The Shepheardes Calender: November Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCDCDDADA ACECEECECCDCDDCDC ECFGHFIFIJEJEEAEAAAA AAEAE AEAEAAFKFFEEDFD ECECCEEDCD CLCCLDDDCD EMEMMEEDMD AFAFALLDAD DEDEEFFDED NFNFFMMDFD CDCDDAADDD EOEOOPPDOD DFDFFEEDFD OEOEEEEDED EDEDDEEDDD DEDEEDDDED MEMEEMNovember gloga vndecima Thenot Colin | A |
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Thenot | B |
Colin my deare when shall it please thee sing | C |
As thou were wont songs of some iouisaunce | D |
Thy Muse to long slombreth in sorrowing | C |
Lulled a sleepe through loues misgouernaunce | D |
Now somewhat sing whose endles souenaunce | D |
Emong the shepeheards swaines may aye remaine | A |
Whether thee list the loued lasse aduaunce | D |
Or honor Pan with hymnes of higher vaine | A |
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Colin | A |
Thenot now nis the time of merimake | C |
Nor Pan to herye nor with loue to playe | E |
Sike myrth in May is meetest for to make | C |
Or summer shade vnder the cocked haye | E |
But nowe sadde Winter welked hath the day | E |
And Phoebus weary of his yerely tas ke | C |
Ystabled hath his steedes in lowlye laye | E |
And taken vp his ynne in Fishes has ke | C |
Thilke sollein season sadder plight doth aske | C |
And loatheth sike delightes as thou doest prayse | D |
The mornefull Muse in myrth now list ne mas ke | C |
As shee was wont in yougth and sommer dayes | D |
But if thou algate lust light virelayes | D |
And looser songs of loue to vnderfong | C |
Who but thy selfe deserues sike Poetes prayse | D |
Relieue thy Oaten pypes that sleepen long | C |
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Thenot | E |
The Nightingale is souereigne of song | C |
Before him sits the Titmose silent bee | F |
And I vnfitte to thrust in s kilfull thronge | G |
Should Colin make iudge of my fooleree | H |
Nay better learne of hem that learned bee | F |
An han be watered at the Muses well | I |
The kindlye dewe drops from the higher tree | F |
And wets the little plants that lowly dwell | I |
But if sadde winters wrathe and season chill | J |
Accorde not with thy Muses meriment | E |
To sadder times thou mayst attune thy quill | J |
And sing of sorrowe and deathes dreeriment | E |
For deade is Dido dead alas and drent | E |
Dido the greate shepehearde his daughter sheene | A |
The fayrest May she was that euer went | E |
Her like shee has not left behind I weene | A |
And if thou wilt bewayle my wofull tene | A |
I shall thee giue yond Cosset for thy payne | A |
And if thy rymes as rownd and rufull bene | A |
As those that did thy Rosalind complayne | A |
Much greater gyfts for guerdon thou shalt gayne | A |
Then Kidde of Cosset which I thee bynempt | E |
Then vp I say thou iolly shepeheard swayne | A |
Let not my small demaund be so contempt | E |
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Colin | A |
Thenot to that I choose thou doest me tempt | E |
But ah to well I wote my humble vaine | A |
And howe my rymes bene rugged and vnkempt | E |
Yet as I conne my conning I will strayne | A |
Vp then Melpomene thou mounefulst Muse of nyne | A |
Such cause of mourning neuer hadst afore | F |
Vp grieslie ghostes and vp my rufull ryme | K |
Matter of myrth now shalt thou haue no more | F |
For dead she is that myrth thee made of yore | F |
Didomy deare alas is dead | E |
Dead and lyeth wrapt in lead | E |
O heauie herse | D |
Let streaming teares be poured out in store | F |
O carefull verse | D |
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Shepheards that by your flocks on Kentish downes abyde | E |
Waile ye this wofull waste of natures warke | C |
Waile we the wight whose presence was our pryde | E |
Waile we the wight whose absence is our carke | C |
The sonne of all the world is dimme and darke | C |
The earth now lacks her wonted light | E |
And all we dwell in deadly night | E |
O heauie herse | D |
Breake we our pypes that shrild as lowde as Larke | C |
O carefull verse | D |
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Why do we longer liue ah why liue we so long | C |
Whose better dayes death hath shut vp in woe | L |
The fayrest floure our gyrlond all emong | C |
Is faded quite and into dust ygoe | C |
Sing now ye shepheards daughters sing no moe | L |
The songs that Colin made in her prayse | D |
But into weeping turne your wanton layes | D |
O heauie herse | D |
Now is time to dye Nay time was long ygoe | C |
O carefull verse | D |
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Whence is it that the flouret of the field doth fade | E |
And lyeth buryed long in Winters bale | M |
Yet soone as spring his mantle hath displayd | E |
It floureth fresh as it should neuer fayle | M |
But thing on earth that is of most auaile | M |
As vertues braunch and beauties budde | E |
Reliuen not for any good | E |
O heauie herse | D |
