A Book Of Dreams: Part I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCBC CCCC CCCC DEDE CCCC CCCC CCCC FGFG HCHC ICIC JCJC A KFKF LFLF BFBF MCMC NKNK FFFF AOAO CCCC FPFP GCGC A FIFI HQHQ CCCC AFAF ICIC RFRF SCSC TCTC UVUV OCOC CWCW A XYXY CCCC FZFZ CA2CA2 CICI CNCN CCCC B2OB2O C2BFB ZFZF IOIO TCD2C E2CE2C A CHCH FCFC PGPG CHCH CLCL E2FE2F F2CF2C G2CG2C H2LH2L IH2IH2 AI2AI2 C ICIC TZTZ H2SH2S H2H2H2H2 J2MJ2M IOIOI | A |
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I lay and dreamed The Master came | B |
In seamless garment drest | C |
I stood in bonds 'twixt love and shame | B |
Not ready to be blest | C |
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He stretched his arms and gently sought | C |
To clasp me to his heart | C |
I shrank for I unthinking thought | C |
He knew me but in part | C |
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I did not love him as I would | C |
Embraces were not meet | C |
I dared not ev'n stand where he stood | C |
I fell and kissed his feet | C |
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Years years have passed away since then | D |
Oft hast thou come to me | E |
The question scarce will rise again | D |
Whether I care for thee | E |
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In thee lies hid my unknown heart | C |
In thee my perfect mind | C |
In all my joys my Lord thou art | C |
The deeper joy behind | C |
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But when fresh light and visions bold | C |
My heart and hope expand | C |
Up comes the vanity of old | C |
That now I understand | C |
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Away away from thee I drift | C |
Forgetting not forgot | C |
Till sudden yawns a downward rift | C |
I start and see thee not | C |
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Ah then come sad unhopeful hours | F |
All in the dark I stray | G |
Until my spirit fainting cowers | F |
On the threshold of the day | G |
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Hence not even yet I child like dare | H |
Nestle unto thy breast | C |
Though well I know that only there | H |
Lies hid the secret rest | C |
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But now I shrink not from thy will | I |
Nor guilty judge my guilt | C |
Thy good shall meet and slay my ill | I |
Do with me as thou wilt | C |
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If I should dream that dream once more | J |
Me in my dreaming meet | C |
Embrace me Master I implore | J |
And let me kiss thy feet | C |
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II | A |
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I stood before my childhood's home | K |
Outside its belt of trees | F |
All round my glances flit and roam | K |
O'er well known hills and leas | F |
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When sudden rushed across the plain | L |
A host of hurrying waves | F |
Loosed by some witchery of the brain | L |
From far dream hidden caves | F |
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And up the hill they clomb and came | B |
A wild fast flowing sea | F |
Careless I looked as on a game | B |
No terror woke in me | F |
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For just the belting trees within | M |
I saw my father wait | C |
And should the waves the summit win | M |
There was the open gate | C |
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With him beside all doubt was dumb | N |
There let the waters foam | K |
No mightiest flood would dare to come | N |
And drown his holy home | K |
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Two days passed by With restless toss | F |
The red flood brake its doors | F |
Prostrate I lay and looked across | F |
To the eternal shores | F |
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The world was fair and hope was high | A |
My friends had all been true | O |
Life burned in me and Death and I | A |
Would have a hard ado | O |
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Sudden came back the dream so good | C |
My trouble to abate | C |
At his own door my Father stood | C |
I just without the gate | C |
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Thou know'st what is and what appears | F |
I said mine eyes to thine | P |
Are windows thou hear'st with thine ears | F |
But also hear'st with mine | P |
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Thou knowest my weak soul's dismay | G |
How trembles my life's node | C |
Thou art the potter I am the clay | G |
'Tis thine to bear the load | C |
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III | A |
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A piece of gold had left my purse | F |
Which I had guarded ill | I |
I feared a lack but feared yet worse | F |
Regret returning still | I |
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I lifted up my feeble prayer | H |
To him who maketh strong | Q |
That thence no haunting thoughts of care | H |
Might do my spirit wrong | Q |
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And even before my body slept | C |
Such visions fair I had | C |
That seldom soul with chamber swept | C |
Was more serenely glad | C |
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No white robed angel floated by | A |
On slow reposing wings | F |
I only saw with inward eye | A |
Some very common things | F |
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First rose the scarlet pimpernel | I |
With burning purple heart | C |
I saw within it and could spell | I |
The lesson of its art | C |
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Then came the primrose child like flower | R |
And looked me in the face | F |
It bore a message full of power | R |
And confidence and grace | F |
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And breezes rose on pastures trim | S |
And bathed me all about | C |
Wool muffled sheep bells babbled dim | S |
Or only half spoke out | C |
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Sudden it closed some door of heaven | T |
But what came out remained | C |
The poorest man my loss had given | T |
For that which I had gained | C |
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Thou gav'st me Lord a brimming cup | U |
Where I bemoaned a sip | V |
How easily thou didst make up | U |
For that my fault let slip | V |
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What said the flowers what message new | O |
Embalmed my soul with rest | C |
I scarce can tell only they grew | O |
Right out of God's own breast | C |
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They said to every flower he made | C |
