The Borough. Letter Xvii: The Hospital And Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABBCCDDEEFFAAGGHHIJA AKKCCL CMMNOAAPPAAAAAAAAQQG GRRSSTTEEUUVVPPWWX UUKKYIZZWWA2A2B2B2DD C2D2GGE2F2CCT AAAAEERG2 RUUH2I2TAWWAAQQAAWWJ 2J2DDUUK2L2CCA M2M2GGN2N2T XXAAO2O2CCQQP2P2Q2Q2 VVHHXXFFR2R2CCS2T2U2 V2NNW2BAAE2F2 AAX2X2Y2Y2Z2Z2QQA3A3 EB3Govenors | A |
AN ardent spirit dwells with Christian love | B |
The eagle's vigour in the pitying dove | B |
'Tis not enough that we with sorrow sigh | C |
That we the wants of pleading man supply | C |
That we in sympathy with sufferers feel | D |
Nor hear a grief without a wish to heal | D |
Not these suffice to sickness pain and woe | E |
The Christian spirit loves with aid to go | E |
Will not be sought waits not for want to plead | F |
But seeks the duty nay prevents the need | F |
Her utmost aid to every ill applies | A |
And plans relief for coining miseries | A |
Hence yonder Building rose on either side | G |
Far stretch'd the wards all airy warm and wide | G |
And every ward has beds by comfort spread | H |
And smooth'd for him who suffers on the bed | H |
There all have kindness most relief for some | I |
Is cure complete it is the sufferer's home | J |
Fevers and chronic ills corroding pains | A |
Each accidental mischief man sustains | A |
Fractures and wounds and wither'd limbs and lame | K |
With all that slow or sudden vex our frame | K |
Have here attendance here the sufferers lie | C |
Where love and science every aid apply | C |
And heal'd with rapture live or soothed by comfort | L |
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die | C |
See one relieved from anguish and to day | M |
Allow'd to walk and look an hour away | M |
Two months confined by fever frenzy pain | N |
He comes abroad and is himself again | O |
'Twas in the spring when carried to the place | A |
The snow fell down and melted in his face | A |
'Tis summer now all objects gay and new | P |
Smiling alike the viewer and the view | P |
He stops as one unwilling to advance | A |
Without another and another glance | A |
With what a pure and simple joy he sees | A |
Those sheep and cattle browsing at their ease | A |
Easy himself there's nothing breathes or moves | A |
But he would cherish all that lives he loves | A |
Observing every ward as round he goes | A |
He thinks what pain what danger they inclose | A |
Warm in his wish for all who suffer there | Q |
At every view he meditates a prayer | Q |
No evil counsels in his breast abide | G |
There joy and love and gratitude reside | G |
The wish that Roman necks in one were found | R |
That he who form'd the wish might deal the wound | R |
This man had never heard but of the kind | S |
Is that desire which rises in his mind | S |
He'd have all English hands for further he | T |
Cannot conceive extends our charity | T |
All but his own in one right hand to grow | E |
And then what hearty shake would he bestow | E |
'How rose the Building ' Piety first laid | U |
A strong foundation but she wanted aid | U |
To Wealth unwieldy was her prayer address'd | V |
Who largely gave and she the donor bless'd | V |
Unwieldy Wealth then to his couch withdrew | P |
And took the sweetest sleep he ever knew | P |
Then busy Vanity sustained her part | W |
'And much ' she said 'it moved her tender heart | W |
To her all kinds of man's distress were known | X |
And all her heart adopted as its own ' | - |
Then Science came his talents he display'd | U |
And Charity with joy the dome survey'd | U |
Skill Wealth and Vanity obtain the fame | K |
And Piety the joy that makes no claim | K |
Patrons there are and Governors from whom | Y |
The greater aid and guiding orders come | I |
Who voluntary cares and labours take | Z |
The sufferers' servants for the service' sake | Z |
Of these a part I give you but a part | W |
Some hearts are hidden some have not a heart | W |
First let me praise for so I best shall paint | A2 |
That pious moralist that reasoning saint | A2 |
Can I of worth like thine Eusebius speak | B2 |
The man is willing but the Muse is weak | B2 |
'Tis thine to wait on woe to soothe to heal | D |
With learning social and polite with zeal | D |
In thy pure breast although the passions dwell | C2 |
They're train'd by virtue and no more rebel | D2 |
But have so long been active on her side | G |
That passion now might be itself the guide | G |
Law conscience honour all obey'd all give | E2 |
Th' approving voice and make it bliss to live | F2 |
While faith when life can nothing more supply | C |
Shall strengthen hope and make it bliss to die | C |
He preaches speaks and writes with manly | T |
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sense | A |
No weak neglect no labour'd eloquence | A |
