The Auction Sale Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Henry Reed

The Auction Sale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

About The Auction Sale

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Within the great grey flapping tent	A
The damp crowd stood or stamped about	B
And some came in and some went out	B
To drink the moist November air	C
None fainted though a few looked spent	A
And eyed some empty unbought chair	C
It was getting on And all had meant	A
Not to go home with empty hands	D
But full of gain at little cost	E
Of mirror vase or vinaigrette	E
Yet often after certain sales	F
Some looked relieved that they had lost	E
Others at having won upset	E
Two men from London sat apart	E
Both from the rest and each from each	G
One man in grey and one in brown	H
And each ignored the others face	I
And both ignored the endless stream	J
Of bed and bedside cabinet	E
Gazing intent upon the floor	K
And they were strangers in that place	I
	-
	-
Two other men competing now	L
Locals whom everybody knew	M
In shillings genially strove	N
For some small thing in ormolu	O
Neither was eager one looked down	H
Blankly at eighty four and then	P
Rallied again at eighty eight	E
And took it off at four pounds ten	P
The loser grimly shook his fist	E
But friendly there was nothing meant	E
Little gained was little missed	E
And there was smiling in the tent	E
	-
	-
The auctioneer paused to drink	Q
And wiped his lips and looked about	E
Engaged in whispered colloquoy	Q
The clerk who frowned and seemed to think	Q
And murmured Why not do it next	E
The auctioneer though full of doubt	E
Unacquiescent rather vexed	E
At last agreed and at his sign	R
Two ministrants came softly forth	S
And lifted in an ashen shroud	E
Something extremely carefully packed	E
Which might have been some sort of frame	T
And was a picture frame in fact	E
They steadied it gently and with care	C
And held it covered standing there	C
	-
	-
The auctioneer again looked round	E
And smiled uneasily at friends	U
And said Well friends I have to say	V
Something I have not said to day	V
There's a reserve upon this number	W
It is a picture which though unsigned	E
Is thought to be of a superior kind	E
So I am sure you gentlemen will not mind	E
If I tell you at once before we start	E
That what I have been asked to say	V
Is as I have said to say	V
There's a reserve upon this number	W
There was a rustle in that place	I
And some awoke as though from slumber	W
And some disturbance fluttered there	C
And as if summoned to begin	X
Those who had stepped outside for air	C
Retrieved themselves and stepped back in	X
	-
	-
The ministrants two local boys	Y
Experienced in this sort of work	Q
And careful not to make too much noise	Y
Reached forward to unhook the shroud	E
Which slowly opening fell away	V
And on the public gaze released	E
The prospect of a great gold frame	T
That through the reluctant leaden air	C
Flashed a mature unsullied grace	I
Into the faces of the crowd	E
And there was silence in that place	I
	-
Effulgent in the Paduan air	C
Ardent to yield the Venus lay	V
Naked upon the sunwarmed earth	Z
Bronze and bright and crisp her hair	C
By the right hand of Mars caressed	E
Who sunk beside her on his knee	A2
His mouth towards her mouth inclined	E
His left hand near her silken breast	E
Flowers about them sprang and twined	E
Accomplished Cupids leaped and sported	E
And three with dimpled arms enlaced	E
And brimming gaze of stifled mirth	Z
Looked wisely on at Mars's nape	B2
While others played with horns and pikes	C2
Or smaller objects of like shape	B2
	-
And there was silence in the tent	E
They gazed in silence silently	A2
The wind dropped down no longer shook	Q
The flapping sides and gaping holes	D2
And some moved back and others went	E
Closer to get a better look	Q
	-
In ritual amorous delay	V
Venus deposed her sheltering hand	E
Where her bright belly's aureate day	V
Melted down to dusk about her groin	E2
And as from words that Mars had said	E
Into that hidden subtle ear	F2
She turned away her shining head	E
	-
The auctioneer cleared his throat	E
And said I am sure I'm right in feeling	Q
