A Pindaric Ode Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABBCCDDAAEE A FFGGHHIIJJ K LMLMNNOPPOQQ A RRSSGGTTUU A VVWWXXYYBB K NNZZA2A2B2C2C2B2D2D2 A JJBBE2E2GGJJ A F2F2G2G2ZZE2E2SS K H2I2H2H2E2E2JJ2JJF2F 2 A JJK2K2E2E2L2M2H2H2 A J2J2JJH2H2N2N2XX H2 H2O2H2O2H2H2P2SSQ2R2 R2THE TURN | A |
Brave infant of Saguntum clear | B |
Thy coming forth in that great year | B |
When the prodigious Hannibal did crown | C |
His rage with razing your immortal town | C |
Thou looking then about | D |
Ere thou wert half got out | D |
Wise child didst hastily return | A |
And mad'st thy mother's womb thine urn | A |
How summ'd a circle didst thou leave mankind | E |
Of deepest lore could we the centre find | E |
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THE COUNTER TURN | A |
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Did wiser nature draw thee back | F |
From out the horror of that sack | F |
Where shame faith honour and regard of right | G |
Lay trampled on The deeds of death and night | G |
Urg'd hurried forth and hurl'd | H |
Upon th' affrighted world | H |
Sword fire and famine with fell fury met | I |
And all on utmost ruin set | I |
As could they but life's miseries foresee | J |
No doubt all infants would return like thee | J |
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THE STAND | K |
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For what is life if measur'd by the space | L |
Not by the act | M |
Or masked man if valu'd by his face | L |
Above his fact | M |
Here's one outliv'd his peers | N |
And told forth fourscore years | N |
He vexed time and busied the whole state | O |
Troubled both foes and friends | P |
But ever to no ends | P |
What did this stirrer but die late | O |
How well at twenty had he fall'n or stood | Q |
For three of his four score he did no good | Q |
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THE TURN | A |
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He enter'd well by virtuous parts | R |
Got up and thriv'd with honest arts | R |
He purchas'd friends and fame and honours then | S |
And had his noble name advanc'd with men | S |
But weary of that flight | G |
He stoop'd in all men's sight | G |
To sordid flatteries acts of strife | T |
And sunk in that dead sea of life | T |
So deep as he did then death's waters sup | U |
But that the cork of title buoy'd him up | U |
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THE COUNTER TURN | A |
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Alas but Morison fell young | V |
He never fell thou fall'st my tongue | V |
He stood a soldier to the last right end | W |
A perfect patriot and a noble friend | W |
But most a virtuous son | X |
All offices were done | X |
By him so ample full and round | Y |
In weight in measure number sound | Y |
As though his age imperfect might appear | B |
His life was of humanity the sphere | B |
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THE STAND | K |
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Go now and tell out days summ'd up with fears | N |
And make them years | N |
Produce thy mass of miseries on the stage | Z |
To swell thine age | Z |
Repeat of things a throng | A2 |
To show thou hast been long | A2 |
Not liv'd for life doth her great actions spell | B2 |
By what was done and wrought | C2 |
In season and so brought | C2 |
To light her measures are how well | B2 |
Each syllabe answer'd and was form'd how fair | D2 |
These make the lines of life and that's her air | D2 |
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THE TURN | A |
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It is not growing like a tree | J |
In bulk doth make men better be | J |
Or standing long an oak three hundred year | B |
To fall a log at last dry bald and sear | B |
A lily of a day | E2 |
Is fairer far in May | E2 |
Although it fall and die that night | G |
It was the plant and flower of light | G |
In small proportions we just beauties see | J |
And in short measures life may perfect be | J |
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THE COUNTER TURN | A |
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Call noble Lucius then for wine | F2 |
And let thy looks with gladness shine | F2 |
Accept this garland plant it on thy head | G2 |
And think nay know thy Morison's not dead | G2 |
He leap'd the present age | Z |
Possest with holy rage | Z |
To see that bright eternal day | E2 |
Of which we priests and poets say | E2 |
Such truths as we expect for happy men | S |
And there he lives with memory and Ben | S |
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THE STAND | K |
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Jonson who sung this of him ere he went | H2 |
Himself to rest | I2 |
Or taste a part of that full joy he meant | H2 |
To have exprest | H2 |
In this bright asterism | E2 |
Where it were friendship's schism | E2 |
Were not his Lucius long with us to tarry | J |
To separate these twi | J2 |
Lights the Dioscuri | J |
And keep the one half from his Harry | J |
But fate doth so alternate the design | F2 |
Whilst that in heav'n this light on earth must shine | F2 |
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THE TURN | A |
- | |
And shine as you exalted are | J |
Two names of friendship but one star | J |
Of hearts the union and those not by chance | K2 |
Made or indenture or leas'd out t' advance | K2 |
The profits for a time | E2 |
No pleasures vain did chime | E2 |
Of rhymes or riots at your feasts | L2 |
Orgies of drink or feign'd protests | M2 |
But simple love of greatness and of good | H2 |
That knits brave minds and manners more than blood | H2 |
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THE COUNTER TURN | A |
- | |
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This made you first to know the why | J2 |
You lik'd then after to apply | J2 |
That liking and approach so one the t'other | J |
Till either grew a portion of the other | J |
Each styled by his end | H2 |
The copy of his friend | H2 |
You liv'd to be the great surnames | N2 |
And titles by which all made claims | N2 |
Unto the virtue nothing perfect done | X |
But as a Cary or a Morison | X |
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THE STAND | H2 |
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And such a force the fair example had | H2 |
As they that saw | O2 |
The good and durst not practise it were glad | H2 |
That such a law | O2 |
Was left yet to mankind | H2 |
Where they might read and find | H2 |
Friendship indeed was written not in words | P2 |
And with the heart not pen | S |
Of two so early men | S |
Whose lines her rolls were and records | Q2 |
Who ere the first down bloomed on the chin | R2 |
Had sow'd these fruits and got the harvest in | R2 |
Ben Jonson
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