God's thought was root and stem | W |
Perhaps said what the lilies said | C |
When Jesus looked at them | W |
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IV | A |
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Sometimes in daylight hours awake | X |
Our souls with visions teem | Y |
Which to the slumbering brain would take | X |
The form of wondrous dream | Y |
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Once with my thought sight I descried | C |
A plain with hills around | C |
A lordly company on each side | C |
Leaves bare the middle ground | C |
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Great terrace steps at one end rise | F |
To something like a throne | Z |
And thither all the radiant eyes | F |
As to a centre shone | Z |
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A snow white glory dim defined | C |
Those seeking eyes beseech | A2 |
Him who was not in fire or wind | C |
But in the gentle speech | A2 |
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They see his eyes far fixed wait | C |
Adown the widening vale | I |
They turning look their breath they bate | C |
With dread filled wonder pale | I |
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In raiment worn and blood bedewed | C |
With faltering step and numb | N |
Toward the shining multitude | C |
A weary man did come | N |
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His face was white and still composed | C |
As of a man nigh dead | C |
The eyes through eyelids half unclosed | C |
A faint wan splendour shed | C |
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Drops on his hair disordered hung | B2 |
Like rubies dull of hue | O |
His hands were pitifully wrung | B2 |
And stricken through and through | O |
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Silent they stood with tender awe | C2 |
Between their ranks he came | B |
Their tearful eyes looked down and saw | F |
What made his feet so lame | B |
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He reached the steps below the throne | Z |
There sank upon his knees | F |
Clasped his torn hands with stifled groan | Z |
And spake in words like these | F |
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Father I am come back Thy will | I |
Is sometimes hard to do | O |
From all that multitude so still | I |
A sound of weeping grew | O |
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Then mournful glad came down the One | T |
He kneeled and clasped his child | C |
Lay on his breast the outworn man | D2 |
And wept until he smiled | C |
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The people who in bitter woe | E2 |
And love had sobbed and cried | C |
Raised aweful eyes at length and Lo | E2 |
The two sat side by side | C |
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V | A |
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Dreaming I slept Three crosses stood | C |
High in the gloomy air | H |
One bore a thief and one the Good | C |
The other waited bare | H |
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A soldier came up to the place | F |
And took me for the third | C |
My eyes they sought the Master's face | F |
My will the Master's word | C |
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He bent his head I took the sign | P |
And gave the error way | G |
Gesture nor look nor word of mine | P |
The secret should betray | G |
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The soldier from the cross's foot | C |
Turned I stood waiting there | H |
That grim expectant tree for fruit | C |
My dying form must bear | H |
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Up rose the steaming mists of doubt | C |
And chilled both heart and brain | L |
They shut the world of vision out | C |
And fear saw only pain | L |
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Ah me my hands the hammer's blow | E2 |
The nails that rend and pierce | F |
The shock may stun but slow and slow | E2 |
The torture will grow fierce | F |
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Alas the awful fight with death | F2 |
The hours to hang and die | C |
The thirsting gasp for common breath | F2 |
The weakness that would cry | C |
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My soul returned A faintness soon | G2 |
Will shroud thee in its fold | C |
The hours will bring the fearful noon | G2 |
'Twill pass and thou art cold | C |
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'Tis his to care that thou endure | H2 |
To curb or loose the pain | L |
With bleeding hands hang on thy cure | H2 |
It shall not be in vain | L |
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But ah the will which thus could quail | I |
Might yield oh horror drear | H2 |
Then more than love the fear to fail | I |
Kept down the other fear | H2 |
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I stood nor moved But inward strife | A |
The bonds of slumber broke | I2 |
Oh had I fled and lost the life | A |
Of which the Master spoke | I2 |
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VI | C |
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Methinks I hear as o'er this life's dim dial | I |
The last shades darken friends say He was good | C |
I struggling fail to speak my faint denial | I |
They whisper His humility withstood | C |
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I knowing better part with love unspoken | T |
And find the unknown world not all unknown | Z |
The bonds that held me from my centre broken | T |
I seek my home the Saviour's homely throne | Z |
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How he will greet me walking on I wonder | H2 |
I think I know what I will say to him | S |
I fear no sapphire floor of cloudless thunder | H2 |
I fear no passing vision great and dim | S |
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But he knows all my weary sinful story | H2 |
How will he judge me pure and strong and fair | H2 |
I come to him in all his conquered glory | H2 |
Won from the life that I went dreaming there | H2 |
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I come I fall before him faintly saying | J2 |
Ah Lord shall I thy loving pardon win | M |
Earth tempted me my walk was but a straying | J2 |
I have no honour but may I come in | M |
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I hear him say Strong prayer did keep me stable | I |
To me the earth was very lovely too | O |
Thou shouldst have prayed I would have made thee able | I |
To love it greatly but thou hast got through | O |
George Macdonald
(1)
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