From "snow-bound," 11:1-40, 116-154 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCDEEFFGHHGIIJJKK LLMMNLOOPP QQRRSSTTUU VVWWXXYYZZA2A2B2B2C2 C2TTDDD2D2E2F2DDDG2G 2H2I2I2I2XXQQE2F2| The sun that brief December day | A |
| Rose cheerless over hills of gray | A |
| And darkly circled gave at noon | B |
| A sadder light than waning moon | B |
| Slow tracing down the thickening sky | C |
| Its mute and ominous prophecy | D |
| A portent seeming less than threat | E |
| It sank from sight before it set | E |
| A chill no coat however stout | F |
| Of homespun stuff could quite shut out | F |
| A hard dull bitterness of cold | G |
| That checked mid vein the circling race | H |
| Of life blood in the sharpened face | H |
| The coming of the snow storm told | G |
| The wind blew east we heard the roar | I |
| Of Ocean on his wintry shore | I |
| And felt the strong pulse throbbing there | J |
| Beat with low rhythm our inland air | J |
| Meanwhile we did your nightly chores | K |
| Brought in the wood from out of doors | K |
| Littered the stalls and from the mows | L |
| Raked down the herd's grass for the cows | L |
| Heard the horse whinnying for his corn | M |
| And sharply clashing horn on horn | M |
| Impatient down the stanchion rows | N |
| The cattle shake their walnut bows | L |
| While peering from his early perch | O |
| Upon the scaffold's pole of birch | O |
| The cock his crested helmet bent | P |
| And down his querulous challenge sent | P |
| - | |
| Unwarmed by any sunset light | Q |
| The gray day darkened into night | Q |
| A night made hoary with the swarm | R |
| And whirl dance of the blinding storm | R |
| As zigzag wavering to and fro | S |
| Crossed and recrossed the wing egrave d snow | S |
| And ere the early bed time came | T |
| The white drift piled the window frame | T |
| And through the glass the clothes line posts | U |
| Looked in like tall and sheeted ghosts | U |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| As night drew on and from the crest | V |
| Of wooded knolls that ridged the west | V |
| The sun a snow blown traveller sank | W |
| From sight beneath the smothering bank | W |
| We piled with care our nightly stack | X |
| Of wood against the chimney back | X |
| The oaken log green huge and thick | Y |
| And on its top the stout back stick | Y |
| The knotty forestick laid apart | Z |
| And filled between with curious art | Z |
| The ragged brush then hovering near | A2 |
| We watched the first red blaze appear | A2 |
| Heard the sharp crackle caught the gleam | B2 |
| On whitewashed wall and sagging beam | B2 |
| Until the old rude furnished room | C2 |
| Burst flower like into rosy bloom | C2 |
| While radiant with a mimic flame | T |
| Outside the sparkling drift became | T |
| And through the bare boughed lilac tree | D |
| Our own warm hearth seemed blazing free | D |
| The crane and pendent trammels showed | D2 |
| The Turks' heads on the andirons glowed | D2 |
| While childish fancy prompt to tell | E2 |
| The meaning of the miracle | F2 |
| Whispered the old rhyme Under the tree | D |
| When fire outdoors burns merrily | D |
| There the witches are making tea | D |
| The moon above the eastern wood | G2 |
| Shone at its full the hill range stood | G2 |
| Transfigured in the silver flood | H2 |
| Its blown snows flashing cold and keen | I2 |
| Dead white save where some sharp ravine | I2 |
| Took shadow or the somber green | I2 |
| Of hemlocks turned to pitchy black | X |
| Against the whiteness at their back | X |
| For such a world and such a night | Q |
| Most fitting that unwarming light | Q |
| Which only seemed where'er it fell | E2 |
| To make the coldness visible | F2 |
John Greenleaf Whittier
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About From "snow-bound," 11:1-40, 116-154
From "snow-bound," 11:1-40, 116-154 is a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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Stephen Mikesell: When my youngest sister sent a picture of a noon-day moon shining darkly through the smoke and ash of Oregon forest fires burst forth from the West Coast heatwave, her twin responded, "The sun ... rose cheerless over hills of gray." This led to discussion of a ten dollar reward offered to them six decades ago for those amongst the five sisters who could memorize this poem.
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