
Down the channels of mystery gliding | D2 |
They conjure strange tales rarely read | D |
Of the priests of dead Pharaohs presiding | D2 |
At mystical feasts of the dead | D |
- | |
Weird pictures arise quaint devices | U |
Rude emblems baked funeral meats | U |
Strong incense rare wines and rich spices | U |
The ashes the shrouds and the sheets | U |
Does our thraldom fall short of completeness | U |
For the magic of a charnel house charm | Q2 |
And the flavour of a poisonous sweetness | U |
And the odour of a poisonous balm | R2 |
- | |
And the links of the past but no matter | H |
For I'm getting beyond | D |
Adam Lindsay Gordon
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about Part V: Ex Fumo Dare Lucem poem by Adam Lindsay Gordon
Best Poems of Adam Lindsay Gordon