Eight Years Old Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBABAB D BABABCBA D ABCBABAB E BABABABC E CBABABAB E BABCBABA E ABABABCB E BABABCBASUN whom the faltering snow cloud fears | A |
Rise let the time of year be May | B |
Speak now the word that April hears | C |
Let March have all his royal way | B |
Bid all spring raise in winter s ears | A |
All tunes her children hear or play | B |
Because the crown of eight glad years | A |
On one bright head is set to day | B |
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II | D |
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What matters cloud or sun to day | B |
To him who wears the wreath of years | A |
So many and all like flowers at play | B |
With wind and sunshine while his ears | A |
Hear only song on every way | B |
More sweet than spring triumphant hears | C |
Ring through the revel rout of May | B |
Are these the notes that winter fears | A |
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III | D |
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Strong hearted winter knows and fears | A |
The music made of love at play | B |
Or haply loves the tune he hears | C |
From hearts fulfilled with flowering May | B |
Whose molten music thaws his ears | A |
Late frozen deaf but yesterday | B |
To sounds of dying and dawning years | A |
Now quickened on his deathward way | B |
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IV | E |
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For deathward now lies winter s way | B |
Down the green vestibule of years | A |
That each year brightens day by day | B |
With flower and shower till hope scarce fears | A |
And fear grows wholly hope of May | B |
But we the music in our ears | A |
Made of love s pulses as they play | B |
The heart alone that makes it hears | C |
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V | E |
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The heart it is that plays and hears | C |
High salutation of to day | B |
Tongue falters hand shrinks back song fears | A |
Its own unworthiness to play | B |
Fit music for those eight sweet years | A |
Or sing their blithe accomplished way | B |
No song quite worth a young child s ears | A |
Broke ever even from birds in May | B |
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VI | E |
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There beats not in the heart of May | B |
When summer hopes and springtide fears | A |
There falls not from the height of day | B |
When sunlight speaks and silence hears | C |
So sweet a psalm as children play | B |
And sing each hour of all their years | A |
Each moment of their lovely way | B |
And know not how it thrills our ears | A |
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VII | E |
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Ah child what are we that our ears | A |
Should hear you singing on your way | B |
Should have this happiness The years | A |
Whose hurrying wings about us play | B |
Are not like yours whose flower time fears | A |
Nought worse than sunlit showers in May | B |
Being sinless as the spring that hears | C |
Her own heart praise her every day | B |
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VIII | E |
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Yet we too triumph in the day | B |
That bare to entrance our eyes and ears | A |
To lighten daylight and to play | B |
Such notes as darkness knows and fears | A |
The child whose face illumes our way | B |
Whose voice lifts up the heart that hears | C |
Whose hand is as the hand of May | B |
To bring us flowers from eight full years | A |
Algernon Charles Swinburne
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