The Dunciad: Book Iii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBBCDDEEFF AAGGHHIIJJKKBBAALLMM BN OOIIFFPP QQIRAABBAASSTTUVAABB AAUU WWXXAAPPYYZZA2A2BBBB A2A2B2B2C2C2FFBBIIC2 C2D2D2 IIAAE2F2C2C2F2F2AA AAC2C2G2H2AAI2I2 LLUVC2C2AABBAAAAC2C2 C2C2F2F2J2J2NNF2E2K2 BL2L2M2M2C2C2FFC2C2N 2O2BB C2C2AAP2P2BBI2I2IIII AAAAZR AAAAAAQ2Q2AAR2R2CCC2 C2S2S2UUI2I2C2C2BBC2 C2AAFFC2C2C2C2AAA BBRT2AAAAC2C2ZIU2U2B B J2J2C2C2C2C2C2C2A AAAAC2C2AARRC2C2V2V2 ZZAAH2H2C2C2 J2J2XXAAC2C2C2C2C2C2 W2PRZC2C2AAJ2W2LLAAA ALLI2I2IIAAX2X2RRZZA A Y2Y2C2C2P2P2C2C2AABB C2C2AA IILLAAC2C2But in her Temple's last recess inclos'd | A |
On Dulness' lap th' Anointed head repos'd | A |
Him close she curtains round with Vapours blue | B |
And soft besprinkles with Cimmerian dew | B |
Then raptures high the seat of Sense o'erflow | B |
Which only heads refin'd from Reason know | C |
Hence from the straw where Bedlam's Prophet nods | D |
He hears loud Oracles and talks with Gods | D |
Hence the Fool's Paradise the Statesman's Scheme | E |
The air built Castle and the golden Dream | E |
The Maid's romantic wish the Chemist's flame | F |
And Poet's vision of eternal Fame | F |
- | |
And now on Fancy's easy wing convey'd | A |
The King descending views Elysian Shade | A |
A slip shod Sibyl led his steps along | G |
In lofty madness meditating song | G |
Her tresses staring from Poetic dreams | H |
And never wash'd but in Castalia's streams | H |
Taylor their better Charon lends an oar | I |
Once swan of Thames tho' now he sings no more | I |
Benlowes propitious still to blockheads bows | J |
And Shadwell nods the Poppy on his brows | J |
Here in a dusky vale where Lethe rolls | K |
Old Bavius sits to dip poetic souls | K |
And blunt the sense and fit it for a skull | B |
Of solid proof impenetrably dull | B |
Instant when dipt away they wing their flight | A |
Where Brown and Mears unbar the gates of Light | A |
Demand new bodies and in Calf's array | L |
Rush to the world impatient for the day | L |
Millions and millions on these banks he views | M |
Thick as the stars of night or morning dews | M |
As thick as bees o'er vernal blossoms fly | B |
As thick as eggs at Ward in Pillory | N |
- | |
Wond'ring he gaz'd When lo a Sage appears | O |
By his broad shoulders known and length of ears | O |
Known by the band and suit which Settle wore | I |
His only suit for twice three years before | I |
All as the vest appear'd the wearer's frame | F |
Old in new state another yet the same | F |
Bland and familiar as in life begun | P |
Thus the great Father to the greater Son | P |
- | |
Oh born to see what none can see awake | Q |
Behold the wonders of th' oblivious Lake | Q |
Thou yet unborn hast touch'd this sacred shore | I |
The hand of Bavius drench'd thee o'er and o'er | R |
But blind to former as to future fate | A |
What mortal knows his pre existent state | A |
Who knows how long thy transmigrating soul | B |
Might from Boeotian to Boeotian roll | B |
How many Dutchmen she vouchsaf'd to thrid | A |
How many stages thro' old Monks she rid | A |
And all who since in mild benighted days | S |
Mix'd the Owl's ivy with the Poet's bays | S |
As man's Maeanders to the vital spring | T |
Roll all their tides then back their circles bring | T |
Or whirligigs twirl'd round by skilful swain | U |
Suck the thread in then yield it out again | V |
All nonsense thus of old or modern date | A |
Shall in thee centre from thee circulate | A |
For this our Queen unfolds to vision true | B |
Thy mental eye for thou hast much to view | B |
Old scenes of glory times long cast behind | A |
Shall first recall'd rush forward to thy mind | A |
Then stretch thy sight o'er all her rising reign | U |
And let the past and future fire thy brain | U |
- | |
Ascend this hill whose cloudy point commands | W |
Her boundless empire over seas and lands | W |
See round the Poles where keener spangles shine | X |
Where spices smoke beneath the burning Line | X |
Earth's wide extremes her sable flag display'd | A |
And all the nations cover'd in her shade | A |
Far eastward cast thine eye from whence the Sun | P |
And orient Science their bright course begun | P |
One god like Monarch all that pride confounds | Y |
He whose long wall the wand'ring Tartar bounds | Y |
Heav'ns what a pile whole ages perish there | Z |
