Solitude Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHGGII JKLB MMBBNNMMOOPPQQRRSS AATTUUVVQQWWQQLLIIQQ FFQQXXIIYY ZZA2A2JJQQIIB2B2FFQQ C2C2IILIQQD2E2QQLLBB FFQQQQF2G2VVII QQQQH2H2QQBBQQQQI2I2 QQFFQQBBQQEEQQQQJ2J2 QQBBQQIIQQK2K2IIQQQQ IIL2L2QQLLIIM2M2 IIJJQQIIA2A2N2O2QQQQ G2G2QQJ2J2A2A2P2P2LL BBM2M2BBQ2YR2R2QQM2M 2QQAAJ2J2YQ2IIAA QQQQEEQQQLYYIIQQQQB2 B2IIAAAALLFFS2S2AALL R2R2QQT2T2U2U2QQV2V2 BBIIE2W2QQ QQIIQQFFSSNow as even's warning bell | A |
Rings the day's departing knell | A |
Leaving me from labour free | B |
Solitude I'll walk with thee | B |
Whether 'side the woods we rove | C |
Or sweep beneath the willow grove | C |
Whether sauntering we proceed | D |
Cross the green or down the mead | D |
Whether sitting down we look | E |
On the bubbles of the brook | E |
Whether curious waste an hour | F |
Pausing o'er each tasty flower | F |
Or expounding nature's spells | G |
From the sand pick out the shells | G |
Or while lingering by the streams | H |
Where more sweet the music seems | H |
Listen to the soft'ning swells | G |
Of some distant chiming bells | G |
Mellowing sweetly on the breeze | I |
Rising falling by degrees | I |
Dying now then wak'd again | J |
In full many a 'witching strain | K |
Sounding as the gale flits by | L |
Flats and sharps of melody | B |
- | |
Sweet it is to wind the rill | M |
Sweet with thee to climb the hill | M |
On whose lap the bullock free | B |
Chews his cud most placidly | B |
Or o'er fallows bare and brown | N |
Beaten sheep tracks wander down | N |
Where the mole unwearied still | M |
Roots up many a crumbling hill | M |
And the little chumbling mouse | O |
Gnarls the dead weed for her house | O |
While the plough's unfeeling share | P |
Lays full many a dwelling bare | P |
Where the lark with russet breast | Q |
'Hind the big clod hides her nest | Q |
And the black snail's founder'd pace | R |
Finds from noon a hiding place | R |
Breaking off the scorching sun | S |
Where the matted twitches run | S |
- | |
Solitude I love thee well | A |
Brushing through the wilder'd dell | A |
Picking from the ramping grass | T |
Nameless blossoms as I pass | T |
Which the dews of eve bedeck | U |
Fair a pearls on woman's neck | U |
Marking shepherds rous'd from sleep | V |
Blundering off to fold their sheep | V |
And the swain with toils distrest | Q |
Hide his tools to seek his rest | Q |
While the cows with hobbling strides | W |
Twitching slow their fly bit hides | W |
Rub the pasture's creaking gate | Q |
Milking maids and boys to wait | Q |
Or as sunshine leaves the sky | L |
As the daylight shuts her eye | L |
Sweet it is to meet the breeze | I |
'Neath the shade of hawthorn trees | I |
By the pasture's wilder'd round | Q |
Where the pismire hills abound | Q |
Where the blushing fin weed's flower | F |
Closes up at even's hour | F |
Leaving then the green behind | Q |
Narrow hoof plod lanes to wind | Q |
Oak and ash embower'd beneath | X |
Leading to the lonely heath | X |
Where the unmolested furze | I |
And the burdock's clinging burs | I |
And the briars by freedom sown | Y |
Claim the wilder'd spots their own | Y |
- | |
There while we the scene survey | Z |
Deck'd in nature's wild array | Z |
Swell'd with ling clad hillocks green | A2 |
Suiting the disorder'd scene | A2 |
Haply we may rest us then | J |
In the banish'd herdsman's den | J |
Where the wattled hulk is fixt | Q |
Propt some double oak betwixt | Q |
Where the swain the branches lops | I |
And o'er head with rushes tops | I |
Where with woodbine's sweet perfume | B2 |
And the rose's blushing bloom | B2 |
Loveliest cieling of the bower | F |
Arching in peeps many a flower | F |
While a hill of thyme so sweet | Q |
Or a moss'd stone forms a seat | Q |
There as 'tween light hangs the eve | C2 |
I will watch thy bosom heave | C2 |
Marking then the darksome flows | I |
Night's gloom o'er thy mantle throws | I |
Fondly gazing on thine eye | L |
As it rolls its extasy | I |
When thy solemn musings caught | Q |
