The Clock Of The Universe Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABCBCDEADFEGGHHHHH BIIJBBBKK JJLLGJGL MMNNGAOOPPOOQQGGNN RSSTURRVJWW BBXXOOONNYYYYY AZZAHHBBA2YGRRB2B2C2 C2 AAA clock aeonian steady and tall | A |
With its back to creation's flaming wall | A |
Stands at the foot of a dim wide stair | B |
Swing swang its pendulum goes | C |
Swing swang here there | B |
Its tick and its tack like the sledge hammer blows | C |
Of Tubal Cain the mighty man | D |
But they strike on the anvil of never an ear | E |
On the heart of man and woman they fall | A |
With an echo of blessing an echo of ban | D |
For each tick is a hope each tack is a fear | F |
Each tick is a Where each tack a Not here | E |
Each tick is a kiss each tack is a blow | G |
Each tick says Why each tack I don't know | G |
Swing swang the pendulum | H |
Tick and tack and go and come | H |
With a haunting far off dreamy hum | H |
With a tick tack loud and dumb | H |
Swings the pendulum | H |
- | |
Two hands together joined in prayer | B |
With a roll and a volley of spheric thunder | I |
Two hands in hope spread half asunder | I |
An empty gulf of longing embrace | J |
Two hands wide apart as they can fare | B |
In a fear still coasting not touching Despair | B |
But turning again ever round to prayer | B |
Two hands human hands pass with awful motion | K |
From isle to isle of the sapphire ocean | K |
- | |
The silent surfaceless ocean face | J |
Is filled with a brooding hearkening grace | J |
The stars dream in and sink fainting out | L |
And the sun and the moon go walking about | L |
Walking about in it solemn and slow | G |
Solemn and slow at a thinking pace | J |
Walking about in it to and fro | G |
Walking walking about | L |
- | |
With open beak and half open wing | M |
Ever with eagerness quivering | M |
On the peak of the clock | N |
Stands a cock | N |
Tip toe stands the cock to crow | G |
Golden cock with silver call | A |
Clear as trumpet tearing the sky | O |
No one yet has heard him cry | O |
Nor ever will till the hour supreme | P |
When Self on itself shall turn with a scream | P |
What time the hands are joined on high | O |
In a hoping despairing speechless sigh | O |
The perfect groan prayer of the universe | Q |
When the darkness clings and will not disperse | Q |
Though the time is come told ages ago | G |
For the great white rose of the world to blow | G |
Tick tack to the waiting cock | N |
Tick tack goes the aeon clock | N |
- | |
A polar bear golden and gray | R |
Crawls and crawls around the top | S |
Black and black as an Ethiop | S |
The great sea serpent lies coiled beneath | T |
Living living but does not breathe | U |
For the crawling bear is so far away | R |
That he cannot hear by night or day | R |
The bourdon big of his deep bear bass | V |
Roaring atop of the silent face | J |
Else would he move and none knows then | W |
What would befall the sons of men | W |
- | |
Eat up old Time O raging Bear | B |
Take Bald head and the children spare | B |
Lie still O Serpent nor let one breath | X |
Stir thy pool and stay Time's death | X |
Steady Hands for the noon is nigh | O |
See the silvery ghost of the Dawning shy | O |
Low on the floor of the level sky | O |
Warn for the strike O blessed Clock | N |
Gather thy clarion breath gold Cock | N |
Push on the month figures pale weary faced Moon | Y |
Tick awful Pendulum tick amain | Y |
And soon oh soon | Y |
Lord of life and Father of boon | Y |
Give us our own in our arms again | Y |
- | |
Then the great old clock to pieces will fall | A |
Sans groaning of axle or whirring of wheel | Z |
And away like a mist of the morning steal | Z |
To stand no more in creation's hall | A |
Its mighty weights will fall down plumb | H |
Into the regions where all is dumb | H |
No more will its hands in horror or prayer | B |
Be lifted or spread at the foot of the stair | B |
That springs aloft to the Father's room | A2 |
Its tick and its tack When Not now | Y |
Will cease and its muffled groan below | G |
Its sapphire face will dissolve away | R |
In the dawn of the perfect love potent day | R |
The serpent and bear will be seen no more | B2 |
Growling atop or prone on the floor | B2 |
And up the stair will run as they please | C2 |
The children to clasp the Father's knees | C2 |
- | |
O God our father Allhearts' All | A |
Open the doors of thy clockless hall | A |
George Macdonald
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