To The Gentle Reader Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AB BBBBBB CDC BB BEBEBB FGFGBB HIJIBB BKBKBB BIBIBB LMLBB| 'A French writer whom I love well speaks of three kinds of | A |
| companions men women and books ' Sir John Davys | B |
| - | |
| - | |
| Three kinds of companions men women and books | B |
| Were enough said the elderly Sage for his ends | B |
| And the women we deem that he chose for their looks | B |
| And the men for their cellars the books were his friends | B |
| 'Man delights me not ' often 'nor woman ' but books | B |
| Are the best of good comrades in loneliest nooks | B |
| - | |
| For man will be wrangling for woman will fret | C |
| About anything infinitesimal small | D |
| Like the Sage in our Plato I'm 'anxious to get | C |
| On the side' on the sunnier side 'of a wall ' | - |
| Let the wind of the world toss the nations like rooks | B |
| If only you'll leave me at peace with my Books | B |
| - | |
| And which are my books why 'tis much as you please | B |
| For given 'tis a book it can hardly be wrong | E |
| And Bradshaw himself I can study with ease | B |
| Though for choice I might call for a Sermon or Song | E |
| And Locker on London and Sala on Cooks | B |
| 'Tom Brown ' and Plotinus they're all of them Books | B |
| - | |
| There's Fielding to lap one in currents of mirth | F |
| There's Herrick to sing of a flower or a fay | G |
| Or good Maitre Francoys to bring one to earth | F |
| If Shelley or Coleridge have snatched one away | G |
| There's Muller on Speech there is Gurney on Spooks | B |
| There is Tylor on Totems there's all sorts of Books | B |
| - | |
| There's roaming in regions where every one's been | H |
| Encounters where no one was ever before | I |
| There's 'Leaves' from the Highlands we owe to the Queen | J |
| There's Holly's and Leo's adventures in Kor | I |
| There's Tanner who dwelt with Pawnees and Chinooks | B |
| You can cover a great deal of country in Books | B |
| - | |
| There are books highly thought of that nobody reads | B |
| There is Geusius' dearly delectable tome | K |
| Of the Cannibal he on his neighbour who feeds | B |
| And in blood red morocco 'tis bound by Derome | K |
| There's Montaigne here a Foppens there's Roberts on Flukes | B |
| There's Elzevirs Aldines and Gryphius' Books | B |
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| There's Bunyan there's Walton in early editions | B |
| There's many a quarto uncommonly rare | I |
| There's quaint old Quevedo adream with his visions | B |
| There's Johnson the portly and Burton the spare | I |
| There's Boston of Ettrick who preached of the 'Crooks | B |
| In the Lots' of us mortals who bargain for Books | B |
| - | |
| There's Ruskin to keep one exclaiming 'What next ' | - |
| There's Browning to puzzle and Gilbert to chaff | L |
| And Marcus Aurelius to soothe one if vexed | M |
| And good MARCUS TVAINUS to lend you a laugh | L |
| There be capital tomes that are filled with fly hooks | B |
| And I've frequently found them the best kind of Books | B |
Andrew Lang
(1)
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