The Poet's Town Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCBC DEDE FGFG A HIHJ DKDK LILI MNCN A COCO FHFH FPFP QCQC MPMP BRBR CRCR RSRS R TUTU FRFO MRMR RORO RVRV MRMR R R FWHW FRFR RWRW RXRX FYFY FZRZ HRRR TH H A2RA2R FRB2R R C2HC2H FHFH C2D2C2D2 R RRRR FFRF HIE2I TRHR R R R FF2FF2 FHFH R RC2RC2 C2FC2F FRHR R BRBR RRRR

IA
-
'Mid glad green miles of tillageB
And fields where cattle grazeC
A prosy little villageB
You drowse away the daysC
-
And yet a wakeful gloryD
Clings round you as you dozeE
One living lyric storyD
Makes music of your proseE
-
Here once returning neverF
The feet of song have trodG
And flashed Oh once foreverF
The singing Flame of GodG
-
IIA
-
These were his fields ElysianH
With mystic eyes he sawI
The sowers planting visionH
The reapers gleaning aweJ
-
Serfs to a sordid dutyD
He saw them with his heartK
Priests of the Ultimate BeautyD
Feeding the flame of artK
-
The weird untempled MakersL
Pulsed in the things he sawI
The wheat through its virile acresL
Billowed the Song of LawI
-
The epic roll of the furrowM
Flung from the writing plowN
The dactyl phrase of the green rowed maizeC
Measured the music of NowN
-
IIIA
-
Sipper of ancient flagonsC
Often the lonesome boyO
Saw in the farmers' wagonsC
The chariots hurled at TroyO
-
Trundling in dust and thunderF
They rumbled up and downH
Laden with princely plunderF
Loot of the tragic TownH
-
And once when the rich man's daughterF
Smiled on the boy at playP
Sword storms giddy with slaughterF
Swept back the ancient dayP
-
War steeds shrieked in the quietQ
Far and hoarse were the criesC
And Oh through the din and the riotQ
The music of Helen's eyesC
-
Stabbed with the olden SorrowM
He slunk away from the playP
For the Past and the vast To morrowM
Were wedded in his To dayP
-
IV-
-
Rich with the dreamer's pillageB
An idle and worthless ladR
Least in a prosy villageB
And prince in AllahabadR
-
Lover of golden applesC
Munching a daily crustR
Haunter of dream built chapelsC
Worshipping in the dustR
-
Dull to the worldly dutyR
Less to the town he grewS
And more to the God of BeautyR
Than even the grocer knewS
-
VR
-
Corn for the buyers and cattleT
But what could the dreamer sellU
Echoes of cloudy battleT
Music from heaven and hellU
-
Spices and bales of plunderF
Argosied over the seaR
Tapestry woven of wonderF
And myrrh from ArabyO
-
None of your dream stuffs FellowM
Looter of SamarcandR
Gold is heavy and yellowM
And value is weighed in the handR
-
VI-
-
And yet when the years had humbledR
The Kings in the Realm of the BoyO
Song built bastions crumbledR
Ash heaps smothering TroyO
-
Thirsting for shattered flagonsR
Quaffing a brackish cupV
With all of his chariots wagonsR
He never could quite grow upV
-
The debt to the ogre To morrowM
He never could comprehendR
Why should the borrowers borrowM
Why should the lenders lendR
-
Never an oak tree borrowedR
But took for its needs and gave-
Never an oak tree sorrowedR
Debt was the mark of the slave-
-
Grass in the priceless weatherF
Sucked from the paps of the EarthW
And the hills that were lean it fleshed with greenH
Oh what is a lesson worthW
-
But still did the buyers barterF
And the sellers squint at the scalesR
And price was the stake of the martyrF
And cost was the lock of the jailsR
-
VII-
-
Windflowers herald the MaytideR
Rendering worth for worthW
Ragweeds gladden the waysideR
Biting the dugs of the EarthW
-
Violets scattering gloriesR
Feed from the dewy gemX
But dreamers are fed by the living and deadR
And what is the gift from themX
-
VIII-
-
Never a stalk of the SummerF
Dreams of its mission and doomY
Only to hasten the ComerF
Martyrdom unto the BloomY
-
Ever the Mighty ChooserF
Plucks when the fruit is ripeZ
Scorning the mass and letting it passR
Keen for the cryptic typeZ
-
Greece in her growing seasonH
Troubled the lands and seasR
Plotted and fought and suffered and wroughtR
Building a SophoclesR
-
Only a faultless templeT
Stands for the vassal's groanH
The harlot's strife and the faith of the wife-
Blend in a graven stoneH
-
Ne'er do the stern gods cherishA2
The hope of the million livesR
Always the Fact shall perishA2
And only the Truth survivesR
-
Gardens of roses witherF
Shaping the perfect roseR
And the poet's song shall live for the longB2
Dumb aching years of proseR
-
IXR
-
King of a Realm of MagicC2
He was the fool of the townH
Hiding the ache of the tragicC2
Under the grin of the clownH
-
Worn with the vain endeavorF
To fit in the sordid planH
Doomed to be poet foreverF
He longed to be only a manH
-
To be freed from the god's enthrallingC2
Back with the reeds of the streamD2
Deaf to the Vision callingC2
And dead to the lash of the DreamD2
-
XR
-
But still did the Mighty MakersR
Stir in the common sodR
The corn through its awful acresR
Trembled and thrilled with GodR
-
More than a man was the sowerF
Lured by a man's desireF
For a triune Bride walked close at his sideR
Dew and Dust and FireF
-
More than a man was the plowmanH
Shouting his gee and hawI
For a something dim kept pace with himE2
And ever the poet sawI
-
Till the winds of the cosmic struggleT
Made of his flesh a fluteR
To echo the tune of a whirlwind runeH
Unto the million muteR
-
XIR
-
Son of the Mother of mothersR
The womb and the tomb of Life-
With Fire and Air for brothersR
And a clinging Dream for a wife-
-
Ever the soul of the dreamerF
Strove with its mortal meshF2
And the lean flame grew till it fretted throughF
The last thin links of fleshF2
-
Oh rending the veil asunderF
He fled to mingle againH
With the dred Orestean thunderF
The Lear of the driven rainH
-
XIIR
-
Once in a cycle the cometR
Doubles its lonesome trackC2
Enriched with the tears of a thousand yearsR
schylus wanders backC2
-
Ever inweaving returningC2
The near grows out of the farF
And Homer shall sing once more in a swingC2
Of the austere Polar StarF
-
Then what of the lonesome dreamerF
With the lean blue flame in his breastR
And who was your clown for a day O TownH
The strange unbidden guestR
-
XIIIR
-
'Mid glad green miles of tillageB
And fields where cattle grazeR
A prosy little villageB
You drowse away the daysR
-
And yet a wakeful gloryR
Clings round you as you dozeR
One living lyric storyR
Makes music of your proseR

John G. Neihardt



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