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

IA
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Thou aged unreluctant earth who dostB
with quivering continual thighs inviteC
the thrilling rain the slender paramourD
to toy with thy extraordinary lustE
the sinuous rain which rising from thy bedF
steals to his wife the sky and hour by hourD
wholly renews her pale flesh with delightC
immortally whence are the high gods fledF
-
Speak elm eloquent pandar with thy nodG
significant to the ecstatic earthH
in token of his coming whom her soulI
burns to embrace and didst thou know the godG
from but the imprint of whose cloven feetJ
the shrieking dryad sought her leafy goalI
at the mere echo of whose shining mirthH
the furious hearts of mountains ceased to beatJ
-
Wind beautifully who wanderestJ
over smooth pages of forgotten joyK
proving the peaceful theorems of the flowersL
didst e'er depart upon more exquisite questJ
and did thy fortunate fingers sometime dwellM
within a greener shadow of secret bowersL
among the curves of that delicious boyK
whose serious grace one goddess loved too wellM
-
Chryselephantine Zeus OlympianN
sceptred colossus of the Pheidian soulI
whose eagle frights creation in whose palmO
Nike presents the crown sweetest to manP
whose lilied robe the sun's white hands embossQ
betwixt whose absolute feet anoint with calmO
of intent stars circling the acerb poleI
poises smiling the diadumenosQ
-
in whose young chiseled eyes the people sawQ
their once again victorious PantarkesQ
whose grace the prince of artists made him boldJ
to imitate between the feet of aweR
thunderer whose omnipotent brow showersQ
its curls of unendured eternal goldJ
over the infinite breast in bright degreesQ
whose pillow is the graces and the hoursQ
-
father of gods and men whose subtle throneS
twain sphinxes bear each with a writhing youthT
caught to her brazen breasts whose foot stool tellsQ
how fought the looser of the warlike zoneS
of her that brought forth tall HippolytusQ
lord on whose pedestal the deep expelsQ
over Selene's car closing uncouthT
of Helios the sweet wheels tremulousQ
-
are there no kings in Argos that the songU
is silent of the steep unspeaking towerD
within whose brightening strictness DanaeS
saw the night severed and the glowing throngU
descend felt on her flesh the amorous strainS
of gradual hands and yielding to that feeV
her eager body's unimmortal flowerD
knew in the darkness a more burning rainS
-
-
-
And still the mad magnificent herald SpringW
assembles beauty from forgetfulnessQ
with the wild trump of April witcheryD
of sound and odour drives the wingless thingW
man forth in the bright air for now the redJ
leaps in the maple's cheek and suddenlyV
by shining hordes in sweet unserious dressQ
ascends the golden crocus from the deadJ
-
On dappled dawn forth rides the pungent sunS
with hooded day preening upon his handJ
followed by gay untimid final flowersQ
which dressed in various tremulous armor stunS
the eyes of ragged earth who sees them passQ
while hunted from his kingdom winter cowersQ
seeing green armies steadily expandJ
hearing the spear song of the marching grassQ
-
A silver sudden parody of snowS
tickles the air to golden tears and harkX
the flicker's laughing yet while on the hillsQ
the pines deepen to whispers primeval and throwS
backward their foreheads to the barbarous brightJ
sky and suddenly from the valley thrillsQ
the unimaginable upward larkX
and drowns the earth and passes into lightJ
-
slowly in life's serene perpetual roundJ
a pale world gathers comfort to her soulI
hope richly scattered by the abundant sunS
invades the new mosaic of the groundJ
let but the incurious curtaining dusk be drawnS
surpassing nets are sedulously spunS
to snare the brutal dew the authentic scrollI
of fairie hands and vanishing with the dawnS
-
Spring that omits no mention of desireD
in every curved and curling thing yet holdsQ
continuous intercourse through skies and treesQ
the lilac's smoke the poppy's pompous fireD
the pansy's purple patience and the graveY
frailty of daises by what rare uneaseQ
revealed of teasingly transparent foldsQ
with man's poor soul superlatively braveY
-
Surely from robes of particoloured peaceQ
with mouth flower faint and undiscovered eyesQ
and dim slow perfect body amorousQ
whiter than lilies which are born and ceaseQ
for being whiter than this world exhalesQ
the hovering high perfume curiousQ
of that one month for whom the whole years diesQ
risen at length from palpitating veilsQ
-
O still miraculous May O shining girlZ
of time untarnished O small intimateJ
gently primeval hands frivolous feetJ
divine O singular and breathless pearlZ
O indefinable frail ultimate poseQ
O visible beatitude sweet sweetJ
intolerable silence immaculateJ
of god's evasive audible great roseQ
-
-
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Lover lead forth thy love unto that bedJ
prepared by whitest hands of waiting yearsQ
curtained with wordless worship absoluteJ
unto the certain altar at whose headJ
stands that clear candle whose expecting breathA2
exults upon the tongue of flame half muteJ
haste ere some thrush with silver several tearsQ
complete the perfumed paraphrase of deathA2
-
Now is the time when all occasional thingsQ
close into silence only one tree oneS
svelte translation of eternityV
unto the pale meaning of heaven clingsQ
whose million leaves in winsome indolenceQ
simmer upon thinking twilight momentlyZ
as down the oblivious west's numerous dunS
magnificence conquers magnificenceQ
-
In heaven's intolerable athanorD
inimitably tortured the base dayJ
utters at length her soft intrinsic hourD
and from those tenuous fires which more and moreD
sink and are lost the divine alchemistJ
the magus of creation lifts a flowerD
whence is the world's insufferable clayJ
clothed with incognizable amethystJ
-
Lady at whose imperishable smileZ
the amazed doves flicker upon sunny wingsQ
as if in terror of eternityV
or seeming that they would mistrust a whileZ
the moving of beauteous dead mouths throughoutJ
that very proud transparent companyV
of quivering ghosts of love which scarcely singsQ
drifting in slow diaphanous faint routJ
-
queen in the inconceivable embraceQ
of whose tremendous hair that blossom standsQ
whereof is most desire yet less than thoseQ
twain perfect roses whose ambrosial graceQ
goddess thy crippled thunder forging groomB2
or the loud lord of skipping maenads knowsQ
having Discordia's apple in thy handsQ
which the scared shepherd gave thee for his doomB2
-
O thou within the chancel of whose charmsQ
the tall boy god of everlasting warD
received the shuddering sacrament of sleepC2
betwixt whose cool incorrigible armsQ
impaled upon delicious mysteryV
with gaunt limbs reeking of the whispered deepC2
deliberate groping ocean fondled o'erD
the warm long flower of unchastityJ
-
imperial Cytherea from frail foamD2
sprung with irrevocable nakednessQ
to strike the young world into smoking songU
as the first star perfects the sensual domeD2
of darkness and the sweet strong final birdJ
transcends the sight O thou to whom belongU
th ehearts of lovers I beseech thee blessQ
thy suppliant singer and his wandering wordJ

E. E. Cummings



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