Of Three Children Choosing - A Chaplet Of Verse Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCB DEDEDE FGFG HIHI JKJK LMLL IIII NBNB ALALCL LOLOLOLO POPOPOPOLOLLO QRQQR LSLS TPTP UVBV WXWX OIOI LOLO NLYLYYL LLLLLL ZA2B2A2OOOA2 C2LC2L IOIIO D2LD2L E2BE2B LOLO ILIL F2B2G2ZLZ LLLL H2H2LZB2LCCALIIIL

You and I and Burd so blitheA
Burd so blithe and you and IB
The Mower he would whet his scytheC
Before the dew was dryB
-
And he woke soon but we woke soonD
And drew the nursery blindE
All wondering at the waning moonD
With the small June roses twinedE
Low in her cradle swung the moonD
With an elfin dawn behindE
-
In whispers while our elders sleptF
We knelt and said our prayersG
And dress'd us and on tiptoe creptF
Adown the creaking stairsG
-
The world's possessors lay abedH
And all the world was oursI
Nay nay but hark the Mower's treadH
And we must save the flowersI
-
The Mower knew not rest nor hasteJ
That old unweary manK
But we were young We paused and racedJ
And gather'd while we ranK
-
O youth is careless youth is fleetL
With heart and wing of birdM
The lark flew up beneath our feetL
To his copse the pheasant whirr'dL
-
The cattle from their darkling lairsI
Heaved up and stretch'd themselvesI
Almost they trod at unawaresI
Upon the busy elvesI
-
That dropp'd their spools of gossamerN
To dangle and to dryB
And scurried home to the hollow firN
Where the white owl winks an eyeB
-
Nor you nor I nor Burd so blitheA
Had driven them in this hasteL
But the old old man so lean and litheA
That afar behind us pacedL
So lean and lithe with shoulder'd scytheC
And a whetstone at his waistL
-
Within the gate in a grassy roundL
Whence they had earliest flownO
He upside down'd his scythe and groundL
Its edge with careful honeO
But we heeded not if we heard the soundL
For the world was ours aloneO
The world was ours and with a boundL
The conquering Sun upshoneO
-
And while as from his level rayP
We stood our eyes to screenO
The world was not as yesterdayP
Our homelier world had beenO
So grey and golden green it layP
All in his quiet sheenO
That wove the gold into the greyP
The grey into the greenO
Sure never hand of Puck nor wandL
Of Mab the fairies' queenO
Nor prince nor peer of fairylandL
Had power to weave that wide ribandL
Of the grey the gold the greenO
-
But the Gods of Greece had been beforeQ
And walked our meads alongR
The great authentic Gods of yoreQ
That haunt the earth from shore to shoreQ
Trailing their robes of songR
-
And where a sandall'd foot had brush'dL
And where a scarfed hemS
The flowers awoke from sleep and rush'dL
Like children after themS
-
Pell mell they poured by vale and streamT
By lawn and steepy braeP
O children children while you dreamT
Your flowers run all awayP
-
But afar and abed and sleepilyU
The children heard us callV
And Burd so blithe and you and IB
Must be gatherers for allV
-
The meadow sweet beside the hedgeW
The dog rose and the vetchX
The sworded iris 'mid the sedgeW
The mallow by the ditchX
-
With these and by the wimpling burnO
Where the midges danced in reelsI
With the watermint and the lady fernO
We brimm'd out wicker creelsI
-
Till all so heavily they weigh'dL
On a bank we flung us downO
Shook out our treasures 'neath the shadeL
And wove this Triple CrownO
-
Flower after flower for some there wereN
The noonday heats had driedL
And some were dear yet could not bearY
A lovelier cheek besideL
And some were perfect past compareY
Ah darlings what a world of careY
It cost us to decideL
-
Natheless we sang in sweet accordL
Each bending o'er her bredeL
O there be flowers in OxenfordL
And flowers be north of TweedL
And flowers there be on earthly swardL
That owe no mortal seedL
-
And these the brightest that we woveZ
Were Innocence and TruthA2
And holy Peace and angel LoveB2
Glad Hope and gentle RuthA2
Ah bind them fast with triple twineO
Of Memory the wild woodbineO
That still being human stays divineO
And alone is age's youthA2
-
But hark but look the warning rookC2
Wings home in level flightL
The children tired with play and bookC2
Have kiss'd and call'd Good nightL
-
Ah sisters look What fields be theseI
That lie so sad and shornO
What hand has cut our coppicesI
And thro' the trimm'd the ruin'd treesI
Lets wail a wind forlornO
-
'Tis Time 'tis Time has done this crimeD2
And laid our meadows wasteL
The bent unwearied tyrant TimeD2
That knows nor rest nor hasteL
-
Yet courage children homeward bringE2
Your hearts your garlands highB
For we have dared to do a thingE2
That shall his worst defyB
-
We cannot nail the dial's handL
We cannot bind the sunO
By Gibeon to stay and standL
Or the moon o'er AjalonO
-
We cannot blunt th' abhorred shearsI
Nor shift the skeins of FateL
Nor say unto the posting yearsI
Ye shall not desolateL
-
We cannot cage the lion's rageF2
Nor teach the turtle doveB2
Beside what well his moan to tellG2
Or to haunt one only groveZ
But the lion's brood will range for foodL
As the fledged bird will roveZ
-
And east and west we three may wendL
Yet we a wreath have woundL
For us shall wind withouten endL
The wide wide world aroundL
-
Be it east or west and ne'er so farH2
In east or west shall peep no starH2
No blossom break from groundL
But minds us of the wreath we woveZ
Of innocence and holy loveB2
That in the meads we foundL
And handsell'd from the Mower's scytheC
And bound with memory's living witheC
You and I and Burd so blitheA
Three maidens on a moundL
And all of happiness was oursI
Shall find remembrance 'mid the flowersI
Shall take revival from the flowersI
And by the flowers be crown'dL

Arthur Thomas Quiller-couch



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