Maurine: Part 02 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCCDDEEFGFHHGIIJK JLMMCCNNOPPO DDAA QQRRSTSUUTVVWX YZA2ZB2M MC2D2W AWAE2IUF2WWBBQWIIXWW WWWW WG2G2H2H2WWWWWWWI2I2 WW J2J2CC WWUWUWWWWK2L2JJL2K2W PWPM2N2WWWCCW CWCW O2O2WWWWWWWWO2O2WWCW CWP2JWJP2W BI2I2BWWTTTTWW TTQ2Q2TTWWWO2O2WWWWW WNNWW TWWWWTR2R2 CCTWWAAT BWBWQQW TWWWWTS2S2T2T2BU2BU2 O2O2 V2V2WWWTTWQ2Q2CCWWWW WH2H2QQW2 WTWTIIWW AU2U2ATTWWTo little birds that never tire of humming | A |
About the garden in the summer weather | B |
Aunt Ruth compared us after Helen's coming | A |
As we two roamed or sat and talked together | B |
Twelve months apart we had so much to say | C |
Of school days gone and time since passed away | C |
Of that old friend and this of what we'd done | D |
Of how our separate paths in life had run | D |
Of what we would do in the coming years | E |
Of plans and castles hopes and dreams and fears | E |
All these and more as soon as we found speech | F |
We touched upon and skimmed from this to that | G |
But at the first each only gazed on each | F |
And dumb with joy that did not need a voice | H |
Like lesser joys to say Lo I rejoice | H |
With smiling eyes and clasping hands we sat | G |
Wrapped in that peace felt but with those dear | I |
Contented just to know each other near | I |
But when this silent eloquence gave place | J |
To words 'twas like the rising of a flood | K |
Above a dam We sat there face to face | J |
And let our talk glide on where'er it would | L |
Speech never halting in its speed or zest | M |
Save when our rippling laughter let it rest | M |
Just as a stream will sometimes pause and play | C |
About a bubbling spring then dash away | C |
No wonder then the third day's sun was nigh | N |
Up to the zenith when my friend and I | N |
Opened our eyes from slumber long and deep | O |
Nature demanding recompense for hours | P |
Spent in the portico among the flowers | P |
Halves of two nights we should have spent in sleep | O |
- | |
So this third day we breakfasted at one | D |
Then walked about the garden in the sun | D |
Hearing the thrushes and the robins sing | A |
And looking to see what buds were opening | A |
- | |
The clock chimed three and we yet strayed at will | Q |
About the yard in morning dishabille | Q |
When Aunt Ruth came with apron o'er her head | R |
Holding a letter in her hand and said | R |
Here is a note from Vivian I opine | S |
At least his servant brought it And now girls | T |
You may think this is no concern of mine | S |
But in my day young ladies did not go | U |
Till almost bed time roaming to and fro | U |
In morning wrappers and with tangled curls | T |
The very pictures of forlorn distress | V |
'Tis three o'clock and time for you to dress | V |
Come read your note and hurry in Maurine | W |
And make yourself fit object to be seen | X |
- | |
Helen was bending o'er an almond bush | Y |
And ere she looked up I had read the note | Z |
And calmed my heart that bounding sent a flush | A2 |
To brow and cheek at sight of aught HE wrote | Z |
Ma Belle Maurine so Vivian's billet ran | B2 |
Is it not time I saw your cherished guest | M |
'Pity the sorrows of a poor young man ' | - |
Banished from all that makes existence blest | M |
I'm dying to see your friend and I will come | C2 |
And pay respects hoping you'll be at home | D2 |
To night at eight Expectantly V D | W |
- | |
Inside my belt I slipped the billet saying | A |
Helen go make yourself most fair to see | W |
Quick hurry now no time for more delaying | A |
In just five hours a caller will be here | E2 |
And you must look your prettiest my dear | I |
Begin your toilet right away I know | U |
How long it takes you to arrange each bow | F2 |
To twist each curl and loop your skirts aright | W |
And you must prove you are au fait to night | W |
And make a perfect toilet for our caller | B |
Is man and critic poet artist scholar | B |
And views with eyes of all | Q |
Oh oh Maurine | W |
Cried Helen with a well feigned look of fear | I |
You've frightened me so I shall not appear | I |
I'll hide away refusing to be seen | X |
By such an ogre Woe is me bereft | W |
Of all my friends my peaceful home I've left | W |
And strayed away into the dreadful wood | W |
To meet the fate of poor Red Riding Hood | W |
No Maurine no you've given me such a fright | W |
I'll not go near your ugly wolf to night | W |
- | |
Meantime we'd left the garden and I stood | W |
In Helen's room where she had thrown herself | G2 |
