The Old Leaven: A Dialogue Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Adam Lindsay Gordon

The Old Leaven: A Dialogue Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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Mark	A
So Maurice you sail to morrow you say	B
And you may or may not return	C
Be sociable man for once in a way	B
Unless you're too old to learn	C
The shadows are cool by the water side	D
Where the willows grow by the pond	E
And the yellow laburnum's drooping pride	D
Sheds a golden gleam beyond	E
For the blended tints of the summer flowers	F
For the scents of the summer air	G
For all nature's charms in this world of ours	F
'Tis little or naught you care	G
Yet I know for certain you haven't stirred	H
Since noon from your chosen spot	I
And you've hardly spoken a single word	H
Are you tired or cross or what	J
You're fretting about those shares you bought	I
They were to have gone up fast	K
But I heard how they fell to nothing in short	L
They were given away at last	K
	-
Maurice	M
No Mark I'm not so easily cross'd	N
'Tis true that I've had a run	O
Of bad luck lately indeed I've lost	N
Well somebody else has won	O
	-
Mark	A
The glass has fallen perhaps you fear	P
A return of your ancient stitch	Q
That souvenir of the Lady's Mere	P
Park palings and double ditch	Q
	-
Maurice	M
You're wrong I'm not in the least afraid	R
Of that If the truth be told	S
When the stiffness visits my shoulder blade	R
I think on the days of old	S
It recalls the rush of the freshening wind	T
The strain of the chestnut springing	U
And the rolling thunder of hoofs behind	T
Like the Rataplan chorus ringing	U
	-
Mark	A
Are you bound to borrow or loth to lend	V
Have you purchased another screw	W
Or backed a bill for another friend	V
Or had a bad night at loo	W
	-
Maurice	M
Not one of those you're all in the dark	A
If you choose you can guess again	X
But you'd better give over guessing Mark	A
It's only labour in vain	Y
	-
Mark	A
I'll try once more does it plague you still	Z
That trifle of lead you carry	A2
A guest that lingers against your will	Z
Unwelcome yet bound to tarry	A2
	-
Maurice	M
Not so That burden I'm used to bear	G
'Tis seldom it gives me trouble	B2
And to earn it as I did then and there	G
I'd carry a dead weight double	B2
A shock like that for a splintered rib	C2
Can a thousand fold repay	B
As the swallow skims through the spider's web	D2
We rode through their ranks that day	B
	-
Mark	A
Come Maurice you sha'n't escape me so	E2
I'll hazard another guess	F2
That girl that jilted you long ago	E2
You're thinking of her confess	F2
	-
Maurice	M
Tho' the blue lake flush'd with a rosy light	G2
Reflected from yonder sky	H2
Might conjure a vision of Aphrodite	A2
To a poet's or painter's eye	H2
Tho' the golden drop with its drooping curl	I2
Between the water and wood	J2
Hangs down like the tress of a wayward girl	I2
In her dreamy maidenhood	J2
Such boyish fancies seem out of date	J2
To one half inclined to censure	K2
Their folly and yet your shaft flew straight	J2
Though you drew your bow at a venture	K2
I saw my lady the other night	J2
In the crowded opera hall	L2
When the boxes sparkled with faces bright	J2
I knew her amongst them all	L2
Tho' little for these things now I reck	M2
I singled her from the throng	N2
By the queenly curves of her head and neck	M2
By the droop of her eyelash long	N2
Oh passionless placid and calm and cold	J2
Does the fire still lurk within	O2
That lit her magnificent eyes of old	J2
And coloured her marble skin	O2
For a weary look on the proud face hung	P2
While the music clash'd and swell'd	J2
And the restless child to the silk skirt clung	P2
Unnoticed tho' unrepelled	J2
They've paled those rosebud lips that I kist	J2
That slim waist has thickened rather	K2
And the cub has the sprawling mutton fist	J2
And the great splay foot of the father	K2
May the blight	J2
	-
Mark Hold hard there Maurice my son	O
Let her rest since her spell is broken	O
We can neither recall deeds rashly done	O
Nor retract words hastily spoken	O
	-
Maurice	M
Time was when to pleasure her girlish whim	Q2
In my blind infatuation	O
I've freely endangered life and limb	Q2
Aye perilled my soul's salvation	O
	-
Mark	A
With the best intentions we all must work	R2
But little good and much harm	S2
Be a Christian for once not a Pagan Turk	R2
Nursing wrath and keeping it warm	T2
	-
Maurice	M
If our best intentions pave the way	B
To a place that is somewhat hot	J2
Can our worst intentions lead us say	B
To a still more sultry spot	J2
	-
Mark	A
'Tis said that charity makes amends	U2
For a multitude of transgressions	V2
	-
Maurice	M
But our perjured loves and our faithless friends	U2
Are entitled to no concessions	V2
	-
Mark	A
Old man these many years side by side	J2
Our parallel paths have lain	Y
Now in life's long journey diverging wide	J2
They can scarcely unite again	X
And tho' from all that I've seen and heard	J2
You're prone to chafe and to fret	J2
At the least restraint not one angry word	J2
Have we two exchanged as yet	J2
We've shared our peril we've shared our sport	J2
Our sunshine and gloomy weather	K2
Feasted and flirted and fenced and fought	J2
Struggled and toiled together	K2
In happier moments lighter of heart	J2
Stouter of heart in sorrow	E2
We've met and we've parted and now we part	J2
For ever perchance to morrow	E2
She's a matron now when you knew her first	J2
She was but a child and your hate	J2
Fostered and cherished nourished and nursed	J2
Will it never evaporate	J2
Your grievance is known to yourself alone	W2
But Maurice I say for shame	X2
If in ten long years you haven't outgrown	W2
Ill will to an ancient flame	X2
	-
Maurice	M
Well Mark you're right if I spoke in spite	J2
Let the shame and the blame be mine	Y2
At the risk of a headache we'll drain this night	J2
Her health in a flask of wine	Y2
For a castle in Spain tho' it never was built	J2
For a dream tho' it never came true	W
For a cup just tasted tho' rudely spilt	J2
At least she can hold me due	W
Those hours of pleasure she dealt of yore	Z2
As well as those hours of pain	Y
I ween they would flit as they flitted before	Z2
If I had them over again	X
Against her no word from my lips shall pass	A3
Betraying the grudge I've cherished	J2
Till the sand runs down in my hour glass	A3
And the gift of my speech has perished	J2
Say why is the spirit of peace so weak	B3
And the spirit of wrath so strong	N2
That the right we must steadily search and seek	B3
Tho' we readily find the wrong	N2
	-
Mark	A
Our parents of old entailed the curse	C3
Which must to our children cling	U
Let us hope at least that we're not much worse	C3
Than the founder from whom we spring	U
Fit sire was he of a selfish race	D3
Who first to temptation yielded	J2
Then to mend his case tried to heap disgrace	D3
On the woman he should have shielded	J2
Say comrade mine the forbidden fruit	J2
We'd have plucked that I well believe	E3
But I trust we'd rather have suffered mute	J2
Than have laid the blame upon Eve	E3
	-
Maurice yawning	U
Who knows not I I can hardly vouch	F3
For the truth of what little I see	A2
And now if you've any weed in your pouch	F3
Just hand it over to me	A2