The Naked Goddess Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCC DDEEFFAACCCGGCCH IIJJHHCCKKLLAA MMBBNNOOCCHHCCPP AACCQQCC EERRSSCCTTCCCCCC CCCCCCAARR CCAHCCAANN CCLLCCBBUUBBCCVVAAAC CCCDDDD GGCCFFHHWWCCXXCCYYZZ CCDDDD EEMMA2A2CCCCH CCEEXXX B2C2CCHHAAD2E2CCHHA DDCCCCF2 CCAACCX G2Q SSCCCCCC CCCCA2A2BBCCCCCCCCH2 XXHHCCCC GGNNHHDDCCY

Arcane danzeA
D'immortal piede i ruinosi gioghiB
Scossero e l'ardue selve oggi romitoC
Nido de' venti LEOPARDIC
-
-
Through the country to the townD
Ran a rumour and renownD
That a woman grand and tallE
Swift of foot and therewithalE
Naked as a lily gleamingF
Had been seen by eyes not dreamingF
Darting down far forest gladesA
Flashing sunshine through the shadesA
With this rumour's swelling wordC
All the city buzzed and stirredC
Solemn senators conferredC
Priest astrologer and mageG
Subtle sophist bard and sageG
Brought their wisdom lore and witC
To expound or riddle itC
Last a porter ventured 'WeH
Might go out ourselves to see '-
-
Thus upon a summer mornI
Lo the city all forlornI
Every house and street and squareJ
In the sunshine still and bareJ
Every galley left to swayH
Silent in the glittering bayH
All the people swarming outC
Young and old a joyous routC
Rich and poor far streaming throughK
Fields and meadows dark with dewK
Crowd on crowd and throng on throngL
Chatter laughter jest and songL
Deafened all the singing birdsA
Wildered sober grazing herdsA
-
Up the hillside 'gainst the sunM
Where the forest outskirts runM
On along the level highB
Where the azure of the skyB
And the ruddy morning sheenN
Drop in fragments through the treenN
Where the sward surrounds the brakeO
With a lucid glassy lakeO
Where the ample glades extendC
Until clouds and foliage blendC
Where whoever turneth mayH
See the city and the bayH
And beyond the broad sea brightC
League on league of slanting lightC
Where the moist blue shadows sleepP
In the sacred forest deepP
-
Suddenly the foremost pauseA
Ere the rear discern a causeA
Loiterers press up row on rowC
All the mass heaves to and froC
All seem murmuring in one strainQ
All seem hearkening fixed and fainQ
Silence and the lifted lightC
Of countless faces gazing whiteC
-
Four broad beech trees great of boleE
Crowned the green smooth swelling knollE
There She leant the glorious formR
Dazzling with its beauty warmR
Naked as the sun of noonS
Naked as the midnight moonS
And around her tame and mildC
All the forest creatures wildC
Lion panther kid and fawnT
Eagle hawk and dove all drawnT
By the magic of her splendourC
By her great voice rich and tenderC
Whereof every beast and birdC
Understood each tone and wordC
While she fondled and carestC
Playing freaks of joyous zestC
-
Suddenly the lion stoodC
Turned and saw the multitudeC
Swelled his mighty front in ireC
Roared the roar of raging fireC
Then She turned the living lightC
Sprang erect grew up in heightC
Smote them with the flash and blazeA
Of her terrible swift gazeA
A divine flushed throbbing formR
Dreadfuller than blackest stormR
-
All the forest creatures coweredC
Trembling moaning overpoweredC
All the simple folk who sawA
Sank upon their knees in aweH
Of this Goddess fierce and splendidC
Whom they witless had offendedC
And they murmured out faint prayersA
Inarticulate despairsA
Till her haught and angry mienN
Grew more gentle and sereneN
-
Stood the high priest forth and wentC
Halfway up the green ascentC
There began a preachment longL
Of the great and grievous wrongL
She unto her own soul wroughtC
In thus living without thoughtC
Of the gods who sain and saveB
Of the life beyond the graveB
Living with the beasts that perishU
Far from all the rites that cherishU
Hope and faith and holy loveB
And appease the thrones aboveB
Full of unction pled the preacherC
Let her come and they would teach herC
Spirit strangled in the meshV
Of the vile and sinful fleshV
How to gain the heavenly prizeA
How grow meet for ParadiseA
Penance prayer self sacrificeA
Fasting cloistered solitudeC
Mind uplifted heart subduedC
Thus a Virgin clean and chasteC
In the Bridegroom's arms embracedC
Vestal sister's hooded gownD
