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 H2EEQ2Q2EER2R2T2T2| Harvest 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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