Harpalus. An Ancient English Pastoral Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CBCB DCDC CECE BABA AAAA CFCF GAGA H H BIBI FFFF HCHC EJEJ AJAJ HHHH CACA AHAH AAAH JFJF ABAB AACA KAKA AHAH HCHC GFGF HCH| Phylida was a faire mayde | A |
| As fresh as any flowre | B |
| Whom Harpalus the herdman prayde | A |
| To be his paramour | B |
| - | |
| Harpalus and eke Corin | C |
| Were herdmen both yfere | B |
| And Phylida could twist and spinne | C |
| And thereto sing full clere | B |
| - | |
| But Phylida was all to coye | D |
| For Harpalus to winne | C |
| For Corin was her onely joye | D |
| Who forst her not a pinne | C |
| - | |
| How often would she flowers twine | C |
| How often garlandes make | E |
| Of couslips and of colombine | C |
| And al for Corin's sake | E |
| - | |
| But Corin he had haukes to lure | B |
| And forced more the field | A |
| Of lovers lawe he toke no cure | B |
| For once he was begilde | A |
| - | |
| Harpalus prevailed nought | A |
| His labour all was lost | A |
| For he was fardest from her thought | A |
| And yet he loved her most | A |
| - | |
| Therefore waxt he both pale and leane | C |
| And drye as clot of clay | F |
| His fleshe it was consumed cleane | C |
| His colour gone away | F |
| - | |
| His beard it had not long be shave | G |
| His heare hong all unkempt | A |
| A man most fit even for the grave | G |
| Whom spitefull love had spent | A |
| - | |
| His eyes were red and all 'fore watcht ' | - |
| His face besprent with teares | H |
| It semde unhap had him long 'hatcht ' | - |
| In mids of his dispaires | H |
| - | |
| His clothes were blacke and also bare | B |
| As one forlorne was he | I |
| Upon his head alwayes he ware | B |
| A wreath of wyllow tree | I |
| - | |
| His beastes he kept upon the hyll | F |
| And he sate in the dale | F |
| And thus with sighes and sorrowes shril | F |
| He gan to tell his tale | F |
| - | |
| 'Oh Harpalus ' thus would he say | H |
| 'Unhappiest under sunne | C |
| The cause of thine unhappy day | H |
| By love was first begunne | C |
| - | |
| 'For thou wentest first by sute to seeke | E |
| A tigre to make tame | J |
| That settes not by thy love a leeke | E |
| But makes thy griefe her game | J |
| - | |
| 'As easy it were for to convert | A |
| The frost into 'a' flame | J |
| As for to turne a frowarde hert | A |
| Whom thou so faine wouldst frame | J |
| - | |
| 'Corin he liveth carelesse | H |
| He leapes among the leaves | H |
| He eats the frutes of thy redresse | H |
| Thou 'reapst ' he takes the sheaves | H |
| - | |
| 'My beastes a whyle your foode refraine | C |
| And harke your herdmans sounde | A |
| Whom spitefull love alas hath slaine | C |
| Through girt with many a wounde | A |
| - | |
| 'O happy be ye beastes wilde | A |
| That here your pasture takes | H |
| I se that ye be not begilde | A |
| Of these your faithfull makes | H |
| - | |
| 'The hart he feedeth by the hinde | A |
| The bucke harde by the do | A |
| The turtle dove is not unkinde | A |
| To him that loves her so | H |
| - | |
| 'The ewe she hath by her the ramme | J |
| The young cow hath the bull | F |
| The calfe with many a lusty lambe | J |
| Do fede their hunger full | F |
| - | |
| 'But wel away that nature wrought | A |
| The Phylida so faire | B |
| For I may say that I have bought | A |
| Thy beauty all to deare | B |
| - | |
| 'What reason is that crueltie | A |
| With beautie should have part | A |
| Or els that such a great tyranny | C |
| Should dwell in womans hart | A |
| - | |
| 'I see therefore to shape my death | K |
| She cruelly is prest | A |
| To th' ende that I may want my breath | K |
| My dayes been at the best | A |
| - | |
| 'O Cupide graunt this may request | A |
| And do not stoppe thine eares | H |
| That she may feele within her brest | A |
| The paines of my dispaires | H |
| - | |
| 'Of Corin 'who' is carelesse | H |
| That she may crave her fee | C |
| As I have done in great distresse | H |
| That loved her faithfully | C |
| - | |
| 'But since that I shal die her slave | G |
| Her slave and eke her thrall | F |
| Write you my frendes upon my grave | G |
| This chaunce that is befall | F |
| - | |
| ''Here lieth unhappy Harpalus | H |
| By cruell love now slaine | C |
| Whom Phylida unjustly thus | H |
| Hath murdred with disdaine '' | - |
Henry Howard
(1)
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About Harpalus. An Ancient English Pastoral
Harpalus. An Ancient English Pastoral is a poem by Henry Howard. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.