The Pheasant And The Lark; A Fable By Dr. Delany Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BC DDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMM NOPPQQMCMMRRSSTTUUVW XXYYZZA2A2B2C2D2D2E2 E2IIMMHHF2YMMCCG2G2H 2H2HHI2J2K2ZF2F2L2L2 HHM2M2CCN2N2HHTTM2M2 BBO2O2CCHHHHHHBBP2P2 Q2Q2P2P2HHZZR2S2BBQ2 Q2P2P2T2T2YYU2U2HHZV 2YYK2ZBBP2P2W2W2P2P2 DDM2M2HH

A
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quis iniquaeB
Tam patiens urbis tam ferreus ut teneat se Juv iC
-
In ancient times as bards inditeD
If clerks have conn'd the records rightD
A peacock reign'd whose glorious swayE
His subjects with delight obeyE
His tail was beauteous to beholdF
Replete with goodly eyes and goldF
Fair emblem of that monarch's guiseG
Whose train at once is rich and wiseG
And princely ruled he many regionsH
And statesmen wise and valiant legionsH
A pheasant lord above the restI
With every grace and talent blestI
Was sent to sway with all his skillJ
The sceptre of a neighbouring hillJ
No science was to him unknownK
For all the arts were all his ownK
In all the living learned readL
Though more delighted with the deadL
For birds if ancient tales say trueM
Had then their Popes and Homers tooM
Could read and write in prose and verseN
And speak like and build like PearceO
He knew their voices and their wingsP
Who smoothest soars who sweetest singsP
Who toils with ill fledged pens to climbQ
And who attain'd the true sublimeQ
Their merits he could well descryM
He had so exquisite an eyeC
And when that fail'd to show them clearM
He had as exquisite an earM
It chanced as on a day he stray'dR
Beneath an academic shadeR
He liked amidst a thousand throatsS
The wildness of a Woodlark's notesS
And search'd and spied and seized his gameT
And took him home and made him tameT
Found him on trial true and ableU
So cheer'd and fed him at his tableU
Here some shrewd critic finds I'm caughtV
And cries out Better fed than taught ThenW
jests on game and tame and readsX
And jests and so my tale proceedsX
Long had he studied in the woodY
Conversing with the wise and goodY
His soul with harmony inspiredZ
With love of truth and virtue firedZ
His brethren's good and Maker's praiseA2
Were all the study of his laysA2
Were all his study in retreatB2
And now employ'd him with the greatC2
His friendship was the sure resortD2
Of all the wretched at the courtD2
But chiefly merit in distressE2
His greatest blessing was to blessE2
This fix'd him in his patron's breastI
But fired with envy all the restI
I mean that noisy craving crewM
Who round the court incessant flewM
And prey'd like rooks by pairs and dozensH
To fill the maws of sons and cousinsH
Unmoved their heart and chill'd their bloodF2
To every thought of common goodY
Confining every hope and careM
To their own low contracted sphereM
These ran him down with ceaseless cryC
But found it hard to tell you whyC
Till his own worth and wit suppliedG2
Sufficient matter to derideG2
'Tis envy's safest surest ruleH2
To hide her rage in ridiculeH2
The vulgar eye she best beguilesH
When all her snakes are deck'd with smilesH
Sardonic smiles by rancour raisedI2
Tormented most when seeming pleasedJ2
Their spite had more than half expiredK2
Had he not wrote what all admiredZ
What morsels had their malice wantedF2
But that he built and plann'd and plantedF2
How had his sense and learning grieved themL2
But that his charity relieved themL2
At highest worth dull malice reachesH
As slugs pollute the fairest peachesH
Envy defames as harpies vileM2
Devour the food they first defileM2
Now ask the fruit of all his favourC
He was not hitherto a saverC
What then could make their rage run madN2
Why what he hoped not what he hadN2
What tyrant e'er invented ropesH
Or racks or rods to punish hopesH
Th' inheritance of hope and fameT
Is seldom Earthly Wisdom's aimT
Or if it were is not so smallM2
But there is room enough for allM2
If he but chance to breathe a songB
He seldom sang and never longB
The noisy rude malignant crowdO2
Where it was high pronounced it loudO2
Plain Truth was Pride and what was sillierC
Easy and Friendly was FamiliarC
Or if he tuned his lofty laysH
With solemn air to Virtue's praiseH
Alike abusive and erroneousH
They call'd it hoarse and inharmoniousH
Yet so it was to souls like theirsH
Tuneless as Abel to the bearsH
A Rook with harsh malignant cawB
Began was follow'd by a DawB
Though some who would be thought to knowP2
Are positive it was a crowP2
Jack Daw was seconded by TitQ2
Tom Tit could write and so he writQ2
A tribe of tuneless praters followP2
The Jay the Magpie and the SwallowP2
And twenty more their throats let looseH
Down to the witless waddling GooseH
Some peck'd at him some flew some flutter'dZ
Some hiss'd some scream'd and others mutter'dZ
The Crow on carrion wont to feastR2
The Carrion Crow condemn'd his tasteS2
The Rook in earnest too not jokingB
Swore all his singing was but croakingB
Some thought they meant to show their witQ2
Might think so still but that they writQ2
Could it be spite or envy NoP2
Who did no ill could have no foeP2
So wise Simplicity esteem'dT2
Quite otherwise True Wisdom deem'dT2
This question rightly understoodY
What more provokes than doing goodY
A soul ennobled and refinedU2
Reproaches every baser mindU2
As strains exalted and melodiousH
Make every meaner music odiousH
At length the Nightingale was heardZ
For voice and wisdom long reveredV2
Esteem'd of all the wise and goodY
The Guardian Genius of the woodY
He long in discontent retiredK2
Yet not obscured but more admiredZ
His brethren's servile souls disdainingB
He lived indignant and complainingB
They now afresh provoke his cholerP2
It seems the Lark had been his scholarP2
A favourite scholar always near himW2
And oft had waked whole nights to hear himW2
Enraged he canvasses the matterP2
Exposes all their senseless chatterP2
Shows him and them in such a lightD
As more inflames yet quells their spiteD
They hear his voice and frighted flyM2
For rage had raised it very highM2
Shamed by the wisdom of his notesH
They hide their heads and hush their throatsH

Jonathan Swift



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