The Gospel Women 01: The Mother Mary Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCBC DEDE FGFG AHAH IJIJ BKBL EMEM NONO PQPR STSU VWVW XGXG A YZYZ A2IA2I A2B2A2B2 WB2WB2 IA2IA2 A2A2A2A2 A B2C2B2C2 A2D2A2D2 A2MA2M A2B2A2B2 A2BA2B B2E2B2E2 A2B2A2B2 A2A2A2A2 A2HA2H A2C2A2C2 A A2A2A2A2 A2MA2M A2A2A2A2 A2A2A2A2 F2A2F2A2 G2B2G2B2 F2A2F2A2 B2B2B2B2 B2H2B2H2 TI2UI2 BJ2BJ2 B2 B2MB2M AB2AB2 A2XA2X MA2MA2 AWAG2 A2A2A2A2 A2H2A2H2 ZA2ZA2| I | A |
| - | |
| Mary to thee the heart was given | B |
| For infant hand to hold | C |
| And clasp thus an eternal heaven | B |
| The great earth in its fold | C |
| - | |
| He seized the world with tender might | D |
| By making thee his own | E |
| Thee lowly queen whose heavenly height | D |
| Was to thyself unknown | E |
| - | |
| He came all helpless to thy power | F |
| For warmth and love and birth | G |
| In thy embraces every hour | F |
| He grew into the earth | G |
| - | |
| Thine was the grief O mother high | A |
| Which all thy sisters share | H |
| Who keep the gate betwixt the sky | A |
| And this our lower air | H |
| - | |
| But unshared sorrows gathering slow | I |
| Will rise within thy heart | J |
| Strange thoughts which like a sword will go | I |
| Thorough thy inward part | J |
| - | |
| For if a woman bore a son | B |
| That was of angel brood | K |
| Who lifted wings ere day was done | B |
| And soared from where she stood | L |
| - | |
| Wild grief would rave on love's high throne | E |
| She sitting in the door | M |
| All day would cry He was my own | E |
| And now is mine no more | M |
| - | |
| So thou O Mary years on years | N |
| From child birth to the cross | O |
| Wast filled with yearnings filled with fears | N |
| Keen sense of love and loss | O |
| - | |
| His childish thoughts outsoared thy reach | P |
| His godlike tenderness | Q |
| Would sometimes seem in human speech | P |
| To thee than human less | R |
| - | |
| Strange pangs await thee mother mild | S |
| A sorer travail pain | T |
| Then will the spirit of thy child | S |
| Be born in thee again | U |
| - | |
| Till then thou wilt forebode and dread | V |
| Loss will be still thy fear | W |
| Till he be gone and in his stead | V |
| His very self appear | W |
| - | |
| For when thy son hath reached his goal | X |
| And vanished from the earth | G |
| Soon wilt thou find him in thy soul | X |
| A second holier birth | G |
| - | |
| II | A |
| - | |
| Ah there he stands With wondering face | Y |
| Old men surround the boy | Z |
| The solemn looks the awful place | Y |
| Bestill the mother's joy | Z |
| - | |
| In sweet reproach her gladness hid | A2 |
| Her trembling voice says low | I |
| Less like the chiding than the chid | A2 |
| How couldst thou leave us so | I |
| - | |
| But will her dear heart understand | A2 |
| The answer that he gives | B2 |
| Childlike eternal simple grand | A2 |
| The law by which he lives | B2 |
| - | |
| Why sought ye me Ah mother dear | W |
| The gulf already opes | B2 |
| That will in thee keep live the fear | W |
| And part thee from thy hopes | B2 |
| - | |
| My father's business that ye know | I |
| I cannot choose but do | A2 |
| Mother if he that work forego | I |
| Not long he cares for you | A2 |
| - | |
| Creation's harder better part | A2 |
| Now occupies his hand | A2 |
| I marvel not the mother's heart | A2 |
| Not yet could understand | A2 |
| - | |
| III | A |
| - | |
| The Lord of life among them rests | B2 |
| They quaff the merry wine | C2 |
| They do not know those wedding guests | B2 |
| The present power divine | C2 |
| - | |
| Believe on such a group he smiled | A2 |
| Though he might sigh the while | D2 |
| Believe not sweet souled Mary's child | A2 |
| Was born without a smile | D2 |
| - | |
| He saw the pitchers high upturned | A2 |
| Their last red drops outpour | M |
| His mother's cheek with triumph burned | A2 |
| And expectation wore | M |
| - | |
| He knew the prayer her bosom housed | A2 |
| He read it in her eyes | B2 |
| Her hopes in him sad thoughts have roused | A2 |
| Ere yet her words arise | B2 |
| - | |
| They have no wine she halting said | A2 |
| Her prayer but half begun | B |
| Her eyes went on Lift up thy head | A2 |
| Show what thou art my son | B |
