The Shepherd's Calendar - June Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDDEEFFEEGGHHIIJJ HHKKGGLLEEMMNNOOPPQQ RSGGGGGGHHKKGGEETTUU EEEEVVWWGGGGXXYYAAZZ GGA2A2HHGGEEHHB2B2C2 C2GGEED2D2E2E2EED2D2 GD2GGGGF2F2D2D2HHEED 2D2GBGGGGGGGGGGD2D2G 2G2GGD2D2D2D2D2D2H2H 2EEGGD2D2EEEEXXD2D2G GGGNow summer is in flower and natures hum | A |
Is never silent round her sultry bloom | B |
Insects as small as dust are never done | C |
Wi' glittering dance and reeling in the sun | C |
And green wood fly and blossom haunting bee | D |
Are never weary of their melody | D |
Round field hedge now flowers in full glory twine | E |
Large bindweed bells wild hop and streakd woodbine | E |
That lift athirst their slender throated flowers | F |
Agape for dew falls and for honey showers | F |
These round each bush in sweet disorder run | E |
And spread their wild hues to the sultry sun | E |
Where its silk netting lace on twigs and leaves | G |
The mottld spider at eves leisure weaves | G |
That every morning meet the poets eye | H |
Like faireys dew wet dresses hung to dry | H |
The wheat swells into ear and leaves below | I |
The may month wild flowers and their gaudy show | I |
Bright carlock bluecap and corn poppy red | J |
Which in such clouds of colors wid e ly spread | J |
That at the sun rise might to fancys eye | H |
Seem to reflect the many colord sky | H |
And leverets seat and lark and partridge nest | K |
It leaves a schoolboys height in snugger rest | K |
And oer the weeders labour overgrows | G |
Who now in merry groups each morning goes | G |
To willow skirted meads wi fork and rake | L |
The scented hay cocks in long rows to make | L |
Where their old visitors in russet brown | E |
The haytime butterflyes dance up and down | E |
And gads that teaze like whasps the timid maid | M |
And drive the herdboys cows to pond and shade | M |
Who when his dogs assistance fails to stop | N |
Is forcd his half made oaten pipes to drop | N |
And start and hallo thro the dancing heat | O |
To keep their gadding tumult from the wheat | O |
Who in their rage will dangers overlook | P |
And leap like hunters oer the pasture brook | P |
Brushing thro blossomd beans in maddening haste | Q |
And 'stroying corn they scarce can stop to taste | Q |
Labour pursues its toil in weary mood | R |
And feign woud rest wi shadows in the wood | S |
The mowing gangs bend oer the beeded grass | G |
Where oft the gipseys hungry journeying ass | G |
Will turn its wishes from the meadow paths | G |
Listning the rustle of the falling swaths | G |
The ploughman sweats along the fallow vales | G |
And down the suncrackt furrow slowly trails | G |
Oft seeking when athirst the brooks supply | H |
Where brushing eager the brinks bushes bye | H |
For coolest water he oft brakes the rest | K |
Of ring dove brooding oer its idle nest | K |
And there as loath to leave the swaily place | G |
He'll stand to breath and whipe his burning face | G |
The shepherds idle hours are over now | E |
Nor longer leaves him neath the hedgrow bough | E |
On shadow pillowd banks and lolling stile | T |
Wilds looses now their summer friends awhile | T |
Shrill whistles barking dogs and chiding scold | U |
Drive bleating sheep each morn from fallow fold | U |
To wash pits where the willow shadows lean | E |
Dashing them in their fold staind coats to clean | E |
Then turnd on sunning sward to dry agen | E |
They drove them homeward to the clipping pen | E |
In hurdles pent where elm or sycamore | V |
Shut out the sun or in some threshing floor | V |
There they wi scraps of songs and laugh and tale | W |
Lighten their anual toils while merry ale | W |
Goes round and gladdens old mens hearts to praise | G |
The thread bare customs of old farmers days | G |
Who while the sturting sheep wi trembling fears | G |
Lies neath the snipping of his harmless sheers | G |
Recalls full many a thing by bards unsung | X |
And pride forgot that reignd when he was young | X |
How the hugh bowl was in the middle set | Y |
At breakfast time as clippers yearly met | Y |
Filld full of frumity where yearly swum | A |
The streaking sugar and the spotting plumb | A |
Which maids coud never to the table bring | Z |
Without one rising from the merry ring | Z |
To lend a hand who if twas taen amiss | G |
Woud sell his kindness for a stolen kiss | G |
