Times Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGHHIIFFJ JKKLLMBHHHHFFHHNNHHH HOOPPQQPPHHRRPPHHFFP PNNPPCC HHQQHHHHNNST HHPPNNPPPPPPUVWX NNHHYYTQZZHHFFNNRRA2 A2PPPPB2B2C2C2NNHHD2 D2 QQHHHPB2E2RRHHF2E2 HHG2H2PP QQHHAAPPH2H2PPD2D2 PPQQFFHHHI2The Time hath been a boyish blushing Time | A |
When Modesty was scarcely held a crime | A |
When the most Wicked had some touch of grace | B |
And trembled to meet Virtue face to face | B |
When Those who in the cause of Sin grown grey | C |
Had serv'd her without grudging day by day | C |
Were yet so weak an awkward shame to feel | D |
And strove that glorious service to conceal | D |
We better bred and than our Sires more wise | E |
Such paltry narrowness of soul despise | E |
To Virtue ev'ry mean pretence disclaim | F |
Lay bare our crimes and glory in our shame | F |
G | |
ITALIA nurse of ev'ry softer art | H |
Who feigning to refine unmans the heart | H |
Who lays the realms of Sense and Virtue waste | I |
Who marrs whilst she pretends to mend our taste | I |
ITALIA to compleat and crown our shame | F |
Sends us a Fiend and LEGION is his name | F |
The Farce of greatness without being great | J |
Pride without Pow'r Titles without Estate | J |
Souls without vigour Bodies without force | K |
Hate without case Revenge without remorse | K |
Dark mean Revenge Murder without defence | L |
Jealousy without Love Sound without Sense | L |
Mirth without Humour without Wit Grimace | M |
Faith without Reason Gospel without Grace | B |
Zeal without Knowledge without Nature Art | H |
Men without Manhood Women without Heart | H |
Half Men who dry and pithless are debarr'd | H |
From Man's best joys no sooner made than marr'd | H |
Half Men whom many a rich and noble Dame | F |
To serve her lust and yet secure her fame | F |
Keeps on high diet as We Capons feed | H |
To glut our appetites at last decreed | H |
Women who dance in postures so obscene | N |
They might awaken shame in ARETINE | N |
Who when retir'd from the day's piercing light | H |
They celebrate the mysteries of night | H |
Might make the Muses in a corner plac'd | H |
To view their monstrous lusts deem SAPPHO chaste | H |
These and a thousand follies rank as these | O |
A thousand faults ten thousand Fools who please | O |
Our pall'd and sickly taste ten thousand knaves | P |
Who serve our foes as spies and us as slaves | P |
Who by degrees and unperceiv'd prepare | Q |
Our necks for chains which they already wear | Q |
Madly we entertain at the expence | P |
Of Fame of Virtue Taste and Common Sense | P |
Nor stop we here the soft luxurious EAST | H |
Where Man his soul degraded from the Beast | H |
In nothing diff'rent but in shape we view | R |
They walk on four legs and he walks on two | R |
Attracts our eye and flowing from that source | P |
Sins of the blackest character Sins worse | P |
Than all her plagues which truly to unfold | H |
Would make the best blood in my veins run cold | H |
And strike all Manhood dead which but to name | F |
Would call up in my cheeks the marks of shame | F |
Sins if such Sins can be which shut out grace | P |
Which for the guilty leave no hope no place | P |
E'en in God's mercy Sins 'gainst Nature's plan | N |
Possess the land at large and Man for Man | N |
Burn in those fires which Hell alone could raise | P |
To make him more than damn'd which in the days | P |
Of punishment when guilt becomes her prey | C |
With all her tortures she can scarce repay | C |
- | |
Be Grace shut out be Mercy deaf let God | H |
With tenfold terrors arms that dreadful nod | H |
Which speaks them lost and sentenc'd to despair | Q |
Distending wide her jaws let Hell prepare | Q |
For Those who thus offend amongst Mankind | H |
A fire more fierce and tortures more refin'd | H |
On Earth which groans beneath their monstrous weight | H |
On Earth alas They meet a diff'rent fate | H |
And whilst the laws false grace false mercy shewn | N |
Are taught to wear a softness not their own | N |
Men whom the Beasts would spurn should they appear | S |
Amongst the honest herd find refuge here | T |
- | |
No longer by vain fear or shame controul'd | H |
From long too long security grown bold | H |
Mocking rebuke they brave it in our streets | P |
And LUMLEY e'en at noon his mistress meets | P |
So public in their crimes so daring grown | N |
They almost take a pride to have them known | N |
