Of The Son Of Man Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABBAABBABBBBCC DEEDDEEDFGGFGF HIIHHIJHKLKLKL CMMCCMMCNONONO PDDPPDDPQBQBRS TUUVVUUVWKWKXX XYYXXYYXZA2ZA2B2B2 C2D2D2C2C2D2D2C2E2F2 G2F2H2I2 J2C2C2J2J2C2C2J2K2UU K2K2U L2CCIICCL2OM2M2OM2O SWWSSWWSN2BBDSS O2AAO2O2AAO2P2B2B2P2 B2P2 BQ2Q2BBQ2Q2BR2CS2K2C 2C2 KT2T2KKT2T2KSM2M2SM2 S U2DDU2U2DDU2IBBIIB V2

I I honour Nature holding it unjustA
To look with jealousy on her designsB
With every passing year more fast she twinesB
About my heart with her mysterious dustA
Claim I a fellowship not less augustA
Although she works before me and combinesB
Her changing forms wherever the sun shinesB
Spreading a leafy volume on the crustA
Of the old world and man himself likewiseB
Is of her making wherefore then divorceB
What God hath joined thus and rend by forceB
Spirit away from substance bursting tiesB
By which in one great bond of unityC
God hath together bound all things that beC
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II And in these lines my purpose is to showD
That He who left the Father though he cameE
Not with art splendour or the earthly flameE
Of genius yet in that he did bestowD
His own true loving heart did cause to growD
Unseen and buried deep whate'er we nameE
The best in human art without the shameE
Of idle sitting in most real woeD
And that whate'er of Beautiful and GrandF
The Earth contains by him was not despisedG
But rather was so deeply realizedG
In word and deed though not with artist handF
That it was either hid or all disguisedG
From those who were not wise to understandF
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III Art is the bond of weakness and we findH
Therein acknowledgment of failing powerI
A man would worship gazing on a flowerI
Onward he passeth lo his eyes are blindH
The unenlivened form he left behindH
Grew up within him only for an hourI
And he will grapple with Nature till the dowerJ
Of strength shall be retreasured in his mindH
And each form record is a high protestK
Of treason done unto the soul of manL
Which striving upwards ever is oppress'dK
By the old bondage underneath whose banL
He failing in his struggle for the bestK
Must live in pain upon what food he canL
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IV Moreover were there perfect harmonyC
'Twixt soul and Nature we should never wasteM
The precious hours in gazing but should hasteM
To assimilate her offerings and weC
From high life elements as doth the treeC
Should grow to higher so what we call TasteM
Is a slow living as of roots encasedM
In the grim chinks of some sterilityC
Both cramping and withholding Art is TruthN
But Truth dammed up and frozen gagged and boundO
As is a streamlet icy and uncouthN
Which pebbles hath and channel but no soundO
Give it again its summer heart of youthN
And it will be a life upon the groundO
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V And Love had not been prisoned in cold stoneP
Nor Beauty smeared on the dead canvas soD
Had not their worshipper been forced to goD
Questful and restless through the world aloneP
Searching but finding not till on him shoneP
Back from his own deep heart a chilly glowD
As of a frost nipped sunbeam or of snowD
Under a storm dodged crescent which hath grownP
Wasted to mockery and beneath such gleamQ
His wan conceits have found an utteranceB
Which had they found a true and sunny beamQ
Had ripened into real touch and glanceB
Nay more to real deed the Truth of allR
To some perfection high and personalS
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VI But yet the great of soul have ever beenT
The first to glory in all works of artU
For from the genius form would ever dartU
A light of inspiration and a sheenV
As of new comings and ourselves have seenV
Men of stern purpose to whose eyes would startU
Sorrow at sight of sorrow though no heartU
Did riot underneath that chilly screenV
And hence we judge such utterance native toW
The human soul expression highest bestK
Nay it is by such sign they will pursueW
Albeit unknowing Beauty without restK
And failing in the search themselves will flingX
Speechless before its shadow worshippingX
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VII And how shall he whose mission is to bringX
The soul to worship at its rightful shrineY
Seeing in Beauty what is most divineY
Give out the mightiest impulse and thus flingX
His soul into the future scatteringX
The living seed of wisdom Shall there shineY
From underneath his hand a matchless lineY
Of high earth beauties till the wide world ringX
With the far clang that tells a missioned soulZ
Kneeling to homage all about his feetA2
Alas for such a gift were this the wholeZ
The only bread of life men had to eatA2
Lo I behold them dead about him nowB2
And him the heart of death for all that browB2
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VIII If Thou didst pass by Art thou didst not scornC2
The souls that by such symbol yearned in vainD2
From Truth and Love true nourishment to gainD2
On thy warm breast so chilly and forlornC2
Fell these thy nurslings little more than bornC2
That thou wast anguished and there fell a rainD2
