Wood Dreams Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCCDAEFEFFGHHGE FIFIIJKKJF LCLCCMNLOL PQPQQRCCRP SCSCCTUUTS CBCBBFFFFC VWVWWKXXKV FYFYYZFFZF COCOOA2FFA2C EOEOOB2CCB2B2 LLLLLF C2OOD2L B2A2B2A2A2OOOOB2 OB2OB2B2COOCO FOFOOLFFLF OTOTTE2FFE2O

About the time when bluebells swingA
Their elfin belfries for the beeB
And in the fragrant House of SpringA
Wild Music moves and FantasyB
Sits weaving webs of witcheryC
And Beauty's self in silence leansD
Above the brook and through her hairC
Beholds her face reflected thereC
And wonders what the vision meansD
About the time when bluebells swingA
I found a path of glooms and gleamsE
A way that Childhood oft has goneF
That leads into the Wood of DreamsE
Where as of old dwell Fay and FaunF
And Fa rie dances until dawnF
And Elfland calls from her blue caveG
Or starbright on her snow white steedH
Rides blowing on a silver reedH
That Magic follows like a slaveG
I found a path of glooms and gleamsE
-
And in that Wood I came againF
On old enchantments There beholdI
I saw them pass a kingly trainF
Fable and Legend wise and oldI
In garb of glimmering green and goldI
While far away forgotten bellsJ
And horns of Fa rie made faint soundK
And all the anxious heaven aroundK
And earth grew gossamered with spellsJ
And whirled with ouphen feet againF
-
And lo I saw the ancient HallL
Of Story rise where Dreams conspireC
With Words and Music to enthrallL
The Yearning of the soul's desireC
Holding it fast with charm d fireC
Where Glamour bows in servitudeM
And Lord of Ecstasy and AweN
Song with his henchmen Lore and LawL
Sits 'mid the mighty BrotherhoodO
Of Beauty in that twilight HallL
-
Then far away the forest rangP
With something more than bugle callsQ
A voice a summons wild that sangP
As if Adventure in his hallsQ
Awoke or Daring on the wallsQ
Shouted to Youth to take his standR
Before the wizard guarded towerC
Where Love within her secret bowerC
Beckons him on with moon white handR
Why was it that the forest rangP
-
And then I knew It was my SpriteS
My Witch whose spells had led me farC
Who held me with the old delightS
And drew my soul beyond the barC
Of all the real like a starC
How long ago how far that dayT
Since first I met her in the wildU
And on my face her white face smiledU
And my child fears she soothed awayT
Ay ay 'twas she my airy SpriteS
-
And on my heart again the hourC
Flashed as when first she gazed at meB
Her loveliness clothed on with powerC
And joy and godlike mysteryB
A portion of Earth's ecstasyB
Again I felt in ways unknownF
Down in my soul a memory wakenF
Of some far kiss once given and takenF
That made me hers her very ownF
Once every year for one brief hourC
-
A Dryad laughed among the treesV
A Naiad flashed with limbs a sparkW
A Satyr reached rough arms to seizeV
A Faun foot danced adown the darkW
To music of rude pipes of barkW
Earth crowded all its shapes aroundK
Myths bare and beautiful of breastX
'Mid whom pursuing passion pressedX
Wild Pan like leaping from the groundK
A Dryad laughed among the treesV
-
Then Elfdom in a starlike rainF
To right and left rose blossoms slimY
And urged its Joy in twinkling trainF
Down many a flower and rainbow rimY
Of moonbeam Fancy sat with WhimY
And from the ferns gleamed glowworm eyesZ
Where Fa rie held its Court and greenF
An impish spirit ran betweenF
With Puck like laughter of surpriseZ
And firefly flickerings wild as rainF
-
Then suddenly a light that grewC
And in the light my Witch who stoodO
As crystal evident as dewC
Weaving a spell that made the woodO
Take on a dream's similitudeO
And lo through radiance and perfumeA2
I saw Romance crowned with a crownF
And Chivalry come riding downF
On two great steeds all gold and gloomA2
Round whom the splendor grew and grewC
-
And of the Dream the forest dreamsE
Again my soul becomes a partO
Again my magic armor gleamsE
Again beneath its steel my heartO
Throbs all impatient for the startO
Again the towers of Time and ChanceB2
Loom grimly where forever fairC
Wrapped in the glory of her hairC
Beauty lies bound by NecromanceB2
The Beauty that we know in dreamsB2
-
And as before again I smileL
Delaying still to break the spellL
Facing the gateway of old GuileL
Where hangs the slug horn that shall knellL
Defiance to the Courts of HellL
'Then Elfdom in a starlike rainF
To right and left rose blossom slim '-
What though around me torch on torchC2
The eyes of Danger glowering waitO
What though Death heaves a sword of hateO
Beneath the gate's enchanted archD2
I raise the horn again and smileL
-
What now O Night shall make me pauseB2
I face the darkness of the tombA2
That stirs with clank of iron clawsB2
And threatenngs of gigantic doomA2
The monster in the granite gloomA2
And then full in the face of NightO
I hurl my challenge blast on blastO
The drawbridge thunders and the vastO
Echoes with batlike wings in flightO
There is no thing to give me pauseB2
-
My heart sings bounding to its questO
I mount the stairs to where she sleepsB2
A rose upon her brow and breastO
And in her long hair's golden deepsB2
The glory of the youth she keepsB2
I kneel again I clasp her thereC
I kiss her mouth but lo beholdO
Her beauty crumbles into moldO
'And all the castle goes in airC
And with it all my heart's high questO
-
And in the wood I wake againF
The Dream is gone as is the childO
Who followed far in rapture's trainF
And by a vision was beguiledO
The Witch the Presence undefiledO
Whose call still sounds o'er holt and hollowL
An elfin bugle in the mornF
And in the eve a faery hornF
Bidding the dreaming heart to followL
The child in man that hears againF
-
For what we dream is never lostO
Dreams mold the soul within the clayT
The rapture and the pentecostO
Of beauty shape our lives some wayT
They are the beam the guiding rayT
That Nature dowers us with at birthE2
And like the light upon the crownF
Of some dark hill that towers downF
Point us to Heaven not to EarthE2
Above the world where dreams are lostO

Madison Julius Cawein



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