The Ladle. A Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme

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The 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

The Ladle. A Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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