The Nightingale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCABDD EFEFGGHIIJJHKKLLMM HNHIOOIIIINNIIPPPQQI IRRQQIIIISSIITTUUVVW XIIMYYIIMZZA2A2IIB2B 2IIC2D2VVIE2IE2LVVQL F2F2QE2E2E2LLG2G2III QDQH2I2I2RRJ2J2J2K2R RK2L2G2L2G2M2M2M2M2L 2L2M2M2DH2L2L2L2L2M2 M2IIL2L2B2B2M2M2M2M2 M2M2N2N2O2O2DH2L2L2M 2M2P2P2M2M2M2M2VVM2M 2M2M2M2IM2IIIVVL2L2I IM2M2IIE2E2E2JJM2M2M 2M2M2M2IIIIYYQIM2M2I IM2M2LLM2M2IIM2NO easy matter 'tis to hold | A |
Against its owner's will the fleece | B |
Who troubled by the itching smart | C |
Of Cupid's irritating dart | C |
Eager awaits some Jason bold | A |
To grant release | B |
E'en dragon huge or flaming steer | D |
When Jason's loved will cause no fear | D |
- | |
Duennas grating bolt and lock | E |
All obstacles can naught avail | F |
Constraint is but a stumbling block | E |
For youthful ardour must prevail | F |
Girls are precocious nowadays | G |
Look at the men with ardent gaze | G |
And longings' an infinity | H |
Trim misses but just in their teens | I |
By day and night devise the means | I |
To dull with subtlety to sleep | J |
The Argus vainly set to keep | J |
In safety their virginity | H |
Sighs smiles false tears they'll fain employ | K |
An artless lover to decoy | K |
I'll say no more but leave to you | L |
Friend reader to pronounce if true | L |
What I've asserted when you have heard | M |
How artful Kitty caged her bird | M |
- | |
IN a small town in Italy | H |
The name of which I do not know | N |
Young Kitty dwelt gay pretty free | H |
Varambon's child Boccacio | I |
Omits her mother's name which not | O |
To you or me imports a jot | O |
At fourteen years our Kitty's charms | I |
Were all that could be wished plump arms | I |
A swelling bosom on her cheeks | I |
Roses' and lilies' mingled streaks | I |
A sparkling eye all these you know | N |
Speak well for what is found below | N |
With such advantages as these | I |
No virgin sure could fail to please | I |
Or lack a lover nor did Kate | P |
But little time she had to wait | P |
One soon appeared to seal her fate | P |
Young Richard saw her loved her wooed her | Q |
What swain I ask could have withstood her | Q |
Soft words caresses tender glances | I |
The battery of love's advances | I |
Soon lit up in the maiden's breast | R |
The flame which his own heart possessed | R |
Soon growing to a burning fire | Q |
Of love and mutual desire | Q |
Desire for what My reader knows | I |
Or if he does not may suppose | I |
And not be very wond'rous wise | I |
When youthful lovers mingle sighs | I |
Believe me friend I am not wrong | S |
For one thing only do they long | S |
One check deferred our lover's bliss | I |
A thing quite natural 'twas this | I |
The mother loved so well her child | T |
That fearful she might be beguiled | T |
She would not let her out of sight | U |
A single minute day or night | U |
At mother's apron string all day | V |
Kate whiled the weary hours away | V |
And shared her bed all night Such love | W |
In parents we must all approve | X |
Though Catherine I must confess | I |
In place of so much tenderness | I |
More liberty would have preferred | M |
To little girls maternal care | Y |
In such excess is right and fair | Y |
But for a lass of fourteen years | I |
For whom one need have no such fears | I |
Solicitude is quite absurd | M |
And only bores her Kitty could | Z |
No moment steal do what she would | Z |
To see her Richard Sorely vexed | A2 |
She was and he still more perplexed | A2 |
In spite of all he might devise | I |
A squeeze a kiss quick talk of eyes | I |
Was all he could obtain no more | B2 |
Bread butterless a sanded floor | B2 |
It seemed no better Joy like this | I |
Could not suffice more sterling bliss | I |
Our lovers wished nor would stop short | C2 |
Till they'd obtained the thing they sought | D2 |
And thus it came about One day | V |
By chance they met alone away | V |
From jealous parents What's the use | I |
Said Richard of all our affection | E2 |
Of love it is a rank abuse | I |
And yields me nothing but dejection | E2 |
I see you without seeing you | L |
Must always look another way | V |
And if we meet I dare not stay | V |
Must ev'ry inclination smother | Q |
I can't believe your love is true | L |
I'll never own you really kind | F2 |
Unless some certain means you find | F2 |
For us to meet without your mother | Q |
Kate answered Were it not too plain | E2 |
How warm my love another strain | E2 |
I would employ In converse vain | E2 |
Let us not waste our moments few | L |
But think what it were best to do | L |
If you will please me Robert said | G2 |
You must contrive to change your bed | G2 |
And have it placed well let me see | I |
Moved to the outer gallery | I |
Where you will be alone and free | I |
