A Castaway Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNIOPQRS TUB VFFF WXYZA2B2C2D2 E2FOJF2G2H2I2G2J2C2 K2FL2 M2BN2O2P2Q2R2S2FIFL2 T2U2 H2V2P2W2SX2Y2B FZ2A3B3HN2N2N2C3N2D3 T2E3F3H2N2G3FH2N2N2H 3A3I3N2G3F3N2N2J3N2K 3Q L3M3M2N2SN2N3W2N2O3N 2P3I3F Q3R3N2N2S3T3M3I2H2C3 N2N2H2SU3N2QH2N2 FV3W3X3N2P2T2 N2FP2C3F3Y3O3N2Y3H2 SN2N2T2SZ3FN2A2N2P3B 2FA4H2 I2B4N2N2N2N2M2W2 C4N2R3D4KE4QF4N2G4N2 FPoor little diary with its simple thoughts | A |
its good resolves its Studied French an hour | B |
Read Modern History Trimmed up my grey hat | C |
Darned stockings Tatted Practised my new song | D |
Went to the daily service Took Bess soup | E |
Went out to tea Poor simple diary | F |
and did I write it Was I this good girl | G |
this budding colourless young rose of home | H |
did I so live content in such a life | I |
seeing no larger scope nor asking it | J |
than this small constant round old clothes to mend | K |
new clothes to make then go and say my prayers | L |
or carry soup or take a little walk | M |
and pick the ragged robins in the hedge | N |
Then for ambition was there ever life | I |
that could forego that to improve my mind | O |
and know French better and sing harder songs | P |
for gaiety to go in my best white | Q |
well washed and starched and freshened with new bows | R |
and take tea out to meet the clergyman | S |
No wishes and no cares almost no hopes | T |
only the young girl's hazed and golden dreams | U |
that veil the Future from her | B |
- | |
So long since | V |
and now it seems a jest to talk of me | F |
as if I could be one with her of me | F |
who am me | F |
- | |
And what is that My looking glass | W |
answers it passably a woman sure | X |
no fiend no slimy thing out of the pools | Y |
a woman with a ripe and smiling lip | Z |
that has no venom in its touch I think | A2 |
with a white brow on which there is no brand | B2 |
a woman none dare call not beautiful | C2 |
not womanly in every woman's grace | D2 |
- | |
Aye let me feed upon my beauty thus | E2 |
be glad in it like painters when they see | F |
at last the face they dreamed but could not find | O |
look from their canvass on them triumph in it | J |
the dearest thing I have Why 'tis my all | F2 |
let me make much of it is it not this | G2 |
this beauty my own curse at once and tool | H2 |
to snare men's souls I know what the good say | I2 |
of beauty in such creatures is it not this | G2 |
that makes me feel myself a woman still | J2 |
some little pride some little | C2 |
- | |
Here's a jest | K2 |
what word will fit the sense but modesty | F |
A wanton I but modest | L2 |
- | |
Modest true | M2 |
I'm not drunk in the streets ply not for hire | B |
at infamous corners with my likenesses | N2 |
of the humbler kind yes modesty's my word | O2 |
'twould shape my mouth well too I think I'll try | P2 |
Sir Mr What you will Lord Who knows what | Q2 |
my present lover or my next to come | R2 |
value me at my worth fill your purse full | S2 |
for I am modest yes and honour me | F |
as though your schoolgirl sister or your wife | I |
could let her skirts brush mine or talk of me | F |
for I am modest | L2 |
- | |
Well I flout myself | T2 |
but yet but yet | U2 |
- | |
Fie poor fantastic fool | H2 |
why do I play the hypocrite alone | V2 |
who am no hypocrite with others by | P2 |
where should be my But yet I am that thing | W2 |
called half a dozen dainty names and none | S |
dainty enough to serve the turn and hide | X2 |
the one coarse English worst that lurks beneath | Y2 |
just that no worse no better | B |
- | |
And for me | F |
I say let no one be above her trade | Z2 |
I own my kindredship with any drab | A3 |
who sells herself as I although she crouch | B3 |
in fetid garrets and I have a home | H |
all velvet and marqueterie and pastilles | N2 |
although she hide her skeleton in rags | N2 |
and I set fashions and wear cobweb lace | N2 |
the difference lies but in my choicer ware | C3 |
that I sell beauty and she ugliness | N2 |
our traffic's one I'm no sweet slaver tongue | D3 |
to gloze upon it and explain myself | T2 |
a sort of fractious angel misconceived | E3 |
our traffic's one I own it And what then | F3 |
I know of worse that are called honourable | H2 |
Our lawyers who with noble eloquence | N2 |
and virtuous outbursts lie to hang a man | G3 |
or lie to save him which way goes the fee | F |
our preachers gloating on your future hell | H2 |
for not believing what they doubt themselves | N2 |
our doctors who sort poisons out by chance | N2 |
and wonder how they'll answer and grow rich | H3 |
our journalists whose business is to fib | A3 |
and juggle truths and falsehoods to and fro | I3 |
our tradesmen who must keep unspotted names | N2 |
and cheat the least like stealing that they can | G3 |
our all of them the virtuous worthy men | F3 |
who feed on the world's follies vices wants | N2 |
and do their businesses of lies and shams | N2 |
honestly reputably while the world | J3 |
claps hands and cries good luck which of their trades | N2 |
their honourable trades barefaced like mine | K3 |
all secrets brazened out would shew more white | Q |
- | |
And whom do I hurt more than they as much | L3 |
The wives Poor fools what do I take from them | M3 |
worth crying for or keeping If they knew | M2 |
what their fine husbands look like seen by eyes | N2 |
that may perceive there are more men than one | S |
But if they can let them just take the pains | N2 |
to keep them 'tis not such a mighty task | N3 |
to pin an idiot to your apron string | W2 |
and wives have an advantage over us | N2 |
the good and blind ones have the smile or pout | O3 |
leaves them no secret nausea at odd times | N2 |
Oh they could keep their husbands if they cared | P3 |
but 'tis an easier life to let them go | I3 |
and whimper at it for morality | F |
- | |
Oh those shrill carping virtues safely housed | Q3 |
from reach of even a smile that should put red | R3 |
on a decorous cheek who rail at us | N2 |
with such a spiteful scorn and rancourousness | N2 |
which maybe is half envy at the heart | S3 |
and boast themselves so measurelessly good | T3 |
and us so measurelessly unlike them | M3 |
what is their wondrous merit that they stay | I2 |
in comfortable homes whence not a soul | H2 |
has ever thought of tempting them and wear | C3 |
no kisses but a husband's upon lips | N2 |
there is no other man desires to kiss | N2 |
refrain in fact from sin impossible | H2 |
How dare they hate us so what have they done | S |
what borne to prove them other than we are | U3 |
What right have they to scorn us glass case saints | N2 |
Dianas under lock and key what right | Q |
more than the well fed helpless barn door fowl | H2 |
to scorn the larcenous wild birds | N2 |
- | |
Pshaw let be | F |
Scorn or no scorn what matter for their scorn | V3 |
I have outfaced my own that's harder work | W3 |
Aye let their virtuous malice dribble on | X3 |
mock snowstorms on the stage I'm proof long since | N2 |
I have looked coolly on my what and why | P2 |
and I accept myself | T2 |
- | |
Oh I'll endorse | N2 |
the shamefullest revilings mouthed at me | F |
cry True Oh perfect picture Yes that's I | P2 |
and add a telling blackness here and there | C3 |
and then dare swear you every nine of ten | F3 |
my judges and accusers I'd not change | Y3 |
my conscience against yours you who tread out | O3 |
your devil's pilgrimage along the roads | N2 |
that take in church and chapel and arrange | Y3 |
a roundabout and decent way to hell | H2 |
- | |
Well mine's a short way and a merry one | S |
so says my pious hash of ohs and ahs | N2 |
choice texts and choicer threats appropriate names | N2 |
Rahabs and Jezebels some fierce Tartuffe | T2 |
hurled at me through the post We had rare fun | S |
over that tract digested with champagne | Z3 |
Where is it where's my rich repertory | F |
of insults biblical 'I prey on souls' | N2 |
only my men have oftenest none I think | A2 |
'I snare the simple ones' but in these days | N2 |
there seem to be none simple and none snared | P3 |
and most men have their favourite sinnings planned | B2 |
to do them civilly and sensibly | F |
'I braid my hair' but braids are out of date | A4 |
'I paint my cheeks' I always wear them pale | H2 |
'I ' | - |
- | |
Pshaw the trash is savourless to day | I2 |
one cannot laugh alone There let it burn | B4 |
What does the windy dullard think one needs | N2 |
his wisdom dove tailed on to Solomon's | N2 |
his threats out threatening God's to teach the news | N2 |
that those who need not sin have safer souls | N2 |
We know it but we've bodies to save too | M2 |
and so we earn our living | W2 |
- | |
Well lit tract | C4 |
at least you've made me a good leaping blaze | N2 |
Up up how the flame shoots and now 'tis dead | R3 |
Oh proper finish preaching to the last | D4 |
no such bad omen either sudden end | K |
and no sad withering horrible old age | E4 |
How one would clutch at youth to hold it tight | Q |
and then to know it gone to see it gone | F4 |
be taught its absence by harsh careless looks | N2 |
to live forgotten solitary old | G4 |
the cruellest word that ever woman learns | N2 |
Old that's to be nothing or t | F |
Augusta Davies Webster
(1)
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