Lamia. Part I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBAACCDDEEFFGGHIAA EEJKLLMMNNOOAAAAPPQQ RRSSPP MMSSSSAATTUUSSUUUPPV V SSSSUUWWAASSSSSSAASS SSXWYZAASSA2A2SSAAB2 B2C2C2SSWD2E2E2E2SSU UAAUUE2E2E2AAF2F2SSG 2G2SSE2E2UUSSAAMM E2E2MMUUUE2E2AAMMAAM MMMSSH2Upon a time before the faery broods | A |
Drove Nymph and Satyr from the prosperous woods | A |
Before King Oberon's bright diadem | B |
Sceptre and mantle clasp'd with dewy gem | B |
Frighted away the Dryads and the Fauns | A |
From rushes green and brakes and cowslip'd lawns | A |
The ever smitten Hermes empty left | C |
His golden throne bent warm on amorous theft | C |
From high Olympus had he stolen light | D |
On this side of Jove's clouds to escape the sight | D |
Of his great summoner and made retreat | E |
Into a forest on the shores of Crete | E |
For somewhere in that sacred island dwelt | F |
A nymph to whom all hoofed Satyrs knelt | F |
At whose white feet the languid Tritons poured | G |
Pearls while on land they wither d and adored | G |
Fast by the springs where she to bathe was wont | H |
And in those meads where sometime she might haunt | I |
Were strewn rich gifts unknown to any Muse | A |
Though Fancy s casket were unlock d to choose | A |
Ah what a world of love was at her feet | E |
So Hermes thought and a celestial heat | E |
Burnt from his winged heels to either ear | J |
That from a whiteness as the lily clear | K |
Blush d into roses mid his golden hair | L |
Fallen in jealous curls about his shoulders bare | L |
From vale to vale from wood to wood he flew | M |
Breathing upon the flowers his passion new | M |
And wound with many a river to its head | N |
To find where this sweet nymph prepar d her secret bed | N |
In vain the sweet nymph might nowhere be found | O |
And so he rested on the lonely ground | O |
Pensive and full of painful jealousies | A |
Of the Wood Gods and even the very trees | A |
There as he stood he heard a mournful voice | A |
Such as once heard in gentle heart destroys | A |
All pain but pity thus the lone voice spake | P |
When from this wreathed tomb shall I awake | P |
When move in a sweet body fit for life | Q |
And love and pleasure and the ruddy strife | Q |
Of hearts and lips Ah miserable me | R |
The God dove footed glided silently | R |
Round bush and tree soft brushing in his speed | S |
The taller grasses and full flowering weed | S |
Until he found a palpitating snake | P |
Bright and cirque couchant in a dusky brake | P |
- | |
She was a gordian shape of dazzling hue | M |
Vermilion spotted golden green and blue | M |
Striped like a zebra freckled like a pard | S |
Eyed like a peacock and all crimson barr d | S |
And full of silver moons that as she breathed | S |
Dissolv d or brighter shone or interwreathed | S |
Their lustres with the gloomier tapestries | A |
So rainbow sided touch d with miseries | A |
She seem d at once some penanced lady elf | T |
Some demon s mistress or the demon s self | T |
Upon her crest she wore a wannish fire | U |
Sprinkled with stars like Ariadne s tiar | U |
Her head was serpent but ah bitter sweet | S |
She had a woman s mouth with all its pearls complete | S |
And for her eyes what could such eyes do there | U |
But weep and weep that they were born so fair | U |
As Proserpine still weeps for her Sicilian air | U |
Her throat was serpent but the words she spake | P |
Came as through bubbling honey for Love s sake | P |
And thus while Hermes on his pinions lay | V |
Like a stoop d falcon ere he takes his prey | V |
- | |
Fair Hermes crown d with feathers fluttering light | S |
I had a splendid dream of thee last night | S |
I saw thee sitting on a throne of gold | S |
Among the Gods upon Olympus old | S |
The only sad one for thou didst not hear | U |
The soft lute finger d Muses chaunting clear | U |
Nor even Apollo when he sang alone | W |
Deaf to his throbbing throat s long long melodious moan | W |
I dreamt I saw thee robed in purple flakes | A |
Break amorous through the clouds as morning breaks | A |
And swiftly as a bright Phoebean dart | S |
Strike for the Cretan isle and here thou art | S |
Too gentle Hermes hast thou found the maid | S |
Whereat the star of Lethe not delay d | S |
