The Parish Register - Part Iii: Burials Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIBJJ KKDDIILLMMNNOPQQJREE SSTTURVVWWXXYYTRLLZZ A2A2SSB2B2C2C2D2D2E2 E2EEF2F2G2G2EEZZH2I2 H2K J2J2K2K2L2L2G M2M2L2L2N2N2ZZO2O2TV TP2 K2K2Q2Q2R2S2 T2U2 K2K2ZZV2V2W2W2L2L2H X2X2Y2Y2Q2Q2LLX2X2Z2 M2A3A3B3B3C3C3KD3E3E 3SSF3F3G3G3H3H3O2O2I 3I3J3J3R2R2K3L3W2W2Q QM3 V2V2N3N3YTHERE was 'tis said and I believe a time | A |
When humble Christians died with views sublime | A |
When all were ready for their faith to bleed | B |
But few to write or wrangle for their creed | B |
When lively Faith upheld the sinking heart | C |
And friends assured to meet prepared to part | C |
When Love felt hope when Sorrow grew serene | D |
And all was comfort in the death bed scene | D |
Alas when now the gloomy king they wait | E |
'Tis weakness yielding to resistless fate | E |
Like wretched men upon the ocean cast | F |
They labour hard and struggle to the last | F |
'Hope against hope ' and wildly gaze around | G |
In search of help that never shall be found | G |
Nor till the last strong billow stops the breath | H |
Will they believe them in the jaws of Death | H |
When these my Records I reflecting read | I |
And find what ills these numerous births succeed | B |
What powerful griefs these nuptial ties attend | J |
With what regret these painful journeys end | J |
When from the cradle to the grave I look | K |
Mine I conceive a melancholy book | K |
Where now is perfect resignation seen | D |
Alas it is not on the village green | D |
I've seldom known though I have often read | I |
Of happy peasants on their dying bed | I |
Whose looks proclaimed that sunshine of the breast | L |
That more than hope that Heaven itself express'd | L |
What I behold are feverish fits of strife | M |
'Twixt fears of dying and desire of life | M |
Those earthly hopes that to the last endure | N |
Those fears that hopes superior fail to cure | N |
At best a sad submission to the doom | O |
Which turning from the danger lets it come | P |
Sick lies the man bewilder'd lost afraid | Q |
His spirits vanquish'd and his strength decay'd | Q |
No hope the friend the nurse the doctor lend | J |
'Call then a priest and fit him for his end ' | R |
A priest is call'd 'tis now alas too late | E |
Death enters with him at the cottage gate | E |
Or time allow'd he goes assured to find | S |
The self commending all confiding mind | S |
And sighs to hear what we may justly call | T |
Death's common place the train of thought in all | T |
'True I'm a sinner ' feebly he begins | U |
'But trust in Mercy to forgive my sins ' | R |
Such cool confession no past crimes excite | V |
Such claim on Mercy seems the sinner's right | V |
'I know mankind are frail that God is just | W |
And pardons those who in his Mercy trust | W |
We're sorely tempted in a world like this | X |
All men have done and I like all amiss | X |
But now if spared it is my full intent | Y |
On all the past to ponder and repent | Y |
Wrongs against me I pardon great and small | T |
And if I die I die in peace with all ' | R |
His merits thus and not his sins confess'd | L |
He speaks his hopes and leaves to Heaven the rest | L |
Alas are these the prospects dull and cold | Z |
That dying Christians to their priests unfold | Z |
Or mends the prospect when th' enthusiast cries | A2 |
'I die assured ' and in a rapture dies | A2 |
Ah where that humble self abasing mind | S |
With that confiding spirit shall we find | S |
The mind that feeling what repentance brings | B2 |
Dejection's terrors and Contrition's stings | B2 |
Feels then the hope that mounts all care above | C2 |
And the pure joy that flows from pardoning love | C2 |
Such have I seen in Death and much deplore | D2 |
So many dying that I see no more | D2 |
Lo now my Records where I grieve to trace | E2 |
How Death has triumph'd in so short a space | E2 |
Who are the dead how died they I relate | E |
And snatch some portion of their acts from fate | E |
With Andrew Collett we the year begin | F2 |
The blind fat landlord of the Old Crown Inn | F2 |
Big as his butt and for the selfsame use | G2 |
To take in stores of strong fermenting juice | G2 |
On his huge chair beside the fire he sate | E |
In revel chief and umpire in debate | E |
Each night his string of vulgar tales he told | Z |
When ale was cheap and bachelors were bold | Z |
His heroes all were famous in their days | H2 |
Cheats were his boast and drunkards had his | I2 |
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praise | H2 |
'One in three draughts three mugs of ale took | K |
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down | J2 |
As mugs were then the champion of the Crown | J2 |
