A Book Of Dreams Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A 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 IOIO A A GH2GH2CE2CE2 YK2YD2CH2CH2 AIAIGNGN AE2AE2 FFFF COCOFGFG FK2FTCOCO CH2CH2FE2FE2 CL2CL2 M2FM2F CN2CN2O2FO2F AP2AP2Q2CQ2C E2O2E2O2ZAZA R2CR2C AAAA A H2OOOFCFC IOIOOL2OL2 OIOICCCC CTCT TITI J2OJ2OFM2FM2 TFTFOCOC TCTCOFOF A OFOF FP2FP2 MOMO GE2GE2 S2CS2C AIAI FP2FP2 OCOC CCCC LGLG N2CN2C G2FG2F FMFM COCO A AO2AO2 GP2GP2 CCCC P2CP2C T2ZT2Q2 OCOC OCOC A FO2FO2 CP2CP2 CK2CQ2 CLCL FU2FU2 FOFO V2IV2I GFGF W2GW2G A XP2XP2CFCF P2E2P2E2AFAF AP2AP2FX2FX2 FCFCCCCC CPCPXFXF COCOQFQF CFCFOO2OO2

PART I	A
	-
	-
I	A
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
	-
II	A
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
	-
III	A
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
No white robed angel floated by	A
On slow reposing wings	F
I only saw with inward eye	A
Some very common things	F
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
	-
IV	A
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
In raiment worn and blood bedewed	C
With faltering step and numb	N
Toward the shining multitude	C
A weary man did come	N
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
	-
V	A
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
'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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
VI	C
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
	-
	-
PART II	A
	-
	-
	-
I	A
	-
A gloomy and a windy day	G
No sunny spot is bare	H2
Dull vapours in uncomely play	G
Go weltering through the air	H2
If through the windows of my mind	C
I let them come and go	E2
My thoughts will also in the wind	C
Sweep restless to and fro	E2
	-
I drop my curtains for a dream	Y
What comes A mighty swan	K2
With plumage like a sunny gleam	Y
And folded airy van	D2
She comes from sea plains dreaming sent	C
By sea maids to my shore	H2
With stately head proud humbly bent	C
And slackening swarthy oar	H2
	-
Lone in a vaulted rock I lie	A
A water hollowed cell	I
Where echoes of old storms go by	A
Like murmurs in a shell	I
The waters half the gloomy way	G
Beneath its arches come	N
Throbbing to outside billowy play	G
The green gulfs waver dumb	N
	-
Undawning twilights through the cave	A
In moony glimmers go	E2
Half from the swan above the wave	A
Half from the swan below	E2
	-
As to my feet she gently drifts	F
Through dim wet shiny things	F
And with neck low curved backward lifts	F
The shoulders of her wings	F
	-
Old earth is rich with many a nest	C
Of softness ever new	O
Deep delicate and full of rest	C
But loveliest there are two	O
I may not tell them save to minds	F
That are as white as they	G
But none will hear of other kinds	F
They all are turned away	G
	-
On foamy mounds between the wings	F
Of a white sailing swan	K2
A flaky bed of shelterings	F
There you will find the one	T
The other well it will not out	C
Nor need I tell it you	O
I've told you one and can you doubt	C
When there are only two	O
	-
Fill full my dream O splendid bird	C
Me o'er the waters bear	H2
Never was tranquil ocean stirred	C
By ship so shapely fair	H2
Nor ever whiteness found a dress	F
In which on earth to go	E2
So true profound and rich unless	F
It was the falling snow	E2
	-
Her wings with flutter half aloft	C
Impatient fan her crown	L2
I cannot choose but nestle soft	C
Into the depth of down	L2
	-
With oary pulsing webs unseen	M2
Out the white frigate sweeps	F
In middle space we hang between	M2
The air and ocean deeps	F
	-
Up the wave's mounting flowing side	C
With stroke on stroke we rack	N2
As down the sinking slope we slide	C
She cleaves a talking track	N2
Like heather bells on lonely steep	O2
Like soft rain on the glass	F
Like children murmuring in their sleep	O2
Like winds in reedy grass	F
	-
Her white breast heaving like a wave	A
She beats the solemn time	P2
With slow strong sweep intent and grave	A
Hearkens the ripples rime	P2
All round from flat gloom upward drawn	Q2
I catch the gleam vague wide	C
With which the waves from dark to dawn	Q2
Heave up the polished side	C
	-
The night is blue the stars aglow	E2