And one bright blaze turns Learning into air | Z |
Thence to the south extend thy gladden'd eyes | A2 |
There rival flames with equal glory rise | A2 |
From shelves to shelves see greedy Vulcan roll | B |
And lick up all the Physic of the Soul | B |
How little mark that portion of the ball | B |
Where faint at best the beams of Science fall | B |
Soon as they dawn from Hyperborean skies | A2 |
Embody'd dark what clouds of Vandals rise | A2 |
Lo where Maeotis sleeps and hardly flows | B2 |
The freezing Tanais thro' a waste of snows | B2 |
The North by myriads pours her mighty sons | C2 |
Great nurse of Goths of Alans and of Huns | C2 |
See Alaric's stern port the martial frame | F |
Of Genseric and Attila's dread name | F |
See the bold Ostrogoths on Latium fall | B |
See the fierce Visigoths on Spain and Gaul | B |
See where the morning gilds the palmy shore | I |
The soil that arts and infant letters bore | I |
His conqu'ring tribes th' Arabian prophet draws | C2 |
And saving Ignorance enthrones by Laws | C2 |
See Christians Jews one heavy sabbath keep | D2 |
And all the western world believe and sleep | D2 |
- | |
Lo Rome herself proud mistress now no more | I |
Of arts but thund'ring against heathen lore | I |
Her grey hair'd Synods damning books unread | A |
And Bacon trembling for his brazen head | A |
Padua with sighs beholds her Livy burn | E2 |
And ev'n th' Antipodes Virgilius mourn | F2 |
See the Cirque falls th' unpillar'd Temple nods | C2 |
Streets pav'd with Heroes Tiber chok'd with Gods | C2 |
'Till Peter's keys some christ'ned Jove adorn | F2 |
And Pan to Moses lends his pagan horn | F2 |
See graceless Venus to a Virgin turn'd | A |
Or Phidias broken and Apelles burn'd | A |
- | |
Behold yon' Isle by Palmers Pilgrims trod | A |
Men bearded bald cowl'd uncowl'd shod unshod | A |
Peel'd patch'd and pyebald linsey wolse brothers | C2 |
Grave Mummers sleeveless some and shirtless others | C2 |
That once was Britain Happy had she seen | G2 |
No fiercer sons had Easter never been | H2 |
In peace great Goddess ever be adorn'd | A |
How keen the war if Dulness draw the sword | A |
Thus visit not thy own on this blest age | I2 |
Oh spread thy Influence but restrain thy Rage | I2 |
- | |
And see my son the hour is on its way | L |
That lifts our Goddess to imperial sway | L |
This fav'rite Isle long sever'd from her reign | U |
Dove like she gathers to her wings again | V |
Now look thro' Fate behold the scene she draws | C2 |
What aids what armies to assert her cause | C2 |
See all her progeny illustrious sight | A |
Behold and count them as they rise to light | A |
As Berecynthia while her offspring vie | B |
In homage to the mother of the sky | B |
Surveys around her in the blest abode | A |
An hundred sons and ev'ry son a God | A |
Not with less glory mighty Dulness crown'd | A |
Shall take thro' Grubstreet her triumphant round | A |
And her Parnassus glancing o'er at once | C2 |
Behold an hundred sons and each a Dunce | C2 |
- | |
Mark first that youth who takes the foremost place | C2 |
And thrust his person full into your face | C2 |
With all thy Father's virtues blest be born | F2 |
And a new Cibber shall the stage adorn | F2 |
A second see by meeker manners known | J2 |
And modest as the maid that sips alone | J2 |
From the strong fate of drams if thou get free | N |
Another Durfrey Ward shall sing in thee | N |
Thee shall each ale house thee each gill house mourn | F2 |
And answ'ring gin shops sourer sights return | E2 |
Jacob the scourge of Grammar mark with awe | K2 |
Nor less revere him blunderbuss of Law | B |
Lo P l le's brow tremendous to the town | L2 |
Horneck's fierce eye and Roome's funeral frown | L2 |
Lo sneering Goode half mallice and half whim | M2 |
A friend in glee ridiculously grim | M2 |
Each Cygnet sweet of Bath and Tunbridge race | C2 |
Whose tuneful whistling makes the waters pass | C2 |
Each Songster Riddler ev'ry nameless name | F |
All crowd who foremost shall be damn'd to Fame | F |
Some strain in rhyme the Muses on their racks | C2 |
Seream like the winding of ten thousand jacks | C2 |
Some free from rhyme or reason rule or cheek | N2 |
Break Priscian's head and Pegasus's neck | O2 |
Down down they larum with impetuous whirl | B |
The Pindars and the Miltons of a Curl | B |
- | |
Silence ye Wolves while Ralph to Cynthia howls | C2 |
