A Hymn In Honour Of Beauty Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABACCDD EFEFFGG AGAGGHH IJIJJKK LMNMOFP AQAQQRR AHAHHGG QGQGGJJ AQAQQQQ GGGGGHH QGQGGGG GSGSSGG QHQHHJJ GTGTTGG TQTQQGG AGAGGQQ AGAGGUU VGWGGHH QGQGGXX GGGGGGG GGGGGHH SHSHHGG JUJUUXX AGAGGAA GJGJJQQ STST

Ah whither Love wilt thou now carry meA
What wontless fury dost thou now inspireB
Into my feeble breast too full of theeA
Whilst seeking to aslake thy raging fireC
Thou in me kindlest much more great desireC
And up aloft above my strength dost raiseD
The wondrous matter of my fire to praiseD
-
That as I erst in praise of thine own nameE
So now in honour of thy mother dearF
An honourable hymn I eke should frameE
And with the brightness of her beauty clearF
The ravish'd hearts of gazeful men might rearF
To admiration of that heavenly lightG
From whence proceeds such soul enchanting mightG
-
Thereto do thou great goddess queen of beautyA
Mother of love and of all world's delightG
Without whose sovereign grace and kindly dutyA
Nothing on earth seems fair to fleshly sightG
Do thou vouchsafe with thy love kindling lightG
T' illuminate my dim and dulled eyneH
And beautify this sacred hymn of thineH
-
That both to thee to whom I mean it mostI
And eke to her whose fair immortal beamJ
Hath darted fire into my feeble ghostI
That now it wasted is with woes extremeJ
It may so please that she at length will streamJ
Some dew of grace into my withered heartK
After long sorrow and consuming smartK
-
WHAT time this world's great Workmaster did castL
To make all things such as we now beholdM
It seems that he before his eyes had plac'dN
A goodly pattern to whose perfect mouldM
He fashion'd them as comely as he couldO
That now so fair and seemly they appearF
As nought may be amended anywhereP
-
That wondrous pattern wheresoe'er it beA
Whether in earth laid up in secret storeQ
Or else in heaven that no man may it seeA
With sinful eyes for fear it to defloreQ
Is perfect Beauty which all men adoreQ
Whose face and feature doth so much excelR
All mortal sense that none the same may tellR
-
Thereof as every earthly thing partakesA
Or more or less by influence divineH
So it more fair accordingly it makesA
And the gross matter of this earthly mineH
Which clotheth it thereafter doth refineH
Doing away the dross which dims the lightG
Of that fair beam which therein is empightG
-
For through infusion of celestial powerQ
The duller earth it quick'neth with delightG
And lifeful spirits privily doth pourQ
Through all the parts that to the looker's sightG
They seem to please That is thy sovereign mightG
O Cyprian queen which flowing from the beamJ
Of thy bright star thou into them dost streamJ
-
That is the thing which giveth pleasant graceA
To all things fair that kindleth lively fireQ
Light of thy lamp which shining in the faceA
Thence to the soul darts amorous desireQ
And robs the hearts of those which it admireQ
Therewith thou pointest thy son's poison'd arrowQ
That wounds the life and wastes the inmost marrowQ
-
How vainly then do idle wits inventG
That beauty is nought else but mixture madeG
Of colours fair and goodly temp'ramentG
Of pure complexions that shall quickly fadeG
And pass away like to a summer's shadeG
Or that it is but comely compositionH
Of parts well measur'd with meet dispositionH
-
Hath white and red in it such wondrous powerQ
That it can pierce through th' eyes unto the heartG
And therein stir such rage and restless stourQ
As nought but death can stint his dolour's smartG
Or can proportion of the outward partG
Move such affection in the inward mindG
That it can rob both sense and reason blindG
-
Why do not then the blossoms of the fieldG
Which are array'd with much more orient hueS
And to the sense most dainty odours yieldG
Work like impression in the looker's viewS
Or why do not fair pictures like power shewS
In which oft times we nature see of artG
Excell'd in perfect limning every partG
-
But ah believe me there is more than soQ
That works such wonders in the minds of menH
I that have often prov'd too well it knowQ
