November, 1851 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABCCDEEFGGH IIDJJ DKKJDDJ LLMNOMPPQRRQ SSTUUTBBFNNNH VVWXXWOOYJJYZA2B2C2C 2B2XXD2D2E2YE2YF2G2H 2H2G2WI2WI2YYYI2 OOOOJ2K2J2J2K2 L2WL2WOOM2M2ON2N2N2O F2F2D2C2C2G2G2O2D2 OWOWM2P2M2P2Q2J2Q2J2 E2D2E2D2R2B2S2S2R2R2 T2OT2OPFPF JO2JI2XXXI2WWWB J2J2B2B2U2U2U2BBOOJ2 J2OOV2V2B2B2B2 W2X2W2X2WU2WU2Y2WY2W OZ2OZ2A3J2A3A3J2U2K2 U2K2J2J2J2J2 OOOOJOJOWB3WB3J2OJ2O J2C3J2C3 J2OJ2OD3OD3OD3UD3U JJ2JJ2OOOOD3OD3OQJ2Q J2 D3JD3JOO

What dost thou here O soulA
Beyond thy own controlA
Under the strange wild skyB
stars reach down your handsC
And clasp me in your silver bandsC
I tremble with this mysteryD
Flung hither by a chanceE
Of restless circumstanceE
Thou art but here and wast not sentF
Yet once more mayest thou drawG
By thy own mystic lawG
To the centre of thy wondermentH
-
Why wilt thou stop and startI
Draw nearer oh my heartI
And I will question thee most wistfullyD
Gather thy last clear resolutionJ
To look upon thy dissolutionJ
-
The great God's life throbs far and freeD
And thou art but a sparkK
Known only in thy darkK
Or a foam fleck upon the awful oceanJ
Thyself thy slender dignityD
Thy own thy vexing mysteryD
In the vast change that is not change but motionJ
-
'Tis not so hard as it would seemL
Thy life is but a dreamL
And yet thou hast some thoughts about the pastM
Let go let go thy memoriesN
They are not things but wandering criesO
Wave them each one a long farewell at lastM
I hear thee say Take them O tideP
And I will turn asideP
Gazing with heedlessness nay even with laughterQ
Bind me ye winds and stormsR
Among the things that once had formsR
And carry me clean out of sight thereafterQ
-
Thou hast lived long enoughS
To know thy own weak stuffS
Laughing thy fondest joys to utter scornT
Give up the idle strifeU
It is but mockery of lifeU
The fates had need of thee and thou wast bornT
They are in sooth but thou shalt dieB
O wandering spark O homeless cryB
O empty will still lacking self intentF
Look up among the autumn treesN
The ripened fruits fall through the breezeN
And they will shake thee even like theseN
Into the lap of an AccomplishmentH
-
Thou hadst a faith and voices saidV
Doubt not that truth but bend thy headV
Unto the God who drew thee from the nightW
Thou liftedst up thy eyes and loX
A host of voices answered NoX
A thousand things as good have seen the lightW
Look how the swarms ariseO
From every clod before thy eyesO
Are thine the only hopes that fade and fallY
When to the centre of its actionJ
One purpose draws each separate fractionJ
And nothing but effects are left at allY
Aha thy faith what is thy faithZ
The sleep that waits on coming deathA2
A blind delirious swoon that follows painB2
True to thy nature well right wellC2
But what that nature is thou canst not tellC2
It has a thousand voices in thy brainB2
Danced all the leaflets to and froX
Thy feet have trod them long agoX
Sprung the glad music up the blueD2
The hawk hath cut the song in twoD2
All the mountains crumbleE2
All the forests fallY
All thy brethren stumbleE2
And rise no more at allY
In the dim woods there is a soundF2
When the winds begin to moanG2
It is not of joy or yet of mirthH2
But the mournful cry of our mother EarthH2
As she calleth back her ownG2
Through the rosy air to nightW
The living creatures playI2
Up and down through the rich faint lightW
None so happy as theyI2
But the blast is here and noises fallY
Like the sound of steps in a ruined hallY
An icy touch is upon them allY
And they sicken and fade awayI2
-
The child awoke with an eye of gladnessO
With a light on his head and a matchless graceO
And laughed at the passing shades of sadnessO
That chased the smiles on his mother's faceO
And life with its lightsome load of youthJ2
Swam like a boat on a shining lakeK2
Freighted with hopes enough in soothJ2
But he lived to trample on joy and truthJ2
And change his crown for a murder stakeK2
-
Oh a ruddy light went through the roomL2
Till the dark ran out to his mother NightW
And that little chamber showed through the gloomL2
Like a Noah's ark with its nest of lightW
Right glad was the maiden there I wisO
With the youth that held her hand in hisO
Oh sweet were the words that went and cameM2
Through the light and shade of the leaping flameM2
That glowed on the cheerful facesO
So human the speech so sunny and kindN2
That the darkness danced on the wall behindN2
And even the wail of the winter windN2
Sang sweet through the window casesO
-
But a mournful wail crept round and roundF2
And a voice cried Come with a dreary soundF2
And the circle wider grewD2
The light flame sank and sorrow fellC2
On the faces of those that loved so wellC2
Darker and wilder grew the toneG2
Fainter and fainter the faces shoneG2
The wild night clasped them and they were goneO2
And thou art passing tooD2
-
Lo the morning slowly springsO
Like a meek white babe from the womb of nightW
One golden planet sits and stingsO
The shifting gloom with his point of lightW
Lo the sun on its throne of flameM2
Wouldst thou climb and win a crownP2
