The Appeasement Of Demeter Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCBCDDCB A EFEFGGFH A IJIJKKJJ JLJLMMLJ NONOPPON OOOOOOOO QRQRCCRQ STSTOOTS J OOOOOOOO J OUOU UO J OJOJOOJO J OVOVJJVO J FJFJWWJF OJOJOOJO JJJJ JJ OOOOXXOO

IA
-
Demeter devastated our good landB
In blackness for her daughter snatched belowC
Smoke pillar or loose hillock was the sandB
Where soil had been to clasp warm seed and throwC
The wheat vine olive ripe to Summer's rayD
Now whether night advancing whether dayD
Scarce did the baldness showC
The hand of man was a defeated handB
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IIA
-
Necessity the primal goad to growthE
Stood shrunken Youth and Age appeared as oneF
Like Winter Summer good as labour slothE
Nor was there answer wherefore beamed the sunF
Or why men drew the breath to carry painG
High reared the ploughshare broken lay the wainG
Idly the flax wheel spunF
Unridered starving lords were wasp and mothH
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IIIA
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Lean grassblades losing green on their bent flagsI
Sang chilly to themselves lone honey beesJ
Pursued the flowers that were not with dry bagsI
Sole sound aloud the snap of sapless treesJ
More sharp than slingstones on hard breastplates hurledK
Back to first chaos tumbled the stopped worldK
Careless to lure or pleaseJ
A nature of gaunt ribs an earth of cragsJ
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IV-
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No smile Demeter cast the gloom she sawJ
Well draped her direful musing for in gloomL
In thicker gloom deep down the cavern mawJ
Her sweet had vanished liker unto whomL
And whose pale place of habitation muteM
She and all seemed where Seasons pledged for fruitM
Anciently gaped for bloomL
Where hand of man was as a plucked fowl's clawJ
-
V-
-
The wrathful Queen descended on a valeN
That ere the ravished hour for richness heavedO
Iambe maiden of the merry taleN
Beside her eyed the once red cheeked green leavedO
It looked as if the Deluge had withdrawnP
Pity caught at her throat her jests were goneP
More than for her who grievedO
She could for this waste home have piped the wailN
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VI-
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Iambe her dear mountain rivuletO
To waken laughter from cold stones beheldO
A riven wheatfield cracking for the wetO
And seed like infant's teeth that never swelledO
Apeep up flinty ridges milkless roundO
Teeth of the giants marked she where thin groundO
Rocky in spikes rebelledO
Against the hand here slack as rotted netO
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VII-
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The valley people up the ashen scoopQ
She beckoned aiming hopelessly to winR
Her Mistress in compassion of yon groupQ
So pinched and wizened with their aged grinR
For lack of warmth to smile on mouths of woeC
White as in chalk outlining little OC
Dumb from a falling chinR
Young old alike half bent to make the hoopQ
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VIII-
-
Their tongues of birds they wagged weak voiced as whenS
Dark underwaters the recesses chokeT
With cluck and upper quiver of a henS
In grasp past peeking cry before the croakT
Relentlessly their gold haired Heaven their fountO
Bountiful of old days heard them recountO
This and that cruel strokeT
Nor eye nor ear had she for piteous menS
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IXJ
-
A figure of black rock by sunbeams crownedO
Through stormclouds where the volumed shades enfoldO
An earth in awe before the claps resoundO
And woods and dwellings are as billows rolledO
The barren Nourisher unmelted shedO
Death from the looks that wandered with the deadO
Out of the realms of goldO
In famine for her lost her lost unfoundO
-
XJ
-
Iambe from her Mistress tripped she raisedO
The cattle call above the moan of prayerU
And slowly out of fields their fancy grazedO
Among the droves defiled a horse and mareU
The wrecks of horse and mare such ribs as view-
Seas that have struck brave ships ashore while through-
Shoots the swift foamspit bareU
They nodded and Demeter on them gazedO
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XIJ
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Howbeit the season of the dancing bloodO
Forgot was horse of mare yea mare of horseJ
Reversed each head at either's flank they stoodO
Whereat the Goddess in a dim remorseJ
Laid hand on them and smacked and her touch prickedO
Neighing within at either's flank they lickedO
Played on a moment's forceJ
At courtship withering to the crazy nodO
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XIIJ
-
The nod was that we gather for consentO
And mournfully amid the group a dameV
Interpreting the thing in nature meantO
Her hands held out like bearers of the flameV
And nodded for the negative sidewaysJ
Keen at her Mistress glanced Iambe raysJ
From the Great Mother cameV
Her lips were opened wide the curse was rentO
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XIIIJ
-
She laughed since our first harvesting heard noneF
Like thunder of the song of heart her faceJ
The dreadful darkness shook to mounted sunF
And peal on peal across the hills held chaseJ
She laughed herself to water laughed to fireW
Laughed the torrential laugh of dam and sireW
Full of the marrowy raceJ
Her laughter Gods was flesh on skeletonF
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XIV-
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The valley people huddled broke afraidO
Assured and taking lightning in the veinsJ
They puffed they leaped linked hands together swayedO
Unwitting happiness till golden rainsJ
Of tears in laughter laughter weeping smoteO
Knowledge of milky mercy from that throatO
Pouring to heal their painsJ
And one bold youth set mouth at a shy maidO
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XV-
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Iambe clapped to see the kindly lustsJ
Inspire the valley people still on seasJ
Like poplar tops relieved from stress of gustsJ
With rapture in their wonderment but theseJ
Low homage being rendered ran to plough-
Fed by the laugh as by the mother cow-
Calves at the teats they teaseJ
Soon drove they through the yielding furrow crustsJ
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XVI-
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Uprose the blade in green the leaf in redO
The tree of water and the tree of woodO
And soon among the branches overheadO
Gave beauty juicy issue sweet for foodO
O Laughter beauty plumped and love had birthX
Laughter O thou reviver of sick EarthX
Good for the spirit goodO
For body thou to both art wine and breadO

George Meredith



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