The Three Friends Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDDEFGGHHDDIIJJKK LLMMNOPPQQRRSS TTUUVVWWXY ZZA2A2ABB2B2TTDDDDC2 C2DDD2D2E2E2F2F2 TTG2G2TTF2F2ABE2QMM TTH2H2I2J2K2K2L2L2 M2BN2N2DDO2P2Q2Q2R2R 2B2B2S2S2YXTTDDG2G2K KT2T2U2U2QQV2V2 T2T2F2F2W2W2X2X2Y2BZ 2Z2 XXPPC2C2A3A3DDDDGGB3 B3C3C3 I2I2D3D3JJABM Y2Y2S2S2DDE3E3IIF3F3 C2C2T2B3UUVVTTYXTTF3 F3 KKG3G3SSCCH3H3BAMMThree young girls in friendship met | A |
Mary Martha Margaret | B |
Margaret was tall and fair | C |
Martha shorter by a hair | C |
If the first excelled in feature | D |
The other's grace and ease were greater | D |
Mary though to rival loth | E |
In their best gifts equalled both | F |
They a due proportion kept | G |
Martha mourned if Margaret wept | G |
Margaret joyed when any good | H |
She of Martha understood | H |
And in sympathy for either | D |
Mary was outdone by neither | D |
Thus far for a happy space | I |
All three ran an even race | I |
A most constant friendship proving | J |
Equally beloved and loving | J |
All their wishes joys the same | K |
Sisters only not in name | K |
- | |
- | |
Fortune upon each one smiled | L |
As upon a favourite child | L |
Well to do and well to see | M |
Were the parents of all three | M |
Till on Martha's father crosses | N |
Brought a flood of worldly losses | O |
And his fortunes rich and great | P |
Changed at once to low estate | P |
Under which o'erwhelming blow | Q |
Martha's mother was laid low | Q |
She a hapless orphan left | R |
Of maternal care bereft | R |
Trouble following trouble fast | S |
Lay in a sick bed at last | S |
- | |
- | |
In the depth of her affliction | T |
Martha now received conviction | T |
That a true and faithful friend | U |
Can the surest comfort lend | U |
Night and day with friendship tried | V |
Ever constant by her side | V |
Was her gentle Mary found | W |
With a love that knew no bound | W |
And the solace she imparted | X |
Saved her dying broken hearted | Y |
- | |
- | |
In this scene of earthly things | Z |
There's no good unmix d springs | Z |
That which had to Martha proved | A2 |
A sweet consolation moved | A2 |
Different feelings of regret | A |
In the mind of Margaret | B |
She whose love was not less dear | B2 |
Nor affection less sincere | B2 |
To her friend was by occasion | T |
Of more distant habitation | T |
Fewer visits forced to pay her | D |
When no other cause did stay her | D |
And her Mary living nearer | D |
Margaret began to fear her | D |
Lest her visits day by day | C2 |
Martha's heart should steal away | C2 |
That whole heart she ill could spare her | D |
Where till now she'd been a sharer | D |
From this cause with grief she pined | D2 |
Till at length her health declined | D2 |
All her cheerful spirits flew | E2 |
Fast as Martha gathered new | E2 |
And her sickness wax d sore | F2 |
Just when Martha felt no more | F2 |
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Mary who had quick suspicion | T |
Of her altered friend's condition | T |
Seeing Martha's convalescence | G2 |
Less demanded now her presence | G2 |
With a goodness built on reason | T |
Changed her measures with the season | T |
Turned her steps from Martha's door | F2 |
Went where she was wanted more | F2 |
All her care and thoughts were set | A |
Now to tend on Margaret | B |
Mary living 'twixt the two | E2 |
From her home could oftener go | Q |
Either of her friends to see | M |
Than they could together be | M |
- | |
- | |
Truth explained is to suspicion | T |
Evermore the best physician | T |
Soon her visits had the effect | H2 |
All that Margaret did suspect | H2 |
From her fancy vanished clean | I2 |
She was soon what she had been | J2 |
And the colour she did lack | K2 |
To her faded cheek came back | K2 |
Wounds which love had made her feel | L2 |
Love alone had power to heal | L2 |
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- | |
Martha who the frequent visit | M2 |
Now had lost and sore did miss it | B |
With impatience waxed cross | N2 |
Counted Margaret's gain her loss | N2 |
All that Mary did confer | D |
On her friend thought due to her | D |
In her girlish bosom rise | O2 |
Little foolish jealousies | P2 |