From thy blest eyelids and in grief and painD2
Thou partedst from them yet one night and mornC2
To find them wholesome food and nourishmentE2
Instead of what their blindness took for suchF2
Laying thyself a seed in earthen rentG2
From which outspringing to the willing touchF2
Riseth for all thy children harvest greatH2
For which they will all learn to bless thee yetI2
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IV Thou sawest Beauty in the streaking cloudJ2
When grief lift up those eyelids nor in scornC2
Broke ever on thine eyes the purple mornC2
Along the cedar tops to thee aloudJ2
Spake the night solitude when hushed and bowedJ2
The earth lay at thy feet stony and wornC2
Loving thou markedst when the lamb unshornC2
Was glad before thee and amongst the crowdJ2
Famished and pent in cities did thine eyeK2
Read strangest glory though in human artU
No record lives to tell us that thy heartU
Bowed to its own deep beauty deeper did lieK2
The burden of thy mission even wherebyK2
We know that Beauty liveth where Thou artU
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X Doubtless thine eyes have watched the sun aspireL2
From that same Olivet when back on theeC
Flushed upwards after some night agonyC
Thy proper Godhead with a purer fireI
Purpling thy Infinite and in strong desireI
Thou sattest in the dawn that was to beC
Uplifted on our dark perplexityC
Yea in thee lay thy soul a living lyreL2
And each wild beauty smote it though the soundO
Rung to the night winds oft and desert airM2
Beneath thine eyes the lily paled more fairM2
And each still shadow slanting on the groundO
Lay sweetly on thee as commissioned thereM2
So full wast thou of eyes all round and roundO
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XI And so thou neededst not our human skillS
To fix what thus were transient there it grewW
Wedded to thy perfection and anewW
With every coming vision rose there stillS
Some living principle which did fulfilS
Thy most legitimate manhood and untoW
Thy soul all Nature rendered up its dueW
With not a contradiction and each hillS
And mountain torrent and each wandering lightN2
Grew out divinely on thy countenanceB
Whereon as we are told by word and glanceB
Thy hearers read an ever strange delight SoD
strange to them thy Truth they could not tellS
What made thy message so unspeakableS
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XII And by such living witness didst thou preachO2
Not with blind hands of groping forward thrustA
Into the darkness gathering only dustA
But by this real sign that thou didst reachO2
In natural order rising each from eachO2
Thy own ideals of the True and JustA
And that as thou didst live even so he mustA
Who would aspire his fellow men to teachO2
Looking perpetual from new heights of ThoughtP2
On his old self Of art no scorner thouB2
Instead of leafy chaplet on thy browB2
Wearing the light of manhood thou hast broughtP2
Death unto Life Above all statues nowB2
Immortal Artist hail thy work is wroughtP2
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XIII Solemn and icy stand ye in my eyesB
Far up into the niches of the PastQ2
Ye marble statues dim and holden fastQ2
Within your stony homes nor human criesB
Had shook you from your frozen phantasiesB
Or sent the life blood through you till there passedQ2
Through all your chilly bulks a new life blastQ2
From the Eternal Living and ye riseB
From out your stiffened postures rosy warmR2
Walking abroad a goodly companyC
Of living virtues at that wondrous charmS2
As he with human heart and hand and eyeK2
Walked sorrowing upon our highways thenC2
The Eternal Father's living gift to menC2
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XIV As the pent torrent in uneasy restK
Under the griping rocks doth ever keepT2
A monstrous working as it lies asleepT2
In the round hollow of some mountain's breastK
Till where it hideth in its sweltering nestK
Some earthquake finds it and its waters leapT2
Forth to the sunshine down the mighty steepT2
So in thee once was anguished forth the questK
Whereby man sought for life power as he layS
Under his own proud heart and black despairM2
Wedged fast and stifled up with loads of careM2
Yet at dumb struggle with the tyrant clayS
Thou wentest down below the roots of prayerM2
And he hath cried aloud since that same dayS
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XV As he that parts in hatred from a friendU2
Mixing with other men forgets the woeD
Which anguished him when he beheld and loD
Two souls had fled asunder which did bendU2
Under the same blue heaven yet ere the endU2
When the loud world hath tossed him to and froD
Will often strangely reappear that glowD
At simplest memory which some chance may sendU2
Although much stronger bonds have lost their powerI
So thou God sent didst come in lowly guiseB
Striking on simple chords not with surpriseB
Or mightiest recollectings in that hourI
But like remembered fragrance of a flowerI
A man with human heart and loving eyesB
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MarchV2

George Macdonald



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