And makes night hideous Answer him ye Owls | C2 |
Sense speech and measure living tongues and dead | A |
Let all give way and Morris may be read | A |
Flow Welsted flow like thine inspirer Beer | P2 |
Tho' stale not ripe tho' thin yet never clear | P2 |
So sweetly mawkish and so smoothly dull | B |
Heady not strong o'erflowing tho' not full | B |
Ah Dennis Gildon ah what ill starr'd rage | I2 |
Divides a friendship long confirm'd by age | I2 |
Blockheads with reason wicked wits abhor | I |
But fool with fool is barb'rous civil war | I |
Embrace embrace my sons be foes no more | I |
Nor glad vile Poets with true Critics' gore | I |
Behold yon Pair in strict embraces join'd | A |
How like in manners and how like in mind | A |
Equal in wit and equally polite | A |
Shall this a Pasquin that a Grumbler write | A |
Like are their merits like rewards they share | Z |
That shines a Consul this Commissioner | R |
- | |
But who is he in closet close y pent | A |
Of sober face with learned dust besprent | A |
Right well mine eyes arede the myster wight | A |
On parchment scraps y fed and Wormius hight | A |
To future ages may thy dulness last | A |
As thou preserv'st the dulness of the past | A |
There dim in clouds the poring Scholiasts mark | Q2 |
Wits who like owls see only in the dark | Q2 |
A Lumber house of books in ev'ry head | A |
For ever reading never to be read | A |
But where each Science lifts its modern type | R2 |
Hist'ry her Pot Divinity her Pipe | R2 |
While proud Philosophy repines to show | C |
Dishonest sight his breeches rent below | C |
Embrown'd with native bronze lo Henley stands | C2 |
Turning his voice and balancing his hands | C2 |
How fluent nonsense trickles from his tongue | S2 |
How sweet the periods neither said nor sung | S2 |
Still break the benches Henley with thy strain | U |
While Sherlock Hare and Gibson preach in vain | U |
Oh great Restorer of the good old Stage | I2 |
Preacher at once and Zany of thy age | I2 |
Oh worthy thou of AEgypt's wise abodes | C2 |
A decent priest where monkeys were the gods | C2 |
But fate with butchers placed thy priestly stall | B |
Meek modern faith to murder hack and maul | B |
And bade thee live to crown Britannia's praise | C2 |
In Toland's Tindal's and in Woolston's days | C2 |
Yet oh my sons a father's words attend | A |
So may the fates preserve the ears you lend | A |
'Tis yours a Bacon or a Locke to blame | F |
A Newton's genius or a Milton's flame | F |
But oh with One immortal One dispense | C2 |
The source of Newton's Light of Bacon's Sense | C2 |
Content each Emanation of his fires | C2 |
That beams on earth each Virtue he inspires | C2 |
Each Art he prompts each Charm he can create | A |
Whate'er he gives are giv'n for you to hate | A |
Persist by all divine in Man unaw'd | A |
But 'Learn ye Dunces not to scorn your God ' | - |
- | |
Thus he for then a ray of Reason stole | B |
Half thro' the solid darkness of his soul | B |
But soon the cloud return'd and thus the Sire | R |
See now what Dulness and her sons admire | T2 |
See what the charms that smite the simple heart | A |
Not touch'd by Nature and not reach'd by Art | A |
His never blushing head he turn'd aside | A |
Not half so pleas'd when Goodman prophesy'd | A |
And look'd and saw a sable Sorc'rer rise | C2 |
Swift to whose hand a winged volume flies | C2 |
All sudden Gorgons hiss and Dragons glare | Z |
And ten horn'd fiends and Giants rush to war | I |
Hell rises Heav'n descends and dance on Earth | U2 |
Goods imps and monsters music rage and mirth | U2 |
A fire a jig a battle and a ball | B |
'Till one wide conflagration swallows all | B |
- | |
Thence a new world to Nature's laws unknown | J2 |
Breaks our refulgent with a heav'n its own | J2 |
Another Cynthia her new journey runs | C2 |
And other planets circle other suns | C2 |
The forests dance the rivers upward rise | C2 |
Whales sport in woods and dolphins in the skies | C2 |
And last to give the whole creation grace | C2 |
Lo one vast Egg produces human race | C2 |
Joy fills his soul joy innocent of thought | A |
'What pow'r ' he cries 'what pow'r these wonders wrought ' | - |
Son what thou seek'st is in thee Look and find | A |
Each monster meets his likeness in thy mind | A |
Yet would'st thou more in yonder cloud behold | A |
Whose sars'net skirts are edg'd with flamy gold | A |