And whoso list the like assays to kenH
Shall find by trial and confess it thenH
That beauty is not as fond men misdeemJ
An outward shew of things that only seemJ
-
For that same goodly hue of white and redG
With which the cheeks are sprinkled shall decayT
And those sweet rosy leaves so fairly spreadG
Upon the lips shall fade and fall awayT
To that they were even to corrupted clayT
That golden wire those sparkling stars so brightG
Shall turn to dust and lose their goodly lightG
-
But that fair lamp from whose celestial rayT
That light proceeds which kindleth lovers' fireQ
Shall never be extinguish'd nor decayT
But when the vital spirits do expireQ
Unto her native planet shall retireQ
For it is heavenly born and cannot dieG
Being a parcel of the purest skyG
-
For when the soul the which derived wasA
At first out of that great immortal SprightG
By whom all live to love whilom did passA
Down from the top of purest heaven's heightG
To be embodied here it then took lightG
And lively spirits from that fairest starQ
Which lights the world forth from his fiery carQ
-
Which power retaining still or more or lessA
When she in fleshly seed is eft enracedG
Through every part she doth the same impressA
According as the heavens have her gracedG
And frames her house in which she will be placedG
Fit for herself adorning it with spoilU
Of th' heavenly riches which she robb'd erewhileU
-
Thereof it comes that these fair souls which haveV
The most resemblance of that heavenly lightG
Frame to themselves most beautiful and braveW
Their fleshly bower most fit for their delightG
And the gross matter by a sovereign mightG
Tempers so trim that it may well be seenH
A palace fit for such a virgin queenH
-
So every spirit as it is most pureQ
And hath in it the more of heavenly lightG
So it the fairer body doth procureQ
To habit in and it more fairly dightG
With cheerful grace and amiable sightG
For of the soul the body form doth takeX
For soul is form and doth the body makeX
-
Therefore wherever that thou dost beholdG
A comely corpse with beauty fair enduedG
Know this for certain that the same doth holdG
A beauteous soul with fair conditions thewedG
Fit to receive the seed of virtue strewedG
For all that fair is is by nature goodG
That is a sign to know the gentle bloodG
-
Yet oft it falls that many a gentle mindG
Dwells in deformed tabernacle drown'dG
Either by chance against the course of kindG
Or through unaptness in the substance foundG
Which it assumed of some stubborn groundG
That will not yield unto her form's directionH
But is deform'd with some foul imperfectionH
-
And oft it falls ay me the more to rueS
That goodly beauty albe heavenly bornH
Is foul abus'd and that celestial hueS
Which doth the world with her delight adornH
Made but the bait of sin and sinners' scornH
Whilst every one doth seek and sue to have itG
But every one doth seek but to deprave itG
-
Yet nath more is that fair beauty's blameJ
But theirs that do abuse it unto illU
Nothing so good but that through guilty shameJ
May be corrupt and wrested unto willU
Natheless the soul is fair and beauteous stillU
However flesh e s fault it filthy makeX
For things immortal no corruption takeX
-
But ye fair dames the world's dear ornamentsA
And lively images of heaven's lightG
Let not your beams with such disparagementsA
Be dimm'd and your bright glory dark'ned quiteG
But mindful still of your first country's sightG
Do still preserve your first informed graceA
Whose shadow yet shines in your beauteous faceA
-
Loathe that foul blot that hellish firebrandG
Disloyal lust fair beauty's foulest blameJ
That base affections which your ears would blandG
Commend to you by love's abused nameJ
But is indeed the bondslave of defameJ
Which will the garland of your glory marQ
And quench the light of your bright shining starQ
-
But gentle Love that loyal is and trueS
Will more illumine your resplendent rayT
And add more brightness to your goodly hueS
From light of his pure fire which by like wayT
Kindled of yours y-

Edmund Spenser



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