Blessed Among Women --to The Signora Cairoli Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABCCBDD EEFGGFHH IJKLMKNN OOEPPEQQ RRSQQSTT UVWXXWNN YYBHHBZZ WWA2QQA2B2B2 KKHKKHC2C2 AAD2OOD2A2A2 KKE2F2F2F2BB F2F2F2A2A2F2A2A2 A2A2KA2A2KF2F2 G2G2F2F2F2F2H2H2 A2A2I2F2F2I2J2J2 KKHK2QHHH A2A2A2L2L2A2HH F2F2M2F2F2M2A2A2 F2F2A2N2N2A2F2F2 OOF2HHF2JI A2A2QKKQF2F2

Blessed was she that bareA
Hidden in flesh most fairA
For all men's sake the likeness of all loveB
Holy that virgin's wombC
The old record saith on whomC
The glory of God alighted as a doveB
Blessed who brought to gracious birthD
The sweet souled Saviour of a man tormented earthD
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But four times art thou blestE
At whose most holy breastE
Four times a godlike soldier saviour hungF
And thence a fourfold ChristG
Given to be sacrificedG
To the same cross as the same bosom clungF
Poured the same blood to leave the sameH
Light on the many folded mountain skirts of fameH
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Shall they and thou not liveI
The children thou didst giveJ
Forth of thine hands a godlike gift to deathK
Through fire of death to passL
For her high sake that wasM
Thine and their mother that gave all you breathK
Shall ye not live till time drop deadN
O mother and each her children's consecrated headN
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Many brought gifts to takeO
For her love's supreme sakeO
Life and life's love pleasure and praise and restE
And went forth bare but thouP
So much once richer and nowP
Poorer than all these more than these be blestE
Poorer so much by so much givenQ
Than who gives earth for heaven's sake not for earth's sake heavenQ
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Somewhat could each soul saveR
What thing soever it gaveR
But thine mother what has thy soul kept backS
None of thine all not oneQ
To serve thee and be thy sonQ
Feed with love all thy days lest one day lackS
All thy whole life's love thine heart's wholeT
Thou hast given as who gives gladly O thou the supreme soulT
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The heart's pure flesh and bloodU
The heaven thy motherhoodV
The live lips the live eyes that lived on theeW
The hands that clove with sweetX
Blind clutch to thine the feetX
That felt on earth their first way to thy kneeW
The little laughter of mouths milk fedN
Now open again to feed on dust among the deadN
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The fair strong young men's strengthY
Light of life days and lengthY
And glory of earth seen under and stars aboveB
And years that bring to tameH
Now the wild falcon fameH
Now to stroke smooth the dove white breast of loveB
The life unlived the unsown seedsZ
Suns unbeholden songs unsung and undone deedsZ
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Therefore shall man's love beW
As an own son to theeW
And the world's worship of thee for a childA2
All thine own land as oneQ
New born a nursing sonQ
All thine own people a new birth undefiledA2
And all the unborn Italian timeB2
And all its glory and all its works thy seed sublimeB2
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That henceforth no man's breathK
Saying Italy but saithK
In that most sovereign word thine equal nameH
Nor can one speak of theeK
But he saith ItalyK
Seeing in two suns one co eternal flameH
One heat one heaven one heart one fireC2
One light one love one benediction one desireC2
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Blest above praise and prayerA
And incense of men's airA
Thy place is higher than where such voices riseD2
As in men's temples makeO
Music for some vain sakeO
This God's or that God's in one weary wiseD2
Thee the soul silent the shut heartA2
The locked lips of the spirit praise thee that thou artA2
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Yea for man's whole life's lengthK
And with man's whole soul's strengthK
We praise thee O holy and bless thee O mother of lightsE2
And send forth as on wingsF2
The world's heart's thanksgivingsF2
Song birds to sing thy days through and thy nightsF2
And wrap thee around and arch thee aboveB
With the air of benediction and the heaven of loveB
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And toward thee our unbreathed wordsF2
Fly speechless winged as birdsF2
As the Indian flock children of ParadiseF2
The winged things without feetA2
Fed with God's dew for meatA2
That live in the air and light of the utter skiesF2
So fleet so flying a footless flightA2
With wings for feet love seeks thee to partake thy sightA2
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Love like a clear sky spreadA2
Bends over thy loved headA2
As a new heaven bends over a new born earthK
When the old night's womb is greatA2
With young stars passionateA2
And fair new planets fiery fresh from birthK
And moon white here there hot like MarsF2
Souls that are worlds shine on thee spirits that are starsF2
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Till the whole sky burns throughG2
With heaven's own heart deep hueG2
With passion coloured glories of lit soulsF2
And thine above all namesF2
Writ highest with lettering flamesF2
Lightens and all the old starriest aureolesF2
And all the old holiest memories waneH2
And the old names of love's chosen found in thy sight vainH2
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And crowned heads are discrownedA2
And stars sink without soundA2
And love's self for thy love's sake waxes paleI2
Seeing from his storied skiesF2
In what new reverent wiseF2
Thee Rome's most highest her sovereign daughters hailI2
Thee Portia thee Veturia greyJ2
Thee Arria thee Cornelia Roman more than theyJ2
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Even all these as all weK
Subdue themselves to theeK
Bow their heads haloed quench their fiery fameH
Seen through dim years divineK2
Their faint lights feminineQ
Sink then spring up rekindled from thy flameH
Fade then reflower and reillumeH
From thy fresh spring their wintering age with new blown bloomH
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To thy much holier headA2
Even theirs the holy and deadA2
Bow themselves each one from her heavenward heightA2
Each in her shining turnL2
All tremble toward thee and yearnL2
To melt in thine their consummated lightA2
Till from day's Capitolian domeH
One glory of many glories lighten upon RomeH
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Hush thyself song and ceaseF2
Close lips and hold your peaceF2
What help hast thou what part have ye hereinM2
But you with sweet shut eyesF2
Heart hidden memoriesF2
Dreams and dumb thoughts that keep what things have beenM2
Silent and pure of all words saidA2
Praise without song the living without dirge the deadA2
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Thou strengthless in these thingsF2
Song fold thy feebler wingsF2
And as a pilgrim go forth girt and shodA2
And where the new graves areN2
And where the sunset starN2
To the pure spirit of man that men call GodA2
To the high soul of things that isF2
Made of men's heavenlier hopes and mightier memoriesF2
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To the elements that makeO
For the soul's living sakeO
This raiment of dead things of shadow and tranceF2
That give us chance and timeH
Wherein to aspire and climbH
And set our life's work higher than time or chanceF2
The old sacred elements that giveJ
The breath of life to days that die to deeds that liveI
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To them veiled gods and greatA2
There bow thee and dedicateA2
The speechless spirit in these thy weak words hiddenQ
And mix thy reverent breathK
With holier air of deathK
At the high feast of sorrow a guest unbiddenQ
Till with divine triumphal tearsF2
Thou fill men's eyes who listen with a heart that hearsF2

Algernon Charles Swinburne



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