Prologue To A Charade. - "damn-ages." Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGDDHHII JJKKAALLJJMM| In olden time in great Eliza's age | A |
| When rare Ben Jonson ruled the humorous stage | A |
| No play without its Prologue might appear | B |
| To earn applause or ward the critic's sneer | B |
| And surely now old customs should not sleep | C |
| When merry Christmas revelries we keep | C |
| He loves old ways old faces and old friends | D |
| Nor to new fangled fancies condescends | D |
| Besides we need your kindly hearts to move | E |
| Our faults to pardon and our freaks approve | E |
| For this our sport has been in haste begun | F |
| Unpractised actors and impromptu fun | F |
| So on our own deserts we dare not stand | G |
| But beg the favour that we can't command | G |
| Most flat would fall our cranks and wanton wiles | D |
| Reft of your favouring nods and wreathed smiles | D |
| As some tame landscape desolately bare | H |
| Is charmed by sunshine into seeming fair | H |
| So gentle friends if you your smiles bestow | I |
| That which is tame in us will not seem so | I |
| Our play is a charade We split the word | J |
| Each syllable an act the whole a third | J |
| My first we show you by a comic play | K |
| Old but not less the welcome I dare say | K |
| My second will be brought upon the stage | A |
| From lisping childhood down to palsied age | A |
| Last but not least our country's joy and pride | L |
| A British Jury will my whole decide | L |
| But what's the word you'll ask me what's the word | J |
| That you must guess or ask some little bird | J |
| Guess as you will you'll fail for 'tis no doubt | M |
| One of those things no fellow can find out | M |
Horace Smith
(1)
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About Prologue To A Charade. - "damn-ages."
Prologue To A Charade. - "damn-ages." is a poem by Horace Smith. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.