A matchless youth his nod these words controls | C2 |
Wings the red lightning and the thunder rolls | C2 |
Angel of Dulness sent to scatter round | A |
Her magic charms o'er all unclassic ground | A |
Yon stars yon suns he rears at pleasure higher | R |
Illumes their light and sets their flames on fire | R |
Immortal Rich how calm he sits at ease | C2 |
'Mid snows of paper and fierce hail of pease | C2 |
And proud his Mistress' orders to perform | V2 |
Rides in the whirlwind and directs the storm | V2 |
But lo to dark encounter in mid air | Z |
New wizards rise I see my Cibber there | Z |
Booth in his cloudy tabernacle shrin'd | A |
On grinning dragons thou shalt mount the wind | A |
Dirge is the conflict dismal is the din | H2 |
Here shouts all Drury there all Lincoln's inn | H2 |
Contending Theatres our empire raise | C2 |
Alike their labours and alike their praise | C2 |
- | |
And are these wonders Son to thee unknown | J2 |
Unknown to thee these wonders are thy own | J2 |
These Fate reserv'd to grace thy reign divine | X |
Foreseen by me but ah withheld from mine | X |
In Lud's old walls tho' long I rul'd renown'd | A |
Far as loud Bow's stupendous bells resound | A |
Tho' my own Aldermen conferr'd the bays | C2 |
To me committing their eternal praise | C2 |
Their full fed Heroes their pacific May'rs | C2 |
Their annual trophies and their monthly wars | C2 |
Tho' long my Party built on me their hopes | C2 |
For writing Pamphlets and for roasting Popes | C2 |
Yet lo in me what authors have to brag on | W2 |
Reduc'd at last to hiss in my own dragon | P |
Avert it Heav'n that thou my Cibber e'er | R |
Should'st wag a serpent tail in Smithfield fair | Z |
Like the vile straw that's blown about the streets | C2 |
The needy Poet sticks to all he meets | C2 |
Coach'd carted trod upon now loose now fast | A |
And carry'd off in some Dog's tail at last | A |
Happier thy fortunes like a rolling stone | J2 |
Thy giddy dulness still shall lumber on | W2 |
Safe in its heaviness shall never stray | L |
But lick up ev'ry blockhead in thy way | L |
Thee shall the Patriot thee the Courtier taste | A |
And ev'ry year be duller than the last | A |
Till rais'd from booths to Theatre to Court | A |
Her seat imperial Dulness shall transport | A |
Already Opera prepares the way | L |
The sure fore runner of her gentle sway | L |
Let her thy heart next Drabs and Dice engage | I2 |
The third mad passion of thy doting age | I2 |
Teach thou the warbling Polypheme to roar | I |
And scream thyself as none e'er scream'd before | I |
To aid our cause if Heav'n thou can'st not bend | A |
Hell thou shalt move for Faustus is our friend | A |
Pluto with Cato thou for this shalt join | X2 |
And link the Mourning Bride to Prosperine | X2 |
Grubstreet thy fall should men and Gods conspire | R |
Thy stage shall stand ensure it but from Fire | R |
Another AEschylus appears prepare | Z |
For new abortions all ye pregnant fair | Z |
In flames like Semele's be brought to bed | A |
While op'ning Hell spouts wild fire at your head | A |
- | |
Now Bavius take the poppy from thy brow | Y2 |
And place it here here all ye Heroes bow | Y2 |
This this is he foretold by ancient rhymes | C2 |
Th' Augustus born to bring Saturnian times | C2 |
Signs following signs lead on the mighty year | P2 |
See the dull stars roll round and re appear | P2 |
See see our own true Phoebus wears the bays | C2 |
Our Midas sits Lord Chancellor of Plays | C2 |
On Poets' Tombs see Benson's titles writ | A |
Lo Ambrose Philips is preferr'd for Wit | A |
See under Ripley rise a new White hall | B |
While Jones' and Boyle's united Labours fall | B |
While Wren with sorrow to the grave descends | C2 |
Gay dies unpension'd with a hundred friends | C2 |
Hibernian Politics O Swift thy fate | A |
And Pope's ten years to comment and translate | A |
- | |
Proceed great days till Learning fly the shore | I |
Till Birch shall blush with noble blood no more | I |
Till Thames see Eton's sons for ever play | L |
Till Westminster's whole year be holiday | L |
Till Isis' Elders reel their pupils' sport | A |
And Alma Mater lie dissolv'd in Port | A |
'Enough enough ' the raptur'd Monarch cries | C2 |
And thro' the Iv'ry Gate the Vision flies | C2 |
Alexander Pope
(1)
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