A Swimmer's Dream Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BABACCCA BDBDEEED FGFGHHHG IAIACCIA BABAAABA BABABBBA JBBJB AKKAK JBLBLBLBL IMIMIMIM CNCNCNCN BBBBBBBB BCBCBIIIB BABAOOBA BPBPBBBP BBBBBBBB

Somno mollior undaA
-
I-
Dawn is dim on the dark soft waterB
Soft and passionate dark and sweetA
Love's own self was the deep sea's daughterB
Fair and flawless from face to feetA
Hailed of all when the world was goldenC
Loved of lovers whose names beholdenC
Thrill men's eyes as with light of oldenC
Days more glad than their flight was fleetA
-
So they sang but for men that love herB
Souls that hear not her word in vainD
Earth beside her and heaven above herB
Seem but shadows that wax and waneD
Softer than sleep's are the sea's caressesE
Kinder than love's that betrays and blessesE
Blither than spring's when her flowerful tressesE
Shake forth sunlight and shine with rainD
-
All the strength of the waves that perishF
Swells beneath me and laughs and sighsG
Sighs for love of the life they cherishF
Laughs to know that it lives and diesG
Dies for joy of its life and livesH
Thrilled with joy that its brief death givesH
Death whose laugh or whose breath forgivesH
Change that bids it subside and riseG
-
II-
Hard and heavy remote but nearingI
Sunless hangs the severe sky's weightA
Cloud on cloud though the wind be veeringI
Heaped on high to the sundawn's gateA
Dawn and even and noon are oneC
Veiled with vapour and void of sunC
Nought in sight or in fancied hearingI
Now less mighty than time or fateA
-
The grey sky gleams and the grey seas glimmerB
Pale and sweet as a dream's delightA
As a dream's where darkness and light seem dimmerB
Touched by dawn or subdued by nightA
The dark wind stern and sublime and sadA
Swings the rollers to westward cladA
With lustrous shadow that lures the swimmerB
Lures and lulls him with dreams of lightA
-
Light and sleep and delight and wonderB
Change and rest and a charm of cloudA
Fill the world of the skies whereunderB
Heaves and quivers and pants aloudA
All the world of the waters hoaryB
Now but clothed with its own live gloryB
That mates the lightning and mocks the thunderB
With light more living and word more proudA
-
III-
Far off westward whither sets the sounding strifeJ
Strife more sweet than peace of shoreless waves whose gleeB
Scorns the shore and loves the wind that leaves them freeB
Strange as sleep and pale as death and fair as lifeJ
Shifts the moonlight coloured sunshine on the seaB
-
Toward the sunset's goal the sunless waters crowdA
Fast as autumn days toward winter yet it seemsK
Here that autumn wanes not here that woods and streamsK
Lose not heart and change not likeness chilled and bowedA
Warped and wrinkled here the days are fair as dreamsK
-
IVJ
O russet robed NovemberB
What ails thee so to smileL
Chill August pale SeptemberB
Endured a woful whileL
And fell as falls an emberB
From forth a flameless pileL
But golden girt NovemberB
Bids all she looks on smileL
-
The lustrous foliage waningI
As wanes the morning moonM
Here falling here refrainingI
Outbraves the pride of JuneM
With statelier semblance feigningI
No fear lest death be soonM
As though the woods thus waningI
Should wax to meet the moonM
-
As though when fields lie strickenC
By grey December's breathN
These lordlier growths that sickenC
And die for fear of deathN
Should feel the sense requickenC
That hears what springtide saithN
And thrills for love spring strickenC
And pierced with April's breathN
-
The keen white winged north easterB
That stings and spurs thy seaB
Doth yet but feed and feast herB
With glowing sense of gleeB
Calm chained her storm released herB
And storm's glad voice was heB
South wester or north easterB
Thy winds rejoice the seaB
-
VB
A dream a dream is it all the seasonC
The sky the water the wind the shoreB
A day born dream of divine unreasonC
A marvel moulded of sleep no moreB
For the cloudlike wave that my limbs while cleavingI
Feel as in slumber beneath them heavingI
Soothes the sense as to slumber leavingI
Sense of nought that was known of yoreB
-
A purer passion a lordlier leisureB
A peace more happy than lives on landA
Fulfils with pulse of diviner pleasureB
The dreaming head and the steering handA
I lean my cheek to the cold grey pillowO
The deep soft swell of the full broad billowO
And close mine eyes for delight past measureB
And wish the wheel of the world would standA
-
The wild winged hour that we fain would captureB
Falls as from heaven that its light feet clombP
So brief so soft and so full the raptureB
Was felt that soothed me with sense of homeP
To sleep to swim and to dream for everB
Such joy the vision of man saw neverB
For here too soon will a dark day severB
The sea bird's wing from the sea wave's foamP
-
A dream and more than a dream and dimmerB
At once and brighter than dreams that fleeB
The moment's joy of the seaward swimmerB
Abides remembered as truth may beB
Not all the joy and not all the gloryB
Must fade as leaves when the woods wax hoaryB
For there the downs and the sea banks glimmerB
And here to south of them swells the seaB

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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