A Tale Of True Love Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDD EFEFGG HIHIHH JKJKLL MDMDNN OPOPQQ ERERSS TUTUEE BVBVWW XLXVYY HHHHV XDXDZZ A2B2A2B2C2C2 D2E2D2BD2D2 BA2BA2II F2E2F2E2G2G2 VE2V D2D2 VD2VD2H2I2 BD2BD2J2J2 BK2BK2D2D2 D2VD2VD2D2 HL2HL2E2E2 D2L2D2L2D2D2 BL2BL2A2A2 VVVVD2D2 HHHHD2D2 D2A2D2A2VV D2A2D2A2M2M2 VL2VL2D2D2

Not in the mist of legendary agesA
Which in sad moments men call long agoB
And people with bards heroes saints and sagesC
And virtues vanished since we do not knowB
But here to day wherein we all grow oldD
But only we this Tale of True Love will be toldD
-
For Earth to tender wisdom grows not olderE
But to young hearts remains for ever youngF
Spring no less winsome Winter winds no colderE
Than when tales first were told songs first were sungF
And all things always still remain the sameG
That touch the human heart and feed Love's vestal flameG
-
And if you have ears to hear and eyes for seeingH
Maidens there be as were there in your youthI
That round you breathe and move and have their beingH
Fair as Greek Helen pure as Hebrew RuthI
With Heaven appointed poets quick to singH
Of blameless warrior brave and wisdom counselled kingH
-
And tho' in this our day youth love and beautyJ
Are far too often glorified as slaveK
Of every sense except the sense of DutyJ
In fables that dishonour and depraveK
The old world Creeds still linger taught us byL
The pious lips that mute now in the churchyard lieL
-
And this true simple tale in verse as simpleM
Will from its prelude to its close be toldD
As free from artifice as is the dimpleM
In childhood's cheek whereby is age consoledD
And haply it may soothe some sufferer's lotN
When noisier notes are husht and newer ones forgotN
-
And think not of your graciousness I pray youO
Who tells the tale is one of those who deemP
That love will beckon only to betray youO
Life an illusion happiness a dreamP
Only that noble grief is happier farQ
Than transitory lusts and feverish raptures areQ
-
It was the season when aggressive WinterE
That had so long invested the sealed worldR
With frosts that starve and hurricanes that splinterE
And rain hail blizzard mercilessly hurledR
Made one forlorn last effort to assailS
Ere Spring's relieving spears came riding on the galeS
-
For Amazonian March with breast uncoveredT
Blew loud her clarion and the wintry hostU
Took courage fresh and lingeringly hoveredT
Round vale and hill wherever needed mostU
And ever and anon the raging weatherE
And wolfish winds re formed and onward swept togetherE
-
Loud bellowing to the thunder clouds to followB
But all in vain for here there everywhereV
Primrose battalions seizing ridge and hollowB
Dingle and covert wind flowers wild that dareV
Beyond their seeming bluebells without soundW
And scentless violets peeped to spring up from the groundW
-
And covering their advance swift scouring showersX
Gathering dispersing skirmished through the skyL
Till squadrons of innumerable flowersX
Thronged through the land far as you could descryV
Then Winter smitten with despair and dreadY
Folded his fluttering tents sounded retreat and fledY
-
Whereat the land so long beleaguered seeingH
The peril past and Winter's iron ringH
Broken and all his cohorts norward fleeingH
Came forth to welcome and embrace the SpringH
Spring the Deliverer and from sea and shoreV
Rose the rejoicing shout See April dawns once more ''-
-
Radiant she came attended by her zephyrsX
And forth from dusky stall and hurdled foldD
Poured lowing kine and sleeky coated heifersX
To roam at will through pastures green and goldD
Where unweaned lambs from morning until nightZ
Raced round their nibbling dams and frolicked with delightZ
-
High up on larch and cypress merle and mavisA2
Vociferated love lays sweet as strongB2
And the bird dear to Homer and to HafizA2
Proclaimed the joy of sadness all night longB2
Vowed each new Spring more Spring like than the lastC2
And triumphed over Time futile iconoclastC2
-
Then imperceptibly and slowly roundedD2
Slim girlish April into maiden MayE2
Whereat still louder everywhere resoundedD2
The cuckoo's call and throstle's roundelayB
It was as though in meadow chase and woodD2
God made the world anew and saw that it was goodD2
-