| - | |
| A vision rose before his eyes | B2 |
| The cross the waiting tomb | E2 |
| The people's rage the darkened skies | B2 |
| His unavoided doom | E2 |
| - | |
| Ah woman dear thou must not fret | A2 |
| Thy heart's desire to see | B2 |
| His hour of honour is not yet | A2 |
| 'Twill come too soon for thee | B2 |
| - | |
| His word was dark his tone was kind | A2 |
| His heart the mother knew | A2 |
| His eyes in hers looked deep and shined | A2 |
| They gave her heart the cue | A2 |
| - | |
| Another on the word intent | A2 |
| Had read refusal there | H |
| She heard in it a full consent | A2 |
| A sweetly answered prayer | H |
| - | |
| Whate'er he saith unto you do | A2 |
| Out flowed his grapes divine | C2 |
| Though then as now not many knew | A2 |
| Who makes the water wine | C2 |
| - | |
| IV | A |
| - | |
| He is beside himself Dismayed | A2 |
| His mother brothers talked | A2 |
| He from the well known path had strayed | A2 |
| In which their fathers walked | A2 |
| - | |
| With troubled hearts they sought him Loud | A2 |
| Some one the message bore | M |
| He stands within amid a crowd | A2 |
| They at the open door | M |
| - | |
| Thy mother and thy brothers would | A2 |
| Speak with thee Lo they stand | A2 |
| Without and wait thee Like a flood | A2 |
| Of sunrise on the land | A2 |
| - | |
| A new born light his face o'erspread | A2 |
| Out from his eyes it poured | A2 |
| He lifted up that gracious head | A2 |
| Looked round him took the word | A2 |
| - | |
| My mother brothers who are they | F2 |
| Hearest thou Mary mild | A2 |
| This is a sword that well may slay | F2 |
| Disowned by thy child | A2 |
| - | |
| Ah no My brothers sisters hear | G2 |
| They are our humble lord's | B2 |
| O mother did they wound thy ear | G2 |
| We thank him for the words | B2 |
| - | |
| Who are my friends Oh hear him say | F2 |
| Stretching his hand abroad | A2 |
| My mother sisters brothers are they | F2 |
| That do the will of God | A2 |
| - | |
| My brother Lord of life and me | B2 |
| If life might grow to this | B2 |
| Would it not brother sister be | B2 |
| Enough for all amiss | B2 |
| - | |
| Yea mother hear him and rejoice | B2 |
| Thou art his mother still | H2 |
| But may'st be more of thy own choice | B2 |
| Doing his Father's will | H2 |
| - | |
| Ambition for thy son restrain | T |
| Thy will to God's will bow | I2 |
| Thy son he shall be yet again | U |
| And twice his mother thou | I2 |
| - | |
| O humble man O faithful son | B |
| That woman most forlorn | J2 |
| Who yet thy father's will hath done | B |
| Thee son of man hath born | J2 |
| - | |
| V | B2 |
| - | |
| Life's best things gather round its close | B2 |
| To light it from the door | M |
| When woman's aid no further goes | B2 |
| She weeps and loves the more | M |
| - | |
| She doubted oft feared for his life | A |
| Yea feared his mission's loss | B2 |
| But now she shares the losing strife | A |
| And weeps beside the cross | B2 |
| - | |
| The dreaded hour is come at last | A2 |
| The sword hath reached her soul | X |
| The hour of tortured hope is past | A2 |
| And gained the awful goal | X |
| - | |
| There hangs the son her body bore | M |
| The limbs her arms had prest | A2 |
| The hands the feet the driven nails tore | M |
| Had lain upon her breast | A2 |
| - | |
| He speaks the words how faintly brief | A |
| And how divinely dear | W |
| The mother's heart yearns through its grief | A |
| Her dying son to hear | G2 |
| - | |
| Woman behold thy son Behold | A2 |
| Thy mother Blessed hest | A2 |
| That friend to her torn heart to fold | A2 |
| Who understood him best | A2 |
| - | |
| Another son ah not instead | A2 |
| He gave lest grief should kill | H2 |
| While he was down among the dead | A2 |
| Doing his father's will | H2 |
| - | |
| No not instead the coming joy | Z |
| Will make him hers anew | A2 |
| More hers than when a little boy | Z |
| His life from hers he drew | A2 |
George Macdonald
(1)
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About The Gospel Women 01: The Mother Mary
The Gospel Women 01: The Mother Mary is a poem by George Macdonald. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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