A Tale Of A Nettle[1] Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDEFGHHIIJKLLMM MMNNOPHHJJQRSSHHTTUU HVWXMMYYYYZA2II| A man with expense and infinite toil | A |
| By digging and dunging ennobled his soil | A |
| There fruits of the best your taste did invite | B |
| And uniform order still courted the sight | B |
| No degenerate weeds the rich ground did produce | C |
| But all things afforded both beauty and use | C |
| Till from dunghill transplanted while yet but a seed | D |
| A nettle rear'd up his inglorious head | E |
| The gard'ner would wisely have rooted him up | F |
| To stop the increase of a barbarous crop | G |
| But the master forbid him and after the fashion | H |
| Of foolish good nature and blind moderation | H |
| Forbore him through pity and chose as much rather | I |
| To ask him some questions first how he came thither | I |
| Kind sir quoth the nettle a stranger I come | J |
| For conscience compell'd to relinquish my home | K |
| 'Cause I wouldn't subscribe to a mystery dark | L |
| That the prince of all trees is the Jesuit's bark | L |
| An erroneous tenet I know sir that you | M |
| No more than myself will allow to be true | M |
| To you I for refuge and sanctuary sue | M |
| There's none so renown'd for compassion as you | M |
| And though in some things I may differ from these | N |
| The rest of your fruitful and beautiful trees | N |
| Though your digging and dunging my nature much harms | O |
| And I cannot comply with your garden in forms | P |
| Yet I and my family after our fashion | H |
| Will peaceably stick to our own education | H |
| Be pleased to allow them a place for to rest 'em | J |
| For the rest of your trees we will never molest 'em | J |
| A kind shelter to us and protection afford | Q |
| We'll do you no harm sir I'll give you my word | R |
| The good man was soon won by this plausible tale | S |
| So fraud on good nature doth often prevail | S |
| He welcomes his guest gives him free toleration | H |
| In the midst of his garden to take up his station | H |
| And into his breast doth his enemy bring | T |
| He little suspected the nettle could sting | T |
| 'Till flush'd with success and of strength to be fear'd | U |
| Around him a numerous offspring he rear'd | U |
| Then the master grew sensible what he had done | H |
| And fain he would have his new guest to be gone | V |
| But now 'twas too late to bid him turn out | W |
| A well rooted possession already was got | X |
| The old trees decay'd and in their room grew | M |
| A stubborn pestilent poisonous crew | M |
| The master who first the young brood had admitted | Y |
| They stung like ingrates and left him unpitied | Y |
| No help from manuring or planting was found | Y |
| The ill weeds had eat out the heart of the ground | Y |
| All weeds they let in and none they refuse | Z |
| That would join to oppose the good man of the house | A2 |
| Thus one nettle uncropp'd increased to such store | I |
| That 'twas nothing but weeds what was garden before | I |
Jonathan Swift
(1)
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A Tale Of A Nettle[1] is a poem by Jonathan Swift. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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