We there can meet and chat at leisure | Q |
While others sleep nor need we fear | D |
Of merry tales I have a treasure | Q |
To tell but cannot tell them here | H2 |
Kate smiled at this for she knew well | I2 |
What sort of tales he had to tell | I2 |
But promised she would do her best | R |
And soon accomplish his request | R |
It was not easy you'll admit | J2 |
But love lends foolish maidens wit | J2 |
And this is how she managed it | J2 |
The whole night long she kept awake | K2 |
Snored sighed and kicked as one possessed | R |
That parents both could get not rest | R |
So much she made the settle shake | K2 |
This is not strange A longing girl | L2 |
With thoughts of sweetheart in her head | G2 |
In bed all night will sleepless twirl | L2 |
A flea is in her ear 'tis said | G2 |
The morning broke Of fleas and heat | M2 |
Kitty complained Let me entreat | M2 |
O mother I may put my bed | M2 |
Out in the gallery she said | M2 |
'Tis cooler there and Philomel | L2 |
Who warbles in the neigh'bring dell | L2 |
Will solace me Ready consent | M2 |
The simple mother gave and went | M2 |
To seek her spouse Our Kate my dear | D |
Will change her bed that she may hear | H2 |
The nightingale and sleep more cool | L2 |
Wife said the good man You're a fool | L2 |
And Kate too with her nightingale | L2 |
Don't tell me such a foolish tale | L2 |
She must remain No doubt to night | M2 |
Will fresher be I sleep all right | M2 |
In spite of heat and so can she | I |
Is she more delicate than me | I |
Incensed was Kate by this denial | L2 |
After so promising a trial | L2 |
Nor would be beat but firmly swore | B2 |
To give more trouble than before | B2 |
That night again no wink she slept | M2 |
But groaned and fretted sighed and wept | M2 |
Upon her couch so tossed and turned | M2 |
The anxious mother quite concerned | M2 |
Again her husband sought Our Kate | M2 |
To me seems greatly changed of late | M2 |
You are unkind she said to him | N2 |
To thwart her simple girlish whim | N2 |
Why may she not her bed exchange | O2 |
In naught will it the house derange | O2 |
Placed in the passage she's as near | D |
To us as were she lying here | H2 |
You do not love your child and will | L2 |
With your unkindness make her ill | L2 |
Pray cease the husband cried to scold | M2 |
And take your whim I ne'er could hold | M2 |
My own against a screaming wife | P2 |
You'll drive me mad upon my life | P2 |
Her belly full our Kate may get | M2 |
Of nightingale or of linnet | M2 |
The thing was settled Kate obeyed | M2 |
And in a trice her bed was made | M2 |
And lover signalled Who shall say | V |
How long to both appeared that day | V |
That tedious day But night arrived | M2 |
And Richard too he had contrived | M2 |
By ladder and a servant's aid | M2 |
To reach the chamber of the maid | M2 |
To tell how often they embraced | M2 |
How changed in form their tenderness | I |
Would lead to nothing but a waste | M2 |
Of time my readers will confess | I |
The longest most abstruse discourse | I |
Would lack precision want the force | I |
Their youthful ardour to portray | V |
To understand there's but one way | V |
Experience The nightingale | L2 |
Sang all night long his pleasing tale | L2 |
And though he made but little noise | I |
The lass was satisfied Her joys | I |
So exquisite that she averred | M2 |
The other nightingale the bird | M2 |
Who warbles to the woods his bliss | I |
Was but an ass compared with this | I |
But nature could not long maintain | E2 |
Of efforts such as these the strain | E2 |
Their forces spent the lovers twain | E2 |
In fond embrace fell fast asleep | J |
Just as the dawn began to peep | J |
The father as he left his bed | M2 |
By curiosity was led | M2 |
To learn if Kitty soundly slept | M2 |
And softly to the passage crept | M2 |
I'll see the influence he said | M2 |
Of nightingale and change of bed | M2 |
With bated breath upon tip toes | I |
Close to the couch he cautious goes | I |
Where Kitty lay in calm repose | I |
Excessive heat had made all clothes | I |
Unbearable The sleeping pair | Y |
Had cast them off and lay as bare | Y |
As our first happy parents were | Q |
In Paradise But in the place | I |
Of apple in her willing hand | M2 |
Kate firmly grasp the magic wand | M2 |
Which served to found the human race | I |
The which to name were a disgrace | I |
Though dames the most refined employ it | M2 |
Desire it and much enjoy it | M2 |
If good Catullus tells us true | L |
The father scarce believed his view | L |
But keeping in his bosom pent | M2 |
His anger to his wife he went | M2 |
And said Get up and come with me | I |
At present I can plainly see | I |
Why Kate had | M2 |
Jean De La Fontaine
(1)
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