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 D2QUD2JUQJI | 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