The Calm Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDEFFGGHHIEJJEE EEKKLMIINNOOPPQRSSTT UUIILLJJVVWXYYIE| Our storm is past and that storm's tyrannous rage | A |
| A stupid calm but nothing it doth 'suage | A |
| The fable is inverted and far more | B |
| A block afflicts now than a stork before | B |
| Storms chafe and soon wear out themselves or us | C |
| In calms Heaven laughs to see us languish thus | C |
| As steady'as I can wish that my thoughts were | D |
| Smooth as thy mistress' glass or what shines there | E |
| The sea is now and as the isles which we | F |
| Seek when we can move our ships rooted be | F |
| As water did in storms now pitch runs out | G |
| As lead when a fir'd church becomes one spout | G |
| And all our beauty and our trim decays | H |
| Like courts removing or like ended plays | H |
| The fighting place now seamen's rags supply | I |
| And all the tackling is a frippery | E |
| No use of lanthorns and in one place lay | J |
| Feathers and dust to day and yesterday | J |
| Earth's hollownesses which the world's lungs are | E |
| Have no more wind than the upper vault of air | E |
| We can nor lost friends nor sought foes recover | E |
| But meteor like save that we move not hover | E |
| Only the calenture together draws | K |
| Dear friends which meet dead in great fishes' jaws | K |
| And on the hatches as on altars lies | L |
| Each one his own priest and own sacrifice | M |
| Who live that miracle do multiply | I |
| Where walkers in hot ovens do not die | I |
| If in despite of these we swim that hath | N |
| No more refreshing than our brimstone bath | N |
| But from the sea into the ship we turn | O |
| Like parboil'd wretches on the coals to burn | O |
| Like Bajazet encag'd the shepherds' scoff | P |
| Or like slack sinew'd Samson his hair off | P |
| Languish our ships Now as a myriad | Q |
| Of ants durst th' emperor's lov'd snake invade | R |
| The crawling gallies sea gaols finny chips | S |
| Might brave our pinnaces now bed rid ships | S |
| Whether a rotten state and hope of gain | T |
| Or to disuse me from the queasy pain | T |
| Of being belov'd and loving or the thirst | U |
| Of honour or fair death out push'd me first | U |
| I lose my end for here as well as I | I |
| A desperate may live and a coward die | I |
| Stag dog and all which from or towards flies | L |
| Is paid with life or prey or doing dies | L |
| Fate grudges us all and doth subtly lay | J |
| A scourge 'gainst which we all forget to pray | J |
| He that at sea prays for more wind as well | V |
| Under the poles may beg cold heat in hell | V |
| What are we then How little more alas | W |
| Is man now than before he was He was | X |
| Nothing for us we are for nothing fit | Y |
| Chance or ourselves still disproportion it | Y |
| We have no power no will no sense I lie | I |
| I should not then thus feel this misery | E |
John Donne
(1)
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About The Calm
The Calm is a poem by John Donne. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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