Calidore: A Fragment Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCDEEFFGGCCHHFF IIJJKKKLLFFDCLL JJJJ FFEE MMNN JJCCJJOOPQFFJJOOJJ RRJJSSJJJ JJOOFFJJRJFFTTUUJJDJ UUJJOOUULLOOUULLLLJJ LLLUUUUJJUUJJUUUULDU U UULLJJUUOOVVJJDJJJ WWLLFFJJOOXYoung Calidore is paddling o'er the lake | A |
His healthful spirit eager and awake | A |
To feel the beauty of a silent eve | B |
Which seem'd full loath this happy world to leave | B |
The light dwelt o'er the scene so lingeringly | C |
He bares his forehead to the cool blue sky | D |
And smiles at the far clearness all around | E |
Until his heart is well nigh over wound | E |
And turns for calmness to the pleasant green | F |
Of easy slopes and shadowy trees that lean | F |
So elegantly o'er the waters' brim | G |
And show their blossoms trim | G |
Scarce can his clear and nimble eye sight follow | C |
The freaks and dartings of the black wing'd swallow | C |
Delighting much to see it half at rest | H |
Dip so refreshingly its wings and breast | H |
'Gainst the smooth surface and to mark anon | F |
The widening circles into nothing gone | F |
- | |
And now the sharp keel of his little boat | I |
Comes up with ripple and with easy float | I |
And glides into a bed of water lillies | J |
Broad leav'd are they and their white canopies | J |
Are upward turn'd to catch the heavens' dew | K |
Near to a little island's point they grew | K |
Whence Calidore might have the goodliest view | K |
Of this sweet spot of earth The bowery shore | L |
Went off in gentle windings to the hoar | L |
And light blue mountains but no breathing man | F |
With a warm heart and eye prepared to scan | F |
Nature's clear beauty could pass lightly by | D |
Objects that look'd out so invitingly | C |
On either side These gentle Calidore | L |
Greeted as he had known them long before | L |
- | |
The sidelong view of swelling leafiness | J |
Which the glad setting sun in gold doth dress | J |
Whence ever and anon the jay outsprings | J |
And scales upon the beauty of its wings | J |
- | |
The lonely turret shatter'd and outworn | F |
Stands venerably proud too proud to mourn | F |
Its long lost grandeur fir trees grow around | E |
Aye dropping their hard fruit upon the ground | E |
- | |
The little chapel with the cross above | M |
Upholding wreaths of ivy the white dove | M |
That on the windows spreads his feathers light | N |
And seems from purple clouds to wing its flight | N |
- | |
Green tufted islands casting their soft shades | J |
Across the lake sequester d leafy glades | J |
That through the dimness of their twilight show | C |
Large dock leaves spiral foxgloves or the glow | C |
Of the wild cat s eyes or the silvery stems | J |
Of delicate birch trees or long grass which hems | J |
A little brook The youth had long been viewing | O |
These pleasant things and heaven was bedewing | O |
The mountain flowers when his glad senses caught | P |
A trumpet's silver voice Ah it was fraught | Q |
With many joys for him the warder's ken | F |
Had found white coursers prancing in the glen | F |
Friends very dear to him he soon will see | J |
So pushes off his boat most eagerly | J |
And soon upon the lake he skims along | O |
Deaf to the nightingale s first under song | O |
Nor minds he the white swans that dream so sweetly | J |
His spirit flies before him so completely | J |
- | |
And now he turns a jutting point of land | R |
Whence may be seen the castle gloomy and grand | R |
Nor will a bee buzz round two swelling peaches | J |
Before the point of his light shallop reaches | J |
Those marble steps that through the water dip | S |
Now over them he goes with hasty trip | S |
And scarcely stays to ope the folding doors | J |
Anon he leaps along the oaken floors | J |
Of halls and corridors | J |
- | |
Delicious sounds those little bright eyed things | J |
That float about the air on azure wings | J |
Had been less heartfelt by him than the clang | O |
Of clattering hoofs into the court he sprang | O |
Just as two noble steeds and palfreys twain | F |
Were slanting out their necks with loosened rein | F |