Tell thy soul's absorb'd in thought | Q |
When thy finely folded arm | D2 |
O'er thy bosom beating warm | E2 |
Wraps thee melancholy round | Q |
And thy ringlets wild unbound | Q |
On thy lily shoulders lie | L |
Like dark streaks in morning's sky | L |
Peace and silence sit with thee | B |
And peace alone is heaven to me | B |
While the moonlight's infant hour | F |
Faint 'gins creep to gild the bower | F |
And the wattled hedge gleams round | Q |
Its diamond shadows on the ground | Q |
O thou soothing Solitude | Q |
From the vain and from the rude | Q |
When this silent hour is come | F2 |
And I meet thy welcome home | G2 |
What balm is thine to troubles deep | V |
As on thy breast I sink to sleep | V |
What bliss on even's silence flows | I |
When thy wish'd opiate bring repose | I |
- | |
And I have found thee wondrous sweet | Q |
Sheltering from the noon day heat | Q |
As 'neath hazels I have stood | Q |
In the gloomy hanging wood | Q |
Where the sunbeams filtering small | H2 |
Freckling through the branches fall | H2 |
And the flapping leaf the ground | Q |
Shadows flitting round and round | Q |
Where the glimmering streamlets wreathe | B |
Many a crooked root beneath | B |
Unseen gliding day by day | Q |
O'er their solitary way | Q |
Smooth or rough as onward led | Q |
Where the wild weed dip its head | Q |
Murmuring dribbling drop by drop | I2 |
When dead leaves their progress stop | I2 |
Or winding sweet their restless way | Q |
While the frothy bubbles play | Q |
And I love thy presence drear | F |
In such wildernesses where | F |
Ne'er an axe was heard to sound | Q |
Or a tree fall gulsh'd the ground | Q |
Where as if that spot could be | B |
First foot mark'd the ground by me | B |
All is still and wild and gay | Q |
Left as at creation's day | Q |
Pleasant too it is to look | E |
For thy step in shady nook | E |
Where by hedge side coolly led | Q |
Brooks curl o'er their sandy bed | Q |
On whose tide the clouds reflect | Q |
In whose margin flags are freckt | Q |
Where the waters winding blue | J2 |
Single arch'd brig flutter through | J2 |
While the willow branches grey | Q |
Damp the sultry eye of day | Q |
And in whispers mildly sooth | B |
Chafe the mossy keystone smooth | B |
Where the banks beneath them spread | Q |
Level in an easy bed | Q |
While the wild thyme's pinky bells | I |
Circulate reviving smells | I |
And as the breeze with feather feet | Q |
Crimping o'er the waters sweet | Q |
Trembling fans the sun tann'd cheek | K2 |
And gives the comfort one would seek | K2 |
Stretching there in soft repose | I |
Far from peace and freedom's foes | I |
In a spot so wild so rude | Q |
Dear to me is solitude | Q |
Soothing then to watch the ground | Q |
Every insect flitting round | Q |
Such as painted summer brings | I |
Lady fly with freckled wings | I |
Watch her up the tall bent climb | L2 |
And from knotted flowers of thyme | L2 |
Where the woodland banks are deckt | Q |
See the bee his load collect | Q |
Mark him turn the petals by | L |
Gold dust gathering on his thigh | L |
As full many a hum he heaves | I |
While he pats th'intruding leaves | I |
Lost in many a heedless spring | M2 |
Then wearing home on heavy wing | M2 |
- | |
But when sorrows more oppress | I |
When the world brings more distress | I |
Wishing to despise as then | J |
Brunts of fate and scorn of men | J |
When fate's demons thus intrude | Q |
Then I seek thee Solitude | Q |
Where the abbey's height appears | I |
Hoary 'neath a weight of years | I |
Where the mouldering walls are seen | A2 |
Hung with pellitory green | A2 |
Where the steeple's taper stretch | N2 |
Tires the eye its length to reach | O2 |
Dizzy nauntling high and proud | Q |
Top stone losing in a cloud | Q |
Where the cross to time resign'd | Q |
Creaking harshly in the wind | Q |
Crowning high the rifted dome | G2 |
Points the pilgrim's wish'd for home | G2 |
While the look fear turns away | Q |
Shuddering at its dread decay | Q |
There let me my peace pursue | J2 |
