Before Dawn Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AAABAAAB CCCDAAAD EEEFAAAF EEEGHHHG CCCIJJJI KKKJAAAJ JJJLAAAL EEEGAAAG LLLLEEEL JJJMCCCM

SWEET LIFE if life were strongerA
Earth clear of years that wrong herA
Then two things might live longerA
Two sweeter things than theyB
Delight the rootless flowerA
And love the bloomless bowerA
Delight that lives an hourA
And love that lives a dayB
-
From evensong to daytimeC
When April melts in MaytimeC
Love lengthens out his playtimeC
Love lessens breath by breathD
And kiss by kiss grows olderA
On listless throat or shoulderA
Turned sideways now turned colderA
Than life that dreams of deathD
-
This one thing once worth givingE
Life gave and seemed worth livingE
Sin sweet beyond forgivingE
And brief beyond regretF
To laugh and love togetherA
And weave with foam and featherA
And wind and words the tetherA
Our memories play with yetF
-
Ah one thing worth beginningE
One thread in life worth spinningE
Ah sweet one sin worth sinningE
With all the whole soul s willG
To lull you till one stilled youH
To kiss you till one killed youH
To feed you till one filled youH
Sweet lips if love could fillG
-
To hunt sweet Love and lose himC
Between white arms and bosomC
Between the bud and blossomC
Between your throat and chinI
To say of shame what is itJ
Of virtue we can miss itJ
Of sin we can but kiss itJ
And it s no longer sinI
-
To feel the strong soul strickenK
Through fleshly pulses quickenK
Beneath swift sighs that thickenK
Soft hands and lips that smiteJ
Lips that no love can tireA
With hands that sting like fireA
Weaving the web DesireA
To snare the bird DelightJ
-
But love so lightly plightedJ
Our love with torch unlightedJ
Paused near us unaffrightedJ
Who found and left him freeL
None seeing us cloven in sunderA
Will weep or laugh or wonderA
Light love stands clear of thunderA
And safe from winds at seaL
-
As when late larks give warningE
Of dying lights and dawningE
Night murmurs to the morningE
Lie still O love lie stillG
And half her dark limbs coverA
The white limbs of her loverA
With amorous plumes that hoverA
And fervent lips that chillG
-
As scornful day repressesL
Night s void and vain caressesL
And from her cloudier tressesL
Unwinds the gold of hisL
With limbs from limbs dividingE
And breath by breath subsidingE
For love has no abidingE
But dies before the kissL
-
So hath it been so be itJ
For who shall live and flee itJ
But look that no man see itJ
Or hear it unawareM
Lest all who love and choose himC
See Love and so refuse himC
For all who find him lose himC
But all have found him fairM

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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