The braunch once dead the budde eke needes must quaile | M |
O carefull verse | D |
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She while she was that was a woful word to sayne | A |
For beauties prayse and pleasaunce had no pere | F |
So well she couth the shepherds entertayne | A |
With cakes and cracknells and such country chere | F |
Ne would she scorne the simple shepheards swaine | A |
For she would call hem often heame | L |
And giue hem curds and clouted Creame | L |
O heauie herse | D |
Als Colin cloute she would not once disdayne | A |
O carefull verse | D |
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But nowe sike happy cheere is turnd to heauie chaunce | D |
Such pleasaunce now displast by dolors dint | E |
All Musick sleepes where death doth leade the daunce | D |
And shepherds wonted solace is extinct | E |
The blew in black the greene in gray is tinct | E |
The gaudie girlonds deck her graue | F |
The faded flowres her corse embraue | F |
O heauie herse | D |
Morne nowe my Muse now morne with teares besprint | E |
O carefull verse | D |
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O thou great shepheard Lobbin how great is thy griefe | N |
Where bene the nosegayes that she dight for thee | F |
The coloured chaplets wrought with a chiefe | N |
The knotted rushrings and gilte Rosemaree | F |
For shee deemed nothing too deere for thee | F |
Ah they bene all yclad in clay | M |
One bitter blast blew all away | M |
O heauie herse | D |
Thereof nought remaynes but the memoree | F |
O carefull verse | D |
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Ay me that dreerie death should strike so mortall stroke | C |
That can vndoe Dame natures kindly course | D |
The faded lockes fall from the loftie oke | C |
The flouds do gaspe for dryed is thyr sourse | D |
And flouds of teares flowe in theyr stead perforse | D |
The mantled medowes mourne | A |
Theyr sondry colours tourne | A |
O heauie herse | D |
The heauens doe melt in teares without remorse | D |
O carefull verse | D |
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The feeble flocks in field refuse their former foode | E |
And hang theyr heads as they would learne to weepe | O |
The beastes in forest wayle as they were woode | E |
Except the Wolues that chase the wandring sheepe | O |
Now she is gon that safely did hem keepe | O |
The Turtle on the bared braunch | P |
Laments the wound that death did launch | P |
O heauie herse | D |
And Philomele her song with teares doth steepe | O |
O carefull verse | D |
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The water Nymphs that wont with her to sing and daunce | D |
And for her girlond Oliue braunches beare | F |
Now balefull boughes of Cypres doen advaunce | D |
The Muses that were wont greene bayes to weare | F |
Now bringen bitter Eldre braunches seare | F |
The fatall sisters eke repent | E |
Her vitall threde so soone was spent | E |
O heauie herse | D |
Mourne now my Muse now mourne with heauie cheare | F |
O carefull verse | D |
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O trustlesse state of earthly things and slipper hope | O |
Of mortal men that swincke and sweate for nought | E |
And shooting wide doe misse the marked scope | O |
Now haue I learnd a lesson derely bought | E |
That nys on earth assuraunce to be sought | E |
For what might be in earthlie mould | E |
That did her buried body hould | E |
O heauie herse | D |
Yet saw I on the beare when it was brought | E |
O carefull verse | D |
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But maugre death and dreaded sisters deadly spight | E |
And gates of hel and fyrie furies forse | D |
She hath the bonds broke of eternall night | E |
Her soule vnbodied of the burdenous corpse | D |
Why then weepes Lobbin so without remorse | D |
O Lobb thy losse no longer lament | E |
Didonis dead but into heauen hent | E |
O happye herse | D |
Cease now my Muse now cease thy sorrowes sourse | D |
O ioyfull verse | D |
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Why wayle we then why weary we the Gods with playnts | D |
As if some euill were to her betight | E |
She raignes a goddesse now emong the saintes | D |
That whilome was the saynt of shepheards light | E |
And is enstalled nowe in heauens hight | E |
I see thee blessed soule I see | D |
Walke in Elisian fieldes so free | D |
O happy herse | D |
Might I once come to thee O that I might | E |
O ioyfull verse | D |
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Vnwise and wretched men to weete whats good or ill | M |
We deeme of Death as doome of ill desert | E |
But knewe we fooles what it vs bringes vntil | M |
Dye would we dayly once it to expert | E |
No daunger there the shepheard can astert | E |
Fayre fieldes and pl | M |
Edmund Spenser
(1)
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