Astrophel Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCBCBBBBCDCDEEEEBBBB FGFGHIHIJDJDEKEKLMNM GOGOCBCBCBCBBIBI PQRSSSBBBTTTUUUBBBGG G EKEKVWVWGGGTTTTFEFEX XXYTYTFGFGQQQVGVGTMT M

After reading Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia in the garden of an old English manor houseA
-
I-
A star in the silence that followsB
The song of the death of the sunC
Speaks music in heaven and the hollowsB
And heights of the world are as oneC
One lyre that outsings and outlightensB
The rapture of sunset and thrillsB
Mute night till the sense of it brightensB
The soul that it fillsB
The flowers of the sun that is sunkenC
Hang heavy of heart as of headD
The bees that have eaten and drunkenC
The soul of their sweetness are fledD
But a sunflower of song on whose honeyE
My spirit has fed as a beeE
Makes sunnier than morning was sunnyE
The twilight for meE
The letters and lines on the pagesB
That sundered mine eyes and the flowersB
Wax faint as the shadows of agesB
That sunder their season and oursB
As the ghosts of the centuries that severF
A season of colourless timeG
From the days whose remembrance is everF
As they were sublimeG
The season that bred and that cherishedH
The soul that I commune with yetI
Had it utterly withered and perishedH
To rise not again as it setI
Shame were it that Englishmen livingJ
Should read as their forefathers readD
The books of the praise and thanksgivingJ
Of Englishmen deadD
O light of the land that adored theeE
And kindled thy soul with her breathK
Whose life such as fate would afford theeE
Was lovelier than aught but thy deathK
By what name could thy lovers but know itL
Might love of thee hail thee afarM
Philisides Astrophel poetN
Whose love was thy starM
A star in the moondawn of MaytimeG
A star in the cloudland of changeO
Too splendid and sad for the daytimeG
To cheer or eclipse or estrangeO
Too sweet for tradition or visionC
To see but through shadows of tearsB
Rise deathless across the divisionC
Of measureless yearsB
The twilight may deepen and hardenC
As nightward the stream of it runsB
Till starshine transfigure a gardenC
Whose radiance responds to the sun'sB
The light of the love of thee darkensB
The lights that arise and that setI
The love that forgets thee not hearkensB
If England forgetI
-
II-
Bright and brief in the sight of grief and love the light of thy lifetime shoneP
Seen and felt by the gifts it dealt the grace it gave and again was goneQ
Ay but now it is death not thou whom time has conquered as years pass onR
Ay not yet may the land forget that bore and loved thee and praised and weptS
Sidney lord of the stainless sword the name of names that her heart's love keptS
Fast as thine did her own a sign to light thy life till it sank and sleptS
Bright as then for the souls of men thy brave Arcadia resounds and shinesB
Lit with love that beholds above all joys and sorrows the steadfast signsB
Faith a splendour that hope makes tender and truth whose presage the soul divinesB
All the glory that girds the story of all thy life as with sunlight roundT
All the spell that on all souls fell who saw thy spirit and held them boundT
Lives for all that have heard the call and cadence yet of its music soundT
Music bright as the soul of light for wings an eagle for notes a doveU
Leaps and shines from the lustrous lines wherethrough thy soul from afar aboveU
Shone and sang till the darkness rang with light whose fire is the fount of loveU
Love that led thee alive and fed thy soul with sorrows and joys and fearsB
Love that sped thee alive and dead to fame's fair goal with thy peerless peersB
Feeds the flame of thy quenchless name with light that lightens the rayless yearsB
Dark as sorrow though night and morrow may lower with presage of clouded fameG
How may she that of old bare thee may Sidney's England be brought to shameG
How should this be while England is What need of answer beyond thy nameG
-
III-
From the love that transfigures thy gloryE
From the light of the dawn of thy deathK
The life of thy song and thy storyE
Took subtler and fierier breathK
And we though the day and the morrowV
Set fear and thanksgiving at strifeW
Hail yet in the star of thy sorrowV
The sun of thy lifeW
Shame and fear may beset men here and bid thanksgiving and pride be dumbG
Faith discrowned of her praise and wound about with toils till her life wax numbG
Scarce may see if the sundawn be if darkness die not and dayrise comeG
But England enmeshed and benettedT
With spiritless villainies roundT
With counsels of cowardice frettedT
With trammels of treason enwoundT
Is yet though the season be otherF
Than wept and rejoiced over theeE
Thine England thy lover thy motherF
Sublime as the seaE
Hers wast thou if her face be now less bright or seem for an hour less braveX
Let but thine on her darkness shine thy saviour spirit revive and saveX
Time shall see as the shadows flee her shame entombed in a shameful graveX
If death and not life were the portalY
That opens on life at the lastT
If the spirit of Sidney were mortalY
And the past of it utterly pastT
Fear stronger than honour was everF
Forgetfulness mightier than fameG
Faith knows not if England should neverF
Subside into shameG
Yea but yet is thy sun not set thy sunbright spirit of trust withdrawnQ
England's love of thee burns above all hopes that darken or fears that fawnQ
Hers thou art and the faithful heart that hopes begets upon darkness dawnQ
The sunset that sunrise will followV
Is less than the dream of a dreamG
The starshine on height and on hollowV
Sheds promise that dawn shall redeemG
The night if the daytime would hide itT
Shows lovelier aflame and afarM
Thy soul and thy Stella's beside itT
A star by a starM

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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