Arabel Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEF EGHIJKLMNBOP EEQORSRRRRTU VRWJ RXRXXRWYZRCA2REB2 ERA2C2RRERRXC2ED2RC2 EEC2 EXX EE2C2RRRX C2RRF2VRR C2G2WC2EXEEXC2H2VE2 XI2RDJ2K2C2RO K2XC2 XXXEQ ERR RDJ2OXRXEC2XXL2M2N2R E O2C2OREROG2E ED DXRXBEIXRRRC2XQC2XP2 XX X H2X RRC2 C2XR

Twists of smoke rise from the limpness of jewelled fingersA
The softness of Persian rugs hushes the roomB
Under a dragon lamp with a shade the color of coralC
Sit the readers of poems one by oneD
And all the room is in shadow except for the blurE
Of mahogany surface and tapers against the wallF
-
And a youth reads a poem of love forever and everE
Is his soul the soul of the loved one a woman singsG
Of the nine months which go to the birth of a soulH
And after a time under the lamp a manI
Begins to read a letter having no poem to readJ
And the words of the letter flash and die like a fuseK
Dampened by rain it's a dying mind that writesL
What Byron did for the Greeks against the TurksM
And a sickness enters our hearts The jewelled handsN
Clutch at the arms of the chairs about the roomB
One hears the parting of lips and a nervous shiftingO
Of feet and armsP
-
And I look up and overE
The reader's shoulder and see the name of the writerE
What is it I see The name of a man I knewQ
You are an ironical trickster Time to bringO
After so many years and into a place like thisR
This face before me hair slicked down and partedS
In the middle and cheeks stuck out with fatnessR
Plump from camembert and clicquot eyelidsR
Thin as skins of onions cut like dough 'round the eyesR
Such was your look in a photograph I sawR
In a silver frame on a woman's dresser and suchT
Your look in life you thing of flesh aloneU
-
And thenV
As a soul looks down on the body it leavesR
A body by fever slain I look on myselfW
As I was a decade ago while the letter is readJ
-
I enter a boxR
Of a theater with Jim my friend of fiftyX
I being twenty two Two women are in the boxR
One of an age for Jim and one of an age for meX
And mine is dressed in a dainty gown of dimityX
And she fans herself with a fan of silver spanglesR
Till a subtle odor of delicate powder or of herselfW
Enters my blood and I stare at her snowy neckY
And the glossy brownness of her hair untilZ
She feels my stare and turns half view and I seeR
How like a Greek's is her nose with just a littleC
Aquiline touch and I catch the flash of an eyeA2
And the glint of a smile on the richness of her lipsR
The company now discourses upon the letterE
But my dream goes onB2
-
I re live a raptureE
Which may be madness and no man understandsR
Until he feels it no more The youth that was IA2
From the theater under the city's lights follows the girlC2
Desperate lest in the city's curious chancesR
He never sees her again And boldly he speaksR
And she and the older woman her sisterE
Smile and speak in turn and Jim who standsR
While I break the ice comes up and soR
Arm in arm we go to the restaurantX
I in heaven walking with ArabelC2
And Jim with her older sisterE
We drive them home under a summer moonD2
And while I explain to Arabel my boldnessR
And crave her pardon for it Jim the devilC2
Laughs apart with her sister while I wonderE
What Jim the devil is laughing at No matterE
To morrow I walk in the park with ArabelC2
-
Just now the reader of the letterE
Tells of the writer's swift descentX
From wealth to wantX
-
We are in the park next afternoon by the waterE
I look at her white throat full as it were of songE2
And her rounded virginal bosom beautifulC2
And I study her eyes I search to the depths her eyesR
In the light of the sun They are full of little raysR
Like the edge of a fleur de lys and she smilesR
At first when I fling my soul at her feetX
-
But when I repeat I love her love her onlyC2
A cloud of wonder passes over her faceR
She veils her eyes The color comes to her cheeksR
And when she picks some clover blossoms and tears themF2
Her hand is trembling And when I tell her againV
I love her love her only she blots her eyesR
With a handkerchief to hide a tear that startsR
-
And she says to me You do not know me at allC2
How can you love me You never saw me beforeG2
Last night Well tell me about yourselfW
And after a time she tells me the storyC2
About her father who ran away from her motherE
And how she hated her father and how she grievedX
When her mother died and how a good grandmotherE
Helped her and helps her now And how her sisterE
Divorced her husband And then she paused a momentX
I am not strong you'd have to guard me gentlyC2
And that takes money dear as well as loveH2
Two years ago I was very ill and since thenV
I am not strongE2
-
Well I can work I saidX
And what would you think of a little cottageI2
Not too far out with a yard and hosts of rosesR
And a vine on the porch and a little gardenD
And a dining room where the sun comes inJ2
When a morning breeze blows over your browK2
And you sit across the table and serve meC2
And neither of us can speak for happinessR
Without our voices breaking or lips tremblingO
-
She is looking down with little frowns on her browK2
But if ever I had to work I could not do itX
I am not really wellC2
-
But I can work I saidX
I rise and lift her up holding her handX
She slips her arm through mine and presses itX
What a good man you are she said Just like a brotherE
I almost love you I believe I love youQ
-
The reader of the letter being a doctorE
Is talking learnedly of the writer's caseR
Which has the classical marks of paresisR
-
Next day I look up Jim and rhapsodizeR
About a cottage with roses and a gardenD
And a dining room where the sun comes inJ2
And Arabel across the table Jim is smokingO
And flicking the ashes but never says a wordX
Till I have finished Then in a quiet voiceR
Arabel's sister says that Arabel's straightX
But she isn't my boy she's just like Arabel's sisterE
She knew you had the madness for ArabelC2
That's why we laughed and stood apart as we talkedX
And I'll tell you now I didn't go home that nightX
I shook you at the corner and went backL2
And staid that night Now be a man my boyM2
Go have your fling with Arabel but dropN2
The cottage and the rosesR
-
They are still discussing the madman's letterE
-
And memory permeates me like a subtle drugO2
The memory of my love for ArabelC2
The torture the doubt the fear the restless longingO
The sleepless nights the pity for all her sorrowsR
The speculation about her and her sisterE
And what her illness wasR
And whether the man I saw one time was leavingO
Her door or the next door to it and if her doorG2
Whether he saw my Arabel or her sisterE
-
The reader of the letter is telling how the writerE
Left his wife chasing the lure of womenD
-
And it all comes back to me as clear as a visionD
The night I sat with Arabel strong but conqueredX
Whatever I did I loved her whatever she wasR
Madness or love the terrible struggle must endX
She took my hand and said You must see my roomB
We stood in the doorway together and on her dresserE
Was a silver frame with the photograph of a manI
I had seen him in life hair slicked down and partedX
In the middle and cheeks stuck out with fatnessR
Plump from camembert and clicquot eyelidsR
Thin as skins of onions cut like dough 'round the eyesR
There is his picture she said ask me whatever you willC2
Take me as mistress or wife it is yours to decideX
But take me as mistress and grow like the picture before youQ
Take me as wife and be the good man you can beC2
Choose me as mistress how can I do less for dearestX
Or make me your wife fate makes me your mistress or wifeP2
I can leave you I said You can leave me she echoedX
But how about hate in your heartX
-
You are right I repliedX
-
The company is now discussing the subject of loveH2
They seem to know little about itX
-
But my wife who is sitting beside me exclaimsR
Well what is this jangle of madness and weaknessR
What has it to do with poetry tell meC2
-
Well it's life ArabelC2
There's the story of Hamlet for instance I addedX
Then fell into silenceR

Edgar Lee Masters



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