A Dream Of Bric-a-brac Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BBCDEE FFBBGG HHIIJJKK ALALEEEE EMEMNANAEEEEHHOHPPQQ EERR AEAEESEESBBHHAATUVVW WWCCXXAEAEEBHBHYYZZ A2A2B2B2AABBEEEEC2B2 C2B2EE B2B2AAEED2B2D2B2B2B2 EEB2B2AAEEEEDDB2B2CC B2AAB2B2E2B2E2

C K loquiturA
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I dreamed I was in fair NiphonB
Amid tea fields I journeyed onB
Reclined in my jinrikishawC
Across the rolling plains I sawD
The lordly Fusi yama riseE
His blue cone lost in bluer skiesE
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At last I bade my bearers stopF
Before what seemed a china shopF
I roused myself and entered inB
A fearful joy like some sweet sinB
Pierced through my bosom as I gazedG
Entranced transported and amazedG
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For all the house was but one roomH
And in its clear and grateful gloomH
Filled with all odours strange and strongI
That to the wondrous East belongI
I saw above around belowJ
A sight to make the warm heart glowJ
And leave the eager soul no lackK
An endless wealth of bric a bracK
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I saw bronze statues old and rareA
Fashioned by no mere mortal skillL
With robes that fluttered in the airA
Blown out by Art's eternal willL
And delicate ivory netsukesE
Richer in tone than Cheddar cheeseE
Of saints and hermits cats and dogsE
Grim warriors and ecstatic frogsE
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And here and there those wondrous masksE
More living flesh than sandal woodM
Where the full soul in pleasure basksE
And dreams of love the only goodM
The walls were all with pictures hungN
Gay villas bright in rain washed airA
Trees to whose boughs brown monkeys clungN
Outlineless dabs of fuzzy hairA
And all about the opulent shelvesE
Littered with porcelain beyond priceE
Imari pots arrayed themselvesE
Beside Ming dishes grain of riceE
Vied with the Royal SatsumaH
Proud of its sallow ivory beamH
And Kaga's Thousand Hermits layO
Tranced in some punch bowl's golden gleamH
Over bronze censers black with ageP
The five clawed dragons strife engageP
A curled and insolent Dog of FooQ
Sniffs at the smoke aspiring throughQ
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In what old days in what far landsE
What busy brains what cunning handsE
With what quaint speech what alien thoughtR
Strange fellow men these marvels wroughtR
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As thus I mused I was awareA
There grew before my eager eyesE
A little maid too bright and fairA
Too strangely lovely for surpriseE
It seemed the beauty of the placeE
Had suddenly become concreteS
So full was she of Orient graceE
From her slant eyes and burnished faceE
Down to her little gold bronzed feetS
She was a girl of old JapanB
Her small hand held a gilded fanB
Which scattered fragrance through the roomH
Her cheek was rich with pallid bloomH
Her eye was dark with languid fireA
Her red lips breathed a vague desireA
Her teeth of pearl inviolateT
Sweetly proclaimed her maiden stateU
Her garb was stiff with broidered goldV
Twined with mysterious fold on foldV
That gave no hint where hidden wellW
Her dainty form might warmly dwellW
A pearl within too large a shellW
So quaint so short so lissome sheC
It seemed as if it well might beC
Some jocose god with sportive whirlX
Had taken up a long lithe girlX
And tied a graceful knot in herA
I tried to speak and found oh blissE
I needed no interpreterA
I knew the Japanese for kissE
I had no other thought but thisE
And she with smile and blush divineB
Kind to my stammering prayer did seemH
My thought was hers and hers was mineB
In the swift logic of my dreamH
My arms clung round her slender waistY
Through gold and silk the form I tracedY
And glad as rain that follows drouthZ
I kissed and kissed her bright red mouthZ
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What ailed the girl No loving sighA2
Heaved the round bosom in her eyeA2
Trembled no tear from her dear throatB2
Bubbled a sweet and silvery noteB2
Of girlish laughter shrill and clearA
That all the statues seemed to hearA
The bronzes tinkled laughter fineB
I heard a chuckle argentineB
Ring from the silver imagesE
Even the ivory netsukesE
Uttered in every silent pauseE
Dry bony laughs from tiny jawsE
The painted monkeys on the wallC2
Waked up with chatter impudentB2
Pottery porcelain bronze and allC2
Broke out in ghostly merrimentB2
Faint as rain pattering on dry leavesE
Or cricket's chirp on summer evesE
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And suddenly upon my sightB2
There grew a portent left and rightB2
On every side as if the airA
Had taken substance then and thereA
In every sort of form and faceE
A throng of tourists filled the placeE
I saw a Frenchman's sneering shrugD2
A German countess in one handB2
A sky blue string which held a pugD2
With the other a fiery face she fannedB2
A Yankee with a soft felt hatB2
A Coptic priest from AraratB2
An English girl with cheeks of roseE
A Nihilist with Socratic noseE
Paddy from Cork with baggage lightB2
And pockets stuffed with dynamiteB2
A haughty Southern ReadjusterA
Wrapped in his pride and linen dusterA
Two noisy New York stockbrokersE
And twenty British globe trottersE
To my disgust and vast surpriseE
They turned on me lack lustre eyesE
And each with dropped and wagging jawD
Burst out into a wild guffawD
They laughed with huge mouths opened wideB2
They roared till each one held his sideB2
They screamed and writhed with brutal gleeC
With fingers rudely stretched to meC
Till lo at once the laughter diedB2
The tourists faded into airA
None but my fair maid lingered thereA
Who stood demurely by my sideB2
Who were your friends I asked the maidB2
Taking a tea cup from its shelfE2
This audience is disclosed she saidB2
Whenever a man makes a fool of himselfE2

John Milton Hay



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About A Dream Of Bric-a-brac

A Dream Of Bric-a-brac is a poem by John Milton Hay. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.



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