Pastorals Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCDEFG HIJKFL MNOPQR STUVWA XYFZA2B2 FC2D2E2FF2 G2H2H2I2H2J2 K2L2M2H2H2N2 A A2H2O2H2P2Q2 R2S2H2H2H2T2 ZA2U2JH2V2 AH2W2X2FY2 M2GZ2FH2F2 A2H2A3B3H2H2 E2C3Q2D3E3H2 F3H2ZH2ZG3 H2H3H2I3H2J3 M2H2ZH2K3C3 A L3FH2H2F3A2FGQH2M2 M3H2E2N3A2FO3H2H2P3T 2 K3 H2Q3H2K3H2 ZFA2FH2 H2AA2R3L2 E2A2AH2F K3 H2E2S3H2 GM2H2T3 A2GU3F I3V3L2A A K3H2H2QA3 K3FH2W3H2 AQMX3A2 A H2H2H2FFA2Y3H2H2H2Z3 K3H2I3H2K3QI | A |
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How sweet on sunny afternoons | B |
For those who journey light and well | C |
To loiter up a hilly rise | D |
Which hides the prospect far beyond | E |
And fancy all the landscape lying | F |
Beautiful and still | G |
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Beneath a sky of summer blue | H |
Whose rounded cloudlets folded soft | I |
Gaze on the scene which we await | J |
And picture from their peacefulness | K |
So calmly to the earth inclining | F |
Float those loving shapes | L |
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Like airy brides each singling out | M |
A spot to love and bless with love | N |
Their creamy bosoms glowing warm | O |
Till distance weds them to the hills | P |
And with its latest gleam the river | Q |
Sinks in their embrace | R |
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And silverly the river runs | S |
And many a graceful wind he makes | T |
By fields where feed the happy flocks | U |
And hedge rows hushing pleasant lanes | V |
The charms of English home reflected | W |
In his shining eye | A |
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Ancestral oak broad foliaged elm | X |
Rich meadows sunned and starred with flowers | Y |
The cottage breathing tender smoke | F |
Against the brooding golden air | Z |
With glimpses of a stately mansion | A2 |
On a woodland sward | B2 |
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And circling round as with a ring | F |
The distance spreading amber haze | C2 |
Enclosing hills and pastures sweet | D2 |
A depth of soft and mellow light | E2 |
Which fills the heart with sudden yearning | F |
Aimless and serene | F2 |
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No disenchantment follows here | G2 |
For nature's inspiration moves | H2 |
The dream which she herself fulfils | H2 |
And he whose heart like valley warmth | I2 |
Steams up with joy at scenes like this | H2 |
Shall never be forlorn | J2 |
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And O for any human soul | K2 |
The rapture of a wide survey | L2 |
A valley sweeping to the West | M2 |
With all its wealth of loveliness | H2 |
Is more than recompense for days | H2 |
That taught us to endure | N2 |
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II | A |
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Yon upland slope which hides the sun | A2 |
Ascending from his eastern deeps | H2 |
And now against the hues of dawn | O2 |
One level line of tillage rears | H2 |
The furrowed brow of toil and time | P2 |
To many it is but a sweep of land | Q2 |
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To others 'tis an Autumn trust | R2 |
But unto me a mystery | S2 |
An influence strange and swift as dreams | H2 |
A whispering of old romance | H2 |
A temple naked to the clouds | H2 |
Or one of nature's bosoms fresh revealed | T2 |
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Heaving with adoration there | Z |
The work of husbandry is done | A2 |
And daily bread is daily earned | U2 |
Nor seems there ought to indicate | J |
The springs which move in me such thoughts | H2 |
But from my soul a spirit calls them up | V2 |
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All day into the open sky | A |
All night to the eternal stars | H2 |
For ever both at morn and eve | W2 |
Men mellow distances draw near | X2 |
And shadows lengthen in the dusk | F |
Athwart the heavens it rolls its glimmering line | Y2 |
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When twilight from the dream hued West | M2 |
Sighs hush and all the land is still | G |
When from the lush empurpling East | Z2 |
The twilight of the crowing cock | F |
Peers on the drowsy village roofs | H2 |
Athwart the heavens that glimmering line is seen | F2 |
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And now beneath the rising sun | A2 |
Whose shining chariot overpeers | H2 |
The irradiate ridge while fetlock deep | A3 |
In the rich soil his coursers plunge | B3 |
How grand in robes of light it looks | H2 |
How glorious with rare suggestive grace | H2 |
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The ploughman mounting up the height | E2 |
Becomes a glowing shape as though | C3 |
'Twere young Triptolemus plough in hand | Q2 |
While Ceres in her amber scarf | D3 |
With gentle love directs him how | E3 |
To wed the willing earth and hope for fruits | H2 |
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The furrows running up are fraught | F3 |
With meanings there the goddess walks | H2 |
While Proserpine is young and there | Z |
'Mid the late autumn sheaves her voice | H2 |
Sobbing and choked with dumb despair | Z |
The nights will hear her wailing for her child | G3 |
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Whatever dim tradition tells | H2 |
Whatever history may reveal | H3 |
Or fancy from her starry brows | H2 |
Of light or dreamful lustre shed | I3 |
Could not at this sweet time increase | H2 |
The quiet consecration of the spot | J3 |
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Blest with the sweat of labour blest | M2 |
With the young sun's first vigorous beams | H2 |
Village hope and harvest prayer | Z |
