The Shepheardes Calender: Februarie Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A ABBAACCDD AAADDEEFFDDAAGHII AJJGKGGAA AGGDDDDGGJJDDAAAAJJ ALLJJDDMMGGLLDDAAGG AAA ADDAAAAGGAADDAA AAANNDDOOA AADDC ACJLAGGAAAAAAGGDDJJA AJJDDAAAAACCAAGGAAOO PJGGAAAAAAAAQQAAJJKH LLAACCLLAAHHCCJJAAAA LLAAAABBJ

Februarie gloga Secunda CVDDIE THENOTA
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CVDDIEA
AH for pittie wil ranke Winters rageB
These bitter blasts neuer ginne tasswageB
The keene cold blowes throug my beaten hydeA
All as I were through the body grydeA
My ragged rontes all shiver and shakeC
As doen high Towers in an earthquakeC
They wont in the wind wagge their wrigle tailesD
Perke as Peacock but nowe it aualesD
-
THENOTA
Lewdly complainest thou laesie laddeA
Of Winters wracke for making thee saddeA
Must not the world wend in his commun courseD
From good to badd and from badde to worseD
From worse vnto that is worst of allE
And then returne to his former fallE
Who will not suffer the stormy timeF
Where will he liue tyll the lusty primeF
Selfe haue I worne out thrise threttie yearesD
Some in much ioy many in many tearesD
Yet never complained of cold nor heateA
Of Sommers flame nor of Winters threatA
Ne euer was to Fortune foemanG
But gently tooke that vngently cameH
And euer my flocke was my chiefe careI
Winter or Sommer they mought well fareI
-
CVDDIEA
No marueile Thenot if thou can not beareJ
Cherefully the Winters wrathfull cheareJ
For Age and Winter accord full nieG
This chill that cold this crooked that wryeK
And as the lowring Wether lookes downeG
So semest thou like good fryday to frowneG
But my flowring youth is foe to frostA
My shippe vnwont in stormes to be tostA
-
THENOTA
The soueraigne of seas he blames in vaineG
That once seabeate will to sea againeG
So loytring liue you little heardgroomesD
Keeping your beastes in the budded broomesD
And when the shining sunne laugheth onceD
You deemen the Spring is come attonceD
Tho gynne you fond flyes the cold to scornG
And crowing in pypes made of greene corneG
You thinken to be Lords of the yeareJ
But eft when ye count you freed from feareJ
Comes the breme winter with chamfred browesD
Full of wrinckles and frostie furrowesD
Drerily shooting his stormy darteA
Which cruddles the blood and pricks the harteA
Then is your carelesse corage accoiedA
Your carefull heards with cold bene annoiedA
Then paye you the price of your surqedrieJ
With weeping and wayling and miseryJ
-
CVDDIEA
Ah foolish old man I scorne thy skillL
That wouldest me my springing yougth to spilL
I deeme thy braine emperished beeJ
Through rusty elde that hath rotted theeJ
Or sicker thy head veray tottie isD
So on thy corbe shoulder it leanes amisseD
Now thy selfe hast lost both lopp and toppM
Als my budding branch thou wouldest croppM
But were thy yeares greene as now bene myneG
To other delights they would enclineG
Tho wouldest thou learne to caroll of LoueL
And hery with hymnes thy lasses gloueL
Tho wouldest thou pype of Phyllis prayseD
But Phyllis is myne for many dayesD
I wonne her with a girdle of geltA
Embost with buegle about the beltA
Such an one shepeheards woulde make full faineG
Such an one would make thee younge againeG
-
THENOTA
Thou art a fon of thy loue to bosteA
All that is lent to loue wyll be lostA
-
CVDDIEA
Seest howe brag yond Bullocke bearesD
So smirke so smoothe his pricked earesD
His hornes bene as broade as Rainebowe bentA
His dewelap as lythe as lasse of KentA
See howe he venteth into the wyndA
Weenest of loue is not his myndA
Seemeth thy flock thy counsell canG
So lustlesse bene they so weake so wanG
Clothed with cold and hoary wyth frostA
Thy flocks father his corage hath lostA
Thy Ewes that wont to haue blowen bagsD
Like wailful widdowes hangen their cragsD
The rather Lambes bene starued with coldA
All for their Maister is lustlesse and oldA
-
THENOTA
Cuddie I wote thou kenst little goodA
So vainely taduance thy headlesse hoodA
For Youngth is a bubble blown vp with breathN
