A Fable Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEBBFFGH IIBBEEBBJJKKCCFFLLBB MMNNOPQQRR SSTT UVWXXCCBBDDEECCBBBBC CBBONE day a sage knocked at a chemist's door | A |
Bringing a curious compound to explore | A |
'Behold said he as from his vest he drew it | B |
'This little treasure in a golden cruet | B |
A life a long one for my locks are grey | C |
In ceaseless toil has slowly passed away | C |
To gain that treasure now my search must stop | D |
And see I have but saved this little drop | D |
To know the worth and nature of the prize | E |
I bring it here for you to analyze | E |
The best philosopher could never quite | B |
Its origin and essence bring to light | B |
But you they say by some mysterious arts | F |
Reduce all substances to simple parts | F |
Your nomenclature differs sir from his | G |
We call it happiness and here it is ' | H |
- | |
And now the learned chemist strove to guess | I |
With what this curious stuff would coalesce | I |
First sprinkled on a layer of golden dust | B |
But this recoiled and seemed to gender rust | B |
Now sundry essences in turn he tries | E |
Distilled from all that golden dust supplies | E |
Castles and villas titles vassals land | B |
Coaches and curricles and fours in hand | B |
Silks jewels equipages parties plays | J |
Madeira venison turtle soup and praise | J |
But strove in vain a union to produce | K |
With one of these and that small drop of juice | K |
As though impatient of the vain essay | C |
It did but effervesce and fume away | C |
With more success the chemist next imparts | F |
Extracts from the belles lettres and the arts | F |
No sooner do they reach it than he sees | L |
It has some small affinity with these | L |
But yet his nicest skill could not prevent | B |
A large residuum of discontent | B |
- | |
Two curious phials next he brings to view | M |
The first bright green the next of roseate hue | M |
And first unstopped them with the greatest care | N |
For when exposed to atmospheric air | N |
They frequently evaporate and vain | O |
All efforts then to bottle them again | P |
Essence of friendship from the former flows | Q |
And though the drop it did not decompose | Q |
The chemist said it rather seemed to fix | R |
Or float upon the surface than to mix | R |
- | |
Long from the next a trembling drop suspends | S |
That roseate phial and at last descends | S |
'Ah ' cried the chemist with reviving glee | T |
'A perfect coalition here I see | T |
Distilled from love this gentle fluid came ' | - |
And then he told the sage its Latin name | U |
Then looked again to watch the process on | V |
But found alas the sage's prize was gone | W |
The sudden contact caused a heat extreme | X |
It could not brook so passed away in steam | X |
Alone the essence pale and watery lay | C |
The sage demands his treasure with dismay | C |
They search the cruet and behold it hid | B |
At last in pearly drops upon the lid | B |
Though foiled the patient chemist will not stop | D |
But aiming still to decompose the drop | D |
A potent acid cautiously applies | E |
And straight it separates in wondrous wise | E |
For first appears at bottom of the phial | C |
A large precipitate of self denial | C |
Of patience next a copious layer is laid | B |
Of conscience twenty scruples nicely weighed | B |
Humility and charity they find | B |
With half a dram of self esteem combined | B |
Labour attached to energy of soul | C |
And moderation to correct the whole | C |
Feeling and taste in airy gas unite | B |
And knowledge rises in a flame of light | B |
Jane Taylor
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