Oh many a heart that pants for the sameM2
Falls to the earth ere he goes downP2
Thy heart is a flower with an open cupQ2
Sit and watch if it pleaseth theeJ2
Till the melting twilight fill it upQ2
With a crystal of tender sympathyJ2
So gently will it trembleE2
The silent midnight throughD2
And flocks of stars assembleE2
By turns in its depths of dewD2
But look oh look againR2
After the driving wind and rainB2
When the day is up and the sun is strongS2
And the voices of men are loud and longS2
When the flower hath slunk to its rest againR2
And love is lost in the strife of menR2
-
Let the morning break with thoughts of loveT2
And the evening fall with dreams of blissO
So vainly panteth the prisoned doveT2
For the depths of her sweet wildernessO
So stoops the eagle in his prideP
From his rocky nest ere the bow is bentF
So sleeps the deer on the mountain sideP
Ere the howling pack hath caught the scentF
-
The fire climbs high till its work is doneJ
The stalk falls down when the flower is goneO2
And the stars of heaven when their course is runJ
Melt silently awayI2
There was a footfall on the snowX
A line of light on the ocean flowX
And a billow's dash on the rocks belowX
That stand by the wintry bayI2
The snow was gone on the coming nightW
Another wave arose in his mightW
Uplifted his foaming breast of whiteW
And died like the rest for ayeB
-
Oh the stars were bright and thyself in theeJ2
Yearned for an immortalityJ2
And the thoughts that drew from thy busy brainB2
Clasped the worlds like an endless chainB2
When a moon arose and her moving chimeU2
Smote on thy soul like a word in timeU2
Or a breathless wish or a thought in rimeU2
And the truth that looked so gloomy and highB
Leapt to thy arms with a joyful cryB
But what wert thou when a soulless CauseO
Opened the book of its barren lawsO
And thy spirit that was so glad and freeJ2
Was caught in the gin of necessityJ2
And a howl arose from the strife of thingsO
Vexing each other with scorpion stingsO
What wert thou but an orphan childV2
Thrust from the door when the night was wildV2
Or a sailor on the toiling mainB2
Looking blindly up through the wind and rainB2
As the hull of the vessel fell in twainB2
-
Seals are on the book of fateW2
Hands may not unbind itX2
Eyes may search for truth till lateW2
But will never find itX2
Rising on the brow of nightW
Like a portent of dismayU2
As the worlds in wild affrightW
Track it on its direful wayU2
Resting like a rainbow barY2
Where the curve and level meetW
As the children chase it farY2
O'er the sands with blistered feetW
Sadly through the mist of agesO
Gazing on this life of fearZ2
Doubtful shining on its pagesO
Only seen to disappearZ2
Sit thee by the sounding shoreA3
Winds and waves of human breathJ2
Learn a lesson from their roarA3
Swelling bursting evermoreA3
Live thy life and die thy deathJ2
Die not like the writhing wormU2
Rise and win thy highest stakeK2
Better perish in the stormU2
Than sit rotting on the lakeK2
Triumph in thy present youthJ2
Pulse of fire and heart of gleeJ2
Leap at once into the truthJ2
If there is a truth for theeJ2
-
Shapeless thoughts and dull opinionsO
Slow distinctions and degreesO
Vex not thou thy weary pinionsO
With such leaden weights as theseO
Through this mystic jurisdictionJ
Reaching out a hand by chanceO
Resting on a dull convictionJ
Whetted but by ignoranceO
Living ever to beholdW
Mournful eyes that watch and weepB3
Spirit suns that flashed in goldW
Failing from the vasty deepB3
Starry lights that glowed like TruthJ2
Gazing with unnumbered eyesO
Melting from the skies of youthJ2
Swallowed up of mysteriesO
Cords of love that sweetly bound theeJ2
Faded writing on thy browC3
Presences that came around theeJ2
Hands of faith that fail thee nowC3
-
Groping hands will ever find theeJ2
In the night with loads of chainsO
Lift thy fetters and unbind theeJ2
Cast thee on the midnight plainsO
Shapes of vision all providingD3
Famished cheeks and hungry criesO
Sound of crystal waters slidingD3
Thirsty lips and bloodshot eyesO
Empty forms that send no gleamingD3
Through the mystery of this strifeU
Oh in such a life of seemingD3
Death were worth an endless lifeU
-
Hark the trumpet of the oceanJ
Where glad lands were wont to beJ2
Many voices of commotionJ
Break in tumult over theeJ2
Lo they climb the frowning agesO
Marching o'er their level landsO
Far behind the strife that ragesO
Silence sits with clasped handsO
Undivided Purpose freeingD3
His own steps from hindrancesO
Sending out great floods of beingD3
Bathes thy steps in silentnessO
Sit thee down in mirth and laughterQ
One there is that waits for theeJ2
If there is a true hereafterQ
He will lend thee eyes to seeJ2
-
Like a snowflake gently fallingD3
On a quiet fountainJ
Or a weary echo callingD3
From a distant mountainJ
Drop thy hands in peaceO
Fail falter ceaseO

George Macdonald



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about November, 1851 poem by George Macdonald


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 0 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets