The Shepherds Calendar - February - A Thaw Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABACDEDE FGHGIEIE JKGKELEL MNMNEOEO PQPQ BRBR ELELLSLS TUVUWXWX YZA2ZININ GFGHB2C2B2X XEXED2E2D2E2 UGF2GGG2GH2 XIXI I2H2I2H2 H2XH2XH2EH2E IJ2IJ2K2LK2L J2HJ2FOL2OL2 H2J2H2J2HM2FM2 H2J2H2L2N2J2N2J2 H2J2H2J2L2L2L2L2 O2HO2F H2P2H2P2 L2HL2FQ2L2Q2L2The snow is gone from cottage tops | A |
The thatch moss glows in brighter green | B |
And eves in quick succession drops | A |
Where grinning ides once hath been | C |
Pit patting Wi a pleasant noise | D |
In tubs set by the cottage door | E |
And ducks and geese wi happy joys | D |
Douse in the yard pond brimming oer | E |
- | |
The sun peeps thro the window pane | F |
Which childern mark wi laughing eye | G |
And in the wet street steal again | H |
To tell each other spring is nigh | G |
And as young hope the past recalls | I |
In playing groups will often draw | E |
Building beside the sunny walls | I |
Their spring play huts of sticks or straw | E |
- | |
And oft in pleasures dreams they hie | J |
Round homsteads by the village side | K |
Scratting the hedgrow mosses bye | G |
Where painted pooty shells abide | K |
Mistaking oft the ivy spray | E |
For leaves that come wi budding spring | L |
And wondering in their search for play | E |
Why birds delay to build and sing | L |
- | |
The milkmaid singing leaves her bed | M |
As glad as happy thoughts can be | N |
While magpies chatter oer her head | M |
As jocund in the change as she | N |
Her cows around the closes stray | E |
Nor lingering wait the foddering boy | O |
Tossing the molehills in their play | E |
And staring round in frolic joy | O |
- | |
Ploughmen go whistling to their toils | P |
And yoke again the rested plough | Q |
And mingling oer the mellow soils | P |
Boys' shouts and whips are noising now | Q |
- | |
The shepherd now is often seen | B |
By warm banks oer his work to bend | R |
Or oer a gate or stile to lean | B |
Chattering to a passing friend | R |
- | |
Odd hive bees fancying winter oer | E |
And dreaming in their combs of spring | L |
Creeps on the slab beside their door | E |
And strokes its legs upon its wing | L |
While wild ones half asleep are humming | L |
Round snowdrop bells a feeble note | S |
And pigions coo of summer coming | L |
Picking their feathers on the cote | S |
- | |
The barking dogs by lane and wood | T |
Drive sheep afield from foddering ground | U |
And eccho in her summer mood | V |
Briskly mocks the cheery sound | U |
The flocks as from a prison broke | W |
Shake their wet fleeces in the sun | X |
While following fast a misty smoke | W |
Reeks from the moist grass as they run | X |
- | |
Nor more behind his masters heels | Y |
The dog creeps oer his winter pace | Z |
But cocks his tail and oer the fields | A2 |
Runs many a wild and random chase | Z |
Following in spite of chiding calls | I |
The startld cat wi harmless glee | N |
Scaring her up the weed green walls | I |
Or mossy mottld apple tree | N |
- | |
As crows from morning perches flye | G |
He barks and follows them in vain | F |
Een larks will catch his nimble eye | G |
And off he starts and barks again | H |
Wi breathless haste and blinded guess | B2 |
Oft following where the hare hath gone | C2 |
Forgetting in his joys excess | B2 |
His frolic puppy days are done | X |
- | |
The gossips saunter in the sun | X |
As at the spring from door to door | E |
Of matters in the village done | X |
And secret newsings mutterd oer | E |
Young girls when they each other meet | D2 |
Will stand their tales of love to tell | E2 |
While going on errands down the street | D2 |
Or fetching water from the well | E2 |
- | |
A calm of pleasure listens round | U |
And almost whispers winter bye | G |
While fancy dreams of summer sounds | F2 |
And quiet rapture fills the eye | G |
The sun beams on the hedges lye | G |
The south wind murmurs summer soft | G2 |
And maids hang out white cloaths to dry | G |
Around the eldern skirted croft | H2 |
- | |
Each barns green thatch reeks in the sun | X |
Its mate the happy sparrow calls | I |
And as nest building spring begun | X |
Peeps in the holes about the walls | I |
- | |
The wren a sunny side the stack | I2 |
Wi short tail ever on the strunt | H2 |
Cockd gadding up above his back | I2 |
Again for dancing gnats will hunt | H2 |
- | |
The gladdend swine bolt from the sty | H2 |
And round the yard in freedom run | X |
Or stretching in their slumbers lye | H2 |
Beside the cottage in the sun | X |
The young horse whinneys to its mate | H2 |
And sickens from the threshers door | E |
Rubbing the straw yards banded gate | H2 |
Longing for freedom on the moor | E |
- | |
Hens leave their roosts wi cackling calls | I |
To see the barn door free from snow | J2 |
And cocks flye up the mossy walls | I |
To clap their spangld wings and crow | J2 |
About the steeples sunny top | K2 |
The jackdaw flocks resemble spring | L |
And in the stone archd windows pop | K2 |
Wi summer noise and wanton wing | L |
- | |
The small birds think their wants are oer | J2 |
To see the snow hills fret again | H |
And from the barns chaff litterd door | J2 |
Betake them to the greening plain | F |
The woodmans robin startles coy | O |
Nor longer at his elbow comes | L2 |
To peck wi hungers eager joy | O |
Mong mossy stulps the litterd crumbs | L2 |
- | |
Neath hedge and walls that screen the wind | H2 |
The gnats for play will Hock together | J2 |
And een poor flyes odd hopes will find | H2 |
To venture in the mocking weather | J2 |
From out their hiding holes again | H |
Wi feeble pace they often creep | M2 |
Along the sun warmd window pane | F |
Like dreaming things that walk in sleep | M2 |
- | |
The mavis thrush wi wild delight | H2 |
Upon the orchards dripping tree | J2 |
Mutters to see the day so bright | H2 |
Spring scraps of young hopes poesy | L2 |
And oft dame stops her burring wheel | N2 |
To hear the robins note once more | J2 |
That tutles while he pecks his meal | N2 |
From sweet briar hips beside the door | J2 |
- | |
The hedghog from its hollow root | H2 |
Sees the wood moss clear of snow | J2 |
And hunts each hedge for fallen fruit | H2 |
Crab hip and winter bitten sloe | J2 |
And oft when checkd by sudden fears | L2 |
As shepherd dog his haunt espies | L2 |
He rolls up in a ball of spears | L2 |
And all his barking rage defies | L2 |
- | |
Thus nature of the spring will dream | O2 |
While south winds thaw but soon again | H |
Frost breaths upon the stiffening stream | O2 |
And numbs it into ice the plain | F |
- | |
Soon wears its merry garb of white | H2 |
And icicles that fret at noon | P2 |
Will eke their icy tails at night | H2 |
Beneath the chilly stars and moon | P2 |
- | |
Nature soon sickens of her joys | L2 |
And all is sad and dumb again | H |
Save merry shouts of sliding boys | L2 |
About the frozen furrowd plain | F |
The foddering boy forgets his song | Q2 |
And silent goes wi folded arms | L2 |
And croodling shepherds bend along | Q2 |
Crouching to the whizzing storms | L2 |
John Clare
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