Goodness and wisdom are in all his ways | A |
The rude revere him and the wicked praise | A |
Upon humility his virtues grow | E |
And tower so high because so fix'd below | E |
As wider spreads the oak his boughs around | R |
When deeper with his roots he digs the solid | G2 |
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ground | R |
By him from ward to ward is every aid | U |
The sufferer needs with every care convey'd | U |
Like the good tree he brings his treasure forth | H2 |
And like the tree unconscious of his worth | I2 |
Meek as the poorest Publican is he | T |
And strict as lives the straitest Pharisee | A |
Of both in him unite the better part | W |
The blameless conduct and the humble heart | W |
Yet he escapes not he with some is wise | A |
In carnal things and loves to moralize | A |
Others can doubt if all that Christian care | Q |
Has not its price there's something he may share | Q |
But this and ill severer he sustains | A |
As gold the fire and as unhurt remains | A |
When most reviled although he feels the smart | W |
It wakes to nobler deeds the wounded heart | W |
As the rich olive beaten for its fruit | J2 |
Puts forth at every bruise a bearing shoot | J2 |
A second friend we have whose care and zeal | D |
But few can equal few indeed can feel | D |
He lived a life obscure and profits made | U |
In the coarse habits of a vulgar trade | U |
His brother master of a hoy he loved | K2 |
So well that he the calling disapproved | L2 |
'Alas poor Tom ' the landman oft would sigh | C |
When the gale freshen'd and the waves ran high | C |
And when they parted with a tear he'd say | A |
'No more adventure here in safety stay ' | - |
Nor did he feign with more than half he had | M2 |
He would have kept the seaman and been glad | M2 |
Alas how few resist when strongly tried | G |
A rich relation's nearer kinsman died | G |
He sicken'd and to him the landman went | N2 |
And all his hours with cousin Ephraim spent | N2 |
This Thomas heard and cared not 'I ' quoth he | T |
'Have one in port upon the watch for me ' | - |
So Ephraim died and when the will was shown | X |
Isaac the landman had the whole his own | X |
Who to his brother sent a moderate purse | A |
Which he return'd in anger with his curse | A |
Then went to sea and made his grog so strong | O2 |
He died before he could forgive the wrong | O2 |
The rich man built a house both large and high | C |
He enter'd in and set him down to sigh | C |
He planted ample woods and gardens fair | Q |
And walk'd with anguish and compunction there | Q |
The rich man's pines to every friend a treat | P2 |
He saw with pain and he refused to eat | P2 |
His daintiest food his richest wines were all | Q2 |
Turn'd by remorse to vinegar and gall | Q2 |
The softest down by living body press'd | V |
The rich man bought and tried to take his rest | V |
But care had thorns upon his pillow spread | H |
And scatter'd sand and nettles in his bed | H |
Nervous he grew would often sigh and groan | X |
He talk'd but little and he walk'd alone | X |
Till by his priest convinced that from one deed | F |
Of genuine love would joy and health proceed | F |
He from that time with care and zeal began | R2 |
To seek and soothe the grievous ills of man | R2 |
And as his hands their aid to grief apply | C |
He learns to smile and he forgets to sigh | C |
Now he can drink his wine and taste his food | S2 |
And feel the blessings Heav'n has dealt are good | T2 |
And since the suffering seek the rich man's door | U2 |
He sleeps as soundly as when young and poor | V2 |
Here much he gives is urgent more to gain | N |
He begs rich beggars seldom sue in vain | N |
Preachers most famed he moves the crowd to move | W2 |
And never wearies in the work of love | B |
He rules all business settles all affairs | A |
He makes collections he directs repairs | A |
And if he wrong'd one brother Heav'n forgive | E2 |
The man by whom so many brethren live | F2 |
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Then 'mid our Signatures a name appears | A |
Of one for wisdom famed above his years | A |
And these were forty he was from his youth | X2 |
A patient searcher after useful truth | X2 |
To language little of his time he gave | Y2 |
To science less nor was the Muse's slave | Y2 |
Sober and grave his college sent him down | Z2 |
A fair example for his native town | Z2 |
Slowly he speaks and with such solemn air | Q |
You'd thing a Socrates or Solon there | Q |
For though a Christian he's disposed to draw | A3 |
His rules from reason's and from nature's law | A3 |
'Know ' he exclaims 'my fellow mortals know | E |
Virtue alon | B3 |
George Crabbe
(1)
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