The Shepheardes Calender: September Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BAC DAAAA BAAAA DEEFF BAAGGAAAAAA DGGGCCGGDDDDHHGGAADD AAI BIGGAGBBAA DAAAAJJKKGGDD BAAAADD DAAGGLLBBGGAAGGLLACA AAAGAIGHH BII DAAGCAAAAIIGGCCBBGGI IAAAAGGAAIIGG BDDAAK DKGGGGBBAA BIIMMDD DGGAAGA BDD DGGGGGGAI BAABBCCAGSeptember gloga Nona Hobbinol Diggon Dauie | A |
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Hobbinol | B |
Diggon Dauie I bidde her god day | A |
Or Diggon her is or I missaye | C |
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Diggon | D |
Her was her while it was daye light | A |
But nowe her is a most wretched wight | A |
For day that was is wightly past | A |
And now at earst the dirke night doth hast | A |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Diggon areede who has thee so dight | A |
Neuer I wist thee in so poor a plight | A |
Where is the fayre flocke thou was wont to leade | A |
Or bene they chaffred or at mischiefe dead | A |
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Diggon | D |
Ah for loue of that is to thee moste leefe | E |
Hobbinol I pray thee gall not my old griefe | E |
Sike question ripeth vp cause of newe woe | F |
For one opened mote vnfolde many moe | F |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Nay but sorrow close shrouded in hart | A |
I know to kepe is a burdenous smart | A |
Eche thing imparted is more eath to beare | G |
When the rayne is faln the cloudes wexen cleare | G |
And nowe sithence I sawe thy head last | A |
Thrise three Moones bene fully spent and past | A |
Since when thou hast measured much grownd | A |
And wandred I wene about the world rounde | A |
So as thou can many thinges relate | A |
But tell me first of thy flocks astate | A |
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Diggon | D |
My sheepe bene wasted wae is me therefore | G |
The iolly shepheard that was of yore | G |
Is nowe nor iolloye nor shepehearde more | G |
In forrein costes men sayd was plentye | C |
And so there is but all of miserye | C |
I dempt there much to haue eeked my store | G |
But such eeking hath made my hart sore | G |
In tho countryes whereas I haue bene | D |
No being for those that truely mene | D |
But for such as of guile maken gayne | D |
No such countrye as there to remaine | D |
They setten to sale their shops of shame | H |
And maken a Mart of theyr good name | H |
The shepheards there robben one another | G |
And layen baytes to beguile her brother | G |
Or they will buy his sheepe out of the cote | A |
Or they will caruen the shepheards throte | A |
The shepheards swayne you cannot wel ken | D |
But it be by his pryde from other men | D |
They looken bigge as Bulls that bene bate | A |
And bearen the cragge so stiffe and so state | A |
As cocke on his dunghill crowing cranck | I |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Diggon I am so stiffe and so stanck | I |
That vneth may I stand any more | G |
And nowe the Westerne wind bloweth sore | G |
That nowe is in his chiefe souereigntee | A |
Beating the withered leafe from the tree | G |
Sitte we downe here under the hill | B |
Tho may we talke and tellen our fill | B |
And make a mocke at the blustring blast | A |
Now say on Diggon what euer thou hast | A |
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Diggon | D |
Hobbin ah hobbin I curse the stounde | A |
That euer I cast to haue lorne this grounde | A |
Wel away the while I was so fonde | A |
To leaue the good that I had in honde | A |
In hope of better that was vncouth | J |
So lost the Dogge the flesh in his mouth | J |
My seely sheepe ah seely sheepe | K |
That here by there I whilome vsed to keepe | K |
All were they lustye as thou didst see | G |
Bene all sterued with pyne and penuree | G |
Hardly my selfe escaped thilke payne | D |
Driuen for neede to come home agayne | D |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Ah fon now by thy losse art taught | A |
That seeldome chaunge the better brought | A |
Content who liues with tryed state | A |
Neede feare no chaunge of frowning fate | A |
But who will seeke for vnknowne gayne | D |
Oft liues by losse and leaues with payne | D |
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Diggon | D |
I wote ne Hobbin how I was bewitcht | A |
With vayne desyre and hope to be enricht | A |
But sicker so it is as the bright starre | G |
Seemeth ay greater when it is farre | G |
I thought the soyle would haue made me rich | L |
But nowe I wote it is nothing sich | L |
For eyther the shepeheards bene ydle and still | B |
And ledde of theyr sheepe what way they wyll | B |
Or they bene false and full of couetise | G |
And casten to compasse many wrong emprise | G |
But the more bene fraught with fraud and spight | A |
Ne in good nor goodnes taken delight | A |
But kindle coales of conteck and yre | G |
