The Shepheardes Calender: December Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCBCDDEFEFGG CGCGGG HCHCGG GAGAGG HGHGII JKJKAA CGCGLL GLGLGG EEEEGG EEEEEE MAJAFF AGAGAA EGEGLL JJJJFF GGGGGG GNGNLL GEGEFF OHOHGG FGFGEE PEQEGG AGLGEE GGGGGG MGMGGG HIHINN FMFMMM AMDecember gloga Duodecima | A |
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He gentle shepheard satte beside a springe | B |
All in the shadowe of a bushy brere | C |
That Colin hight which wel could pype and singe | B |
For he of Tityrus his songs did lere | C |
There as he satte in secreate shade alone | D |
Thus gan he make of loue his piteous mone | D |
O soueraigne Pan thou God of shepheards all | E |
Which of our tender Lambkins takest keepe | F |
And when our flocks into mischaunce mought fall | E |
Doest save from mischeife the vnwary sheepe | F |
Als of their maisters hast no lesse regarde | G |
Then of the flocks which thou doest watch and ward | G |
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I thee beseche so be thou deigne to heare | C |
Rude ditties tund to shepheards Oaten reede | G |
Or if I euer sonet song so cleare | C |
As it with pleasaunce mought thy fancie feede | G |
Hearken awhile from thy greene cabinet | G |
The rurall song of carefull Colinet | G |
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Whilome in youth when flowrd my ioyfull spring | H |
Like Swallow swift I wandred here and there | C |
For heate of heedlesse lust me so did sting | H |
That I of doubted daunger had no feare | C |
I went the wastefull woodes and forest wyde | G |
Withouten dreade of Wolues to bene espyed | G |
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I wont to raunge amydde the mazie thickette | G |
And gather nuttes to make me Christmas game | A |
And ioyed oft to chace the trembling Pricket | G |
Or hunt the hartlesse hare til shee were tame | A |
What wreaked I of wintrye ages waste | G |
Tho deemed I my spring would euer laste | G |
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How often haue I scaled the craggie Oke | H |
All to dislodge the Rauen of her neste | G |
Howe haue I wearied with many a stroke | H |
The stately Walnut tree the while the rest | G |
Vnder the tree fell all for nuts at strife | I |
For ylike to me was libertee and lyfe | I |
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And for I was in thilke same looser yeares | J |
Whether the Muse so wrought me from my birth | K |
Or I tomuch beleeued my shepherd peres | J |
Somedele ybent to song and musicks mirth | K |
A good olde shephearde Wrenock was his name | A |
Made me by arte more cunning in the same | A |
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Fro thence I durst in derring doe compare | C |
With shepheards swayne what euer fedde in field | G |
And if that Hobbinol right iudgement bare | C |
To Pan his owne selfe pype I neede not yield | G |
For if the flocking Nymphes did folow Pan | L |
The wiser Muses after Colin ranne | L |
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But ah such pryde at length was ill repayde | G |
The shepheards God perdie God was he none | L |
My hurtlesse pleasaunce did me ill vpbraide | G |
My freedome lorne my life he lefte to mone | L |
Loue they him called that gaue me checkmate | G |
But better mought they haue behote him Hate | G |
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Tho gan my louely Spring bid me farewel | E |
And Sommer season sped him to display | E |
For loue then in the Lyons house did dwell | E |
The raging fyre that kindled at his ray | E |
A comett stird vp that vnkindly heate | G |
That reigned as men sayd in Venus seate | G |
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Forth was I ledde not as I wont afore | E |
When choise I had to choose my wandring waye | E |
But whether luck and loues vnbridled lore | E |
Would leade me forth on Fancies bitte to playe | E |
The bush my bedde the bramble was my bowre | E |
The Woodes can witnesse many a wofull stowre | E |
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Where I was wont to seeke the honey Bee | M |
Working her formall rowmes in Wexen frame | A |
The grieslie Todestool growne there mought I se | J |
And loathed Paddocks lording on the same | A |
And where the chaunting birds luld me a sleepe | F |
The ghastlie Owle her grieuous ynne doth keepe | F |
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Then as the springe giues place to elder time | A |
And bringeth forth the fruite of sommers pryde | G |
Also my age now passed yougthly pryme | A |
To thinges of ryper reason selfe applyed | G |
And learnd of lighter timber cotes to frame | A |
Such as might saue my sheepe and me fro shame | A |
