The Star Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEF GHIJKLMN GLOPQRSTUVWXYEZOA2EB 2BSC2D2E2 AF2CFG2MH2 F2OI2J2K2L2M2N2TGM2O 2P2Q2SR2S2TG MBQM2F2T2K2EU2V2W2X2 SX2I2SJ2Y2GY2Y2Z2Y2Y 2Y2A3 AMY2B3Y2Y2C3D3Y2E3F3 I2E2FG3H3Y2I3AL2M2 XY2Y2S XTJ3Y2NK3Y2L2SSY2DL3 L2Y2AM3K2GLBGSF2SSGY 2 MX2M2L2N3M2O3ZP3Q3R3 ZZZZX2Y2Y2S3F2Z| I am a certain god | A |
| Who slipped down from a remote height | B |
| To a place of pools and stars | C |
| And I sat invisible | D |
| Amid a clump of trees | E |
| To watch the madmen | F |
| - | |
| There were cries and groans about me | G |
| And shouts of laughter and curses | H |
| Figures passed by with self absorbed contempt | I |
| Wrinkling in bitter smiles about their lips | J |
| Others hurried on with set eyes | K |
| Pursuing something | L |
| Then I said this is the place for mad Frederick | M |
| Mad Frederick will be here | N |
| - | |
| But everywhere I could see | G |
| Figures sitting or standing | L |
| By little pools | O |
| Some seemed grown into the soil | P |
| And were helpless | Q |
| And of these some were asleep | R |
| Others laughed the laughter | S |
| That comes from dying men | T |
| Trying to face Death | U |
| And others said I should be content | V |
| And others said I will fly | W |
| Whereupon sepulchral voices muttered | X |
| As of creatures sitting or hanging head down | Y |
| From limbs of the trees | E |
| We will not let you | Z |
| And others looked in their pools | O |
| And clasped hands and said Gone all gone | A2 |
| By other pools there were dead bodies | E |
| Some of youth some of age | B2 |
| They had given up the fight | B |
| They had drunk poisoned water | S |
| They had searched | C2 |
| Until they fell | D2 |
| All had gone mad | E2 |
| - | |
| Then I a certain god | A |
| Curious to know | F2 |
| What it is in pools and stars | C |
| That drives men and women | F |
| Over the earth in this quest | G2 |
| Waited for mad Frederick | M |
| And then I heard his step | H2 |
| - | |
| I knew that long ago | F2 |
| He sat by one of these pools | O |
| Enraptured of a star's image | I2 |
| And that hands for his own good | J2 |
| As they said | K2 |
| Dumped clay into the pool | L2 |
| And blotted his star | M2 |
| And I knew that after that | N2 |
| He had said They will never spy again | T |
| Upon my ecstasy | G |
| They will never see me watching one star | M2 |
| I will fly by rivers | O2 |
| And by little brooks | P2 |
| And by the edge of lakes | Q2 |
| And by little bends of water | S |
| Where no wind blows | R2 |
| And glance at stars as I pass | S2 |
| They will never spy again | T |
| Upon my ecstasy | G |
| - | |
| And I knew that mad Frederick | M |
| In this flight | B |
| Through years of restless and madness | Q |
| Was caught by the image of a star | M2 |
| In a mere beyond a meadow | F2 |
| Down from a hill under a forest | T2 |
| And had said | K2 |
| No one sees | E |
| Here I can find life | U2 |
| Through vision of eternal things | V2 |
| But they had followed him | W2 |
| They stood on the brow of the hill | X2 |
| And when they saw him gazing in the water | S |
| They rolled a great stone down the hill | X2 |
| And shattered the star's image | I2 |
| Then mad Frederick fled with laughter | S |
| It echoed through the wood | J2 |
| And he said I will look for moons | Y2 |
| I will punish them who disturb me | G |
| By worshiping moons | Y2 |
| But when he sought moons | Y2 |
| They left him alone | Z2 |
| And he did not want the moons | Y2 |
| And he was alone and sick from the moons | Y2 |
| And covered as with a white blankness | Y2 |
| Which was the worst madness of all | A3 |
| - | |
| And I a certain god | A |
| Waiting for mad Frederick | M |
| To enter this place of pools and stars | Y2 |
| Saw him at last | B3 |
| With a sigh he looked about upon his fellows | Y2 |
| Sitting or standing by their pools | Y2 |
| And some of the pools were covered with scum | C3 |
| And some were glazed as of filth | D3 |
| And some were grown with weeds | Y2 |
| And some were congealed as of the north wind | E3 |
| And a few were yet pure | F3 |
| And held the star's image | I2 |
| And by these some sat and were glad | E2 |
| Others had lost the vision | F |
| The star was there but its meaning vanished | G3 |
| And mad Frederick going here and there | H3 |
| With no purpose | Y2 |
| Only curious and interested | I3 |
| As I was a certain god | A |
| Came by a certain pool | L2 |
| And saw a star | M2 |
| - | |
| He shivered | X |
| He clasped his hands | Y2 |
| He sank to his knees | Y2 |
| He touched his lips to the water | S |
| - | |
| Then voices from the limbs of the trees muttered | X |
| There he is again | T |
| He must be driven away | J3 |
| The pool is not his | Y2 |
| He does not belong here | N |
| So as when bats fly in a cave | K3 |
| They swooped from their hidings in the trees | Y2 |
| And dashed themselves in the pool | L2 |
| Then I saw what these flying things were | S |
| But no matter | S |
| They were illusions evil and envious | Y2 |
| And dull | D |
| But with power to destroy | L3 |
| And mad Frederick turned away from the pool | L2 |
| And covered his eyes with his arms | Y2 |
| Then a certain god | A |
| Of less power than mine | M3 |
| Came and sat beside me and said | K2 |
| Why do you allow this to be | G |
| They are all seeking | L |
| Why do you not let them find their heart's delight | B |
| Why do you allow this to be | G |
| But I did not answer | S |
| The lesser god did not know | F2 |
| That I have no power | S |
| That only the God has the power | S |
| And that this must be | G |
| In spite of all lesser gods | Y2 |
| - | |
| And I saw mad Frederick | M |
| Arise and ascend to the top of a high hill | X2 |
| And I saw him find the star | M2 |
| Whose image he had seen in the pool | L2 |
| Then he knelt and prayed | N3 |
| Give me to understand O Star | M2 |
| Your inner self your eternal spirit | O3 |
| That I may have you and not images of you | Z |
| So that I may know what has driven me through the world | P3 |
| And may cure my soul | Q3 |
| For I know you are Eternal Love | R3 |
| And I can never escape you | Z |
| And if I cannot escape you | Z |
| Then I must serve you | Z |
| And if I must serve you | Z |
| It must be to good and not ill | X2 |
| You have brought me from the forest of pools | Y2 |
| And the images of stars | Y2 |
| Here to the hill's top | S3 |
| Where now do I go | F2 |
| And what shall I do | Z |
Edgar Lee Masters
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
About The Star
The Star is a poem by Edgar Lee Masters. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
Write your comment about The Star poem by Edgar Lee Masters
Best Poems of Edgar Lee Masters
