Holywell Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDBBEFGGAAHHIJ KKLLMMCCNNBBCCOOPPQQ CCRRSSCCEFTTUUVVMMWW XXYZA2A2B2B2C2C2JJMM D2D2E2E2F2F2OOVVG2H2 DDLLBI2BBJ2J2BBUUK2K 2L2L2PPM2M2BBL2L2N2N 2M2M2M2M2M2M2K2K2L2L 2N2N2TTOOM2M2M2M2O2O 2 BBDDP2P2M2M2ZZNature thou accept the song | A |
To thee the simple lines belong | A |
Inspir'd as brushing hill and dell | B |
I stroll'd the way to Holywell | B |
Though 'neath young April's watery sky | C |
The sun gleam'd warm and roads were dry | C |
And though the valleys bush and tree | D |
Still naked stood yet on the lea | D |
A flush of green and fresh'ning glow | B |
In melting patches 'gan to show | B |
That swelling buds would soon again | E |
In summer's livery bless the plain | F |
The thrushes too 'gan clear their throats | G |
And got by heart some two 'r three notes | G |
Of their intended summer song | A |
To cheer me as I stroll'd along | A |
The wild heath triumph'd in its scenes | H |
Of goss and ling's perpetual greens | H |
And just to say that spring was come | I |
The violet left its woodland home | J |
And hermit like from storms and wind | K |
Sought the best shelter it could find | K |
'Neath long grass banks with feeble powers | L |
Peeping faintly purple flowers | L |
While oft unhous'd from beds of ling | M |
The fluskering pheasant took to wing | M |
And bobbing rabbits wild and shy | C |
Their white tails glancing on the eye | C |
Just prick'd their long ears list'ning round | N |
And sought their coverts under ground | N |
The heath was left and then at will | B |
A road swept gently round the hill | B |
From whose high crown as soodling by | C |
A distant prospect cheer'd my eye | C |
Of closes green and fallows brown | O |
And distant glimpse of cot and town | O |
And steeple beck'ning on the sight | P |
By morning sun beams painted white | P |
And darksome woods with shadings sweet | Q |
To make the landscape round complete | Q |
And distant waters glist'ning by | C |
As if the ground were patch'd with sky | C |
While on the blue horizon's line | R |
The far off things did dimly shine | R |
Which wild conjecture only sees | S |
And fancy moulds to clouds and trees | S |
Thinking if thither she could fly | C |
She'd find the close of earth and sky | C |
But as we turn to look again | E |
On nearer objects wood and plain | F |
So truths than fiction lovelier seem | T |
One warms as wak'ning from a dream | T |
From covert hedge on either side | U |
The blackbirds flutter'd terrified | U |
Mistaking me for pilfering boy | V |
That doth too oft their nests destroy | V |
And prink prink prink they took to wing | M |
In snugger shades to build and sing | M |
From tufted grass or bush the hare | W |
Oft sprung from her endanger'd lair | W |
Surprise was startled on her rout | X |
So near one's feet she bolted out | X |
The sun each tree top mounted o'er | Y |
And got church steeple height or more | Z |
And as I soodled on and on | A2 |
The ground was warm to look upon | A2 |
it e'en invited one to rest | B2 |
And have a nap upon its breast | B2 |
But thought upon my journey's end | C2 |
Where doubtful fancies did depend | C2 |
Urg'd on my lazy feet to roam | J |
Like truant school boy kept from home | J |
I ope'd each gate with idle swing | M |
And stood to listen ploughmen sing | M |
While cracking whip and jingling gears | D2 |
Recall'd the toils of boyish years | D2 |
When like to them I took my rounds | E2 |
O'er elting moulds of fallow grounds | E2 |
With feet nigh shoeless paddling through | F2 |
The bitterest blasts that ever blew | F2 |
And napless beaver weather'd brown | O |
That want oft wore without its crown | O |
A poor unfriended ragged boy | V |
Prest ere a child with man's employ | V |
'Tis past 'tis gone in musings lost | G2 |
So thought I leaning o'er the post | H2 |
And even jump'd with joy to see | D |
Kind fate so highly favour me | D |
To clear the storms of boyish hours | L |
And manhood's opening strew with flowers | L |
To bid such hopes man's summer blow | B |
As boy's weak spring dare never sow | I2 |
And every day desires at will | B |
To make each hope bloom brighter still | B |
With joys as sweet as heart could melt | J2 |
With feelings dear as e'er were felt | J2 |
I met at last as like a spell | B |
The 'witching views of Holywell | B |
Where hills tower'd high their crowns with pride | U |
And vales dropp'd headlong by their side | U |
Bestriped with shades of green and gray | K2 |
The fir tree and the naked spray | K2 |
While underneath their mingling grains | L2 |
The river silver'd down the plains | L2 |
And bolted on the stranger's sight | P |
As stars blink out from clouds at night | P |
Beside the stream a cotter's shed | M2 |
Low in the hollow heav'd its head | M2 |
Its tenants seem'd as snug to dwell | B |
As lives a bee within its cell | B |
Its chimney top high ash embowers | L2 |
Beside its wall the river pours | L2 |
Its guggling sounds in whirling sweep | N2 |
That e'en might lull a child to sleep | N2 |
Before the door with paths untraced | M2 |
The green sward many a beauty graced | M2 |
And daisy there and cowslip too | M2 |
And buttercups of golden hue | M2 |
The children meet as soon as sought | M2 |
And gain their wish as soon as thought | M2 |
Who oft I ween the children's way | K2 |
Will leap the threshold's bounds to play | K2 |
And spite of parent's chiding calls | L2 |
Will straggle where the water falls | L2 |
And 'neath the hanging bushes creep | N2 |
For violet bud and primrose peep | N2 |
And sigh with anxious eager dream | T |
For water blobs amid the stream | T |
And up the hill side turn anon | O |
To pick the daisies one by one | O |
Then anxious to their cottage bound | M2 |
To show the prize their searches found | M2 |
Whose medley flowers red white and blue | M2 |
As well can please their parents too | M2 |
And as their care and skill contrive | O2 |
In flower pots many a day survive | O2 |
- | |
Ah thus conjecturing musing still | B |
I cast a look from off the hill | B |
And loll'd me 'gainst a propping tree | D |
And thought for them as 'twas with me | D |
I did the same in April time | P2 |
And spoilt the daisy's earliest prime | P2 |
Robb'd every primrose root I met | M2 |
And oft times got the root to set | M2 |
And joyful home each nosegay bore | Z |
And felt as I shall feel no more | Z |
John Clare
(1)
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