Aholibah Poem Rhyme Scheme

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IN the beginning God made thee	A
A woman well to look upon	B
Thy tender body as a tree	A
Whereon cool wind hath always blown	C
Till the clean branches be well grown	C
	-
There was none like thee in the land	D
The girls that were thy bondwomen	C
Did bind thee with a purple band	D
Upon thy forehead that all men	C
Should know thee for God s handmaiden	C
	-
Strange raiment clad thee like a bride	E
With silk to wear on hands and feet	F
And plates of gold on either side	E
Wine made thee glad and thou didst eat	F
Honey and choice of pleasant meat	F
	-
And fishers in the middle sea	A
Did get thee sea fish and sea weeds	G
In colour like the robes on thee	A
And curious work of plaited reeds	G
And wools wherein live purple bleeds	G
	-
And round the edges of thy cup	H
Men wrought thee marvels out of gold	I
Strong snakes with lean throats lifted up	H
Large eyes whereon the brows had hold	I
And scaly things their slime kept cold	I
	-
For thee they blew soft wind in flutes	J
And ground sweet roots for cunning scent	K
Made slow because of many lutes	J
The wind among thy chambers went	K
Wherein no light was violent	L
	-
God called thy name Aholibah	M
His tabernacle being in thee	A
A witness through waste Asia	N
Thou wert a tent sewn cunningly	O
With gold and colours of the sea	A
	-
God gave thee gracious ministers	P
And all their work who plait and weave	Q
The cunning of embroiderers	P
That sew the pillow to the sleeve	Q
And likeness of all things that live	R
	-
Thy garments upon thee were fair	S
With scarlet and with yellow thread	T
Also the weaving of thine hair	S
Was as fine gold upon thy head	T
And thy silk shoes were sewn with red	T
	-
All sweet things he bade sift and ground	U
As a man grindeth wheat in mills	V
With strong wheels alway going round	U
He gave thee corn and grass that fills	V
The cattle on a thousand hills	V
	-
The wine of many seasons fed	T
Thy mouth and made it fair and clean	C
Sweet oil was poured out on thy head	T
And ran down like cool rain between	C
The strait close locks it melted in	C
	-
The strong men and the captains knew	C
Thy chambers wrought and fashioned	W
With gold and covering of blue	C
And the blue raiment of thine head	T
Who satest on a stately bed	T
	-
All these had on their garments wrought	X
The shape of beasts and creeping things	Y
The body that availeth not	Z
Flat backs of worms and vein d wings	Y
And the lewd bulk that sleeps and stings	Y
	-
Also the chosen of the years	A2
The multitude being at ease	B2
With sackbuts and with dulcimers	B2
And noise of shawms and psalteries	B2
Made mirth within the ears of these	B2
	-
But as a common woman doth	C2
Thou didst think evil and devise	B2
The sweet smell of thy breast and mouth	D2
Thou madest as the harlot s wise	B2
And there was painting on thine eyes	B2
	-
Yea in the woven guest chamber	E2
And by the painted passages	B2
Where the strange gracious paintings were	E2
State upon state of companies	B2
There came on thee the lust of these	B2
	-
Because of shapes on either wall	O
Sea coloured from some rare blue shell	O
At many a Tyrian interval	O
Horsemen on horses girdled well	O
Delicate and desirable	O
	-
Thou saidest I am sick of love	F2
Stay me with flagons comfort me	A
With apples for my pain thereof	F2
Till my hands gather in his tree	A
That fruit wherein my lips would be	A
	-
Yea saidest thou I will go up	H
When there is no more shade than one	C
May cover with a hollow cup	H
And make my bed against the sun	C
Till my blood s violence be done	C
	-
Thy mouth was leant upon the wall	O
Against the painted mouth thy chin	C
Touched the hair s painted curve and fall	O
Thy deep throat fallen lax and thin	C
Worked as the blood s beat worked therein	C
	-
Therefore O thou Aholibah	A
God is not glad because of thee	A
And thy fine gold shall pass away	G2
Like those fair coins of ore that be	A
Washed over by the middle sea	A
	-
Then will one make thy body bare	S
To strip it of all gracious things	B2
And pluck the cover from thine hair	S
And break the gift of many kings	B2
Thy wrist rings and thine ankle rings	B2
	-
Likewise the man whose body joins	B2
To thy smooth body as was said	T
Who hath a girdle on his loins	B2
And dyed attire upon his head	T
The same who seeing worshipped	H2
	-
Because thy face was like the face	B2
Of a clean maiden that smells sweet	F
Because thy gait was as the pace	B2
Of one that opens not her feet	F
And is not heard within the street	F
	-
Even he O thou Aholibah	A
Made separate from thy desire	E2
Shall cut thy nose and ears away	G2
And bruise thee for thy body s hire	E2
And burn the residue with fire	E2
	-
Then shall the heathen people say	G2
The multitude being at ease	B2
Lo this is that Aholibah	A
Whose name was blown among strange seas	B2
Grown old with soft adulteries	B2
	-
Also her bed was made of green	C
Her windows beautiful for glass	B2
That she had made her bed between	C
Yea for pure lust her body was	B2
Made like white summer coloured grass	B2
	-
Her raiment was a strong man s spoil	O
Upon a table by a bed	T
She set mine incense and mine oil	O
To be the beauty of her head	T
In chambers walled about with red	T
	-
Also between the walls she had	I2
Fair faces of strong men portrayed	J2
All girded round the loins and clad	I2
With several cloths of woven braid	J2
And garments marvellously made	J2
	-
Therefore the wrath of God shall be	A
Set as a watch upon her way	G2
And whoso findeth by the sea	A
Blown dust of bones will hardly say	G2
If this were that Aholibah	A

Algernon Charles Swinburne

Aholibah Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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