The Fan : A Poem. Book Iii. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEE FFGGHIJJKK LL MMNNIIOOPQKKRRSSMMSS TTUUSSKKVVKKHINWXXHI KKAANWIIYYAA ZZA2B2C2C2D2D2 E2E2F2F2KKG2H2GG I2I2J2J2FF K2L2KKZZOOSS M2M2KKN2O2 NWC2C2P2P2Q2R2S2S2AA T2T2HIYYKK DD S2S2ZZU2O2QQC2C2G2H2 ZZN2O2 V2V2W2W2DDX2X2FFN2U2 ZZKKDDKKY2| Thus Mommus spoke When sage Minerva rose | A |
| From her sweet lips smooth elocution flows | A |
| Her skilful hand an ivory pallet grac'd | B |
| Where shining colours were in order plac'd | B |
| As gods are bless'd with a superior skill | C |
| And swift as mortal thought perform their will | C |
| Straight she proposes by her art divine | D |
| To bid the paint express her great design | D |
| The assembled powers consent She now began | E |
| And her creating pencil stain'd the fan | E |
| - | |
| O'er the fair field trees spread and rivers flow | F |
| Towers rear their heads and distant mountains grow | F |
| Life seems to move within the glowing veins | G |
| And in each face some lively passion reigns | G |
| Thus have I seen woods hills and dales appear | H |
| Flocks graze the plains birds wing the silent air | I |
| In darken'd rooms where light can only pass | J |
| Through the small circle of a convex glass | J |
| On the white sheet the moving figures rise | K |
| The forest waves clouds float along the skies | K |
| - | |
| She various fables on the piece design'd | L |
| That spoke the follies of the female kind | L |
| - | |
| The fate of pride in Niobe she drew | M |
| Be wise ye nymphs that scornful vice subdue | M |
| In a wide plain the imperious mother stood | N |
| Whose distant bounds rose in a winding wood | N |
| Upon her shoulders flows her mantling hair | I |
| Pride marks her brow and elevates her air | I |
| A purple robe behind her sweeps the ground | O |
| Whose spacious border golden flowers surround | O |
| She made Latona's altars cease to flam | P |
| And of due honours robb'd her sacred name | Q |
| To her own charms she bade fresh incense rise | K |
| And adoration own her brighter eyes | K |
| Seven daughters from her fruitful loins were born | R |
| Seven graceful sons her nuptial bed adorn | R |
| Who from a mother's arrogant disdain | S |
| Were by Latona's double offspring slain | S |
| Here Phoebus his unerring arrow drew | M |
| And from his rising steed her first born threw | M |
| His opening fingers drop the slacken'd rein | S |
| And the pale corse falls headlong to the plain | S |
| Beneath her pencil here two wrestlers bend | T |
| See to the grasp their swelling nerves distend | T |
| Diana's arrow joins them face to face | U |
| And death unites them in a strict embrace | U |
| Another her flies trembling o'er the plain | S |
| When heaven pursues we shun the stroke in vain | S |
| This lifts his supplicating hands and eyes | K |
| And midst his humble adoration dies | K |
| As from his thigh this tears the barbed dart | V |
| A surer weapon strikes this throbbing heart | V |
| While that to raise his wounded brother tries | K |
| Death blasts his bloom and locks his frozen eyes | K |
| The tender sisters bath'd in grief appear | H |
| With sable garments and dishevell'd hair | I |
| And o'er their grasping brothers weeping stood | N |
| Some with their tresses stopp'd the gushing blood | W |
| They strive to stay the fleeting life too late | X |
| And in the pious action share their fate | X |
| Now the proud dame o'ercome by trembling fear | H |
| With her wide robe protects her only care | I |
| To save her only care in vain she tries | K |
| Close at her feet the latest victim dies | K |
| Down her fair cheek the trickling sorrow flows | A |
| Like dewy spangles on the blushing rose | A |
| Fix'd in astonishment she weeping stood | N |
| The plain all purple with her children's blood | W |
| She stiffens with her woes no more her hair | I |
| In easy ringlets wantons the air | I |
| Motion forsakes her eyes her veins are dried | Y |
| And beat not longer with the sanguine tide | Y |
| All life is fled firm marble now she grows | A |
| Which still in tears the mother's anguish shows | A |
| - | |
| Ye haughty fair your painted fans display | Z |
| And the just fate of lofty pride survey | Z |
| Though lovers oft extol your beauty's pow'r | A2 |
| And in celestial similies adore | B2 |
| Though from your features Cupid borrows arms | C2 |
| And goddesses confess inferior charms | C2 |
| Do not vain maid the flattering tale believe | D2 |
| Alike thy lovers and thy glass deceive | D2 |
| - | |
| Here lively colours Procris' passion tell | E2 |
| Who to her jealous fears a victim fell | E2 |
| Here kneels the trembling hunter o'er his wife | F2 |
| Who rolls her sick'ning eyes and gasps for life | F2 |
| Her drooping head upon her shoulder lies | K |