Upon a couch and lay a winsome elf | G2 |
Pouting and smiling cheek upon her arm | H2 |
Not in the least a portrait of alarm | H2 |
Now sweet I coaxed and knelt by her be good | W |
Go curl your hair and please your own Maurine | W |
By putting on that lovely grenadine | W |
Not wolf nor ogre neither Caliban | W |
Nor Mephistopheles you'll meet to night | W |
But what the ladies call 'a nice young man' | W |
Yet one worth knowing strong with health and might | W |
Of perfect manhood gifted noble wise | I2 |
Moving among his kind with loving eyes | I2 |
And helpful hand progressive brave refined | W |
After the image of his Maker's mind | W |
- | |
Now now Maurine cried Helen I believe | J2 |
It is your lover coming here this eve | J2 |
Why have you never written of him pray | C |
Is the day set and when Say Maurine say | C |
- | |
Had I betrayed by some too fervent word | W |
The secret love that all my being stirred | W |
My lover Ay My heart proclaimed him so | U |
But first HIS lips must win the sweet confession | W |
Ere even Helen be allowed to know | U |
I must straightway erase the slight impression | W |
Made by the words just uttered | W |
Foolish child | W |
I gaily cried your fancy's straying wild | W |
Just let a girl of eighteen hear the name | K2 |
Of maid and youth uttered about one time | L2 |
And off her fancy goes at break neck pace | J |
Defying circumstances reason space | J |
And straightway builds romances so sublime | L2 |
They put all Shakespeare's dramas to the shame | K2 |
This Vivian Dangerfield is neighbour friend | W |
And kind companion bringing books and flowers | P |
And by his thoughtful actions without end | W |
Helping me pass some otherwise long hours | P |
But he has never breathed a word of love | M2 |
If you still doubt me listen while I prove | N2 |
My statement by the letter that he wrote | W |
'Dying to meet my friend ' she could not see | W |
The dash between that meant so much to me | W |
'Will come this eve at eight and hopes we may | C |
Be in to greet him ' Now I think you'll say | C |
'Tis not much like a lover's tender note | W |
- | |
We laugh we jest not meaning what we say | C |
We hide our thoughts by light words lightly spoken | W |
And pass on heedless till we find one day | C |
They've bruised our hearts or left some other broken | W |
- | |
I sought my room and trilling some blithe air | O2 |
Opened my wardrobe wondering what to wear | O2 |
Momentous question femininely human | W |
More than all others vexing mind of woman | W |
Since that sad day when in her discontent | W |
To search for leaves our fair first mother went | W |
All undecided what I should put on | W |
At length I made selection of a lawn | W |
White with a tiny pink vine overrun | W |
My simplest robe but Vivian's favourite one | W |
And placing a single flowret in my hair | O2 |
I crossed the hall to Helen's chamber where | O2 |
I found her with her fair locks all let down | W |
Brushing the kinks out with a pretty frown | W |
'Twas like a picture or a pleasing play | C |
To watch her make her toilet She would stand | W |
And turn her head first this and then that way | C |
Trying effect of ribbon bow or band | W |
Then she would pick up something else and curve | P2 |
Her lovely neck with cunning bird like grace | J |
And watch the mirror while she put it on | W |
With such a sweetly grave and thoughtful face | J |
And then to view it all would sway and swerve | P2 |
Her lithe young body like a graceful swan | W |
- | |
Helen was over medium height and slender | B |
Even to frailty Her great wistful eyes | I2 |
Were like the deep blue of autumnal skies | I2 |
And through them looked her soul large loving tender | B |
Her long light hair was lustreless except | W |
Upon the ends where burnished sunbeams slept | W |
And on the earlocks and she looped the curls | T |
Back with a shell comb studded thick with pearls | T |
Costly yet simple Her pale loveliness | T |
That night was heightened by her rich black dress | T |
That trailed behind her leaving half in sight | W |
Her taper arms and shoulders marble white | W |
- | |
I was not tall as Helen and my face | T |
Was shaped and coloured like my grandsire's race | T |
For through his veins my own received the warm | Q2 |
Red blood of Southern France which curved my form | Q2 |
And glowed upon my cheek in crimson dyes | T |
And bronzed my hair and darkled in my eyes | T |
And as the morning trails the skirts of night | W |
