Salmacis And Hermaphroditus. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDDCCEEFFGGBAHHII JJKKLLCCMMJJMMKKMMMA MDMMCCEEMMDDAANNFFOO ABAAMMAADDMMDDPCQAEE OOMMCCCCJJCCDDMMDDDD MMAADDMMMMFFRRMMMMAB MMMMMMCCDDMMFFMMRRMS QAFFTTMMAAFFDMTTMRSM AAAAFFFFDDDDFU

MY wanton lines doe treate of amorous loueA
Such as would bow the hearts of gods aboueB
Then Venus thou great Citherean QueeneC
That hourely tript on the Idalian greeneC
Thou laughing Erycina daygne to seeD
The verses wholly consecrate to theeD
Temper them so within thy Paphian shrineC
That euery Louers eye may melt a lineC
Commaund the god of Loue that little KingE
To giue each verse a sleight touch with his wingE
That as I write one line may draw the totherF
And euery word skip nimbly o're anotherF
There was a louely boy the Nymphs had keptG
That on the Idane mountains oft had sleptG
Begot and borne by powers that dwelt aboueB
By learned Mercury of the Queene of loueA
A face he had that shew'd his parents fameH
And from them both conioynd he drew his nameH
So wondrous fayre he was that as they sayI
Diana being hunting on a dayI
Shee saw the boy vpon a greene banke lay himJ
And there the virgin huntresse meant to slay himJ
Because no Nymphes did now pursue the chaseK
For all were strooke blind with the wanton's faceK
But when that beauteous face Diana sawL
Her armes were nummed shee could not drawL
Yet she did striue to shoot but all in vaineC
Shee bent her bow and loos'd it streight againeC
Then she began to chide her wanton eyeM
And fayne would shoot but durst not see him dieM
She turnd and shot and did of purpose misse himJ
Shee turnd againe and did of purpose kisse himJ
Then the boy ran for some say had he staydM
Diana had no longer bene a maydM
Phoebus so doted on this rosiat faceK
That he hath oft stole closely from his placeK
When he did lie by fayre Leucothoes sideM
To dally with him in the vales of IdeM
And euer since this louely boy did dieM
Phoebus each day about the world doth flieA
And on the earth he seekes him all the dayM
And euery night he seekes him in the seaD
His cheeke was sanguine and his lip as redM
As are the blushing leaues of the Rose spredM
And I haue heard that till this boy was borneC
Rose grew white vpon the virgin thorneC
Till one day walking to a pleasant springE
To heare how cunningly the birds could singE
Laying him downe vpon a flowry bedM
The Roses blush'd and turn'd themselues to redM
The Rose that blush'd not for his great offenceD
The gods did punish and for impudenceD
They gaue this doome that was agreed by allA
The smell of the white Rose should be but smallA
His haire was bushie but it was not longN
The Nymphs had done his tresses mighty wrongN
For as it grew they puld away his haireF
And made abilliments of gold to weareF
His eyes were Cupids for vntill his birthO
Cupid had eyes and liu'd vpon the earthO
Till on a day when the great Queene of loueA
Was by her white doues drawn fro m heauen aboueB
Vnto the top of the Idalian hillA
To see how well the Nymphs their charge fulfillA
And whether they had done the goddesse rightM
In nursing of her sweet HermaphroditeM
VVhom when she saw although complete fullA
Yet she complaynd his eyes were somewhat dullA
And therefore more the wanton boy to graceD
She puld the sparkling eyes from Cupids faceD
Fayning a cause to take away his sightM
Because the Ape would sometimes shoot for spightM
But Venus set those eyes in such a placeD
As grac'd those cleare eyes with a clearer faceD
For his white hand each goddesse did him wooP
For it was whiter then the driuen snowC
His legge was straighter then the thigh of IoueQ
And he farre fairer then the god of loueA
When first this wel shapt boy beauties chiefe kingE
Had seene the labour of the fifteenth springE
How curiously it paynted all the earthO
He 'gan to trauaile from his place of birthO
Leauing the stately hils where he was nurstM
And where the Nymphs had brought him vp at firstM
He lou'd to trauaile to the coasts vnknowneC
