The Shepherd's Calendar - August Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCAADDEFGHIIJJKK LLMMNNDDOPAAQQRRSSTS RRUUVVRRWWXXVVVVYYAA ZZA2A2RRXXB2B2VVYYVV A2A2C2D2KKE2F2G2G2G2 H2MMI2I2NNVVNN RRJ2J2RRG2G2K2K2G2G2 VVNNG2G2NNL2L2VVNNAA VVNN VVNNG2G2M2RN2N2J2J2V VNNRRO2P2A2A2NNQ2Q2V VG2G2G2G2VVMMVVR2R2J 2J2S2I2 G2G2NNVVQ2VHarvest approaches with its bustling day | A |
The wheat tans brown and barley bleaches grey | A |
In yellow garb the oat land intervenes | B |
And tawney glooms the valley thronged with beans | B |
Silent the village grows wood wandering dreams | C |
Seem not so lovely as its quiet seems | C |
Doors are shut up as on a winters day | A |
And not a child about them lies at play | A |
The dust that winnows neath the breezes feet | D |
Is all that stirs about the silent street | D |
Fancy might think that desert spreading fear | E |
Had whisperd terrors into quiets ear | F |
Or plundering armys past the place had come | G |
And drove the lost inhabitants from home | H |
The fields now claim them where a motley crew | I |
Of old and young their daily tasks pursue | I |
The barleys beard is grey and wheat is brown | J |
And wakens toil betimes to leave the town | J |
The reapers leave their beds before the sun | K |
And gleaners follow when home toils are done | K |
To pick the littered ear the reaper leaves | L |
And glean in open fields among the sheaves | L |
The ruddy child nursed in the lap of care | M |
In toils rude ways to do its little share | M |
Beside its mother poddles oer the land | N |
Sun burnt and stooping with a weary hand | N |
Picking its tiney glean of corn or wheat | D |
While crackling stubbles wound its legs and feet | D |
Full glad it often is to sit awhile | O |
Upon a smooth green baulk to ease its toil | P |
And feign would spend an idle hour to play | A |
With insects strangers to the moiling day | A |
Creeping about each rush and grassy stem | Q |
And often wishes it was one of them | Q |
In weariness of heart that it might lye | R |
Hid in the grass from the days burning eye | R |
That raises tender blisters on his skin | S |
Thro holes or openings that have lost a pin | S |
Free from the crackling stubs to toil and glean | T |
And smiles to think how happy it had been | S |
Whilst its expecting mother stops to tye | R |
Her handful up and waiting his supply | R |
Misses the resting younker from her side | U |
And shouts of rods and morts of threats beside | U |
Pointing to the grey willows while she tells | V |
His fears shall fetch one if he still rebells | V |
Picturing harsh truths in its unpracticed eye | R |
How they who idle in the harvest lye | R |
Shall well deserving in the winter pine | W |
Or hunt the hedges with the birds and swine | W |
In vain he wishes that the rushes height | X |
Were tall as trees to hide him from her sight | X |
Leaving his pleasant seat he sighs and rubs | V |
His legs and shows scratchd wounds from piercing stubs | V |
To make excuse for play but she disdains | V |
His little wounds and smiles while he complains | V |
And as he stoops adown in troubles sore | Y |
She sees his grief and bids him sob no more | Y |
As bye and bye on the next sabbath day | A |
She'll give him well earned pence as well as play | A |
When he may buy almost with out a stint | Z |
Sweet candied horehound cakes and pepper mint | Z |
Or streaking sticks of lusious lolipop | A2 |
What ere he chuses from the tempting shop | A2 |
Wi in whose diamond winder shining lye | R |
Things of all sorts to tempt his eager eye | R |
Rich sugar plumbs in phials shining bright | X |
In every hue young fancys to delight | X |
Coaches and ladys of gilt ginger bread | B2 |
And downy plumbs and apples streaked with red | B2 |
Such promises all sorrows soon displace | V |
And smiles are instant kindled in his face | V |
Scorning all troubles which he felt before | Y |
He picks the trailing ears and mourns no more | Y |
The fields are all alive with busy noise | V |
Of labours sounds and insects humming joys | V |
Some oer the glittering sickle sweating stoop | A2 |
Startling full oft the partridge coveys up | A2 |
Some oer the rustling scythe go bending on | C2 |
And shockers follow where their toils have gone | D2 |
First turning swaths to wither in the sun | K |
Where mice from terrors dangers nimbly run | K |
Leaving their tender young in fears alarm | E2 |
Lapt up in nests of chimbled grasses warm | F2 |
And oft themselves for safty search in vain | G2 |
From the rude boy or churlish hearted swain | G2 |
Who beat their stone chinkd forks about the groun | G2 |
And spread an instant murder all around | H2 |
Tho oft the anxious maidens tender prayer | M |
