The Shepherd's Calendar - September Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJJJ KK EEKKLLJJMMNNJJOOEELL EEPPQQEEEERREENNSSTT UUGGEE EESSVVWWEENNGGEEKKXX YYZZA2N B2B2PPC2D2E2E2F2F2NN FFLLIIG2G2YYNNPH2 I2J2UK2EENNL2M2 N2N2ZZEEEE EEO2O2P2YJ2J2Q2Q2TTR 2R2EETTJ2J2FFEES2S2P H2EEQ2Q2EER2R2T2T2Harvest awakes the morning still | A |
And toils rude groups the valleys fill | A |
Deserted is each cottage hearth | B |
To all life save the crickets mirth | C |
Each burring wheel their sabbath meets | D |
Nor walks a gossip in the streets | D |
The bench beneath its eldern bough | E |
Lined oer with grass is empty now | E |
Where blackbirds caged from out the sun | F |
Could whistle while their mistress spun | F |
All haunt the thronged fields still to share | G |
The harvests lingering bounty there | G |
As yet no meddling boys resort | H |
About the streets in idle sport | H |
The butterflye enjoys his hour | I |
And flirts unchaced from flower to flower | I |
And humming bees that morning calls | J |
From out the low huts mortar walls | J |
Which passing boy no more controuls | J |
Flye undisturbed about their holes | J |
And sparrows in glad chirpings meet | K |
Unpelted in the quiet street | K |
- | |
None but imprison'd childern now | E |
Are seen where dames with angry brow | E |
Threaten each younker to his seat | K |
That thro' the school door eyes the street | K |
Or from his horn book turns away | L |
To mourn for liberty and play | L |
Loud are the mornings early sounds | J |
That farm and cottage yard surrounds | J |
The creaking noise of opening gate | M |
And clanking pumps where boys await | M |
With idle motion to supply | N |
The thirst of cattle crowding bye | N |
The low of cows and bark of dogs | J |
And cackling hens and wineing hogs | J |
Swell high while at the noise awoke | O |
Old goody seeks her milking cloak | O |
And hastens out to milk the cow | E |
And fill the troughs to feed the sow | E |
Or seeking old hens laid astray | L |
Or from young chickens drives away | L |
The circling kite that round them flyes | E |
Waiting the chance to seize the prize | E |
Hogs trye thro gates the street to gain | P |
And steal into the fields of grain | P |
From nights dull prison comes the duck | Q |
Waddling eager thro the muck | Q |
Squeezing thro the orchard pales | E |
Where mornings bounty rarely fails | E |
Eager gobbling as they pass | E |
Dew worms thro the padded grass | E |
Where blushing apples round and red | R |
Load down the boughs and pat the head | R |
Of longing maid that hither goes | E |
To hang on lines the drying cloaths | E |
Who views them oft with tempted eye | N |
And steals one as she passes bye | N |
Where the holly oak so tall | S |
Far oer tops the garden wall | S |
That latest blooms for bees provide | T |
Hived on stone benches close beside | T |
The bees their teazing music hum | U |
And threaten war to all that come | U |
Save the old dame whose jealous care | G |
Places a trapping bottle there | G |
Filled with mock sweets in whose disguise | E |
The honey loving hornet dies | E |
- | |
Upon the dovecoats mossy slates | E |
The piegons coo around their mates | E |
Where morns sunbeams early fall | S |
By the barn or stable wall | S |
Basking hens in playfull rout | V |
Flap the smoaking dust about | V |
In the barn hole sits the cat | W |
Watching within the thirsty rat | W |
Who oft at morn its dwelling leaves | E |
To drink the moisture from the eves | E |
The redbreast with his nimble eye | N |
Dare scarcely stop to catch the flye | N |
That tangled in the spiders snare | G |
Mourns in vain for freedom there | G |
The dog beside the threshold lyes | E |
Mocking sleep with half shut eyes | E |
With head crouched down upon his feet | K |