The large stone pitcher in its homly trim | A2 |
And clouded pint horn wi its copper rim | A2 |
Oer which rude healths was drank in spirits high | H |
From the best broach the cellar woud supply | H |
While sung the ancient swains in homly ryhmes | G |
Songs that were pictures of the good old times | G |
When leathern bottles held the beer nut brown | E |
That wakd the sun wi songs and sung him down | E |
Thus will the old man ancient ways bewail | H |
Till toiling sheers gain ground upon the tale | H |
And brakes it off when from the timid sheep | B2 |
The fleece is shorn and wi a fearfull leap | B2 |
He starts while wi a pressing hand | C2 |
His sides are printed by the tarry brand | C2 |
Shaking his naked skin wi wondering joys | G |
And fresh ones are tugd in by sturdy boys | G |
Who when theyre thrown down neath the sheering swain | E |
Will wipe his brow and start his tale again | E |
Tho fashions haughtv frown hath thrown aside | D2 |
Half the old forms simplicity supplyd | D2 |
Yet their are some prides winter deigns to spare | E2 |
Left like green ivy when the trees are bare | E2 |
And now when sheering of the flocks are done | E |
Some ancient customs mixd wi harmless fun | E |
Crowns the swains merry toils the timid maid | D2 |
Pleasd to be praisd and yet of praise affraid | D2 |
Seeks her best flowers not those of woods and fields | G |
But such as every farmers garden yield | D2 |
Fine cabbage roses painted like her face | G |
And shining pansys trimmd in golden lace | G |
And tall tuft larkheels featherd thick wi flowers | G |
And woodbines climbing oer the door in bowers | G |
And London tufts of many a mottld hue | F2 |
And pale pink pea and monkshood darkly blue | F2 |
And white and purple jiliflowers that stay | D2 |
Lingering in blossom summer half away | D2 |
And single blood walls of a lucious smell | H |
Old fashiond flowers which huswives love so well | H |
And columbines stone blue or deep night brown | E |
Their honey comb like blossoms hanging down | E |
Each cottage gardens fond adopted child | D2 |
Tho heaths still claim them where they yet grow wild | D2 |
Mong their old wild companions summer blooms | G |
Furze brake and mozzling ling and golden broom | B |
Snap dragons gaping like to sleeping clowns | G |
And 'clipping pinks' which maidens sunday gowns | G |
Full often wear catcht at by tozing chaps | G |
Pink as the ribbons round their snowy caps | G |
'Bess in her bravery' too of glowing dyes | G |
As deep as sunsets crimson pillowd skyes | G |
And majoram notts sweet briar and ribbon grass | G |
And lavender the choice of every lass | G |
And sprigs of lads love all familiar names | G |
Which every garden thro the village claims | G |
These the maid gathers wi a coy delight | D2 |
And tyes them up in readiness for night | D2 |
Giving to every swain tween love and shame | G2 |
Her 'clipping poseys' as their yearly claim | G2 |
And turning as he claims the custom kiss | G |
Wi stifld smiles half ankering after bliss | G |
She shrinks away and blushing calls it rude | D2 |
But turns to smile and hopes to be pursued | D2 |
While one to whom the seeming hint applied | D2 |
Follows to claim it and is not denyd | D2 |
No doubt a lover for within his coat | D2 |
His nosegay owns each flower of better sort | D2 |
And when the envious mutter oer their beer | H2 |
And nodd the secret to his neighbor near | H2 |
Raising the laugh to make the mutter known | E |
She blushes silent and will not disown | E |
And ale and songs and healths and merry ways | G |
Keeps up a shadow of old farmers days | G |
But the old beachen bowl that once supplyd | D2 |
Its feast of frumity is thrown aside | D2 |
And the old freedom that was living then | E |
When masters made them merry wi their men | E |
Whose coat was like his neighbors russet brown | E |
And whose rude speech was vulgar as his clown | E |
Who in the same horn drank the rest among | X |
And joind the chorus while a labourer sung | X |
All this is past and soon may pass away | D2 |
The time torn remnant of the holiday | D2 |
As proud distinction makes a wider space | G |
Between the genteel and the vulgar race | G |
Then must they fade as pride oer custom showers | G |
Its blighting mildew on her feeble flowers | G |
John Clare
(1)
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