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To make fine cages for the Nightingale | E |
And Baskets of bulrushes was my wont | G |
Who to entrappe the fish in winding sale | E |
Was better seene or hurtful beastes to hont | G |
I learned als the signes of heauen to ken | L |
How Phoebe sayles where Venus sittes and when | L |
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And tryed time yet taught me greater thinges | J |
The sodain rysing of the raging seas | J |
The soothe of byrds by beating of their wings | J |
The power of herbs both which can hurt and ease | J |
And which be wont tenrage the restlesse sheepe | F |
And which be wont to worke eternall sleepe | F |
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But ah vnwise and witlesse Colin cloute | G |
That kydst the hidden kinds of many a wede | G |
Yet kydst not ene to cure thy sore hart roote | G |
Whose ranckling wound as yet does rifely bleede | G |
Why liuest thou stil and yet hast thy deathes wound | G |
Why dyest thou stil and yet aliue art founde | G |
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Thus is my sommer worne away and wasted | G |
Thus is my haruest hastened all to rathe | N |
The eare that budded faire is burnt blasted | G |
And all my hoped gaine is turned to scathe | N |
Of all the seede that in my youth was sowne | L |
Was nought but brakes and brambles to be mowne | L |
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My boughes with bloosmes that crowned were at firste | G |
And promised of timely fruite such store | E |
Are left both bare and barrein now at erst | G |
The flattring fruite is fallen to grownd before | E |
And rotted ere they were halfe mellow ripe | F |
My haruest wast my hope away dyd wipe | F |
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The fragrant flowres that in my garden grewe | O |
Bene withered as they had bene gathered long | H |
Theyr rootes bene dryed vp for lacke of dewe | O |
Yet dewed with teares they han be euer among | H |
Ah who has wrought my Ro s alind this spight | G |
To spil the flowres that should her girlond dight | G |
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And I that whilome wont to frame my pype | F |
Vnto the shifting of the shepheards foote | G |
Sike follies nowe haue gathered as too ripe | F |
And cast hem out as rotten an vnsoote | G |
The loser Lasse I cast to please nomore | E |
One if I please enough is me therefore | E |
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And thus of all my haruest hope I haue | P |
Nought reaped but a weedye crop of care | E |
Which when I thought haue thresht in swelling sheaue | Q |
Cockel for corne and chaffe for barley bare | E |
Soone as the chaffe should in the fan be fynd | G |
All was blowne away of the wauering wynd | G |
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So now my yeare drawes to his latter terme | A |
My spring is spent my sommer burnt vp quite | G |
My harueste hasts to stirre vp winter sterne | L |
And bids him clayme with rigorous rage hys right | G |
So nowe he stormes with many a sturdy stoure | E |
So now his blustring blast eche coste doth scoure | E |
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The carefull cold hath nypt my rugged rynde | G |
And in my face deepe furrowes eld hath pight | G |
My head besprent with hoary frost I fynd | G |
And by myne eie the Crow his clawe dooth wright | G |
Delight is layd abedde and pleasure past | G |
No sonne now shines cloudes han all ouercast | G |
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Now leaue ye shepheards boyes yo u r merry glee | M |
My Muse is hoarse and weary of thys stounde | G |
Here will I hang my pype vpon this tree | M |
Was neuer pype of reede did better sounde | G |
Winter is come that blowes the bitter blaste | G |
And after Winter dreerie death does hast | G |
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Gather ye together my little flocke | H |
My little flock that was to me so liefe | I |
Let me ah lette me in your folds ye lock | H |
Ere the breme Winter breede you greater griefe | I |
Winter is come that blowes the balefull breath | N |
And after Winter commeth timely death | N |
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Adieu delightes that lulled me asleepe | F |
Adieu my deare whose loue I bought so deare | M |
Adieu my little Lambes and loued sheepe | F |
Adieu ye Woodes that oft my witnesse were | M |
Adieu good Hobbinol that was so true | M |
Tell Rosalind her Colin bids her adieu | M |
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Colins Embleme | A |
Vivitur ingenio caetera mortis erunt | M |
Edmund Spenser
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