Hero And Leander. The Fourth Sestiad Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCDEEFFGHIIGGJKLM NNOOPPQQRRSTSCUOOVVW WXXGYZZA2A2B2C2OOD2E 2TSF2F2F2F2G2G2STSSH 2I2F2F2J2J2OOF2F2K2K 2STRL2M2ESSUUF2F2F2F 2OON2N2GGO2O2F2F2P2P 2RRQ2R2UDF2F2S2S2TST 2T2DDCUF2F2SSF2F2Q2R 2UCF2F2F2F2YRF2F2EU2 V2V2SSV2V2V2V2F2F2F2 F2GW2SSX2X2V2V2F2F2P 2P2V2V2OOGGF2F2V2V2V 2V2V2V2T

Now from Leander's place she rose and foundA
Her hair and rent robe scatter'd on the groundA
Which taking up she every piece did layB
Upon an altar where in youth of dayB
She us'd t' exhibit private sacrificeC
Those would she offer to the deitiesD
Of her fair goddess and her powerful sonE
As relics of her late felt passionE
And in that holy sort she vow'd to end themF
In hope her violent fancies that did rend themF
Would as quite fade in her love's holy fireG
As they should in the flames she meant t' inspireH
Then put she on all her religious weedsI
That decked her in her secret sacred deedsI
A crown of icicles that sun nor fireG
Could ever melt and figur'd chaste desireG
A golden star shined in her naked breastJ
In honour of the queen light of the eastK
In her right hand she held a silver wandL
On whose bright top Peristera did standM
Who was a nymph but now transformed a doveN
And in her life was dear in Venus' loveN
And for her sake she ever since that timeO
Choosed doves to draw her coach through heaven's blue climeO
Her plenteous hair in curled billows swimsP
On her bright shoulder her harmonious limbsP
Sustained no more but a most subtile veilQ
That hung on them as it durst not assailQ
Their different concord for the weakest airR
Could raise it swelling from her beauties fairR
Nor did it cover but adumbrate onlyS
Her most heart piercing parts that a blest eyeT
Might see as it did shadow fearfullyS
All that all love deserving paradiseC
It was as blue as the most freezing skiesU
Near the sea's hue for thence her goddess cameO
On it a scarf she wore of wondrous frameO
In midst whereof she wrought a virgin's faceV
From whose each cheek a fiery blush did chaseV
Two crimson flames that did two ways extendW
Spreading the ample scarf to either endW
Which figur'd the division of her mindX
Whiles yet she rested bashfully inclin'dX
And stood not resolute to wed LeanderG
This serv'd her white neck for a purple sphereY
And cast itself at full breadth down her backZ
There since the first breath that begun the wrackZ
Of her free quiet from Leander's lipsA2
She wrought a sea in one flame full of shipsA2
But that one ship where all her wealth did passB2
Like simple merchants' goods Leander wasC2
For in that sea she naked figured himO
Her diving needle taught him how to swimO
And to each thread did such resemblance giveD2
For joy to be so like him it did liveE2
Things senseless live by art and rational dieT
By rude contempt of art and industryS
Scarce could she work but in her strength of thoughtF2
She fear'd she prick'd Leander as she wroughtF2
And oft would shriek so that her guardian frightedF2
Would startling haste as with some mischief citedF2
They double life that dead things' griefs sustainG2
They kill that feel not their friends' living painG2
Sometimes she fear'd he sought her infamyS
And then as she was working of his eyeT
She thought to prick it out to quench her illS
But as she prick'd it grew more perfect stillS
Trifling attempts no serious acts advanceH2
The fire of love is blown by dallianceI2
In working his fair neck she did so grace itF2
She still was working her own arms t' embrace itF2
That and his shoulders and his hands were seenJ2
Above the stream and with a pure sea greenJ2
She did so quaintly shadow every limbO
All might be seen beneath the waves to swimO
In this conceited scarf she wrought besideF2
A moon in change and shooting stars did glideF2
In number after her with bloody beamsK2
Which figur'd her affects in their extremesK2
Pursuing nature in her Cynthian bodyS
And did her thoughts running on change implyT
For maids take more delight when they prepareR
And think of wives' states than when wives they areL2
Beneath all these she wrought a fishermanM2
Drawing his nets from forth the oceanE
Who drew so hard ye might discover wellS
The toughen'd sinews in his neck did swellS
