The Ladle. A Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABA CCDDEEFFGG HHIIJDKKLLMMIN OOPPQQRRGG SSTTUUVDV QAWWXXNN YYAANNVVUU NNNNVVZZDDQQA2B2AAYY NNDDQQ B2B2IIB2B2 B2B2B2B2QQ VVIIYY B2B2B2B2QQB2B2C2C2 IIB2B2YYNNYYQQNNVVQQ NNOOGD2NE2 NNVVB2B2EF2 GNNB2B2 SSII VVYY D2D2DDB2B2EEGGThe Sceptics think 'twas long ago | A |
Since gods came down | B |
incognito | A |
- | |
To see who were their friends or foes | C |
And how our actions fell or rose | C |
That since they gave things their beginning | D |
And set this whirligig a spinning | D |
Supine they in their heaven remain | E |
Exempt from passion and from pain | E |
And frankly leave us human elves | F |
To cut and shuffle for ourselves | F |
To stand or walk to rise or tumble | G |
As matter and as motion jumble | G |
- | |
The poets now and painters hold | H |
This thesis both absurd and bold | H |
And your good natured gods they say | I |
Descend some twice or thrice a day | I |
Else all these things we toil so hard in | J |
Would not avail one single farthing | D |
For when the hero we rehearse | K |
To grace his actions and our verse | K |
'Tis not by dint of human thought | L |
That to his Latium he is brought | L |
Iris descends by Fate's commands | M |
To guide his steps through foreign lands | M |
And Amphitrite clears his way | I |
From rocks and quicksands in the sea | N |
- | |
And if you see him in a sketch | O |
Though drawn by Paulo or Carache | O |
He shows not half his force and strength | P |
Strutting in armour and at length | P |
That he may make his proper figure | Q |
The piece must yet be four yards bigger | Q |
The nymphs conduct him to the field | R |
One holds his sword and one his shield | R |
Mars standing by asserts his quarrel | G |
And Fame flies after with a laurel | G |
- | |
These points I say of speculation | S |
As 'twere to save or sink the nation | S |
Men idly learned will dispute | T |
Assert object confirm refute | T |
Each mighty angry mighty right | U |
With equal arms sustains the fight | U |
Till now no umpire can agree 'em | V |
So both draw off and sing | D |
Te Deum | V |
- | |
- | |
Is it in equilibrio | Q |
If deities descend or no | A |
Then let th' affirmative prevail | W |
As requisite to form my Tale | W |
For by all parties 'tis confess'd | X |
That those opinions are the best | X |
Which in their nature most conduce | N |
To present ends and private use | N |
- | |
Two gods came therefore from above | Y |
One Mercury the other Jove | Y |
The humour was it seems to know | A |
If all the favours they bestow | A |
Could from our own perverseness ease us | N |
And if our wish enjoy'd would please us | N |
Discoursing largely on this theme | V |
O'er hills and dales their godships came | V |
Till well nigh tired at almost night | U |
They thought it proper to alight | U |
- | |
Not here that it as true as odd is | N |
That in disguise a god or goddess | N |
Exerts no supernatural powers | N |
But acts on maxims much like ours | N |
They spied at last a country farm | V |
Where all was snug and clean and warm | V |
For woods before and hills behind | Z |
Secured it both from rain and wind | Z |
Large oxen in the field were lowing | D |
Good grain was sow'd good fruit was growing | D |
Of last year's corn in barns great store | Q |
Fat turkeys gobbling at the door | Q |
And Wealth in short with Peace consented | A2 |
That people here should live contented | B2 |
But did they in effect do so | A |
Have patience friend and thou shalt know | A |
The honest farmer and his wife | Y |
To years declined from prime of life | Y |
Had struggled with the marriage noose | N |
As almost every couple does | N |
Sometimes my plague sometimes my darling | D |
Kissing to day to morrow snarling | D |
Jointly submitting to endure | Q |
That evil which admits no cure | Q |
- | |
Our gods the outward gates unbarr'd | B2 |
Our farmer met 'em in the yard | B2 |
Thought they were folks that lost their way | I |
And ask'd them civilly to stay | I |
Told 'em for supper or for bed | B2 |
They might go on and be worse sped | B2 |
- | |
So said so done the gods consent | B2 |
All three into the parlour went | B2 |
They compliment they sit they chat | B2 |
Fight o'er the wars reform the state | B2 |
A thousand knotty points they clear | Q |
Till supper and my wife appear | Q |
- | |
Jove made his leg and kiss'd the dame | V |
Obsequious Hermes did the same | V |
Jove kiss'd the farmer's wife you say | I |
He did but in an honest way | I |
Oh not with half that warmth and life | Y |
With which he kiss'd Amphitryon's wife | Y |
- | |
Well then things handsomely were served | B2 |
My mistress for the strangers carved | B2 |
How strong the beer how good the meat | B2 |
How loud they laughed how much they eat | B2 |
In epic sumptuous would appear | Q |
Yet shall be pass'd in silence here | Q |
For I should grieve to have it said | B2 |
That by a fine description led | B2 |
I made my episode too long | C2 |
Or tired my friend to grace my song | C2 |
- | |
The grace cup served the cloth away | I |
Jove thought it time to show his play | I |
Landlord and landlady he cried | B2 |
Folly and jesting laid aside | B2 |
That ye thus hospitably live | Y |
And strangers with good cheer receive | Y |
Is mighty grateful to your betters | N |
And make e'en gods themselves your debtors | N |
To give this thesis plainer proof | Y |
You have to night beneath your roof | Y |
A pair of gods nay never wonder | Q |
This youth can fly and I can thunder | Q |
I'm Jupiter and he Mercurius | N |
My page my son indeed but spurious | N |
Form then three wishes you and Madam | V |
And sure as you already had 'em | V |
The things desired in half an hour | Q |
Shall all be here and in your power | Q |
- | |
Thank ye great Gods the woman says | N |
Oh may your altars ever blaze | N |
A ladle for our silver dish | O |
Is what I want is what I wish | O |
A ladle cries the man a ladle | G |
'Odzooks Corsica you have pray'd ill | D2 |
What should be great you turn to farce | N |
I wish the ladle in your a | E2 |
- | |
With equal grief and shame my Muse | N |
The sequel of the tale pursues | N |
The ladle fell into the room | V |
And struck in old Corsica's bum | V |
Our couple weep two wishes past | B2 |
And kindly join to form the last | B2 |
To ease the woman's awkward pain | E |
And get the ladle out again | F2 |
- | |
Moral | G |
This commoner has worth and parts | N |
Is praised for arms or loved for arts | N |
His head aches for a coronet | B2 |
And who is bless'd that is not great | B2 |
- | |
Some sense and more estate kind Heaven | S |
To this well lotted peer has given | S |
What then he must have rule and sway | I |
And all is wrong till he's in play | I |
- | |
The miser must make up his plum | V |
And dares not touch the hoarded sum | V |
The sickly dotard wants a wife | Y |
To draw off his last dregs of life | Y |
- | |
Against our peace we arm our will | D2 |
Amidst our plenty something still | D2 |
For horses houses pictures planting | D |
To thee to me to him is wanting | D |
That cruel something unpossess'd | B2 |
Corrodes and leavens all the rest | B2 |
That something if we could obtain | E |
Would soon create a future pain | E |
And to the coffin from the cradle | G |
'Tis all a wish and all a Ladle | G |
Matthew Prior
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