For thrice three days another lived on ale | K2 |
And knew no change but that of mild and stale | K2 |
Two thirsty soakers watch'd a vessel's side | L2 |
When he the tap with dext'rous hand applied | L2 |
Nor from their seats departed till they found | G |
That butt was out and heard the mournful sound ' | - |
He praised a poacher precious child of fun | M2 |
Who shot the keeper with his own spring gun | M2 |
Nor less the smuggler who th' exciseman tied | L2 |
And left him hanging at the birch wood side | L2 |
There to expire but one who saw him hang | N2 |
Cut the good cord a traitor of the gang | N2 |
His own exploits with boastful glee he told | Z |
What ponds he emptied and what pikes he sold | Z |
And how when blest with sight alert and gay | O2 |
The night's amusements kept him through the day | O2 |
He sang the praises of those times when all | T |
'For cards and dice as for their drink might | V |
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call | T |
When justice wink'd on every jovial crew | P2 |
And ten pins tumbled in the parson's view ' | - |
He told when angry wives provoked to rail | K2 |
Or drive a third day drunkard from his ale | K2 |
What were his triumphs and how great the skill | Q2 |
That won the vex'd virago to his will | Q2 |
Who raving came then talked in milder strain | R2 |
Then wept then drank and pledged her spouse | S2 |
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again | T2 |
Such were his themes how knaves o'er laws | U2 |
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prevail | K2 |
Or when made captives how they fly from jail | K2 |
The young how brave how subtle were the old | Z |
And oaths attested all that Folly told | Z |
On death like his what name shall we bestow | V2 |
So very sudden yet so very slow | V2 |
'Twas slow Disease augmenting year by year | W2 |
Show'd the grim king by gradual steps brought near | W2 |
'Twas not less sudden in the night he died | L2 |
He drank he swore he jested and he lied | L2 |
Thus aiding folly with departing breath | H |
'Beware Lorenzo the slow sudden death ' | - |
Next died the Widow Goe an active dame | X2 |
Famed ten miles round and worthy all her fame | X2 |
She lost her husband when their loves were young | Y2 |
But kept her farm her credit and her tongue | Y2 |
Full thirty years she ruled with matchless skill | Q2 |
With guiding judgment and resistless will | Q2 |
Advice she scorn'd rebellions she suppress'd | L |
And sons and servants bow'd at her behest | L |
Like that great man's who to his Saviour came | X2 |
Were the strong words of this commanding dame | X2 |
'Come ' if she said they came if 'Go ' were gone | Z2 |
And if 'Do this ' that instant it was done | M2 |
Her maidens told she was all eye and ear | A3 |
In darkness saw and could at distance hear | A3 |
No parish business in the place could stir | B3 |
Without direction or assent from her | B3 |
In turn she took each office as it fell | C3 |
Knew all their duties and discharged them well | C3 |
The lazy vagrants in her presence shook | K |
And pregnant damsels fear'd her stern rebuke | D3 |
She look'd on want with judgment clear and cool | E3 |
And felt with reason and bestow'd by rule | E3 |
She match'd both sons and daughters to her mind | S |
And lent them eyes for Love she heard was blind | S |
Yet ceaseless still she throve alert alive | F3 |
The working bee in full or empty hive | F3 |
Busy and careful like that working bee | G3 |
No time for love nor tender cares had she | G3 |
But when our farmers made their amorous vows | H3 |
She talk'd of market steeds and patent ploughs | H3 |
Not unemploy'd her evenings pass'd away | O2 |
Amusement closed as business waked the day | O2 |
When to her toilet's brief concern she ran | I3 |
And conversation with her friends began | I3 |
Who all were welcome what they saw to share | J3 |
And joyous neighbours praised her Christmas fare | J3 |
That none around might in their scorn complain | R2 |
Of Gossip Goe as greedy in her gain | R2 |
Thus long she reign'd admired if not approved | K3 |
Praised if not honour'd fear'd if not beloved | L3 |
When as the busy days of Spring drew near | W2 |
That call'd for all the forecast of the year | W2 |
When lively hope the rising crops surveyed | Q |
And April promised what September paid | Q |
When stray'd her lambs where gorse and greenwood | M3 |
- | |
grow | V2 |
When rose her grass in richer vales below | V2 |
When pleased she look'd on all the smiling land | N3 |
And view'd the hinds who wrought at her command | N3 |
Poultry in groups still follow'd where she went | Y |
Th | - |
George Crabbe
(1)
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