Ballade Of True Wisdom Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABBCBC ABABBCBC ABABBCBC D ECBC| While others are asking for beauty or fame | A |
| Or praying to know that for which they should pray | B |
| Or courting Queen Venus that affable dame | A |
| Or chasing the Muses the weary and grey | B |
| The sage has found out a more excellent way | B |
| To Pan and to Pallas his incense he showers | C |
| And his humble petition puts up day by day | B |
| For a house full of books and a garden of flowers | C |
| - | |
| Inventors may bow to the God that is lame | A |
| And crave from the fire on his stithy a ray | B |
| Philosophers kneel to the God without name | A |
| Like the people of Athens agnostics are they | B |
| The hunter a fawn to Diana will slay | B |
| The maiden wild roses will wreathe for the Hours | C |
| But the wise man will ask ere libation he pay | B |
| For a house full of books and a garden of flowers | C |
| - | |
| Oh grant me a life without pleasure or blame | A |
| As mortals count pleasure who rush through their day | B |
| With a speed to which that of the tempest is tame | A |
| O grant me a house by the beach of a bay | B |
| Where the waves can be surly in winter and play | B |
| With the sea weed in summer ye bountiful powers | C |
| And I'd leave all the hurry the noise and the fray | B |
| For a house full of books and a garden of flowers | C |
| - | |
| ENVOY | D |
| - | |
| Gods grant or withhold it your 'yea' and your 'nay' | E |
| Are immutable heedless of outcry of ours | C |
| But life IS worth living and here we would stay | B |
| For a house full of books and a garden of flowers | C |
Andrew Lang
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