You will not feel it is at all unfair	C
For what when all is said and done	G2
Is a work of very artistic painting	Q
And not to be classed with common lumber	W
And anyway extremely rare	C
You will not feel it at all unfair	C
If I mention again before proceeding	Q
There's a reserve upon this number	W
Someone was heard to say with meaning	Q
What did I hear him say reserve	H2
Meaning of course a different meaning	Q
This was a man from Sturminster	W
Renowned for a quiet sense of fun	G2
And there was laughter in that place	I
Though not of course from everyone	G2
	-
A calm and gentle mile away	V
Among the trees a river ran	I2
Boated with blue and scarlet sails	F
A towered auburn city stood	E
Beyond them on the burnished heights	J2
And afar off and over all	O
The azure day for mile on mile	O
Unrolled towards the Dolomites	J2
	-
The auctioneer said	E
I very much fear I have to say	V
I'm afraid we cannot look all day	V
The reserve is seven hundred pounds	K2
Will anyone offer me seven fifty	A2
Seven thirty Twenty five	L2
Thank you sir Seven twenty five	L2
It was the man in brown who nodded	E
Soon to be joined by him in grey	V
The bidding started quietly	A2
No one from locally joined in	X
Left to the men from London way	V
The auctioneer took proper pride	E
And knew the proper way to guide	E
By pause by silence and by tapping	Q
The bidding toward a proper price	M2
And each of the two with unmoved face	I
Would nod and pause and nod and wait	E
And there was tension in that place	I
	-
And still within the Paduan field	E
The silent summenr scene stood by	N2
The sails the hill tops and the sky	N2
And the bright warmth of Venus' glance	O2
That had for centuries caught the eye	N2
Of whosoever looked that way	V
And now caught theirs on this far day	V
	-
Two people only did not look	Q
They were the men so calmly nodding	Q
Intently staring at the floor	W
Though one of them the one in brown	H
Would sometimes slowly lift his gaze	P2
And stare up towards the canvas roof	Q2
Whereat a few men standing near	W
Inquiring eyes would also raise	P2
To try and see what he was seeing	Q
The bidding mounted steadily	A2
With silent nod or murmured yes	R2
And passed the fifteen hundred mark	Q
And well beyond and far beyond	E
A nodding strife without success	R2
Till suddenly with one soft word	E
Something unusual occurred	E
	-
The auctioneer had asked politely	A2
With querying look and quiet smile	O
Come then may I say two thousand	E
There was the customary pause	S2
When suddenly with one soft word	E
Another voice was strangely heard	E
To join in saying plainly Yes	R2
Not their voices but a third	E
Everyone turned in some surprise	T2
To look and see and recognise	T2
A young man who some time ago	Q
Had taken a farm out Stalbridge way	V
A very pleasant young man but quiet	E
Though always a friendly word to say	V
Though no one in the dealing line	R
But quiet and rather unsuccessful	O
And often seen about the place	T2
At outings or on market day	V
And very polite and inoffensive	U2
And quiet as anyone would tell you	M
But not from round here in any case	T2
	-
The auctioneer in some surprise	T2
Said Please sir did I hear you say	V
Yes to two thousand Is that bid	E
Twenty hundred am I bid	E
The two were silent and the third	E
The young man answered plainly Yes	T2
Yes Two thousand Yes I did	E
Meaning that he had said that word	E
Ah yes Yes thank you sir concurred	E
The auctioneer surprised but glad	E
To know that he had rightly heard	E
And added Well then I may proceed	E
I am bid two thousand for this picture	W
Any advance upon that sum	V2
Any advance upon two thousand	E
May I say two thousand twenty	A2
Twenty Thirty Thank you sir	W
May I say forty Thank you sir	W
Fifty You sir Thank you sir	W
	-
And now instead of two the three	A2
Competed in the bargaining	Q
There was amazement in that place	T2
But still it gave as someone said	E
A sort of interest to the thing	Q
The young man nodded with the others	T2
And it was seen his nice young face	T2
Had lost its flush and now was white	E
And those who stood quite near to him	W2
Said later of course they did not speak	Q
Whil	O