While from beneath the threat'ning portcullis | J |
They brought their happy burthens What a kiss | J |
What gentle squeeze he gave each lady's hand | R |
How tremblingly their delicate ancles spann d | J |
Into how sweet a trance his soul was gone | F |
While whisperings of affection | F |
Made him delay to let their tender feet | T |
Come to the earth with an incline so sweet | T |
From their low palfreys o'er his neck they bent | U |
And whether there were tears of languishment | U |
Or that the evening dew had pearl'd their tresses | J |
He feels a moisture on his cheek and blesses | J |
With lips that tremble and with glistening eye | D |
All the soft luxury | J |
That nestled in his arms A dimpled hand | U |
Fair as some wonder out of fairy land | U |
Hung from his shoulder like the drooping flowers | J |
Of whitest Cassia fresh from summer showers | J |
And this he fondled with his happy cheek | O |
As if for joy he would no further seek | O |
When the kind voice of good Sir Clerimond | U |
Came to his ear like something from beyond | U |
His present being so he gently drew | L |
His warm arms thrilling now with pulses new | L |
From their sweet thrall and forward gently bending | O |
Thank'd heaven that his joy was never ending | O |
While 'gainst his forehead he devoutly press'd | U |
A hand heaven made to succour the distress'd | U |
A hand that from the world's bleak promontory | L |
Had lifted Calidore for deeds of glory | L |
Amid the pages and the torches' glare | L |
There stood a knight patting the flowing hair | L |
Of his proud horse's mane he was withal | J |
A man of elegance and stature tall | J |
So that the waving of his plumes would be | L |
High as the berries of a wild ash tree | L |
Or as the winged cap of Mercury | L |
His armour was so dexterously wrought | U |
In shape that sure no living man had thought | U |
It hard and heavy steel but that indeed | U |
It was some glorious form some splendid weed | U |
In which a spirit new come from the skies | J |
Might live and show itself to human eyes | J |
'Tis the far fam'd the brave Sir Gondibert | U |
Said the good man to Calidore alert | U |
While the young warrior with a step of grace | J |
Came up a courtly smile upon his face | J |
And mailed hand held out ready to greet | U |
The large eyed wonder and ambitious heat | U |
Of the aspiring boy who as he led | U |
Those smiling ladies often turned his head | U |
To admire the visor arched so gracefully | L |
Over a knightly brow while they went by | D |
The lamps that from the high roof'd hall were pendent | U |
And gave the steel a shining quite transcendent | U |
- | |
Soon in a pleasant chamber they are seated | U |
The sweet lipp'd ladies have already greeted | U |
All the green leaves that round the window clamber | L |
To show their purple stars and bells of amber | L |
Sir Gondibert has doff'd his shining steel | J |
Gladdening in the free and airy feel | J |
Of a light mantle and while Clerimond | U |
Is looking round about him with a fond | U |
And placid eye young Calidore is burning | O |
To hear of knightly deeds and gallant spurning | O |
Of all unworthiness and how the strong of arm | V |
Kept off dismay and terror and alarm | V |
From lovely woman while brimful of this | J |
He gave each damsel's hand so warm a kiss | J |
And had such manly ardour in his eye | D |
That each at other look'd half staringly | J |
And then their features started into smiles | J |
Sweet as blue heavens o'er enchanted isles | J |
- | |
Softly the breezes from the forest came | W |
Softly they blew aside the taper's flame | W |
Clear was the song from Philomel's far bower | L |
Grateful the incense from the lime tree flower | L |
Mysterious wild the far heard trumpet's tone | F |
Lovely the moon in ether all alone | F |
Sweet too the converse of these happy mortals | J |
As that of busy spirits when the portals | J |
Are closing in the west or that soft humming | O |
We hear around when Hesperus is coming | O |
Sweet be their sleep | X |
John Keats
(1)
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