The heart that throbs beneath it holds | H2 |
A bliss so perfect in itself | K3 |
Men's thoughts must borrow rather than bestow | C3 |
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III | A |
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Now standing on this hedgeside path | L3 |
Up which the evening winds are blowing | F |
Wildly from the lingering lines | H2 |
Of sunset o'er the hills | H2 |
Unaided by one motive thought | F3 |
My spirit with a strange impulsion | A2 |
Rises like a fledgling | F |
Whose wings are not mature but still | G |
Supported by its strong desire | Q |
Beats up its native air and leaves | H2 |
The tender mother's nest | M2 |
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Great music under heaven is made | M3 |
And in the track of rushing darkness | H2 |
Comes the solemn shape of night | E2 |
And broods above the earth | N3 |
A thing of Nature am I now | A2 |
Abroad without a sense or feeling | F |
Born not of her bosom | O3 |
Content with all her truths and fates | H2 |
Ev'n as yon strip of grass that bows | H2 |
Above the new born violet bloom | P3 |
And sings with wood and field | T2 |
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IV | K3 |
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Lo as a tree whose wintry twigs | H2 |
Drink in the sun with fibrous joy | Q3 |
And down into its dampest roots | H2 |
Thrills quickened with the draught of life | K3 |
I wake unto the dawn and leave my griefs to drowse | H2 |
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I rise and drink the fresh sweet air | Z |
Each draught a future bud of Spring | F |
Each glance of blue a birth of green | A2 |
I will not mimic yonder oak | F |
That dallies with dead leaves ev'n while the primrose peeps | H2 |
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But full of these warm whispering beams | H2 |
Like Memnon in his mother's eye | A |
Aurora when the statue stone | A2 |
Moaned soft to her pathetic touch | R3 |
My soul shall own its parent in the founts of day | L2 |
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And ever in the recurring light | E2 |
True to the primal joy of dawn | A2 |
Forget its barren griefs and aye | A |
Like aspens in the faintest breeze | H2 |
Turn all its silver sides and tremble into song | F |
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V | K3 |
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Now from the meadow floods the wild duck clamours | H2 |
Now the wood pigeon wings a rapid flight | E2 |
Now the homeward rookery follows up its vanguard | S3 |
And the valley mists are curling up the hills | H2 |
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Three short songs gives the clear voiced throstle | G |
Sweetening the twilight ere he fills the nest | M2 |
While the little bird upon the leafless branches | H2 |
Tweets to its mate a tiny loving note | T3 |
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Deeper the stillness hangs on every motion | A2 |
Calmer the silence follows every call | G |
Now all is quiet save the roosting pheasant | U3 |
The bell wether's tinkle and the watch dog's bark | F |
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Softly shine the lights from the silent kindling homestead | I3 |
Stars of the hearth to the shepherd in the fold | V3 |
Springs of desire to the traveller on the roadway | L2 |
Ever breathing incense to the ever blessing sky | A |
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VI | A |
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How barren would this valley be | K3 |
Without the golden orb that gazes | H2 |
On it broadening to hues | H2 |
Of rose and spreading wings of amber | Q |
Blessing it before it falls asleep | A3 |
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How barren would this valley be | K3 |
Without the human lives now beating | F |
In it or the throbbing hearts | H2 |
Far distant who their flower of childhood | W3 |
Cherish here and water it with tears | H2 |
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How barren should I be were I | A |
Without above that loving splendour | Q |
Shedding light and warmth without | M |
Some kindred natures of my kind | X3 |
To joy in me or yearn towards me now | A2 |
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VII | A |
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Summer glows warm on the meadows and speedwell and gold cups and daisies | H2 |
Darken 'mid deepening masses of sorrel and shadowy grasses | H2 |
Show the ripe hue to the farmer and summon the scythe and the hay makers | H2 |
Down from the village and now even now the air smells of the mowing | F |
And the sharp song of the scythe whistles daily from dawn till the gloaming | F |
Wears its cool star sweet and welcome to all flaming faces afield now | A2 |
Heavily weighs the hot season and drowses the darkening foliage | Y3 |
Drooping with languor the white cloud floats but sails not for windless | H2 |
Heaven's blue tents it no lark singing up in its fleecy white valleys | H2 |
Up in its fairy white valleys once feathered with minstrels melodious | H2 |
With the invisible joy that wakes dawn o'er the green fields of England | Z3 |
Summer glows warm on the meadows then come let us roam thro' them gaily | K3 |
Heedless of heat and the hot kissing sun and the fear of dark freckles | H2 |
Never one kiss will he give on a neck or a lily white forehead | I3 |
Chin hand or bosom uncovered all panting to take the chance coolness | H2 |
But full sure the fiery pressure leaves seal of espousal | K3 |
Heed him not come tho' he kiss till the soft little upper | Q |
George Meredith
(1)
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