'Neath the shade of gloomy yew | J2 |
Doleful hung with mourning green | A2 |
Suiting well the solemn scene | A2 |
There that I may learn to scan | P2 |
Mites illustrious called man | P2 |
Turn with thee the nettles by | L |
Where the grave stone meets the eye | L |
Soon full soon to read and see | B |
That all below is vanity | B |
And man to me a galling thing | M2 |
Own'd creation's lord and king | M2 |
A minute's length a zephyr's breath | B |
Sport of fate and prey of death | B |
Tyrant to day to morrow gone | Q2 |
Distinguish'd only by a stone | Y |
That fain would have the eye to know | R2 |
Pride's better dust is lodg'd below | R2 |
While worm like me are mouldering laid | Q |
With nothing set to say they're dead | Q |
All the difference trifling thing | M2 |
That notes at last the slave and king | M2 |
As wither'd leaves life's bloom when stopt | Q |
That drop in autumn so they dropt | Q |
As snails which in their painted shell | A |
So snugly once were known to dwell | A |
When in the school boy's care we view | J2 |
The pleasing toys of varied hue | J2 |
By age or accident are flown | Y |
The shell left empty tenant gone | Q2 |
So pass we from the world's affairs | I |
And careless vanish from its cares | I |
So leave with silent long farewel | A |
Vain life as left the snail his shell | A |
- | |
All this when there my eyes behold | Q |
On every stone and heap of mould | Q |
Solitude though thou art sweet | Q |
Solemn art thou then to meet | Q |
When with list'ning pause I look | E |
Round the pillar's ruin'd nook | E |
Glooms revealing dim descried | Q |
Ghosts companion'd by thy side | Q |
Where in old deformity | Q |
Ancient arches sweep on high | L |
And the aisles to light unknown | Y |
Create a darkness all their own | Y |
Save the moon as on we pass | I |
Splinters through the broken glass | I |
Or the torn roof patch'd with cloud | Q |
Or the crack'd wall bulg'd and bow'd | Q |
Glimmering faint along the ground | Q |
Shooting solemn and profound | Q |
Lighting up the silent gloom | B2 |
Just to read an ancient tomb | B2 |
'Neath where as it gilding creeps | I |
We may see some abbot sleeps | I |
And as on we mete the aisle | A |
Daring scarce to breathe the while | A |
Soft as creeping feet can fall | A |
While the damp green stained wall | A |
Swift the startled ghost flits by | L |
Mocking murmurs faintly sigh | L |
Reminding our intruding fear | F |
Such visits are unwelcome here | F |
Seemly then from hollow urn | S2 |
Gentle steps our step return | S2 |
E'er so soft and e'er so still | A |
Check our breath or how we will | A |
List'ning spirits still reply | L |
Step for step and sigh for sigh | L |
Murmuring o'er one's weary woe | R2 |
Such as once 'twas theirs to know | R2 |
They whisper to such slaves as me | Q |
A buried tale of misery | Q |
We once had life ere life's decline | T2 |
Flesh blood and bone the same as thine | T2 |
We knew its pains and shar'd its grief | U2 |
Till death long wish'd for brought relief | U2 |
We had our hopes and like to thee | Q |
Hop'd morrow's better day to see | Q |
But like to thine our hope the same | V2 |
To morrow's kindness never came | V2 |
We had our tyrants e'en as thou | B |
Our wants met many a scornful brow | B |
But death laid low their wealthy powers | I |
Their harmless ashes mix with ours | I |
And this vain world its pride its form | E2 |
That treads on thee as on a worm | W2 |
Its mighty heirs the time shall be | Q |
When they as quiet sleep by thee | Q |
- | |
O here's thy comfort Solitude | Q |
When overpowering woes intrude | Q |
Then thy sad thy solemn dress | I |
Owns the balm my soul to bless | I |
Here I judge the world aright | Q |
Here see vain man in his true light | Q |
Learn patience in this trying hour | F |
To gild life's brambles with a flower | F |
Take pattern from the hints thou'st given | S |
And follow in thy steps to heaven | S |
John Clare
(1)
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