Straight and strait of dismal brownD
Here he proffered and laid downD
On the green grass like a frownD
-
Then stood forth the old arch sageG
Wrinkled more with thought than ageG
What could worse afflict dejectC
Any well trained intellectC
Than in savage forest seeingF
Such a full grown human beingF
With the beasts and birds at playH
Ignorant and wild as theyH
Sciences and arts by whichW
Man makes Nature's poor life richW
Dominates the world aroundC
Proves himself its King self crownedC
She knew nothing of them sheX
Knew not even what they beX
Body naked to the airC
And the reason just as bareC
Yet since circumstance that canY
Hinder the full growth of manY
Cannot kill the seeds of worthZ
Innate in the Lord of EarthZ
Yet she might be taught and broughtC
To full sovranty of thoughtC
Crowned with reason's glorious crownD
So he tendered and laid downD
Sober grey beside the brownD
Amplest philosophic gownD
-
Calm and proud she stood the whileE
With a certain wondering smileE
When the luminous sage was doneM
She begin to speak as oneM
Using language not her ownA2
Simplest words in sweetest toneA2
'Poor old greybeards worn and bentC
I do know not what they meantC
Only here and there a wordC
Reached my mind of all I heardC
Let some child come here I mayH
Understand what it can say '-
-
So two little children wentC
Lingering up the green ascentC
Hand in hand but grew the whileE
Bolder in her gentle smileE
When she kissed them they were freeX
Joyous as at mother s kneeX
'Tell me darlings now ' said sheX
'What they want to say to me '-
Boy and girl then nothing lothB2
Sometimes one and sometimes bothC2
Prattled to her sitting thereC
Fondling with their soft young hairC
'Dear kind lady do you stayH
Here with always holidayH
Do you sleep among the treesA
People want you if you pleaseA
To put on your dress and comeD2
With us to the City homeE2
Live with us and be our friendC
Oh such pleasant times we'll spendC
But if you can't come awayH
Will you let us stop and playH
With you and all these happy thingsA
With hair and horns and shining wings '-
-
She arose and went half downD
Took the vestal sister's gownD
Tried it on burst through its shroudC
As the sun burns through a cloudC
Flung it from her split and rentC
Said 'This cerement sad was meantC
For some creature stunted thinF2
Breastless blighted bones and skin '-
-
Then the sage's robe she triedC
Muffling in its long folds wideC
All her lithe and glorious graceA
'I should stumble every paceA
This big bag was meant to holdC
Some poor sluggard fat and oldC
Limping shuffling wearilyX
With a form not fit to see '-
So she flung it off againG2
With a gesture of disdainQ
-
Naked as the midnight moonS
Naked as the sun of noonS
Burning too intensely brightC
Clothed in its own dazzling lightC
Seen less thus than in the shroudC
Of morning mist or evening cloudC
She stood terrible and proudC
O'er the pallid quivering crowdC
-
At a gesture ere they wistC
Perched a falcon on her wristC
And she whispered to the birdC
Something it alone there heardC
Then she threw it off when thrownA2
Straight it rose as falls a stoneA2
Arrow swift on high on highB
Till a mere speck in the skyB
Then it circled round and roundC
Till as if the prey were foundC
Forth it darted on its questC
Straight away into the WestC
Every eye that watched its flightC
Felt a sideward flash of lightC
All were for a moment dazedC
Then around intently gazedC
What had passed themH2
Where was SheX
The offended deityX
O'er the city o'er the bayH
They beheld her melt awayH
Melt away beyond their questC
Through the regions of the westC
While the eagle screamed rauque ireC
And the lion roared like fireC
-
That same night both priest and sageG
Died accursed in sombre rageG
Never more in wild wood greenN
Was that glorious Goddess seenN
Never more and from that dayH
Evil hap and dull decayH
Fell on countryside and townD
Life and vigour dwindled downD
Storms in Spring nipped bud and sproutC
Summer suns shed plague and droughtC
Autumn's store was crude and scanY

James Thomson



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