The Shepherd's Week : Thursday; Or, The Spell Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAABBCCDEFFGHIJKKLMB BHHNNIJOOPPQJRRIJSST TNNUUVVIJAAIIWWAAXEI JYYZZCCIJUUA2A2NNBBU UB2B2IJC2C2D2JBBIJBB WWBBIJVVBIIMMIJUUNNB BE2JIJTTB2B2F2F2G2G2 CCIJH2H2IIBB| Hobnelia | A |
| Hobnelia seated in a dreary vale | A |
| In pensive mood rehears'd her piteous tale | A |
| Her piteous tale the wind in sighs bemoan | B |
| And pining echo answers groan for groan | B |
| I rue the day a rueful day I trow | C |
| The woful day a day indeed of wo | C |
| When Lubberkin to town his cattle drove | D |
| A maiden fine bedight he hap'd to love | E |
| The maiden fine bedight his love retains | F |
| And for the village he forsakes the plains | F |
| Return my Lubberkin these ditties hear | G |
| Spells will I try and spells shall ease my care | H |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| When first the year I heard the cuckoo sing | K |
| And call with welcome note the budding spring | K |
| I straightway set a running with such haste | L |
| Deborah that won the smock scarce ran so fast | M |
| 'Till spent for lack of breath quite weary grown | B |
| Upon a rising bank I sat adown | B |
| Then doff'd my shoe and by my troth I swear | H |
| Therein I spy'd this yellow frizzled hair | H |
| As like to Lubberkin's in curl and hue | N |
| As if upon his comely pate it grew | N |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| At eve last midsummer no sleep I sought | O |
| But to the field a bag of hemp seed brought | O |
| I scatter'd round the seed on every side | P |
| And three times in a trembling accent cried | P |
| 'This hemp seed with my virgin hand I sow | Q |
| Who shall my true love be the crop shall mow ' | J |
| I straight look'd back and if my eyes speak truth | R |
| With his keen scythe behind me came the youth | R |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| Last Valentine the day when birds of kind | S |
| Their paramours with mutual chirpings find | S |
| I rearly rose just at the break of day | T |
| Before the sun had chas'd the stars away | T |
| A field I went amid the morning dew | N |
| To milk my kine for so should huswifes do | N |
| Thee first I spy'd and the first swain we see | U |
| In spite of fortune shall our true love be | U |
| See Lubberkin each bird his partner take | V |
| And canst thou then thy sweet hear dear forsake | V |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| Last May day fair I search'd to find a snail | A |
| That might my secret lover's name reveal | A |
| Upon a gooseberry bush a snail I found | I |
| For always snails near sweetest fruit abound | I |
| I seiz'd the vermin home I quickly sped | W |
| And on the hearth the milk white embers spread | W |
| Slow crawl'd the snail and if I right can spell | A |
| In the soft ashes mark'd a curious L | A |
| Oh may this wondrous omen lucky prove | X |
| For L is found in Lubberkin and Love | E |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame | Y |
| And to each nut I gave a sweet heart's name | Y |
| This with the loudest bounce me sore amaz'd | Z |
| That in a flame of brightest colour blaz'd | Z |
| As blaz'd the nut so may thy passion grow | C |
| For 'twas thy nut that did so brightly glow | C |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| As peascods once I pluck'd I chanc'd to see | U |
| One that was closely fill'd with three times three | U |
| Which when I crop'd I safely home convey'd | A2 |
| And o'er the door the spell in secret laid | A2 |
| My wheel I turn'd and sung a ballad new | N |
| While from the spindle I the fleeces drew | N |
| The latch mov'd up when who should first come in | B |
| But in his proper person Lubberkin | B |
| I broke my yarn surpris'd the sight to see | U |
| Sure sign that he would break his word with me | U |
| Eftsoons I join'd it with my wonted slight | B2 |
| So may again his love with mine unite | B2 |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| This lady fly I take from off the grass | C2 |
| Whose spotted back might scarlet red surpass | C2 |
| 'Fly lady bird North South or East or West | D2 |
| Fly where the man is found that I love best ' | J |
| He leaves my hand see to the West he's flown | B |
| To call my true love from the faithless town | B |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| I pare this pippin round and round again | B |
| My shepherd's name to flourish on the plain | B |
| I fling the unbroken paring o'er my head | W |
| Upon the grass a perfect L is read | W |
| Yet on my heart a fairer L is seen | B |
| Than what the paring makes upon the green | B |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| This pippin shall another trial make | V |
| See from the core two kernels brown I take | V |
| This on my cheek for Lubberkin's is worn | B |
| And Boobyclod soon drops upon the ground | I |
| A certain token that his love's unsound | I |
| While Lubberkin sticks firmly to the last | M |
| Oh were his lips to mine but join'd so fast | M |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| As Lubberkin once slept beneath a tree | U |
| I twitch'd his dangling garter from his knee | U |
| He wist not when the hempen string I drew | N |
| Now mine I quickly doff of inkle blue | N |
| Together fast I tie the garters twain | B |
| And while I knit the knot repeat this strain | B |
| 'Three times a true lover's knot I tie secure | E2 |
| Firm be the knot firm may his love endure ' | J |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| As I was wont I trudg'd last market day | T |
| To town with new laid eggs preserv'd in hay | T |
| I made my market long before 'twas night | B2 |
| My purse grew heavy and my basket light | B2 |
| Straight to the 'pothecary's shop I went | F2 |
| And in love powder all my money spent | F2 |
| Behap what will next Sunday after prayers | G2 |
| When to the ale house Lubberkin repairs | G2 |
| These golden flies into his mug I'll throw | C |
| And soon the swain with fervent love shall glow | C |
| 'With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground | I |
| And turn me thrice around around around ' | J |
| But hold our Lightfoot barks and cocks his ears | H2 |
| O'er yonder stile see Lubberkin appears | H2 |
| He comes he comes Hobnelia's not bewray'd | I |
| Nor shall she crown'd with willow die a maid | I |
| He vows he swears he'll give me a green gown | B |
| Oh dear I fall adown adown adown | B |
John Gay
(1)
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About The Shepherd's Week : Thursday; Or, The Spell
The Shepherd's Week : Thursday; Or, The Spell is a poem by John Gay. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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