Absolution Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDDD EDEDDFFD FGFFHF H FFFFIJJ FDFD KLLK DFDFFMMF FFFFFNNF OFOFFPQF RKRKDSSD BDBD DTTD FDFDU KU VDVDFFFF DODOFUU FUFUDWWD XY Z FJJ A2B2A2B2TC2C2 OJOD2DD OFOFFPP RHRHF FF TBT E2F2F2E2 G2DJDTRH2T AFAFI2FB

THREE months had passed since she had knelt beforeA
The grate of the confessional and heB
The priest had wondered why she came no moreA
To tell her sinless sins the vanityB
Whose valid reason graced her simple dressC
The prayers forgotten or the untold beadsD
The little thoughtless words the slight misdeedsD
Which made the sum of her unrighteousnessD
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She was the fairest maiden in his foldE
With her sweet mouth and musical pure voiceD
Her deep grey eyes her hair's tempestuous goldE
Her gracious graceful figure's perfect poiseD
Her happy laugh her wild unconscious graceD
Her gentle ways to old or sick or sadF
The comprehending sympathy she hadF
Had made of her the idol of the placeD
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And when she grew so silent and so sadF
So thin and quiet pale and hollow eyedG
And cared no more to laugh and to be gladF
With other maidens by the watersideF
All wondered kindly grieved the elders wereH
And some few girls went whispering aboutF
'She loves who is it Let us find it out '-
But never dared to speak of it to herH
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But the priest's duty bade him seek her outF
And say 'My child why dost thou sit apartF
Hast thou some grief Hast thou some secret doubtF
Come and unfold to me thine inmost heartF
God's absolution can assuage all griefI
And all remorse and woe beneath the sunJ
Whatever thou hast said or thought or doneJ
The Holy Church can give thy soul relief '-
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He stood beside her young and strong and swayedF
With pity for the sorrow in her eyesD
Which as she raised them to his own conveyedF
Into his soul a sort of sad surpriseD
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For in those grey eyes had a new light grownK
The light that only bitter love can bringL
And he had fancied her too pure a thingL
For even happy love to dare to ownK
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Yet all the more he urged on her 'ConfessD
And do not doubt some comfort will be lentF
By Holy Church thy penitence to blessD
Trust her my child ' With unconvinced consentF
She answered 'I will come ' and so at lastF
Out of the summer evening's crimson glowM
With heart reluctant and with footsteps slowM
Into the cool great empty church she passedF
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'By my own fault my own most grievous faultF
I cannot say for it is not ' she saidF
Kneeling within the grey stone chapel's vaultF
And on the ledge her golden hair was spreadF
Over the clasping hands that still increasedF
Their nervous pressure poor white hands and thinN
While with hot lips she poured her tale of sinN
Into the cold ear of the patient priestF
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'Love broke upon me in a dream it cameO
Without beginning for to me it seemedF
That all my life this thing had been the sameO
And never otherwise than as I dreamedF
I only knew my heart entire completeF
Was given to my other self my loveP
That I through all the world would gladly moveQ
So I might follow his ador d feetF
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'I dreamed my soul saw suddenly appearR
Immense abysses infinite heights unknownK
Possessed new worlds new earths sphere after sphereR
New sceptres kingdoms crowns became my ownK
When I had all all earth all time all spaceD
And every blessing human and divineS
I hated the possessions that were mineS
And only cared for his belov d faceD
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'I dreamed that in unmeasured harmonyB
Rain of sweet sounds fell on my ravished senseD
And thrilled my soul with swelling ecstasyB
And rose to unimagined excellenceD
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And while the music bade my heart rejoiceD
And on my senses thrust delicious swayT
I wished the perfect melody awayT
And in its place longed for his worshipped voiceD
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'And at the last I felt his arms enfoldF
His kisses crown my life his whispered sighsD
Echo my own unrest his spirit holdF
My spirit powerless underneath his eyesD
My face flushed with new joy and felt more fairU
He clasped me close and cried 'My own my own '-
And then I woke in dawn's chill light aloneK
With empty arms held out to empty airU
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'I never knew I loved him till that dreamV
Drew from my eyes the veil and left me wiseD
What I had thought was reverence grew to seemV
Only my lifelong love in thin disguiseD
And in my dream it looked so sinless tooF
So beautiful harmonious and rightF
The vision faded with the morning lightF
The love will last as long as I shall doF
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'But in the world where I have wept my tearsD
My love is sinful and a bitter shameO
How can I bear the never ending yearsD
When every night I hear him call my nameO
For though that first dream's dear delight is pastF
Yet since that night each night I dream him thereU
With lips caressing on my brow and hairU
And in my arms I hold my heaven fast '-
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'Child have you prayed against it ' 'Have I prayedF
Have I not clogged my very soul with prayerU
Stopped up my ears with sound of praying madeF
My very body faint with kneeling thereU
Before the sculptured Christ and all for thisD
That when my lips can pray no more and sleepW
Shuts my unwilling eyes my love will leapW
To dreamland's bounds to meet me with his kissD
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'Strive against this what profit is the strifeX
If through the day a little strength I gainY
At night he comes and calls me 'love' and 'wife '-
And straightway I am all his own againZ
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And if from love's besieging force my fightF
Some little victory have hardly wonJ
What do I gain As soon as day is doneJ
I yield once more to love's delicious might '-
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'Avoid him ' 'Ay in dewy garden walkA2
How often have I strayed avoiding himB2
And heard his voice mix with the common talkA2
Yet never turned his way My eyes grow dimB2
With weeping over what I lose by dayT
And find by night yet never have to callC2
My own O God is there no help at allC2
No hope no chance and no escapeful way '-
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'And who is he to whom thy love is given '-
'What Holy Church demands to know his nameO
No rest for me on earth no hope of heavenJ
Unless I tell it Ah for very shameO
I cannot yet why not I will I canD2
I have grown mad with brooding on my curseD
Here Take the name no better and no worseD
My case will be Father thou art the man '-
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An icy shock shivered through all his frameO
An overwhelming cold astonishmentF
But on the instant the revulsion cameO
His blood felt what her revelation meantF
And madly rushed along his veins and criedF
'For you too life is possible and loveP
No more a word you miss the meaning ofP
But all your life's desire unsatisfied '-
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Then through his being crept a new strange fearR
Fear of himself and through himself for herH
His every fibre felt her presence nearR
Disquiet in his breast began to stirH
'Lord Christ ' his soul cried while his heart beat fastF
'Give strength in this my hour of utmost need '-
And with the prayer strength came to him indeedF
And with calm voice he answered her at lastF
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'Child go in peace Wrestle and watch and prayT
And I will spend this night in prayer for theeB
That God will take thy strange great grief awayT
Thou hast confessed thy sin Absolvo te '-
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Silence most absolute a little whileE2
Then passed the whisper of her trailing gownF2
Over the knee worn stones and soft died downF2
The dim deserted incense memoried aisleE2
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She passed away and yet when she was goneG2
His heart still echoed her remembered sighsD
What sin unpardonable had he doneJ
That evermore those grey unquiet eyesD
Floated between him and the dying dayT
How had she grown so desperately dearR
Why did her love words echo in his earH2
Through all the prayers he forced his lips to sayT
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All night he lay upon the chancel floorA
And coined his heart in tears and prayers and newF
Strange longings he had never known beforeA
Her very memory so thrilled him throughF
That to his being's core a shiver stoleI2
Of utter boundless measureless delightF
Even while with unceasing desperate miB

Edith Nesbit



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