The Shepheardes Calender: October Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBABA ACDDCEC FGGFGF FFCCFCF HIIHIH ACGGCGC FCAFCFC JAAJAJ FJJAJA GGAAGAG GAAKAG LFFLFL FCCGCA FFAAFAF ACAACAC FMGGJGG AFNNFNA FAAFAF OCCOCO HAAH FAH NJ| OCTOBER AElig gloga DecimaPIERCE CUDDIE | A |
| Cuddie for shame hold up thy heavye head | A |
| And let us cast with what delight to chace | B |
| And weary thys long lingring Phoebus race | B |
| Whilome thou wont the shepheards laddes to leade | A |
| In rymes in ridles and in bydding base | B |
| Now they in thee and thou in sleepe art dead | A |
| - | |
| CUDDY | A |
| Piers I have pyped erst so long with payne | C |
| That all mine Oten reedes bene rent and wore | D |
| And my poore Muse hath spent her spared store | D |
| Yet little good hath got and much lesse gayne | C |
| Such pleasaunce makes the Grashopper so poore | E |
| And ligge so layd when Winter doth her straine | C |
| - | |
| The dapper ditties that I wont devise | F |
| To feede youthes fancie and the flocking fry | G |
| Delighten much what I the bett for thy | G |
| They han the pleasure I a sclender prise | F |
| I beate the bush the byrds to them doe flye | G |
| What good thereof to Cuddie can arise | F |
| - | |
| PIERS | F |
| Cuddie the prayse is better then the price | F |
| The glory eke much greater then the gayne | C |
| O what an honor is it to restraine | C |
| The lust of lawlesse youth with good advice | F |
| Or pricke them forth with pleasaunce of thy vaine | C |
| Whereto thou list their trayned willes entice | F |
| - | |
| Soone as thou gynst to sette thy notes in frame | H |
| O how the rurall routes to thee doe cleave | I |
| Seemeth thou dost their soule of sence bereave | I |
| All as the shepheard that did fetch his dame | H |
| From Plutoes balefull bowre withouten leave | I |
| His musicks might the hellish hound did tame | H |
| - | |
| CUDDIE | A |
| So praysen babes the Peacoks spotted traine | C |
| And wondren at bright Argus blazing eye | G |
| But who rewards him ere the more for thy | G |
| Or feedes him once the fuller by a graine | C |
| Sike prayse is smoke that sheddeth in the skye | G |
| Sike words bene wynd and wasten soone in vayne | C |
| - | |
| PIERS | F |
| Abandon then the base and viler clowne | C |
| Lyft up thy selfe out of the lowly dust | A |
| And sing of bloody Mars of wars of giusts | F |
| Turne thee to those that weld the awful crowne | C |
| To doubted Knights whose woundlesse armour rusts | F |
| And helmes unbruzed wexen dayly browne | C |
| - | |
| There may thy Muse display her fluttryng wing | J |
| And stretch her selfe at large from East to West | A |
| Whither thou list in fayre Elisa rest | A |
| Or if thee please in bigger notes to sing | J |
| Advaunce the worthy whome shee loveth best | A |
| That first the white beare to the stake did bring | J |
| - | |
| And when the stubborne stroke of stronger stounds | F |
| Has somewhat slackt the tenor of thy string | J |
| Of love and lustihed tho mayst thou sing | J |
| And carrol lowde and leade the Myllers rownde | A |
| All were Elisa one of thilke same ring | J |
| So mought our Cuddies name to Heaven sownde | A |
| - | |
| CUDDYE | G |
| Indeed the Romish Tityrus I heare | G |
| Through his Mec oe nas left his Oaten reede | A |
| Whereon he earst had taught his flocks to feede | A |
| And laboured lands to yield the timely eare | G |
| And eft did sing of warres and deadly drede | A |
| So as the Heavens did quake his verse to here | G |
| - | |
| But ah Mec oe nas is yclad in claye | G |
| And great Augustus long ygoe is dead | A |
| And all the worthies liggen wrapt in leade | A |
| That matter made for Poets on to play | K |
| For ever who in derring doe were dreade | A |
| The loftie verse of hem was loved aye | G |
| - | |
| But after vertue gan for age to stoupe | L |
| And mighty manhode brought a bedde of ease | F |
| The vaunting Poets found nought worth a pease | F |
| To put in preace emong the learned troupe | L |
| Tho gan the streames of flowing wittes to cease | F |
| And sonnebright honour pend in shamefull coupe | L |
| - | |
| And if that any buddes of Poesie | F |
| Yet of the old stocke gan to shoote agayne | C |
| Or it mens follies mote be forst to fayne | C |
| And rolle with rest in rymes of rybaudrye | G |
| Or as it sprong it wither must agayne | C |
| Tom Piper makes us better melodie | A |
| - | |
| PIERS | F |
| O pierlesse Poesye where is then thy place | F |
| If nor in Princes pallace thou doe sitt | A |
| And yet is Princes pallace the most fitt | A |
| Ne brest of baser birth doth thee embrace | F |
| Then make thee winges of thine aspyring wit | A |
| And whence thou camst flye backe to heaven apace | F |
| - | |
| CUDDIE | A |
| Ah Percy it is all to weake and wanne | C |
| So high to sore and make so large a flight | A |
| Her peeced pyneons bene not so in plight | A |
| For Colin fittes such famous flight to scanne | C |
| He were he not with love so ill bedight | A |
| Would mount as high and sing as soote as Swanne | C |
| - | |
| PIERS | F |
| Ah fon for love does teach him climbe so hie | M |
| And lyftes him up out of the loathsome myre | G |
| Such immortall mirrhor as he doth admire | G |
| Would rayse ones mynd above the starry skie | J |
| And cause a caytive corage to aspire | G |
| For lofty love doth loath a lowly eye | G |
| - | |
| CUDDIE | A |
| All otherwise the state of Poet stands | F |
| For lordly love is such a Tyranne fell | N |
| That where he rules all power he doth expell | N |
| The vaunted verse a vacant head demaundes | F |
| Ne wont with crabbed care the Muses dwell | N |
| Unwisely weaves that takes two webbes in hand | A |
| - | |
| Who ever casts to compasse weightye prise | F |
| And thinks to throwe out thondring words of threate | A |
| Let powre in lavish cups and thriftie bitts of meate | A |
| For Bacchus fruite is frend to Phoebus wise | F |
| And when with Wine the braine begins to sweate | A |
| The nombers flowe as fast as spring doth ryse | F |
| - | |
| Thou kenst not Percie howe the ryme should rage | O |
| O if my temples were distaind with wine | C |
| And girt in girlonds of wild Yvie twine | C |
| How I could reare the Muse on stately stage | O |
| And teache her tread aloft in buskin fine | C |
| With queint Bellona in her equipage | O |
| - | |
| But ah my corage cooles ere it be warme | H |
| For thy content us in thys humble shade | A |
| Where no such troublous tydes han us assayde | A |
| Here we our slender pipes may safely charme | H |
| - | |
| PIERS | F |
| And when my Gates shall han their bellies layd | A |
| Cuddie shall have a Kidde to store his farme CUDDIES EMBLEME | H |
| - | |
| - | |
| Agitante calescimus illo | N |
| c | J |
Edmund Spenser
(1)
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About The Shepheardes Calender: October
The Shepheardes Calender: October is a poem by Edmund Spenser. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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