A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy's Day, Being The Shortest Day Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAAABBBCC DEEDAAAFG HIJKAAAAA LMNLOPPLQ RNNRSTSAA| 'Tis the year's midnight and it is the day's | A |
| Lucy's who scarce seven hours herself unmasks | A |
| The sun is spent and now his flasks | A |
| Send forth light squibs no constant rays | A |
| The world's whole sap is sunk | B |
| The general balm th' hydroptic earth hath drunk | B |
| Whither as to the bed's feet life is shrunk | B |
| Dead and interr'd yet all these seem to laugh | C |
| Compar'd with me who am their epitaph | C |
| - | |
| Study me then you who shall lovers be | D |
| At the next world that is at the next spring | E |
| For I am every dead thing | E |
| In whom Love wrought new alchemy | D |
| For his art did express | A |
| A quintessence even from nothingness | A |
| From dull privations and lean emptiness | A |
| He ruin'd me and I am re begot | F |
| Of absence darkness death things which are not | G |
| - | |
| All others from all things draw all that's good | H |
| Life soul form spirit whence they being have | I |
| I by Love's limbec am the grave | J |
| Of all that's nothing Oft a flood | K |
| Have we two wept and so | A |
| Drown'd the whole world us two oft did we grow | A |
| To be two chaoses when we did show | A |
| Care to aught else and often absences | A |
| Withdrew our souls and made us carcasses | A |
| - | |
| But I am by her death which word wrongs her | L |
| Of the first nothing the elixir grown | M |
| Were I a man that I were one | N |
| I needs must know I should prefer | L |
| If I were any beast | O |
| Some ends some means yea plants yea stones detest | P |
| And love all all some properties invest | P |
| If I an ordinary nothing were | L |
| As shadow a light and body must be here | Q |
| - | |
| But I am none nor will my sun renew | R |
| You lovers for whose sake the lesser sun | N |
| At this time to the Goat is run | N |
| To fetch new lust and give it you | R |
| Enjoy your summer all | S |
| Since she enjoys her long night's festival | T |
| Let me prepare towards her and let me call | S |
| This hour her vigil and her eve since this | A |
| Both the year's and the day's deep midnight is | A |
John Donne
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