His inward strains drave out his blood shot eyesU
And springs of sweat did in his forehead riseU
Yet was of naught but of a serpent spedF2
That in his bosom flew and stung him deadF2
And this by Fate into her mind was sentF2
Not wrought by mere instinct of her intentF2
At the scarf's other end her hand did frameO
Near the fork'd point of the divided flameO
A country virgin keeping of a vineN2
Who did of hollow bulrushes combineN2
Snares for the stubble loving grasshopperG
And by her lay her scrip that nourish'd herG
Within a myrtle shade she sate and sungO2
And tufts of waving reeds above her sprungO2
Where lurked two foxes that while she appliedF2
Her trifling snares their thieveries did divideF2
One to the vine another to her scripP2
That she did negligently overslipP2
By which her fruitful vine and wholesome fareR
She suffered spoiled to make a childish snareR
These ominous fancies did her soul expressQ2
And every finger made a prophetessR2
To show what death was hid in love's disguiseU
And make her judgment conquer DestiniesD
O what sweet forms fair ladies' souls do shroudF2
Were they made seen and forced through their bloodF2
If through their beauties like rich work through lawnS2
They would set forth their minds with virtues drawnS2
In letting graces from their fingers flyT
To still their eyas thoughts with industryS
That their plied wits in numbered silks might singT2
Passion's huge conquest and their needles leadingT2
Affection prisoner through their own built citiesD
Pinioned with stones and Arachnean dittiesD
Proceed we now with Hero's sacrificeC
She odours burned and from their smoke did riseU
Unsavoury fumes that air with plagues inspiredF2
And then the consecrated sticks she firedF2
On whose pale flames an angry spirit flewS
And beat it down still as it upward grewS
The virgin tapers that on th' altar stoodF2
When she inflam'd them burned as red as bloodF2
All sad ostents of that too near successQ2
That made such moving beauties motionlessR2
Then Hero wept but her affrighted eyesU
She quickly wrested from the sacrificeC
Shut them and inwards for Leander lookedF2
Search'd her soft bosom and from thence she pluckedF2
His lovely picture which when she had viewedF2
Her beauties were with all love's joys renewedF2
The odours sweeten'd and the fires burned clearY
Leander's form left no ill object thereR
Such was his beauty that the force of lightF2
Whose knowledge teacheth wonders infiniteF2
The strength of number and proportionE
Nature had placed in it to make it knownU2
Art was her daughter and what human witsV2
For study lost entombed in drossy spiritsV2
After this accident which for her gloryS
Hero could not but make a historyS
Th' inhabitants of Sestos and AbydosV2
Did every year with feasts propitiousV2
To fair Leander's picture sacrificeV2
And they were persons of especial priceV2
That were allowed it as an ornamentF2
T' enrich their houses for the continentF2
Of the strange virtues all approved it heldF2
For even the very look of it repelledF2
All blastings witchcrafts and the strifes of natureG
In those diseases that no herbs could cureW2
The wolfy sting of avarice it would pullS
And make the rankest miser bountifulS
It kill'd the fear of thunder and of deathX2
The discords that conceit engenderethX2
'Twixt man and wife it for the time would ceaseV2
The flames of love it quench'd and would increaseV2
Held in a prince's hand it would put outF2
The dreadful'st comet it would ease all doubtF2
Of threaten'd mischiefs it would bring asleepP2
Such as were mad it would enforce to weepP2
Most barbarous eyes and many more effectsV2
This picture wrought and sprung Leandrian sectsV2
Of which was Hero first for he whose formO
Held in her hand clear'd such a fatal stormO
From hell she thought his person would defend herG
Which night and Hellespont would quickly send herG
With this confirm'd she vow'd to banish quiteF2
All thought of any check to her delightF2
And in contempt of silly bashfulnessV2
She would the faith of her desires professV2
Where her religion should be policyV2
To follow love with zeal her pietyV2
Her chamber her cathedral church should beV2
And her Leander her chief deityV2
For iT

George Chapman



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