Which into such rancour wrought | Q2 |
She one day for Margaret sought | Q2 |
Finding her by chance alone | R2 |
She began with reasons shown | R2 |
To insinuate a fear | B2 |
Whether Mary was sincere | B2 |
Wished that Margaret would take heed | S2 |
Whence her actions did proceed | S2 |
For herself she'd long been minded | Y |
Not with outsides to be blinded | X |
All that pity and compassion | T |
She believed was affectation | T |
In her heart she doubted whether | D |
Mary cared a pin for either | D |
She could keep whole weeks at distance | G2 |
And not know of their existence | G2 |
While all things remained the same | K |
But when some misfortune came | K |
Then she made a great parade | T2 |
Of her sympathy and aid | T2 |
Not that she did really grieve | U2 |
It was only make believe | U2 |
And she cared for nothing so | Q |
She might her fine feelings show | Q |
And get credit on her part | V2 |
For a soft and tender heart | V2 |
- | |
- | |
With such speeches smoothly made | T2 |
She found methods to persuade | T2 |
Margaret who being sore | F2 |
From the doubts she felt before | F2 |
Was prepared for mistrust | W2 |
To believe her reasons just | W2 |
Quite destroyed that comfort glad | X2 |
Which in Mary late she had | X2 |
Made her in experience' spite | Y2 |
Think her friend a hypocrite | B |
And resolve with cruel scoff | Z2 |
To renounce and cast her off | Z2 |
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See how good turns are rewarded | X |
She of both is now discarded | X |
Who to both had been so late | P |
Their support in low estate | P |
All their comfort and their stay | C2 |
Now of both is cast away | C2 |
But the league her presence cherished | A3 |
Losing its best prop soon perished | A3 |
She that was a link to either | D |
To keep them and it together | D |
Being gone the two no wonder | D |
That were left soon fell asunder | D |
Some civilities were kept | G |
But the heart of friendship slept | G |
Love with hollow forms was fed | B3 |
But the life of love lay dead | B3 |
A cold intercourse they held | C3 |
After Mary was expelled | C3 |
- | |
- | |
Two long years did intervene | I2 |
Since they'd either of them seen | I2 |
Or by letter any word | D3 |
Of their old companion heard | D3 |
When upon a day once walking | J |
Of indifferent matters talking | J |
They a female figure met | A |
Martha said to Margaret | B |
'That young maid in face does carry | M |
A resemblance strong of Mary ' | - |
Margaret at nearer sight | Y2 |
Owned her observation right | Y2 |
But they did not far proceed | S2 |
Ere they knew 'twas she indeed | S2 |
She but ah how changed they view her | D |
From that person which they knew her | D |
Her fine face disease had scarred | E3 |
And its matchless beauty marred | E3 |
But enough was left to trace | I |
Mary's sweetness Mary's grace | I |
When her eye did first behold them | F3 |
How they blushed but when she told them | F3 |
How on a sick bed she lay | C2 |
Months while they had kept away | C2 |
And had no inquiries made | T2 |
If she were alive or dead | B3 |
How for want of a true friend | U |
She was brought near to her end | U |
And was like so to have died | V |
With no friend at her bedside | V |
How the constant irritation | T |
Caused by fruitless expectation | T |
Of their coming had extended | Y |
The illness when she might have mended | X |
Then O then how did reflection | T |
Come on them with recollection | T |
All that she had done for them | F3 |
How it did their fault condemn | F3 |
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But sweet Mary still the same | K |
Kindly eased them of their shame | K |
Spoke to them with accents bland | G3 |
Took them friendly by the hand | G3 |
Bound them both with promise fast | S |
Not to speak of troubles past | S |
Made them on the spot declare | C |
A new league of friendship there | C |
Which without a word of strife | H3 |
Lasted thenceforth long as life | H3 |
Martha now and Margaret | B |
Strove who most should pay the debt | A |
Which they owed her nor did vary | M |
Ever after from their Mary | M |
Charles Lamb
(1)
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