Whose witt is weakenesse whose wage is deathN
Whose way is wildernesse whose ynne PenaunceD
And stoopegallaunt Age the hoste of GreeuanceD
But shall I tel thee a tale of truthO
Which I cond of Tityrus in my youthO
Keeping his sheepe on the hils of KentA
-
CVDDIEA
To nought more Thenot my mind is bentA
Then to heare nouells of his deuiseD
They bene so well thewed and so wiseD
What euer that good old man bespakeC
-
THENOTA
Many meete tales of youth did he makeC
And some of loue and some of cheualrieJ
But none fitter than this to applieL
Now listen a while and hearken the endA
THere grewe an aged Tree on the greeneG
A goodly Oake sometime had it beneG
With armes full strong and largely displaydA
But of their leaues they were disaraydeA
The bodie bigge and mightily pightA
Throughly rooted and of wonderous hightA
Whilome had bene the King of the fieldA
And mochell mast to the husband did yieldeA
And with his nuts larded many swineG
But now the gray mosse marred his rineG
His bared boughes were beaten with stormesD
His toppe was bald wasted with wormesD
His honor decayed his braunches sereJ
Hard by his side grew a bragging brereJ
Which proudly thrust into ThelementA
And seemed to threat the FirmamentA
Yt was embellisht with blossomes fayreJ
And thereto aye wonned to repayreJ
The shepheards daughters to gather flowresD
To peinct thir girlonds with his colowresD
And in his small bushes vsed to shrowdeA
The sweete Nightingale singing so lowdeA
Which made this foolish Brere wexe so boldA
That on a time he cast him to scoldA
And snebbe the good Oake for he was oldA
Why standst there quoth he thou brutish blockeC
Nor for fruict nor for shadowe serues thy stockeC
Seest how fresh my flowers bene spreddeA
Dyed in Lilly white and Cremsin reddeA
With leaves engrained in lusty greeneG
Colours meete to clothe a mayden QueeneG
Thy wast bignes but combers the growndA
And dirks the beauty of my blossomes rowndA
The mouldie mosse which thee accloiethO
My Sinnamon smell too much annoiethO
Wherefore soone I rede thee hence removeP
Least thou the price of my displeasure proueJ
So spake this bold brere with great disdaineG
Little him answered the Oake againeG
But yielded with shame and greefe adawedA
That of a weede he was ouerawedA
Yt chaunced after vpon a dayA
The Hus bandman selfe to come that wayA
Of custome to seruewe his growndA
And his trees of state in compasse rowndA
Him when the spitefull brere had espyedA
Causlesse complained and lowdly cryedA
Vnto his Lord stirring vp sterne strifeQ
O my liege Lord the God of my lifeQ
Pleaseth you ponder your Suppliants plaintA
Caused of wrong and cruell constraintA
Which I your poore Vassall dayly endureJ
And but your goodnes the same recureJ
Am like for desperate doole to dyeK
Through felonous force of mine enemieH
Greatly aghast with this piteous pleaL
Him rested the goodman on the leaL
And badde the Brere in his plaint proceedeA
With painted words tho gan this proude weedeA
As most vsen Ambitious folkeC
His colowred crime with craft to clokeC
Ah my soueraigne Lord of creatures allL
Thou placer of plants both humble and tallL
Was not I planted of thine owne handA
To be the primrose of all thy landA
With flowring blossomes to furnish the primeH
And scarlot berries in Sommer timeH
How falls it then that this faded OakeC
Whose bodie is sere whose braunches brokeC
Whose naked Armes stretch vnto the fyreJ
Vnto such tyrannie doth aspireJ
Hindering with his shade my louely lightA
And robbing me of the swete sonnes sightA
So beate his old boughes my tender sideA
That oft the bloud springeth from wounds wydeA
Vntimely my flowres forced to fallL
That bene the honor of your CoranallL
And oft he lets his cancker wormes lightA
Vpon my braunches to worke me more spightA
And oft his hoarie locks downe doth castA
Where with my fresh flowretts bene defastA
For this and many more such outrageB
Crauing your goodlihead to aswageB
The ranckorJ

Edmund Spenser



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