Crowd the still vaulted steep	O2
Sad o'er the hopeless restless flow	E2
Of the self murmurous deep	O2
A thicker night with gathered moan	Z
A dull dethroned sky	A
The shadows of its stars alone	Z
Left in to know it by	A
	-
What faints across yon lifted loop	R2
Where the west gleams its last	C
With sea veiled limbs a sleeping group	R2
Of Nereids dreaming past	C
	-
Row on fair swan who knows but I	A
Ere night hath sought her cave	A
May see in splendour pale float by	A
The Venus of the wave	A
	-
	-
II	A
	-
A rainbow wave o'erflowed her	H2
A glory that deepened and grew	O
A song of colour and odour	O
That thrilled her through and through	O
'Twas a dream of too much gladness	F
Ever to see the light	C
They are only dreams of sadness	F
That weary out the night	C
	-
Slow darkness began to rifle	I
The nest of the sunset fair	O
Dank vapour began to stifle	I
The scents that enriched the air	O
The flowers paled fast and faster	O
They crumbled leaf and crown	L2
Till they looked like the stained plaster	O
Of a cornice fallen down	L2
	-
And the change crept nigh and nigher	O
Inward and closer stole	I
Till the flameless blasting fire	O
Entered and withered her soul	I
But the fiends had only flouted	C
Her vision of the night	C
Up came the morn and routed	C
The darksome things with light	C
	-
Wide awake I have often been in it	C
The dream that all is none	T
It will come in the gladdest minute	C
And wither the very sun	T
	-
Two moments of sad commotion	T
One more of doubt's palsied rule	I
And the great wave pulsing ocean	T
Is only a gathered pool	I
	-
A flower is a spot of painting	J2
A lifeless loveless hue	O
Though your heart be sick to fainting	J2
It says not a word to you	O
A bird knows nothing of gladness	F
Is only a song machine	M2
A man is a reasoning madness	F
A woman a pictured queen	M2
	-
Then fiercely we dig the fountain	T
Oh whence do the waters rise	F
Then panting we climb the mountain	T
Oh are there indeed blue skies	F
We dig till the soul is weary	O
Nor find the water nest out	C
We climb to the stone crest dreary	O
And still the sky is a doubt	C
	-
Let alone the roots of the fountain	T
Drink of the water bright	C
Leave the sky at rest on the mountain	T
Walk in its torrent of light	C
Although thou seest no beauty	O
Though widowed thy heart yet cries	F
With thy hands go and do thy duty	O
And thy work will clear thine eyes	F
	-
	-
III	A
	-
A great church in an empty square	O
A haunt of echoing tones	F
Feet pass not oft enough to wear	O
The grass between the stones	F
	-
The jarring hinges of its gates	F
A stifled thunder boom	P2
The boding heart slow listening waits	F
As for a coming doom	P2
	-
The door stands wide With hideous grin	M
Like dumb laugh evil frore	O
A gulf of death all dark within	M
Hath swallowed half the floor	O
	-
Its uncouth sides of earth and clay	G
O'erhang the void below	E2
Ah some one force my feet away	G
Or down I needs must go	E2
	-
See see the horrid crumbling slope	S2
It breathes up damp and fust	C
What man would for his lost loves grope	S2
Amid the charnel dust	C
	-
Down down The coffined mould glooms high	A
Methinks with anguish dull	I
I enter by the empty eye	A
Into a monstrous skull	I
	-
Stumbling on what I dare not guess	F
Blind wading through the gloom	P2
Still down still on I sink I press	F
To meet some awful doom	P2
	-
My searching hands have caught a door	O
With iron clenched and barred	C
Here the gaunt spider's castle core	O
Grim Death keeps watch and ward	C
	-
Its two leaves shake its bars are bowed	C
As if a ghastly wind	C
That never bore a leaf or cloud	C
Were pressing hard behind	C
	-
They shake they groan they outward strain	L
What thing of dire dismay	G
Will freeze its form upon my brain	L
And fright my soul away	G
	-
They groan they shake they bend they crack	N2
The bars the doors divide	C
A flood of glory at their back	N2
Hath burst the portals wide	C
	-
In flows a summer afternoon	G2
I know the very breeze	F
It used to blow the silvery moon	G2
About the summer trees	F
	-
The gulf is filled with flashing tides	F
Blue sky through boughs looks in	M
Mosses and ferns o'er floor and sides	F
A mazy arras spin	M
	-