| And purple gore her snowy bosom dies | K |
| What guilt what horror on his face appears | G2 |
| See his red eye lids seem to swell with tears | H2 |
| With agony his wringing hands he stains | G |
| And strong convulsions stretch his branching veins | G |
| - | |
| Learn hence ye wives bid vain suspicion cease | I2 |
| Lose not in sulien discontent your peace | I2 |
| For when fierce love to jealousy ferments | J2 |
| A thousand doubts and fears the soul invents | J2 |
| No more the days in pleasing converse flow | F |
| And nights no more their soft endearments know | F |
| - | |
| There on the piece the Volscian Queen expir'd | K2 |
| The love of spoils her female bosom fir'd | L2 |
| Gay Chloreus' arms attract her longing eyes | K |
| And for the painted plume and helm she sighs | K |
| Fearless she follows bent on gaudy prey | Z |
| Till an ill fated dart obstructs her way | Z |
| Down drops the martial maid the bloody ground | O |
| Floats with a torrent from the purple wound | O |
| The mournful nymphs her drooping head sustain | S |
| And try to stop the gushing life in vain | S |
| - | |
| Thus the raw maid some tawdry coat surveys | M2 |
| Where the fop's fancy in embroidery plays | M2 |
| His snowy feather edg'd with crimson dies | K |
| And his bright sword knot lure her wandering eyes | K |
| Fring'd gloves and gold brocade conspire to move | N2 |
| Till the nymph falls a sacrifice to love | O2 |
| - | |
| Here young Narcissus o'er the fountains stood | N |
| And view'd his image in the crystal flood | W |
| The crystal flood reflects his lovely charms | C2 |
| And the pleas'd image strives to meet his arms | C2 |
| No nymph his unexperienc'd breast subdu'd | P2 |
| Echo in vain the flying boy pursu'd | P2 |
| Himself alone the foolish youth admires | Q2 |
| And with fond look the smiling shade desires | R2 |
| O'er the smooth lake with fruitless tears he grieves | S2 |
| His spreading fingers shoot in verdant leaves | S2 |
| Through his pale veins green sap now gently flows | A |
| And in a short liv'd flower his beauty blows | A |
| - | |
| Let vain Narcissus warn each female breast | T2 |
| That beauty's but a transient good at best | T2 |
| Like flowers it withers with the advancing year | H |
| And age like winter robs the blooming fair | I |
| Oh Araminta cease thy wonted pride | Y |
| Nor longer in thy faithless charms confide | Y |
| Even while the glass reflects thy sparkling eyes | K |
| Their lustre and thy rosy colour flies | K |
| - | |
| Thus on the fan the breathing figures shine | D |
| And all the powers applaud the wise design | D |
| - | |
| The Cyprian Queen the painted gift receives | S2 |
| And with a grateful bow the synod leaves | S2 |
| To the low world she bends her steepy way | Z |
| Where Strephon pass'd the solitary day | Z |
| She found him in a melancholy grove | U2 |
| His down cast eyes betray'd desponding love | O2 |
| The wounded bark confess'd his slighted flame | Q |
| And every tree bore false Corinna's name | Q |
| In a cool shade he lay with folded arms | C2 |
| Curses his fortune and upbraids her charms | C2 |
| When Venus to his wondering eyes appears | G2 |
| And with these words relieves his amorous cares | H2 |
| - | |
| Rise happy youth this bright machine survey | Z |
| Whose rattling sticks my busy fingers sway | Z |
| This present shall thy cruel charmer move | N2 |
| And in her fickle bosom kindle love | O2 |
| - | |
| The fan shall flutter in all female hands | V2 |
| And various fashions learn from various lands | V2 |
| For this shall elephants their ivory shed | W2 |
| And polish'd sticks the waving engine spread | W2 |
| His clouded mail the tortoise shall resign | D |
| And round the rivet pearly circles shine | D |
| On this shall Indians all their art employ | X2 |
| And with bright colours stain the gaudy toy | X2 |
| Their paint shall here in wildest fancies flow | F |
| Their dress their customs their religion show | F |
| So shall the British fair their minds improve | N2 |
| And on the fan to distant climates rove | U2 |
| Here China's ladies shall their pride display | Z |
| And silver figures gild their loose array | Z |
| This boasts her little feet in winking eyes | K |
| That tunes the fife or tinkling cymbal plies | K |
| Here cross legg'd nobles in rich state shall dine | D |
| There in bright mail distorted heroes shine | D |
| The peeping fan in modern times shall rise | K |
| Through which unseen the female ogle flies | K |
| This shall in | Y2 |
John Gay
(1)
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About The Fan : A Poem. Book Iii.
The Fan : A Poem. Book Iii. is a poem by John Gay. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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