His rosy eloquence and thus inquired | S |
Thou smooth lipp d serpent surely high inspired | S |
Thou beauteous wreath with melancholy eyes | A |
Possess whatever bliss thou canst devise | A |
Telling me only where my nymph is fled | S |
Where she doth breathe Bright planet thou hast said | S |
Return d the snake but seal with oaths fair God | S |
I swear said Hermes by my serpent rod | S |
And by thine eyes and by thy starry crown | X |
Light flew his earnest words among the blossoms blown | W |
Then thus again the brilliance feminine | Y |
Too frail of heart for this lost nymph of thine | Z |
Free as the air invisibly she strays | A |
About these thornless wilds her pleasant days | A |
She tastes unseen unseen her nimble feet | S |
Leave traces in the grass and flowers sweet | S |
From weary tendrils and bow d branches green | A2 |
She plucks the fruit unseen she bathes unseen | A2 |
And by my power is her beauty veil d | S |
To keep it unaffronted unassail d | S |
By the love glances of unlovely eyes | A |
Of Satyrs Fauns and blear d Silenus sighs | A |
Pale grew her immortality for woe | B2 |
Of all these lovers and she grieved so | B2 |
I took compassion on her bade her steep | C2 |
Her hair in weird syrops that would keep | C2 |
Her loveliness invisible yet free | S |
To wander as she loves in liberty | S |
Thou shalt behold her Hermes thou alone | W |
If thou wilt as thou swearest grant my boon | D2 |
Then once again the charmed God began | E2 |
An oath and through the serpent s ears it ran | E2 |
Warm tremulous devout psalterian | E2 |
Ravish d she lifted her Circean head | S |
Blush d a live damask and swift lisping said | S |
I was a woman let me have once more | U |
A woman s shape and charming as before | U |
I love a youth of Corinth O the bliss | A |
Give me my woman s form and place me where he is | A |
Stoop Hermes let me breathe upon thy brow | U |
And thou shalt see thy sweet nymph even now | U |
The God on half shut feathers sank serene | E2 |
She breath d upon his eyes and swift was seen | E2 |
Of both the guarded nymph near smiling on the green | E2 |
It was no dream or say a dream it was | A |
Real are the dreams of Gods and smoothly pass | A |
Their pleasures in a long immortal dream | F2 |
One warm flush d moment hovering it might seem | F2 |
Dash d by the wood nymph s beauty so he burn d | S |
Then lighting on the printless verdure turn d | S |
To the swoon d serpent and with languid arm | G2 |
Delicate put to proof the lythe Caducean charm | G2 |
So done upon the nymph his eyes he bent | S |
Full of adoring tears and blandishment | S |
And towards her stept she like a moon in wane | E2 |
Faded before him cower d nor could restrain | E2 |
Her fearful sobs self folding like a flower | U |
That faints into itself at evening hour | U |
But the God fostering her chilled hand | S |
She felt the warmth her eyelids open d bland | S |
And like new flowers at morning song of bees | A |
Bloom d and gave up her honey to the lees | A |
Into the green recessed woods they flew | M |
Nor grew they pale as mortal lovers do | M |
- | |
Left to herself the serpent now began | E2 |
To change her elfin blood in madness ran | E2 |
Her mouth foam d and the grass therewith besprent | M |
Wither d at dew so sweet and virulent | M |
Her eyes in torture fix d and anguish drear | U |
Hot glaz d and wide with lid lashes all sear | U |
Flash d phosphor and sharp sparks without one cooling tear | U |
The colours all inflam d throughout her train | E2 |
She writh d about convuls d with scarlet pain | E2 |
A deep volcanian yellow took the place | A |
Of all her milder mooned body s grace | A |
And as the lava ravishes the mead | M |
Spoilt all her silver mail and golden brede | M |
Made gloom of all her frecklings streaks and bars | A |
Eclips d her crescents and lick d up her stars | A |
So that in moments few she was undrest | M |
Of all her sapphires greens and amethyst | M |
And rubious argent of all these bereft | M |
Nothing but pain and ugliness were left | M |
Still shone her crown that vanish d also she | S |
Melted and disappear d as suddenly | S |
And in the air her new voice l | H2 |
John Keats
(1)
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