The empty church the yawning cleft	C
The earthy dead despair	O
Are gone and I alive am left	C
In sunshine and in air	O
	-
	-
IV	A
	-
Some dreams in slumber's twilight sly	A
Through the ivory wicket creep	O2
Then suddenly the inward eye	A
Sees them outside the sleep	O2
	-
Once wandering in the border gray	G
I spied one past me swim	P2
I caught it on its truant way	G
To nowhere in the dim	P2
	-
All o'er a steep of grassy ground	C
Lay ruined statues old	C
Such forms as never more are found	C
Save deep in ancient mould	C
	-
A host of marble Anakim	P2
Shattered in deadly fight	C
Oh what a wealth one broken limb	P2
Had been to waking sight	C
	-
But sudden the weak mind to mock	T2
That could not keep its own	Z
Without a shiver or a shock	T2
Behold the dream was gone	Q2
	-
For each dim form of marble rare	O
Stood broken rush or reed	C
So bends on autumn field long bare	O
Some tall rain battered weed	C
	-
The shapeless night hung empty drear	O
O'er my scarce slumbering head	C
There is no good in staying here	O
My spirit moaned and fled	C
	-
	-
V	A
	-
The simplest joys that daily pass	F
Grow ecstasies in sleep	O2
A wind on heights of waving grass	F
In a dream has made me weep	O2
	-
No wonder then my heart one night	C
Was joy full to the brim	P2
I was with one whose love and might	C
Had drawn me close to him	P2
	-
But from a church into the street	C
Came pouring crowding on	K2
A troubled throng with hurrying feet	C
And Lo my friend was gone	Q2
	-
Alone upon a miry road	C
I walked a wretched plain	L
Onward without a goal I strode	C
Through mist and drizzling rain	L
	-
Low mounds of ruin ugly pits	F
And brick fields scarred the globe	U2
Those wastes where desolation sits	F
Without her ancient robe	U2
	-
The dreariness the nothingness	F
Grew worse almost than fear	O
If ever hope was needful bliss	F
Hope sure was needful here	O
	-
Did potent wish work joyous change	V2
Like wizard's glamour spell	I
Wishes not always fruitless range	V2
And sometimes it is well	I
	-
I know not Sudden sank the way	G
Burst in the ocean waves	F
Behold a bright blue billowed bay	G
Red rocks and sounding caves	F
	-
Dreaming I wept Awake I ask	W2
Shall earthly dreams forsooth	G
Set the old Heavens too hard a task	W2
To match them with the truth	G
	-
	-
VI	A
	-
Once more I build a dream awake	X
Which sleeping I would dream	P2
Once more an unborn fancy take	X
And try to make it seem	P2
Some strange delight shall fill my breast	C
Enticed from sleep's abyss	F
With sense of motion yet of rest	C
Of sleep yet waking bliss	F
	-
It comes I lie on something warm	P2
That lifts me from below	E2
It rounds me like a mighty arm	P2
Though soft as drifted snow	E2
A dream indeed Oh happy me	A
Whom Titan woman bears	F
Afloat upon a gentle sea	A
Of wandering midnight airs	F
	-
A breeze just cool enough to lave	A
With sense each conscious limb	P2
Glides round and under like a wave	A
Of twilight growing dim	P2
She bears me over sleeping towns	F
O'er murmuring ears of corn	X2
O'er tops of trees o'er billowy downs	F
O'er moorland wastes forlorn	X2
	-
The harebells in the mountain pass	F
Flutter their blue about	C
The myriad blades of meadow grass	F
Float scarce heard music out	C
Over the lake ah nearer float	C
Nearer the water's breast	C
Let me look deeper let me doat	C
Upon that lily nest	C
	-
Old homes we brush in wood on road	C
Their windows do not shine	P
Their dwellers must be all abroad	C
In lovely dreams like mine	P
Hark drifting syllables that break	X
Like foam bells on fleet ships	F
The little airs are all awake	X
With softly kissing lips	F
	-
Light laughter ripples down the wind	C
Sweet sighs float everywhere	O
But when I look I nothing find	C
For every star is there	O
O lady lovely lady strong	Q
Ungiven thy best gift lies	F
Thou bear'st me in thine arms along	Q
Dost not reveal thine eyes	F
	-
Pale doubt lifts up a snaky crest	C
In darts a pang of loss	F
My outstretched hand for hills of rest	C
Finds only mounds of moss	F
Faint and far off the stars appear	O
The wind begins to weep	O2
'Tis night indeed chilly and drear	O
And all but me asleep	O2

George Macdonald

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