Puella Mea Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABB BBCCCACBCACDECFGABBH CICCIBAD JJKKABAABBLMALAMBABN OONNBPPABAAQARASABQ BBB BB BTUUVVTFVALLVGBBBVTW VAVWAVXXVAVD DYAYLAALAVVAAVVAVAVL VVVVBB AABBVVAABBV VAAZZVVA2A2AAVVBBA2A 2 A2BBBBBBABBBBBB2BBBC 2 D2B VVD2BC2C2AAAACCA2A2 AAAVAVAVVVVAAABAABAE HBBE2 C2C2C2AC2A BVVAAVC2C2BBA2VBVA2V VF2BVG2A2V AA

Harun Omar and Master HafizA
keep your dead beautiful ladiesA
Mine is a little lovelierB
than any of your ladies wereB
-
In her perfectest arrayB
my lady moving in the dayB
is a little stranger thingC
than crisp Sheba with her kingC
in the morning wanderingC
Through the young and awkward hoursA
my lady perfectly movingC
through the new world scarce astirB
my fragile lady wanderingC
in whose perishable poiseA
is the mystery of SpringC
with her beauty more than snowD
dexterous and fugitiveE
my very frail lady driftingC
distinctly moving like a mythF
in the uncertain morning withG
April feet like sudden flowersA
and all her body filled with MayB
moving in the unskilful dayB
my lady utterly aliveH
to me is a more curious thingC
a thing more nimble and completeI
than ever to Judea's kingC
were the shapely sharp cunningC
and withal delirious feetI
of the Princess SalomB
carefully dancing in the noiseA
of Herod's silence long agoD
-
If she a little turn her headJ
I know that I am wholly deadJ
nor ever did on such a throatK
the lips of Tristram slowly doteK
La beale Isoud whose leman wasA
And if my lady look at meB
with her eyes which like two elvesA
incredibly amuse themselvesA
with a look of faerieB
perhaps a little suddenlyB
as sometimes the improbableL
beauty of my lady willM
at her glance my spirit shiesA
rearing as in the miracleL
of a lady who had eyesA
which the king's horses might not killM
But should my lady smile it wereB
a flower of so pure surpriseA
it were so very new a flowerB
a flower so frail a flower so gladN
as trembling used to yield with dewO
when the world was young and newO
a flower such as the world hadN
in springtime when the world was madN
and Launcelot spoke to GueneverB
a flower which most heavy hungP
with silence when the world was youngP
and Diarmid looked in Grania's eyesA
But should my lady's beauty playB
at not speaking sometimes asA
it will the silence of her faceA
doth immediately makeQ
in my heart so great a noiseA
as in the sharp and thirsty bloodR
of Paris would not all the TroysA
of Helen's beauty never didS
Lord Jason in impossible thingsA
victorious impossiblyB
so wholly burn to undertakeQ
-
Medea's rescuing eyes nor heB
when swooned the white egyptian dayB
who with Egypt's body layB
-
Lovely as those ladies wereB
mine is a little lovelierB
-
And if she speak in her frail wayB
it is wholly to bewitchT
my smallest thought with a most swiftU
radiance wherein slowly driftU
murmurous things divinely brightV
it is foolingly to smiteV
my spirit with the lithe free twitchT
of scintillant space with the cool writheF
of gloom truly which syncopateV
some sunbeam's skilful fingeringsA
it is utterly to lullL
with foliate inscrutableL
sweetness my soul obedientV
it is to stroke my being withG
numbing forests frolicsomeB
fleetly mystical aroamB
with keen creatures of idiomB
beings alert and innocentV
very deftly upon whichT
indolent miracles impingeW
it is distinctly to confuteV
my reason with the deep caressA
of every most shy thing and muteV
it is to quell me with the twingeW
of all living intense thingsA
Never my soul so fortunateV
is past the luck of all dead menX
and loving as invisibly whenX
upon her palpable solitudeV
a furtive occult fragrance stealsA
a gesture of immaculateV
perfume whereby with fear aglowD
-
my soul is wont wholly to knowD
the poignant instantaneous fernY
whose scrupulous enchanted frondsA
toward all things intrinsic yearnY
the immanent subliminalL
fern of her delicious voiceA
of her voice which always dwellsA
beside the vivid magicalL
impetuous and utter pondsA
of dream and very secret foodV
its leaves inimitable findV
beyond the white authentic springsA
beyond the sweet instinctive wellsA
