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
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About Part V: Ex Fumo Dare Lucem
Part V: Ex Fumo Dare Lucem is a poem by Adam Lindsay Gordon. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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