At The Gate Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABBCC DADAAEE FGFGGHH IJKJJCC ALAMLNO PQPRRSS DTDTTUU NVNVVFF RCRCCWW HXHXXYY LZLZZA2A2 AFAFFRR B2C2B2C2C2D2D2 E2F2E2F2F2DD G2H2G2I2I2J2J2 DXDXXK2K2 L2BL2BBM2M2 BN2BN2N2EE WAWAAJ2J2 WO2WO2O2YY CP2CP2P2Q2Q2 R2B2R2B2B2S2S2 Q2J2Q2J2J2T2U2 GIGIKGG FGFGGCC FCFCCAA IFFFFJ2J2 YFYFFOO

The monastery towers as pure and fairA
As virgin vows reached up white hands to HeavenB
The walls to guard the hidden heart of prayerA
Were strong as sin and white as sin forgivenB
And there came holy men by world's woe drivenB
And all about the gold green meadows layC
Flower decked like children dear that keep May holidayC
-
Here said the Abbot let us spend our daysD
Days sweetened by the lilies of pure prayerA
Hung with white garlands of the rose of praiseD
And lest the World should enter with her snareA
Enter and laugh and take us unawareA
With her red rose her purple and her goldE
Choose we a stranger's hand the porter's keys to holdE
-
They chose a beggar from the world outsideF
To keep their worldward door for them and heG
Filled with a humble and adoring prideF
Built up a wall of proud humilityG
Between the monastery's sanctityG
And the poor foolish humble folk who cameH
To ask for love and care in the dear Saviour's nameH
-
For when the poor crept to the guarded gateI
To ask for succour when the tired asked restJ
When weary souls bereft and desolateK
Craved comfort when the murmur of the oppressedJ
Surged round the grove where prayer had made her nestJ
The porter bade such take their griefs awayC
And at some other door their bane and burden layC
-
For this he said is the white house of prayerA
Where day and night the holy voices riseL
Through the chill trouble of our earthly airA
And enter at the gate of ParadiseM
Trample no more our flower fields in such wiseL
Nor crave the alms of our deep laden boughN
The prayers of holy men are alms enough I trowO
-
So seeing that no sick or sorrowing folkP
Came ever to be healed or comfortedQ
The Abbot to his brothers gladly spokeP
God has accepted our poor prayers he saidR
Over our land His answering smile is spreadR
He has put forth His strong and loving handS
And sorrow and sin and pain have ceased in all the landS
-
So make we yet more rich our hymns of praiseD
Warm we our prayers against our happy heartT
Since God hath taken the gift of all our daysD
To make a spell that bids all wrong departT
Has turned our praise to balm for the world's smartT
Fulfilled of prayer and praise be every hourU
For God transfigures praise and transmutes prayer to powerU
-
So went the years The flowers blossomed nowN
Untrampled by the dusty weary feetV
Unbroken hung the green and golden boughN
For none came now to ask for fruit or meatV
For ghostly food or common bread to eatV
And dreaming praying the monks were satisfiedF
Till God remembering him the beggar porter diedF
-
When they had covered up the foolish headR
And on the foolish loving heart heaped clayC
Which of us brothers now the Abbot saidR
Will face the world to keep the world awayC
But all their hearts were hard with prayer and NayC
They cried ah bid us not our prayers to leaveW
Ah father not to day for this is Easter EveW
-
And while they murmured to their midst there cameH
A beggar saying Brothers peace be stillX
I am your Brother in our Father's nameH
And I will be your porter if ye willX
Guarding your gate with what I have of skillX
So all they welcomed him and closed the doorY
And gat them gladly back unto their prayers once moreY
-
But lo no sooner did the prayer ariseL
A golden flame athwart the chancel dimZ
Then came the porter crying Haste ariseL
A sick old man waits you to tend on himZ
And many wait a knight whose wound gapes grimZ
A red stained man with red sins to confessA2
A mother pale who brings her child for you to blessA2
-
The brothers hastened to the gate and thereA
With unaccustomed hand and voice they triedF
To ease the body's pain the spirit's careA
But ere the task was done the porter criedF
Behold the Lord sets your gate open wideF
For here be starving folk who must be fedR
And little ones that cry for love and daily breadR
-
And with each slow foot hour came ever a throngB2
Of piteous wanderers sinful folk and sadC2
And still the brothers ministered but longB2
The day seemed with no prayer to make them gladC2
No holy meditative joys they hadC2
No moment's brooding place could poor prayer findD2
Mid all those heart to heal and all those wounds to bindD2
-
And when the crowded sunlit day at lastE2
Left the field lonely with its trampled flowersF2
Into the chapel's peace the brothers passedE2
To quell the memory of those hurrying hoursF2
Our holy time they said once more is oursF2
Come let us pay our debt of prayer and praiseD
