The Climacteric Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCC DDEEFFGGHIJJKKKKBBLL MMNN OOKKMMKKPPKKQQKKRRSS JJKKOTKKKK UU

When do the reasoning Powers declineA
The Ancients said at Forty NineA
At Forty Nine behoves it thenB
To quit the Inkhorn and the PenB
Since ARISTOTLE so decreedC
Premising thus we now proceedC
-
In that thrice favoured Northern LandD
Where most the Flowers of Thought expandD
And all things nebulous grow clearE
Through Spectacles and Lager BeerE
There lived at Dumpelsheim the LesserF
A certain High Dutch Herr ProfessorF
Than GROTIUS more alert and quickG
More logical than BURGERSDYCKG
His Lectures both so much transcendedH
That far and wide his Fame extendedI
Proclaiming him to every climeJ
Within a Mile of DumpelsheimJ
But chief he taught by Day and NightK
The Doctrine of the StagiriteK
Proving it fixed beyond DisputeK
In Ways that none could well refuteK
For if by Chance 'twas urged that MenB
O'er stepped the Limit now and thenB
He'd show unanswerably stillL
Either that all they did was NilL
Or else 'twas marked by IndicationM
Of grievous mental DegradationM
Nay he could even trace they sayN
That Degradation to a DayN
-
The Years rolled on and as they flewO
More famed the Herr Professor grewO
His Locus of the Pineal GlandK
A Masterpiece he long had plannedK
Had reached the End of Book ElevenM
And he was nearing Forty SevenM
Admirers had not long to waitK
The last Book came at Forty EightK
And should have been the Heart and SoulP
The Crown and Summit of the wholeP
But now the oddest Thing ensuedK
'Twas so insufferably crudeK
So feeble and so poor 'twas plainQ
The Writer's Mind was on the waneQ
Nothing could possibly be saidK
E'en Friendship's self must hang the headK
While jealous Rivals scarce so civilR
Denounced it openly as DrivelR
Never was such Collapse In briefS
The poor Professor died of GriefS
-
With fitting mortuary RhymeJ
They buried him at DumpelsheimJ
And as they sorrowing set aboutK
A Short Memoir the Truth came outK
He had been older than he knewO
The Parish Clerk had put aT
In place of Nought and made his DateK
Of Birth a Brace of Years too lateK
When he had written Book the LastK
His true Climacteric had pastK
-
MORAL To estimate your WorthU
Be certain as to date of BirthU

Henry Austin Dobson



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