A Ballad Of Burdens Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABBCBC DEDEEDED FGFHHDHD DIDIIDID HJHJKDJD BGBGGDGD ELELLDLD AMAMMDMD NANAADAD O HDHD

The burden of fair women Vain delightA
And love self slain in some sweet shameful wayB
And sorrowful old age that comes by nightA
As a thief comes that has no heart by dayB
And change that finds fair cheeks and leaves them greyB
And weariness that keeps awake for hireC
And grief that says what pleasure used to sayB
This is the end of every man's desireC
-
The burden of bought kisses This is soreD
A burden without fruit in childbearingE
Between the nightfall and the dawn threescoreD
Threescore between the dawn and eveningE
The shuddering in thy lips the shudderingE
In thy sad eyelids tremulous like fireD
Makes love seem shameful and a wretched thingE
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
The burden of sweet speeches Nay kneel downF
Cover thy head and weep for verilyG
These market men that buy thy white and brownF
In the last days shall take no thought for theeH
In the last days like earth thy face shall beH
Yea like sea marsh made thick with brine and mireD
Sad with sick leavings of the sterile seaH
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
The burden of long living Thou shalt fearD
Waking and sleeping mourn upon thy bedI
And say at night Would God the day were hereD
And say at dawn Would God the day were deadI
With weary days thou shalt be clothed and fedI
And wear remorse of heart for thine attireD
Pain for thy girdle and sorrow upon thine headI
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
The burden of bright colours Thou shalt seeH
Gold tarnished and the grey above the greenJ
And as the thing thou seest thy face shall beH
And no more as the thing beforetime seenJ
And thou shalt say of mercy It hath beenK
And living watch the old lips and loves expireD
And talking tears shall take thy breath betweenJ
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
The burden of sad sayings In that dayB
Thou shalt tell all thy days and hours and tellG
Thy times and ways and words of love and sayB
How one was dear and one desirableG
And sweet was life to hear and sweet to smellG
But now with lights reverse the old hours retireD
And the last hour is shod with fire from hellG
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
The burden of four seasons Rain in springE
White rain and wind among the tender treesL
A summer of green sorrows gatheringE
Rank autumn in a mist of miseriesL
With sad face set towards the year that seesL
The charred ash drop out of the dropping pyreD
And winter wan with many maladiesL
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
The burden of dead faces Out of sightA
And out of love beyond the reach of handsM
Changed in the changing of the dark and lightA
They walk and weep about the barren landsM
Where no seed is nor any garner standsM
Where in short breaths the doubtful days respireD
And time's turned glass lets through the sighing sandsM
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
The burden of much gladness Life and lustN
Forsake thee and the face of thy delightA
And underfoot the heavy hour strews dustN
And overhead strange weathers burn and biteA
And where the red was lo the bloodless whiteA
And where the truth was the likeness of a liarD
And where the day was the likeness of the nightA
This is the end of every man's desireD
-
L'ENVOYO
-
Princes and ye whom pleasure quickenethH
Heed well this rhyme before your pleasure tireD
For life is sweet but after life is deathH
This is the end of every man's desireD

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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