Maying; Or, A Love Of Flowers Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCD E FEFGFHF IEIEJKLK MNMNOPQM ERESETES UEUEVWVB KNKNEXYX ZKZKUKUK A2B2A2B2C2D2E2D2 F2FF2FKG2KG2 EKEKH2NH2N EUEUI2J2I2J2Upon a day a merry day | A |
When summer in her best | B |
Like Sunday belles prepares for play | A |
And joins each merry guest | B |
A maid as wild as is a bird | C |
That never knew a cage | D |
Went out her parents' kine to herd | C |
And Jocky as her page | D |
- | |
Must needs go join her merry toils | E |
- | |
A silly shepherd he | F |
And little thought the aching broils | E |
That in his heart would be | F |
For he as yet knew nought of love | G |
And nought of love knew she | F |
Yet without learning love can move | H |
The wildest to agree | F |
- | |
The wind enamoured of the maid | I |
Around her drapery swims | E |
And moulds in luscious masquerade | I |
Her lovely shape and limbs | E |
Smith's Venus stealing Cupid's bow | J |
In marble hides as fine | K |
But hers were life and soul whose glow | L |
Makes meaner things divine | K |
- | |
In sooth she was a lovely toy | M |
A worship moving thing | N |
As ever brought the season joy | M |
Or beautified the Spring | N |
So sweet a thing no heart might hurt | O |
Gay as a butterfly | P |
Tho' Cupid chased 'twas half in sport | Q |
He meant not to destroy | M |
- | |
When speaking words with breathing grace | E |
Her sweet lips seeming wooed | R |
Pausing to leave so sweet a place | E |
Ere they could part for good | S |
Those lips that pouted from her face | E |
As the wild rose bursts the bud | T |
Which June so eager to embrace | E |
Tempts from beneath its hood | S |
- | |
Her eyes like suns did seem to light | U |
The beauties of her face | E |
Suffusing all her forehead white | U |
And cheeks of rosy grace | E |
Her bosom swelled to pillows large | V |
Till her so taper waist | W |
Scarce able seemed to bear the charge | V |
Of each lawn bursting breast | B |
- | |
A very flower how she did shine | K |
Her beauty all displaying | N |
In truth this modern Proserpine | K |
Might set the angels maying | N |
As like a fairy mid the flowers | E |
She flew to this now that | X |
And some she braided in her hair | Y |
Some wreathed within her hat | X |
- | |
Then oft she skipt in bowers to hide | Z |
By Cupid led I ween | K |
Putting her bosom's lawn aside | Z |
To place some thyme at ween | K |
The shepherd saw her skin so white | U |
Two twin suns newly risen | K |
Tho' love had chained him there till night | U |
Who would have shunned the prison | K |
- | |
Then off again she skipt and flew | A2 |
With foot so light and little | B2 |
That Cinderella's fancy shoe | A2 |
Had fit her to a tittle | B2 |
The shepherd's heart like playing coal | C2 |
Beat as 't would leave the socket | D2 |
He sighed but thought it silly fool | E2 |
The watch within his pocket | D2 |
- | |
But bold in love grow silly sheep | F2 |
And so right bold grew he | F |
He ran she fled and at bo peep | F2 |
She met him round a tree | F |
A thorn enamoured like the swain | K |
Caught at her lily arm | G2 |
And then good faith to ease her pain | K |
Love had a double charm | G2 |
- | |
She sighed he wished it well I wis | E |
The place was sadly swollen | K |
And then he took a willing kiss | E |
And made believe 't was stolen | K |
Then made another make believe | H2 |
Till thefts grew past concealing | N |
For when love once begins to thieve | H2 |
There grows no end to stealing | N |
- | |
They played and toyed till down the skies | E |
The sun had taken flight | U |
And still a sun was in her eyes | E |
To keep away the night | U |
And there he talked of love so well | I2 |
Or else he talked so ill | J2 |
That soon the priest was sought to tell | I2 |
The story better still | J2 |
John Clare
(1)
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