The Poet's Apology Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCBDEEFFGGHIIJKLLM MIIGGNOOLLPPQQRRSTUU VWXXYYOOZZA2A2B2B2C2 C2D2D2E2NQQF2NG2G2EE H2H2BI2J2J2J2K2K2L2Z G2ZZZZM2M2N2N2N2UUUO 2O2P2P2G2G2G2G2| Our poet has never as yet | A |
| Esteemed it proper or fit | B |
| To detain you with a long | C |
| Encomiastic song | C |
| On his own superior wit | B |
| But being abused and accused | D |
| And attacked of late | E |
| As a foe of the State | E |
| He makes an appeal in his proper defense | F |
| To your voluble humor and temper and sense | F |
| With the following plea | G |
| Namely that he | G |
| Never attempted or ever meant | H |
| To scandalize | I |
| In any wise | I |
| Your mighty imperial government | J |
| Moreover he says | K |
| That in various ways | L |
| He presumes to have merited honor and praise | L |
| Exhorting you still to stick to your rights | M |
| And no more to be fooled with rhetorical flights | M |
| Such as of late each envoy tries | I |
| On the behalf of your allies | I |
| That come to plead their cause before ye | G |
| With fulsome phrase and a foolish story | G |
| Of 'violet crowns' and 'Athenian glory ' | N |
| With 'sumptuous Athens' at every word | O |
| 'Sumptuous Athens' is always heard | O |
| 'Sumptuous' ever a suitable phrase | L |
| For a dish of meat or a beast at graze | L |
| He therefore affirms | P |
| In confident terms | P |
| That his active courage and earnest zeal | Q |
| Have usefully served your common weal | Q |
| He has openly shown | R |
| The style and tone | R |
| Of your democracy ruling abroad | S |
| He has placed its practices on record | T |
| The tyrannical arts the knavish tricks | U |
| That poison all your politics | U |
| Therefore shall we see this year | V |
| The allies with tribute arriving here | W |
| Eager and anxious all to behold | X |
| Their steady protector the bard so bold | X |
| The bard they say that has dared to speak | Y |
| To attack the strong to defend the weak | Y |
| His fame in foreign climes is heard | O |
| And a singular instance lately occurred | O |
| It occurred in the case of the Persian king | Z |
| Sifting and cross examining | Z |
| The Spartan envoys He demanded | A2 |
| Which of the rival States commanded | A2 |
| The Grecian seas He asked them next | B2 |
| Wishing to see them more perplexed | B2 |
| Which of the two contending powers | C2 |
| Was chiefly abused by this bard of ours | C2 |
| For he said 'Such a bold so profound an adviser | D2 |
| By dint of abuse would render them wiser | D2 |
| More active and able and briefly that they | E2 |
| Must finally prosper and carry the day ' | N |
| Now mark the Lacedaemonian guile | Q |
| Demanding an insignificant isle | Q |
| 'AEgina ' they say 'for a pledge of peace | F2 |
| As a means to make all jealousy cease ' | N |
| Meanwhile their privy design and plan | G2 |
| Is solely to gain this marvelous man | G2 |
| Knowing his influence on your fate | E |
| By obtaining a hold on his estate | E |
| Situate in the isle aforesaid | H2 |
| Therefore there needs to be no more said | H2 |
| You know their intention and know that you know it | B |
| You'll keep to your island and stick to the poet | I2 |
| And he for his part | J2 |
| Will practice his art | J2 |
| With a patriot heart | J2 |
| With the honest views | K2 |
| That he now pursues | K2 |
| And fair buffoonery and abuse | L2 |
| Not rashly bespattering or basely beflattering | Z |
| Not pimping or puffing or acting the ruffian | G2 |
| Not sneaking or fawning | Z |
| But openly scorning | Z |
| All menace and warning | Z |
| All bribes and suborning | Z |
| He will do his endeavor on your behalf | M2 |
| He will teach you to think he will teach you to laugh | M2 |
| So Cleon again and again may try | N2 |
| I value him not nor fear him I | N2 |
| His rage and rhetoric I defy | N2 |
| His impudence his politics | U |
| His dirty designs his rascally tricks | U |
| No stain of abuse on me shall fix | U |
| Justice and right in his despite | O2 |
| Shall aid and attend me and do me right | O2 |
| With these to friend I ne'er will bend | P2 |
| Nor descend | P2 |
| To a humble tone | G2 |
| Like his own | G2 |
| As a sneaking loon | G2 |
| A knavish slavish poor poltroon | G2 |
Aristophanes
(1)
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About The Poet's Apology
The Poet's Apology is a poem by Aristophanes. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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