Wherewith they sette all the world on fire | G |
Which when they thinken agayne to quench | L |
With holy water they doen hem all drench | L |
They saye they con to heauen the high way | A |
But by my soule I dare vndersaye | C |
Thye neuer sette foote in that same troade | A |
But balk the right way and strayen abroad | A |
They boast they han the deuill at commaund | A |
But aske hem therefore what they han paund | A |
Marrie that great Pan bought with deare borrow | G |
To quite it from the blacke bowre of sorrowe | A |
But they han sold thilk same long agoe | I |
For thy woulden drawe with hem many moe | G |
But let hem gange alone a Gods name | H |
As they han brewed so let hem beare blame | H |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Diggon I praye the speake not so dirke | I |
Such myster saying me seemeth to mirke | I |
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Diggon | D |
Then playnely to speake of shepheards most what | A |
Badde is the best this english is flatt | A |
Their ill hauiour garres men missay | G |
Both of their doctrine and of their faye | C |
They sayne the world is much war then it wont | A |
All for her shepheards bene beastly and blont | A |
Other sayne but how truely I note | A |
All for they holden shame of theyr cote | A |
Some sticke not to say whote cole on her tongue | I |
That sike mischeife graseth hem emong | I |
All for the casten too much of worlds care | G |
To deck her Dame and enrich her heyre | G |
For such encheason If you goe nye | C |
Fewe chymneis reeking you shall espye | C |
The fat Oxe that wont ligge in the stal | B |
Is nowe fast stalled in her crumenall | B |
Thus chatten the people in theyr steads | G |
Ylike as a Monster of many heads | G |
But they that shooten neerest the pricke | I |
Sayne other the fat from their beards doen lick | I |
For bigge Bulles of Basanbrace hem about | A |
That with theyr hornes butten the more stoute | A |
But the leane soules treaden vnder foote | A |
And to seeke redresse mought little boote | A |
For liker bene they to pluck away more | G |
Then ought of the gotten good to restore | G |
For they bene like foule wagmoires ouergrast | A |
That if thy galage once sticketh fast | A |
The more to wind it out thou doest swinck | I |
Thou mought ay deeper and deeper sinck | I |
Yet better leaue of with a little losse | G |
Then by much wrestling to leese the grosse | G |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Nowe Diggon I see thou speakest to plaine | D |
Better it were a little to feyne | D |
And cleanly couer that cannot be cured | A |
Such il as is forced mought nedes be endured | A |
But of sike pastoures howe done the flocks creepe | K |
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Diggon | D |
Sike as the shepheards sike bene her sheepe | K |
For they nill listen to the shepheards voyce | G |
But if he call hem at theyr good choyce | G |
They wander at wil and stray at pleasure | G |
And to theyr foldes yeeld at their owne leasure | G |
But they had be better come at their cal | B |
for many han into mischiefe fall | B |
And bene of rauenous Wolues yrent | A |
All for they nould be buxome and bent | A |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Fye on thee Diggon and all thy foule leasing | I |
Well is knowne that sith the Saxon king | I |
Neuer was Woolfe seene many nor some | M |
Nor in all Kent nor in Christendome | M |
But the fewer Woolues the soth to sayne | D |
The more bene the Foxes that here remaine | D |
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Diggon | D |
Yes but they gang in more secrete wise | G |
And with sheepes clothing doen hem disguise | G |
They walke not widely as they were wont | A |
For feare of raungers and the great hunt | A |
But priuely prolling too and froe | G |
Enaunter they mought be inly knowe | A |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Or priue or pert yf any bene | D |
We han great Bandogs will tear their skinne | D |
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Diggon | D |
Indeede thy ball is a bold bigge curre | G |
And could make a iolly hole in theyr furre | G |
But not good Dogges hem needeth to chace | G |
But heedy shepheards to discerne their face | G |
For all their craft is in their countenaunce | G |
They bene so graue and full of mayntenaunce | G |
But shall I tell thee what my selfe knowe | A |
Chaunced to Roffynn not long ygoe | I |
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Hobbinoll | B |
Say it out Diggon what euer it hight | A |
For not but well mought him betight | A |
He is so meeke wise and merciable | B |
And with his word his worke is conuenable | B |
Colin clout I wene be his selfe boye | C |
Ah for Colin he whilome my ioye | C |
Shepheards sich God mought vs many send | A |
That doen so | G |
Edmund Spenser
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