Forgetting in God's light the darkness of man's waysD
-
But ere their voices reached the first psalm's endG2
They heard a new strange rustling round their houseH2
Then came the porter Here comes many a friendG2
Pushing aside your budding orchard boughsI2
Come brothers justify your holy vowsI2
Here be God's patient poor four footed thingsJ2
Seek healing at God's well whence loving kindness springsJ2
-
Then cried the Abbot in a vexed amazeD
Our brethren we must aid if 'tis God's willX
But the wild creatures of the forest waysD
Himself God heals with His Almighty skillX
And charity is good and love but stillX
God shall not look in vain for the white prayersK2
We send on silver feet to climb the starry stairsK2
-
For of all worthy things prayer has most worthL2
It rises like sweet incense up to heavenB
And from God's hand falls back upon the earthL2
Being of heavenly bread the accepted leavenB
Through prayer is virtue saved and sin forgivenB
In prayer the impulse and the force are foundM2
That bring in purple and gold the fruitful seasons roundM2
-
For prayer comes down from heaven in the sunB
That giveth life and joy to all things madeN2
Prayer falls in rain to make broad rivers runB
And quickens the seeds in earth's brown bosom laidN2
By prayer the red hung branch is earthward weighedN2
By prayer the barn grows full and full the foldE
For by man's prayer God works his wonders manifoldE
-
The porter seemed to bow to the reproofW
But when the echo of the night's last prayerA
Died in the mystery of the vaulted roofW
A whispered memory in the hallowed airA
The Abbot turned to find him standing thereA
Brother he said I have healed the woodland thingsJ2
And they go happy and whole blessing Love's ministeringsJ2
-
And having healed them I shall crave your leaveW
To leave you for to night I journey farO2
But I have kept your gate this Easter EveW
And now your house to heaven shines like a starO2
To show the Angels where God's children areO2
And in this day your house has served God moreY
Than in the praise and prayer of all its years beforeY
-
Yet I must leave you though I fain would stayC
For there are other gates I go to keepP2
Of houses round whose walls long day by dayC
Shut out of hope and love poor sinners weepP2
Barred folds that keep out God's poor wandering sheepP2
I must teach these that gates where God comes inQ2
Must not be shut at all to pain or want or sinQ2
-
The voice of prayer is very soft and weakR2
And sorrow and sin have voices very strongB2
Prayer is not heard in heaven when those twain speakR2
The voice of prayer faints in the voice of wrongB2
By the just man endured oh Lord how longB2
If ye would have your prayers in heaven be heardS2
Look that wrong clamour not with too intense a wordS2
-
But when true love is shed on want and sinQ2
Their cry is changed and grows to such a voiceJ2
As clamours sweetly at heaven to be let inQ2
Such sound as makes the saints in heaven rejoiceJ2
Pure gold of prayer purged of the vain alloysJ2
Of idleness that is the sound most dearT2
Of all the earthly sounds God leans from heaven to hearU2
-
Oh brother I must leave thee and for meG
The work is heavy and the burden greatI
Thine be this charge I lay upon thee SeeG
That never again stands barred thy abbey gateI
Look that God's poor be not left desolateK
Ah me that chidden my shepherds needs must beG
When my poor wandering sheep have so great need of meG
-
Brother forgive thy Brother if he chideF
Thy Brother loves thee and has loved for seeG
The nails are in my hands and in my sideF
The spear wound and the thorns weigh heavilyG
Upon my brow brother I died for theeG
For thee and for my sheep that are astrayC
And rose to live for thee and them on Easter DayC
-
My Master and my Lord the Abbot criedF
But where that face had been shone the new dayC
Only on the marble by the Abbot's sideF
Where those dear feet had stood a lily layC
A lily white for the white Easter DayC
He sought the gate no sorrow clamoured thereA
And not till then he dared to sink his soul in prayerA
-
And from that day himself he kept the gateI
Wide open and the poor from far and wideF
The weary and wicked and disconsolateF
Came there for succour and were not deniedF
The sick were healed the repentant sanctifiedF
And from their hearts rises more prayer and praiseJ2
Than ever the abbey knew in all its prayer filled daysJ2
-
And there the Heavenly vision comes no moreY
Only each Easter now a lily sweetF
Lies white and dewy on the chancel floorY
Where once had stood the beloved wounded feetF
And the old Abbot feels the nearing beatF
Of wings that bring him leave at last to goO
And meet his Master where the immortal lilies growO

E. (edith) Nesbit



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