Epithalamion Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCDEFDCF GHIGJIHJ JKLJMLKM NIOPQOIQ QQJRQJQQ STQSQQTQ UDSUSVDS WQDWJVQJ SJQSQQJQ SXQSJQXJ JISJSSIS DQQDYQQY QQQQQQQQ ZJJZQJJQ JQJJA2JQA2 QSVQQZSQ DJDDJDJJ ZQVZJVQJ QQQQB2QQB2 QDC2QVC2DJ D2QUD2JUQJ| I | A |
| - | |
| Thou aged unreluctant earth who dost | B |
| with quivering continual thighs invite | C |
| the thrilling rain the slender paramour | D |
| to toy with thy extraordinary lust | E |
| the sinuous rain which rising from thy bed | F |
| steals to his wife the sky and hour by hour | D |
| wholly renews her pale flesh with delight | C |
| immortally whence are the high gods fled | F |
| - | |
| Speak elm eloquent pandar with thy nod | G |
| significant to the ecstatic earth | H |
| in token of his coming whom her soul | I |
| burns to embrace and didst thou know the god | G |
| from but the imprint of whose cloven feet | J |
| the shrieking dryad sought her leafy goal | I |
| at the mere echo of whose shining mirth | H |
| the furious hearts of mountains ceased to beat | J |
| - | |
| Wind beautifully who wanderest | J |
| over smooth pages of forgotten joy | K |
| proving the peaceful theorems of the flowers | L |
| didst e'er depart upon more exquisite quest | J |
| and did thy fortunate fingers sometime dwell | M |
| within a greener shadow of secret bowers | L |
| among the curves of that delicious boy | K |
| whose serious grace one goddess loved too well | M |
| - | |
| Chryselephantine Zeus Olympian | N |
| sceptred colossus of the Pheidian soul | I |
| whose eagle frights creation in whose palm | O |
| Nike presents the crown sweetest to man | P |
| whose lilied robe the sun's white hands emboss | Q |
| betwixt whose absolute feet anoint with calm | O |
| of intent stars circling the acerb pole | I |
| poises smiling the diadumenos | Q |
| - | |
| in whose young chiseled eyes the people saw | Q |
| their once again victorious Pantarkes | Q |
| whose grace the prince of artists made him bold | J |
| to imitate between the feet of awe | R |
| thunderer whose omnipotent brow showers | Q |
| its curls of unendured eternal gold | J |
| over the infinite breast in bright degrees | Q |
| whose pillow is the graces and the hours | Q |
| - | |
| father of gods and men whose subtle throne | S |
| twain sphinxes bear each with a writhing youth | T |
| caught to her brazen breasts whose foot stool tells | Q |
| how fought the looser of the warlike zone | S |
| of her that brought forth tall Hippolytus | Q |
| lord on whose pedestal the deep expels | Q |
| over Selene's car closing uncouth | T |
| of Helios the sweet wheels tremulous | Q |
| - | |
| are there no kings in Argos that the song | U |
| is silent of the steep unspeaking tower | D |
| within whose brightening strictness Danae | S |
| saw the night severed and the glowing throng | U |
| descend felt on her flesh the amorous strain | S |
| of gradual hands and yielding to that fee | V |
| her eager body's unimmortal flower | D |
| knew in the darkness a more burning rain | S |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| And still the mad magnificent herald Spring | W |
| assembles beauty from forgetfulness | Q |
| with the wild trump of April witchery | D |
| of sound and odour drives the wingless thing | W |
| man forth in the bright air for now the red | J |
| leaps in the maple's cheek and suddenly | V |
| by shining hordes in sweet unserious dress | Q |
| ascends the golden crocus from the dead | J |
| - | |
| On dappled dawn forth rides the pungent sun | S |
| with hooded day preening upon his hand | J |
| followed by gay untimid final flowers | Q |
| which dressed in various tremulous armor stun | S |
| the eyes of ragged earth who sees them pass | Q |
| while hunted from his kingdom winter cowers | Q |
| seeing green armies steadily expand | J |
| hearing the spear song of the marching grass | Q |
| - | |
| A silver sudden parody of snow | S |
| tickles the air to golden tears and hark | X |
| the flicker's laughing yet while on the hills | Q |
| the pines deepen to whispers primeval and throw | S |
| backward their foreheads to the barbarous bright | J |
| sky and suddenly from the valley thrills | Q |
| the unimaginable upward lark | X |
| and drowns the earth and passes into light | J |
| - | |
| slowly in life's serene perpetual round | J |
| a pale world gathers comfort to her soul | I |