which make to flourish the minuteV
spontaneous meadow of her mindV
the vocal fern alway which feelsA
the keen ecstatic actual treadV
and thereto perfectly respondsA
of all things exquisite and deadV
all living things and beautifulL
-
Caliph and king their ladies hadV
to love them and to make them gladV
when the world was young and madV
in the city of BagdadV
mine is a little lovelierB
than any of their ladies wereB
-
Her body is most beauteousA
being for all things amorousA
fashioned very curiouslyB
of roses and of ivoryB
The immaculate crisp headV
is such as only certain deadV
and careful painters love to useA
for their youngest angels whoseA
praising bodies in a rowB
between slow glories fleetly goB
Upon a keen and lovely throatV
-
the strangeness of her face doth floatV
which in eyes and lips consistsA
alway upon the mouth there trystsA
curvingly a fragile smileZ
which like a flower lieth whileZ
within the eyes is dimly heardV
a wistful and precarious birdV
Springing from fragrant shoulders smallA2
ardent and perfectly withalA2
smooth to stroke and sweet to seeA
as a supple and young treeA
her slim lascivious arms alightV
in skilful wrists which hint at flightV
my lady's very singularB
and slenderest hands moreover areB
which as lilies smile and quailA2
of all things perfect the most frailA2
-
Whoso rideth in the taleA2
of Chaucer knoweth many a pairB
of companions blithe and fairB
who to walk with Master GowerB
in Confessio doth preferB
shall not lack for beauty thereB
nor he that will amaying goB
with my lord BoccaccioA
whoso knocketh at the doorB
of Marie and of MaleoreB
findeth of ladies goodly storeB
whose beauty did in nothing errB
If to me there shall appearB
than a rose more sweetly knownB2
more silently than a flowerB
my lady naked in her hairB
I for those ladies nothing careB
nor any lady dead and goneC2
-
When the world was like a songD2
heard behind a golden doorB
-
poet and sage and caliph hadV
to love them and to make them gladV
ladies with lithe eyes and longD2
when the world was like a flowerB
Omar Hafiz and HarunC2
loved their ladies in the moonC2
fashioned very curiouslyA
of roses and ivoryA
if naked she appear to meA
my flesh is an enchanted treeA
with her lips' most frail partingC
my body hears the cry of SpringC
and with their frailest syllableA2
its leaves go crisp with miracleA2
-
Love maker of my ladyA
in that alway beyond thisA
poem or any poem sheA
of whose body words are afraidV
perfectly beautiful isA
forgive these words which I have madeV
And never boast your dead beautiesA
you greatest lovers in the worldV
never boast your beauties deadV
who with Grania strangely fledV
who with Egypt went to bedV
whom white thighed SemiramisA
put up her mouth to wholly kissA
never boast your dead beautiesA
mine being unto me sweeterB
of whose why delicious glanceA
things which never more shall beA
perfect things of faerieB
are intense inhabitantsA
in whose warm superlativeE
body do distinctly liveH
all sweet cities passed awayB
in her flesh at break of dayB
are the smells of NinevehE2
-
in her eyes when day is goneC2
are the cries of BabylonC2
Diarmid Paris and SolomonC2
Omar Harun and Master HafizA
to me your ladies are all oneC2
keep your dead beautiful ladiesA
-
Eater of all things lovely TimeB
upon whose watering lips the worldV
poises a moment futile proudV
a costly morsel of sweet tearsA
gesticulates and disappearsA
of all dainties which do crowdV
gaily upon oblivionC2
sweeter than any there is oneC2
to touch it is the fear of rhymeB
in life's very fragile hourB
when the world was like a taleA2
made of laughter and of dewV
was a flight a flower a flameB
was a tendril fleetly curledV
upon frailness used to strollA2
very slowly one or twoV
ladies like flowers madeV
softly used to wholly moveF2
slender ladies made of dreamB
in the lazy world and newV
sweetly used to laugh and loveG2
ladies with crisp eyes and frailA2
in the city of BagdadV
-
Keep your dead beautiful ladiesA
Harun Omar and Master HafizA

E. E. Cummings



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