Till strangers pass his sunny seat | K |
Then quick he pricks his ears to hark | X |
And bustles up to growl and bark | X |
While boys in fear stop short their song | Y |
And sneak on hurrys fears along | Y |
And beggar creeping like a snail | Z |
To make his hungry hopes prevail | Z |
Oer the warm heart of charity | A2 |
Leaves his lame halt and hastens bye | N |
- | |
The maid afield now leaves the farm | B2 |
With brimming bottles on her arm | B2 |
Loitering unseen in narrow lane | P |
To be oertook by following swain | P |
Who happy thus her truth to prove | C2 |
Carrys the load and talks of love | D2 |
Full soon the harvest waggons sound | E2 |
Rumbling like thunder all around | E2 |
In ceasless speed the corn to load | F2 |
Hurrying down the dusty road | F2 |
While driving boy with eager eye | N |
Watches the church clock passing bye | N |
Whose gilt hands glitter in the sun | F |
To see how far the hours have run | F |
Right happly in the breathless day | L |
To see it wearing fast away | L |
Yet now and then a sudden shower | I |
Will bring to toil a resting hour | I |
When under sheltering shocks a crowd | G2 |
Of merry voices mingle loud | G2 |
Wearing the short lived boon along | Y |
With vulgar tale and merry song | Y |
Draining with leisures laughing eye | N |
Each welcome bubbling bottle drye | N |
Till peeping suns dry up the rain | P |
Then off they start to toil again | H2 |
- | |
Anon the fields are wearing clear | I2 |
And glad sounds hum in labours ear | J2 |
When childern halo 'here they come | U |
And run to meet the harvest home | K2 |
Stuck thick with boughs and thronged with boys | E |
Who mingle loud a merry noise | E |
Glad that the harvests end is nigh | N |
And weary labour nearly bye | N |
Where when they meet the stack thronged yard | L2 |
Cross bunns or pence their shouts reward | M2 |
- | |
Then comes the harvest supper night | N2 |
Which rustics welcome with delight | N2 |
When merry game and tiresome tale | Z |
And songs increasing with the ale | Z |
Their mingled uproar interpose | E |
To crown the harvests happy close | E |
While rural mirth that there abides | E |
Laughs till she almost cracks her sides | E |
- | |
Now harvests busy hum declines | E |
And labour half its help resigns | E |
Boys glad at heart to play return | O2 |
The shepherds to their peace sojourn | O2 |
Rush bosomed solitudes among | P2 |
Which busy toil disturbed so long | Y |
The gossip happy all is oer | J2 |
Visits again her neighbours door | J2 |
For scandals idle tales to dwell | Q2 |
Which harvest had no time to tell | Q2 |
And on each bench at even tide | T |
Which trailing vine leaves nearly hide | T |
And free from all its sultry strife | R2 |
Enjoy once more their idle life | R2 |
A few whom waning toil reprieves | E |
Thread the forests sea of leaves | E |
Where the pheasant loves to hide | T |
And the darkest glooms abide | T |
Beneath the old oaks mossd and grey | J2 |
Whose shadows seem as old as they | J2 |
Where time hath many seasons won | F |
Since aught beneath them saw the sun | F |
Within these brambly solitudes | E |
The ragged noisy boy intrudes | E |
To gather nuts that ripe and brown | S2 |
As soon as shook will patter down | S2 |
Thus harvest ends its busy reign | P |
And leaves the fields their peace again | H2 |
Where autumns shadows idly muse | E |
And tinge the trees with many hues | E |
Amid whose scenes I'm feign to dwell | Q2 |
And sing of what I love so well | Q2 |
But hollow winds and tumbling floods | E |
And humming showers and moaning woods | E |
All startle into sudden strife | R2 |
And wake a mighty lay to life | R2 |
Making amid their strains divine | T2 |
All songs in vain so mean as mine | T2 |
John Clare
(1)
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