| hope richly scattered by the abundant sun | S |
| invades the new mosaic of the ground | J |
| let but the incurious curtaining dusk be drawn | S |
| surpassing nets are sedulously spun | S |
| to snare the brutal dew the authentic scroll | I |
| of fairie hands and vanishing with the dawn | S |
| - | |
| Spring that omits no mention of desire | D |
| in every curved and curling thing yet holds | Q |
| continuous intercourse through skies and trees | Q |
| the lilac's smoke the poppy's pompous fire | D |
| the pansy's purple patience and the grave | Y |
| frailty of daises by what rare unease | Q |
| revealed of teasingly transparent folds | Q |
| with man's poor soul superlatively brave | Y |
| - | |
| Surely from robes of particoloured peace | Q |
| with mouth flower faint and undiscovered eyes | Q |
| and dim slow perfect body amorous | Q |
| whiter than lilies which are born and cease | Q |
| for being whiter than this world exhales | Q |
| the hovering high perfume curious | Q |
| of that one month for whom the whole years dies | Q |
| risen at length from palpitating veils | Q |
| - | |
| O still miraculous May O shining girl | Z |
| of time untarnished O small intimate | J |
| gently primeval hands frivolous feet | J |
| divine O singular and breathless pearl | Z |
| O indefinable frail ultimate pose | Q |
| O visible beatitude sweet sweet | J |
| intolerable silence immaculate | J |
| of god's evasive audible great rose | Q |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| Lover lead forth thy love unto that bed | J |
| prepared by whitest hands of waiting years | Q |
| curtained with wordless worship absolute | J |
| unto the certain altar at whose head | J |
| stands that clear candle whose expecting breath | A2 |
| exults upon the tongue of flame half mute | J |
| haste ere some thrush with silver several tears | Q |
| complete the perfumed paraphrase of death | A2 |
| - | |
| Now is the time when all occasional things | Q |
| close into silence only one tree one | S |
| svelte translation of eternity | V |
| unto the pale meaning of heaven clings | Q |
| whose million leaves in winsome indolence | Q |
| simmer upon thinking twilight momently | Z |
| as down the oblivious west's numerous dun | S |
| magnificence conquers magnificence | Q |
| - | |
| In heaven's intolerable athanor | D |
| inimitably tortured the base day | J |
| utters at length her soft intrinsic hour | D |
| and from those tenuous fires which more and more | D |
| sink and are lost the divine alchemist | J |
| the magus of creation lifts a flower | D |
| whence is the world's insufferable clay | J |
| clothed with incognizable amethyst | J |
| - | |
| Lady at whose imperishable smile | Z |
| the amazed doves flicker upon sunny wings | Q |
| as if in terror of eternity | V |
| or seeming that they would mistrust a while | Z |
| the moving of beauteous dead mouths throughout | J |
| that very proud transparent company | V |
| of quivering ghosts of love which scarcely sings | Q |
| drifting in slow diaphanous faint rout | J |
| - | |
| queen in the inconceivable embrace | Q |
| of whose tremendous hair that blossom stands | Q |
| whereof is most desire yet less than those | Q |
| twain perfect roses whose ambrosial grace | Q |
| goddess thy crippled thunder forging groom | B2 |
| or the loud lord of skipping maenads knows | Q |
| having Discordia's apple in thy hands | Q |
| which the scared shepherd gave thee for his doom | B2 |
| - | |
| O thou within the chancel of whose charms | Q |
| the tall boy god of everlasting war | D |
| received the shuddering sacrament of sleep | C2 |
| betwixt whose cool incorrigible arms | Q |
| impaled upon delicious mystery | V |
| with gaunt limbs reeking of the whispered deep | C2 |
| deliberate groping ocean fondled o'er | D |
| the warm long flower of unchastity | J |
| - | |
| imperial Cytherea from frail foam | D2 |
| sprung with irrevocable nakedness | Q |
| to strike the young world into smoking song | U |
| as the first star perfects the sensual dome | D2 |
| of darkness and the sweet strong final bird | J |
| transcends the sight O thou to whom belong | U |
| th ehearts of lovers I beseech thee bless | Q |
| thy suppliant singer and his wandering word | J |
E. E. Cummings
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
About Epithalamion
Epithalamion is a poem by E. E. Cummings. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
