Lily's Menagerie Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CA DDEE FF G H HGIIIJJGGGGGGKLL M NMOPQQ F K KFFRRST QQ U T UVV L G G W W L W W LW XXYYZZFFA2 U UA2GGB2 C2 C2B2Y A2 A2Y D2 E2D2 PIF2 PYY G2 Y YG2Y H2Y I2J2 K2J2 K2F K2FK2K2F2F2F K2F K2 L2 M2 M2L2 M2K2K2PPF N2F N2PPO2 K2 K2O2THERE'S no menagerie I vow | A |
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Excels my Lily's at this minute | B |
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She keeps the strangest creatures in it | C |
And catches them she knows not how | A |
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Oh how they hop and run and rave | D |
And their clipp'd pinions wildly wave | D |
Poor princes who must all endure | E |
The pangs of love that nought can cure | E |
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What is the fairy's name Is't Lily Ask not me | F |
Give thanks to Heaven if she's unknown to thee | F |
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Oh what a cackling what a shrieking | G |
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When near the door she takes her stand | H |
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With her food basket in her hand | H |
Oh what a croaking what a squeaking | G |
Alive all the trees and the bushes appear | I |
While to her feet whole troops draw near | I |
The very fish within the water clear | I |
Splash with impatience and their heads protrude | J |
And then she throws around the food | J |
With such a look the very gods delighting | G |
To say nought of beasts There begins then a biting | G |
A picking a pecking a sipping | G |
And each o'er the legs of another is tripping | G |
And pushing and pressing and flapping | G |
And chasing and fuming and snapping | G |
And all for one small piece of bread | K |
To which though dry her fair hands give a taste | L |
As though it in ambrosia had been plac'd | L |
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And then her look the tone | M |
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With which she calls Pipi Pipi | N |
Would draw Jove's eagle from his throne | M |
Yes Venus' turtle doves I wean | O |
And the vain peacock e'en | P |
Would come I swear | Q |
Soon as that tone had reach'd them through the air | Q |
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E'en from a forest dark had she | F |
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Enticed a bear unlick'd ill bred | K |
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And by her wiles alluring led | K |
To join the gentle company | F |
Until as tame as they was he | F |
Up to a certain point be't understood | R |
How fair and ah how good | R |
She seem'd to be I would have drain'd my blood | S |
To water e'en her flow'rets sweet | T |
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Thou sayest I Who How And where | Q |
Well to be plain good Sirs I am the bear | Q |
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In a net apron caught alas | U |
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Chain'd by a silk thread at her feet | T |
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But how this wonder came to pass | U |
I'll tell some day if ye are curious | V |
Just now my temper's much too furious | V |
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Ah when I'm in the corner plac'd | L |
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And hear afar the creatures snapping | G |
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And see the flipping and the flapping | G |
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I turn around | W |
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With growling sound | W |
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And backward run a step in haste | L |
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And look around | W |
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With growling sound | W |
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Then run again a step in haste | L |
And to my former post go round | W |
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But suddenly my anger grows | X |
A mighty spirit fills my nose | X |
My inward feelings all revolt | Y |
A creature such as thou a dolt | Y |
Pipi a squirrel able nuts to crack | Z |
I bristle up my shaggy back | Z |
Unused a slave to be | F |
I'm laughed at by each trim and upstart tree | F |
To scorn The bowling green I fly | A2 |
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With neatly mown and well kept grass | U |
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The box makes faces as I pass | U |
Into the darkest thicket hasten I | A2 |
Hoping to 'scape from the ring | G |
Over the palings to spring | G |
Vainly I leap and climb | B2 |
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I feel a leaden spell | C2 |
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That pinions me as well | C2 |
And when I'm fully wearied out in time | B2 |
I lay me down beside some mock cascade | Y |
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And roll myself half dead and foam and cry | A2 |
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And ah no Oreads hear my sigh | A2 |
Excepting those of china made | Y |
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But ah with sudden power | D2 |
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In all my members blissful feelings reign | E2 |
'Tis she who singeth yonder in her bower | D2 |
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I hear that darling darling voice again | P |
The air is warm and teems with fragrance clear | I |
Sings she perchance for me alone to hear | F2 |
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I haste and trample down the shrubs amain | P |
The trees make way the bushes all retreat | Y |
And so the beast is lying at her feet | Y |
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She looks at him The monster's droll enough | G2 |
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He's for a bear too mild | Y |
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Yet for a dog too wild | Y |
So shaggy clumsy rough | G2 |
Upon his back she gently strokes her foot | Y |
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He thinks himself in Paradise | H2 |
What feelings through his seven senses shoot | Y |
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But she looks on with careless eyes | I2 |
I lick her soles and kiss her shoes | J2 |
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As gently as a bear well may | K2 |
Softly I rise and with a clever ruse | J2 |
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Leap on her knee On a propitious day | K2 |
She suffers it my ears then tickles she | F |
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And hits me a hard blow in wanton play | K2 |
I growl with new born ecstasy | F |
Then speaks she in a sweet vain jest I wot | K2 |
Allons lout doux eh la menotte | K2 |
Et faites serviteur | F2 |
Comme un joli seigneur | F2 |
Thus she proceeds with sport and glee | F |
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Hope fills the oft deluded beast | K2 |
Yet if one moment he would lazy be | F |
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Her fondness all at once hath ceas'd | K2 |
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She doth a flask of balsam fire possess | L2 |
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Sweeter than honey bees can make | M2 |
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One drop of which she'll on her finger take | M2 |
When soften'd by his love and faithfulness | L2 |
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Wherewith her monster's raging thirst to slake | M2 |
Then leaves me to myself and flies at last | K2 |
And I unbound yet prison'd fast | K2 |
By magic follow in her train | P |
Seek for her tremble fly again | P |
The hapless creature thus tormenteth she | F |
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Regardless of his pleasure or his woe | N2 |
Ha oft half open'd does she leave the door for me | F |
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And sideways looks to learn if I will fly or no | N2 |
And I Oh gods your hands alone | P |
Can end the spell that's o'er me thrown | P |
Free me and gratitude my heart will fill | O2 |
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And yet from heaven ye send me down no aid | K2 |
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Not quite in vain doth life my limbs pervade | K2 |
I feel it Strength is left me still | O2 |
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
(1)
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