And each unnat'ral Villain scarce endures | P |
To make a secret of his vile amours | P |
Go where We will at ev'ry time and place | P |
SODOM confronts and stares us in the face | P |
They ply in public at our very doors | P |
And take the bread from much more honest Whores | P |
Those who are mean high Paramours secure | U |
And the rich guilty screen the guilty poor | V |
The Sin too proud to feel from Reason awe | W |
And Those who practise it too great for Law | X |
- | |
Woman the pride and happiness of Man | N |
Without whose soft endearments Nature's plan | N |
Had been a blank and Life not worth a thought | H |
Woman by all the Loves and Graces taught | H |
With softest arts and sure tho' hidden skill | Y |
To humanize and mould us to her will | Y |
Woman with more than common grace form'd here | T |
With the persuasive language of a tear | Q |
To melt the rugged temper of our Isle | Z |
Or win us to her purpose with a smile | Z |
Woman by fate the quickest spur decreed | H |
The fairest best reward of ev'ry deed | H |
Which bears the stamp of hoinour at whose name | F |
Our antient Heroes caught a quicker flame | F |
And dar'd beyond belief whilst o'er the plain | N |
Spurning the carcases of Princes slain | N |
Confusion proudly strode whilst Horror blew | R |
The fatal trump and Death stalk'd full in view | R |
Woman is out of date a thing thrown by | A2 |
As having lost its use No more the Eye | A2 |
With female beauty caught in wild amaze | P |
Gazes entranc'd and could for ever gaze | P |
No more the Heart that seat where Love resides | P |
Each breath drawn quick and short in fuller tides | P |
Life posting thro' the veins each pulse on fire | B2 |
And the whole body tingling with desire | B2 |
Pants for those charms which Virtue might engage | C2 |
To break his vow and thaw the frost of age | C2 |
Bidding each trembling nerve each muscle strain | N |
And giving pleasure which is almost pain | N |
Women are kept for nothing but the breed | H |
For pleasure we must have a GANYMEDE | H |
A fine fresh HYLAS a delicious boy | D2 |
To serve our purposes of beastly joy | D2 |
- | |
Fairest of Nymphs where ev're Nymph is fair | Q |
Whom Nature form'd with more than common care | Q |
With more than common care whom Art improv'd | H |
And both declar'd most worthy to be lov'd | H |
neglected wanders whilst a croud | H |
Pursue and consecrate the steps | P |
She hapless maid born in a wretched hour | B2 |
Wastes life's gay prime in vain like some fair flow'r | E2 |
Sweet in its scent and lively in its hue | R |
Which withers on the stalk from whence it grew | R |
And dies uncropp'd whilst He admir'd caress'd | H |
Belov'd and ev'ry where a welcome guest | H |
With Brutes of rank and fortune plays the Whore | F2 |
For this unnat'ral lust a Common Sew'r | E2 |
- | |
Dine with APICIUS at his sumptuous board | H |
Find all the world of dainties can afford | H |
And yet so much distemper'd Spirits pall | G2 |
The sickly appetite amidst them all | H2 |
APICIUS finds no joy but whilst he carves | P |
For ev'ry guest the Landlord sits and starves | P |
- | |
Whence flows this Sorrow then behind his chair | Q |
Dids't Thou not see deck'd with a Solitaire | Q |
Which on his bare breast glitt'ring play'd and grac'd | H |
With nicest ornaments a Stripling plac'd | H |
A Smooth Smug Stripling in life's fairest prime | A |
Did'st Thou not mind too how from time to time | A |
The monstrous Letcher tempted to despise | P |
All other dainties thither turn'd his eyes | P |
How he seem'd inly to reproach us all | H2 |
Who strove his fix'd attention to recall | H2 |
And how he wish'd e'en at the Time of grace | P |
Like JANUS to have had a double face | P |
His cause of grief behold in that fair Boy | D2 |
APICIUS dotes and CORYDON is coy | D2 |
- | |
Vain and unthinking Stripling When the glass | P |
Meets thy too curious eye and as You pass | P |
Flatt'ring presents in smiles thy image there | Q |
Why dost Thou bless the Gods who made Thee fair | Q |
Blame their lage bounties and with reason blame | F |
Curse curse thy beauty for it leads to shame | F |
When thy hot Lord to work Thee to his end | H |
Bids show'rs of gold into thy breast descend | H |
Suspect his gifts nor the vile giver trust | H |
They're baits f | I2 |
Charles Churchill
(1)
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