Then feudal Avoncourt the stern and statelyB
Whose dawn deep hidden in undated daysA2
Not like those palaces erected latelyB
Whose feet swift crumble and whose face decaysA2
Defieth Time's insatiable toothI
Relaxed grave gaze and wore the countenance of youthI
-
It had beheld kings and proud empires vanishF2
Male sceptres shattered princedoms pass awayE2
Norman Plantagenet Lombard Swabian SpanishF2
Rise rule then totter and topple from their swayE2
York and Lancastrian Rose unfold and bloomG2
Then canker and decay and vanish in the tombG2
-
It faces the four winds with like demeanourV
Norward as Southernward as though to sayE2
Blow from some other stronger and still keenerV
Wherefrom you will and I will face that way ''-
And round it as you roam to gaze perplexedD2
Each side seems loveliest till you look upon the nextD2
-
Its present seeming unto ages TudorV
It owes by unnamed unknown hands designedD2
Who planned and worked amid a folk deemed ruderV
But who with grace enduring strength combinedD2
Like sturdy oak with all its leaves still onH2
When foliage from elm and sycamore have goneI2
-
Upon its delicate lofty jutting portalB
Imaginative minds and hands have wroughtD2
Of dead artificers once deemed immortalB
From Southern climes by kings and magnates broughtD2
When architects and sculptors smiled in scornJ2
On plain defensive days and called the world rebornJ2
-
But time hath mellowed mullion roof and gableB
Stone work without and wainscotting withinK2
And nigh them oaken timbered barn and stableB
Lowlier withal of countenance akinK2
Cluster for in times olden meek and proudD2
Being nearer much than now their kinship was avowedD2
-
From it slope woodlands and long alleys shadedD2
Saving that all around it and more nearV
Stretches wild chase by ploughshare uninvadedD2
Where roam rough cattle and unherded deerV
That look up as you pass from brackened sodD2
Then flee with step as fleet as that whereon they trodD2
-
Through vale below from many a source unfailingH
A river flows where deft hands cast the lineL2
Well stocked with wary trout and bolder graylingH
Through smooth fat pastures dotted o'er with kineL2
League after league the water winds awayE2
Oft turning as though loth from Avoncourt to strayE2
-
It was in the sweet season that hath ravishedD2
The virgin heart since ever love beganL2
A maiden upon whom had Nature lavishedD2
Each fair gift given to maiden or to manL2
Roamed all alone through windings of its woodD2
Seeking the way to where Avoncourt haply stoodD2
-
Onward in search of it she went but slowlyB
For who could hasten through so fresh a sceneL2
With violets paved the lovelier because lowlyB
And pallid primroses on ground of greenL2
While overhead each bird that hath a voiceA2
Seemed in its own blithe notes to revel and rejoiceA2
-
And ever and anon she gazed around herV
Or knelt to gather some appealing flowerV
And to dear God the Father and the FounderV
Of all things good the all protecting PowerV
Breathed a brief prayer of thanks within her breastD2
Feeling she roamed in Heaven on earth made manifestD2
-
Sometimes she broke into spontaneous singingH
Such as fond nurse to fretful babe might singH
Whose close as sudden is as its beginningH
Herself she seemed a portion of the SpringH
Which if she went would lose the chiefest partD2
Of that which charms the gaze and captivates the heartD2
-
At length she passed from out these paths emboweredD2
To where meek does young fawns and shaggy beevesA2
Ranged amid bracken but the House that toweredD2
Full nigh at hand for intercepting leavesA2
She still descried not so advancing underV
An arch of hornbeam stood in husht astonied wonderV
-
For there it rose as silent and abstractedD2
As though it nothing shared or had to sayA2
With those that shadow like have lived and actedD2
Upon the stage we call our later dayA2
From passing passions thoughtfully aloofM2
Through age not pride without lamenting or reproofM2
-
Then slowly timid tentative explorerV
Longing to see yet dreading to be seenL2
Asudden living figure rose before herV
Of manly mould and meditative mienL2
Modern withal with air of ancient portD2
As if the same bloodD2

Alfred Austin



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