And dusky night puts on the garb of morn | W |
And walk together when the day is born | W |
So we two glided down the hall and stair | O2 |
Arm clasping arm into the parlour where | O2 |
Sat Vivian bathed in sunset's gorgeous light | W |
He rose to greet us Oh his form was grand | W |
And he possessed that power strange occult | W |
Called magnetism lacking better word | W |
Which moves the world achieving great result | W |
Where genius fails completely Touch his hand | W |
It thrilled through all your being meet his eye | N |
And you were moved yet knew not how or why | N |
Let him but rise you felt the air was stirred | W |
By an electric current | W |
- | |
This strange force | T |
Is mightier than genius Rightly used | W |
It leads to grand achievements all things yield | W |
Before its mystic presence and its field | W |
Is broad as earth and heaven But abused | W |
It sweeps like a poison simoon on its course | T |
Bearing miasma in its scorching breath | R2 |
And leaving all it touches struck with death | R2 |
- | |
Far reaching science shall yet tear away | C |
The mystic garb that hides it from the day | C |
And drag it forth and bind it with its laws | T |
And make it serve the purposes of men | W |
Guided by common sense and reason Then | W |
We'll hear no more of seance table rapping | A |
And all that trash o'er which the world is gaping | A |
Lost in effect while science seeks the cause | T |
- | |
Vivian was not conscious of his power | B |
Or if he was knew not its full extent | W |
He knew his glance would make a wild beast cower | B |
And yet he knew not that his large eyes sent | W |
Into the heart of woman the same thrill | Q |
That made the lion servant of his will | Q |
And even strong men felt it | W |
- | |
He arose | T |
Reached forth his hand and in it clasped my own | W |
While I held Helen's and he spoke some word | W |
Of pleasant greeting in his low round tone | W |
Unlike all other voices I have heard | W |
Just as the white cloud at the sunrise glows | T |
With roseate colours so the pallid hue | S2 |
Of Helen's cheek like tinted sea shells grew | S2 |
Through mine his hand caused hers to tremble such | T2 |
Was the all mast'ring magic of his touch | T2 |
Then we sat down and talked about the weather | B |
The neighbourhood some author's last new book | U2 |
But when I could I left the two together | B |
To make acquaintance saying I must look | U2 |
After the chickens my especial care | O2 |
And ran away and left them laughing there | O2 |
- | |
Knee deep through clover to the poplar grove | V2 |
I waded where my pets were wont to rove | V2 |
And there I found the foolish mother hen | W |
Brooding her chickens underneath a tree | W |
An easy prey for foxes Chick a dee | W |
Quoth I while reaching for the downy things | T |
That chirping peeped from out the mother wings | T |
How very human is your folly When | W |
There waits a haven pleasant bright and warm | Q2 |
And one to lead you thither from the storm | Q2 |
And lurking dangers yet you turn away | C |
And thinking to be your own protector stray | C |
Into the open jaws of death for see | W |
An owl is sitting in this very tree | W |
You thought safe shelter Go now to your pen | W |
And followed by the clucking clamorous hen | W |
So like the human mother here again | W |
Moaning because a strong protecting arm | H2 |
Would shield her little ones from cold and harm | H2 |
I carried back my garden hat brimful | Q |
Of chirping chickens like white balls of wool | Q |
And snugly housed them | W2 |
- | |
And just then I heard | W |
A sound like gentle winds among the trees | T |
Or pleasant waters in the summer stirred | W |
And set in motion by a passing breeze | T |
'Twas Helen singing and as I drew near | I |
Another voice a tenor full and clear | I |
Mingled with hers as murmuring streams unite | W |
And flow on stronger in their wedded might | W |
- | |
It was a way of Helen's not to sing | A |
The songs that other people sang She took | U2 |
Sometimes an extract from an ancient book | U2 |
Again some floating fragmentary thing | A |
And such she fitted to old melodies | T |
Or else composed the music One of these | T |
She sang that night and Vivian caught the strain | W |
And joined her in the chorus or refrain | W |
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about Maurine: Part 02 poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Best Poems of Ella Wheeler Wilcox