To see the regions farre beyond his owneC
Seeking cleare watry springs to bathe him inC
For he did loue to wash his iuory skinneC
The louely Nymphes haue oft times seene him swimmeJ
And closely stole his clothes from off the brimJ
Because the wanton wenches would so fayneC
See him come nak'd to ask his clothes againeC
He lou'd besides to see the Lycian groundsD
And know the wealthy Carians vtmost boundsD
Vsing to trauaile thus one day he foundM
A cristall brook that tril'd along the groundM
A brooke that in reflection did surpasseD
The cleare reflection of the clearest glasseD
About the side there grew no foggy reedesD
Nor was the fount compast with barren weedesD
But liuing turfe grew all along the sideM
And grasse that euer flourisht in his prideM
Within this brook a beauteous Nymph did dwellA
Who for her comely feature did excellA
So faire she vvas of such a pleasing graceD
So straight a body and so sweet a faceD
So soft a belly such a lustie thighM
So large a forehead such a cristall eyeM
So soft and moyst a hand so smooth a brestM
So faire a cheeke so well in all the restM
That Iupiter would reuell in her bowreF
Were he to spend againe his golden showreF
Her teeth were whiter then the mornings milkeR
Her lip was softer then the softest silkeR
Her haire as farre surpast the burnisht goldM
As siluer doth excell the basest moldM
Ioue courted her for her translucent eyeM
And told her he would place her in the skyeM
Promising her if she would be his loueA
He would ingraue her in the heauen aboueB
Telling this louely Nymph that if he wouldM
He could deceiue her in a showre of goldM
Or like a Swanne come to her naked bedM
And so deceiue her of her maiden headM
But yet because he thought that pleasure bestM
Where each consenting ioynes each louing brestM
He would put off that all commaunding crowneC
Whose terrour strooke th'aspiring Giants downeC
That glittereing crown whose radia n t sight did tosseD
Great Pelion from the top of mighty OsseD
He would depose from his world swaying headM
To taste the amorous pleasures of her bedM
This added he besides the more to grace herF
Like a bright starre he would in heauens vault place herF
By this the proud lasciuious Nymph was mou'dM
Perceiuing by great Ioue shee was belou'dM
And hoping as a starre she should ere longR
Be sterne or gracious to the Sea mans songR
For mortals still are subiect to their eyeM
And what it sees they striue to get as hieS
She was contented that almighty IoueQ
Should haue the first and best fruits of her loueA
For women may be likened to the yeereF
Whose first fruits still do make the dayntiest cheereF
But yet Astr a first should plight her trothT
For the performance of Ioues sacred othT
Iust times decline and all good dayes are deadM
When heauenly othes had need be warrantedM
This heard great Iupiter and lik'd it wellA
And hastily he seeks Astr as cellA
About the massie earth searching her towreF
But she had long since left this earthly bowreF
And flew to heauen aboue lothing to seeD
The sinfull actions of humanitieM
Which when Ioue did perceiue he left the earthT
And flew vp to the place of his owne birthT
The burning heauenly throne where he did spyM
Astr as palace in the glittering skieR
This stately towre was builded vp on hieS
Farre from the reach of any mortall eyeM
And from the palace side there did distillA
A little water through a little quillA
The dewe of iustice which did seldome fallA
And when it dropt the drops were very smallA
Glad was great Ioue when he beheld her towreF
Meaning a while to rest him in her bowreF
And therefore sought to enter at her doreF
But there was such a busie rout beforeF
Some seruing men and some promooters beeD
That he could passe no foote without a feeD
But as he goes he reaches out his handsD
And payes each one in order as he standsD
And still as he was paying those beforeF
Some slipt againe betwixt him aU

Francis Beaumont



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