A Ballad Of Burdens Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABBCBC DEDEEDED FGFHHDHD DIDIIDID HJHJKDJD BGBGGDGD ELELLDLD AMAMMDMD NANAADAD O HDHDThe burden of fair women Vain delight | A |
And love self slain in some sweet shameful way | B |
And sorrowful old age that comes by night | A |
As a thief comes that has no heart by day | B |
And change that finds fair cheeks and leaves them grey | B |
And weariness that keeps awake for hire | C |
And grief that says what pleasure used to say | B |
This is the end of every man's desire | C |
- | |
The burden of bought kisses This is sore | D |
A burden without fruit in childbearing | E |
Between the nightfall and the dawn threescore | D |
Threescore between the dawn and evening | E |
The shuddering in thy lips the shuddering | E |
In thy sad eyelids tremulous like fire | D |
Makes love seem shameful and a wretched thing | E |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
The burden of sweet speeches Nay kneel down | F |
Cover thy head and weep for verily | G |
These market men that buy thy white and brown | F |
In the last days shall take no thought for thee | H |
In the last days like earth thy face shall be | H |
Yea like sea marsh made thick with brine and mire | D |
Sad with sick leavings of the sterile sea | H |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
The burden of long living Thou shalt fear | D |
Waking and sleeping mourn upon thy bed | I |
And say at night Would God the day were here | D |
And say at dawn Would God the day were dead | I |
With weary days thou shalt be clothed and fed | I |
And wear remorse of heart for thine attire | D |
Pain for thy girdle and sorrow upon thine head | I |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
The burden of bright colours Thou shalt see | H |
Gold tarnished and the grey above the green | J |
And as the thing thou seest thy face shall be | H |
And no more as the thing beforetime seen | J |
And thou shalt say of mercy It hath been | K |
And living watch the old lips and loves expire | D |
And talking tears shall take thy breath between | J |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
The burden of sad sayings In that day | B |
Thou shalt tell all thy days and hours and tell | G |
Thy times and ways and words of love and say | B |
How one was dear and one desirable | G |
And sweet was life to hear and sweet to smell | G |
But now with lights reverse the old hours retire | D |
And the last hour is shod with fire from hell | G |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
The burden of four seasons Rain in spring | E |
White rain and wind among the tender trees | L |
A summer of green sorrows gathering | E |
Rank autumn in a mist of miseries | L |
With sad face set towards the year that sees | L |
The charred ash drop out of the dropping pyre | D |
And winter wan with many maladies | L |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
The burden of dead faces Out of sight | A |
And out of love beyond the reach of hands | M |
Changed in the changing of the dark and light | A |
They walk and weep about the barren lands | M |
Where no seed is nor any garner stands | M |
Where in short breaths the doubtful days respire | D |
And time's turned glass lets through the sighing sands | M |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
The burden of much gladness Life and lust | N |
Forsake thee and the face of thy delight | A |
And underfoot the heavy hour strews dust | N |
And overhead strange weathers burn and bite | A |
And where the red was lo the bloodless white | A |
And where the truth was the likeness of a liar | D |
And where the day was the likeness of the night | A |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
- | |
L'ENVOY | O |
- | |
Princes and ye whom pleasure quickeneth | H |
Heed well this rhyme before your pleasure tire | D |
For life is sweet but after life is death | H |
This is the end of every man's desire | D |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
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