A Fable Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEBBFFGH IIBBEEBBJJKKCCFFLLBB MMNNOPQQRR SSTT UVWXXCCBBDDEECCBBBBC CBB| ONE 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
(1)
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