The Shepherd's Calendar - June Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDDEEFFEEGGHHIIJJ HHKKGGLLEEMMNNOOPPQQ RSGGGGGGHHKKGGEETTUU EEEEVVWWGGGGXXYYAAZZ GGA2A2HHGGEEHHB2B2C2 C2GGEED2D2E2E2EED2D2 GD2GGGGF2F2D2D2HHEED 2D2GBGGGGGGGGGGD2D2G 2G2GGD2D2D2D2D2D2H2H 2EEGGD2D2EEEEXXD2D2G GGG| Now 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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