Urges the clown their little lives to spare | M |
Who sighs while trailing the long rake along | I2 |
At scenes so cruel and forgets her song | I2 |
And stays wi love his murder aiming hand | N |
Some ted the puffing winnow down the land | N |
And others following roll them up in heaps | V |
While cleanly as a barn door beesome sweeps | V |
The hawling drag wi gathering weeds entwind | N |
And singing rakers end the toils behind | N |
- | |
When the sun stoops to meet the western sky | R |
And noons hot hours have wanderd weary bye | R |
They seek an awthorn bush or willow tree | J2 |
Or stouk or shock where coolest shadows be | J2 |
Where baskets heapd and unbroachd bottles lye | R |
Which dogs in absence watchd with wary eye | R |
To catch their breath awhile and share the boon | G2 |
Which beavering time alows their toil at noon | G2 |
All gathering sit on stubbs or sheaves the hour | K2 |
Where scarlet poppys linger still in flower | K2 |
Stript in his shirt the hot swain drops adown | G2 |
And close beside him in her unpind gown | G2 |
Next to her favoured swain the maiden steals | V |
Blushing at kindness which her love reveals | V |
Who makes a seat for her of things around | N |
And drops beside her on the naked ground | N |
Wearied wi brambles catching at her gown | G2 |
And pulling nutts from branches pulld adown | G2 |
By friendly swain the maid Wi heaving breast | N |
Upon her lovers shoulder leans at rest | N |
Then from its cool retreat the beer they bring | L2 |
And hand the stout hooped bottle round the ring | L2 |
Each swain soaks hard the maiden ere she sips | V |
Shrieks at the bold whasp settling on her lips | V |
That seems determined only hers to greet | N |
As if it fancied they were cherrys sweet | N |
So dog forgoes his sleep awhile or play | A |
Springing at frogs that rustling jump away | A |
To watch each morsel that the boon bestows | V |
And wait the bone or crumb the shepherd throws | V |
For shepherds are no more of ease possest | N |
But share the harvests labours with the rest | N |
- | |
When day declines and labour meets repose | V |
The bawling boy his evening journey goes | V |
At toils unwearied call the first and last | N |
He drives his horses to their nights repast | N |
In dewey close or meadow to sojourn | G2 |
And often ventures on his still return | G2 |
Oer garden pales or orchard walls to hie | M2 |
When sleeps safe key hath locked up dangers eye | R |
All but the mastiff watching in the dark | N2 |
Who snufts and knows him and forbears to bark | N2 |
With fearful haste he climbs each loaded tree | J2 |
And picks for prizes which the ripest be | J2 |
Pears plumbs or filberts covered oer in leams | V |
While the pale moon creeps high in peaceful dreams | V |
And oer his harvest theft in jealous light | N |
Fills empty shadows with the power to fright | N |
And owlet screaming as it bounces nigh | R |
That from some barn hole pops and hurries bye | R |
Scard at the cat upon her nightly watch | O2 |
For rats that come for dew upon the thatch | P2 |
He hears the noise and trembling to escape | A2 |
While every object grows a dismal shape | A2 |
Drops from the tree in fancys swiftest dread | N |
By ghosts pursued and scampers home to bed | N |
Quick tumbling oer the mossy mouldering wall | Q2 |
And looses half his booty in the fall | Q2 |
Where soon as ere the morning opes its eyes | V |
The restless hogs will happen on the prize | V |
And crump adown the mellow and the green | G2 |
And makes all seem as nothing ne'er had been | G2 |
Amid the broils of harvests weary reign | G2 |
How sweet the sabbath wakes its rest again | G2 |
For each weary mind what rapture dwells | V |
To hear once more its pleasant chiming bells | V |
That from each steeple peeping here and there | M |
Murmur a soothing lullaby to care | M |
The shepherd journying on his morning rounds | V |
Pauses awhile to hear their pleasing sounds | V |
While the glad childern free from toils employ | R2 |
Mimic the ding dong sounds and laugh for joy | R2 |
The fields themselves seem happy to be free | J2 |
Where insects chatter with unusual glee | J2 |
While solitude the stubbs and grass among | S2 |
Apears to muse and listen to the song | I2 |
- | |
In quiet peace awakes the welcomed morn | G2 |
Men tired and childern with their gleaning worn | G2 |
Weary and stiff lye round their doors the day | N |
To rest themselves with little heart for play | N |
No more keck horns in homestead close resounds | V |
As in their school boy days at hare and hounds | V |
Nor running oer the street from wall to wall | Q2 |
With eager shouts | V |
John Clare
(1)
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