Christ At Carnival Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCCDDEECCFG HIJKLMNKFFK OPOQRSPOS TUVUTTBBUKNKK VWVWXXWXWYYZXZXA2A2A 2B2B2 IRKINC2D2E2F2E2F2A XXAG2H2I2I2J2J2H2H2K 2L2M2WM2WN2O2P2XQ2X RXRR2S2NKS2QS2QE2 T2N2E2QU2N2E2S2QE2QS 2S2S2S2S2V2S2QW2QX2W 2X2 E2Y2Y2E2QS2QZ2S2A2S2 A3S2A3S2S2E2S2E2 S2S2KB3CQCQL2L2 WS2WC3S2S2C3S2S2E2S2 S2S2S2S2S2S2S2S2 J2J2D3D3AAS2QX2B3THE hand of carnival was at my door | A |
I listened to its knocking and sped down | B |
Faith was forgotten Duty led no more | A |
I heard a wonton revelry in the town | B |
The Carnival ran in my veins like fire | C |
And some unfrustrable desire | C |
Goaded me on to catch the roses thrown | D |
From breast to breast and with my own | D |
Fugitive kiss to snatch the fugitive kiss | E |
I broke all faith for this | E |
One wild and worthless hour | C |
To dance to run to beckon as a flower | C |
Maddens the bee with half surrendering | F |
Then flies back in the air with petals shut | G |
- | |
Fainting with laughter and pursuit | H |
I heard shrill winds leap out and sink again | I |
Tracking the green bed where the Spring hath lain | J |
And vanished from whose feet made audible | K |
Music among the tall trees on the hill | L |
Above me leaned a nightingale | M |
Burdened and big with song whose throat let fall | N |
Long notes so poignant and so musical | K |
I deemed his young mate listening | F |
Heard him less passionately sing | F |
Than I a foot at Carnival | K |
- | |
Above the town swart Night came rolling in | O |
Upon her couch of heliotrope | P |
A new Moon young and thin | O |
Lay like a Columbine | Q |
Teasing the spent hill her old Harlequin | R |
She who of late waned on the bitter sky | S |
Furtive and old a woman without hope | P |
Begging in long familiar streets where Sin | O |
Once seeking her now shuddered and went by | S |
- | |
Caught in the meshes of a merry throng | T |
I stumbled through the lighted Market Place | U |
The lanterns swung an undetermined rose | V |
In Night's convulsive face | U |
As we were swept along | T |
In crazy dance and song | T |
On through the mirth mad alleys of the town | B |
With shrill loud laughter tumbled roughly down | B |
Whirled up in swift embrace | U |
All all went swinging swaying in the revel | K |
Laughing and reeling kissing each and all | N |
A crowd that wildest jesting did dishevel | K |
O mad night of Carnival | K |
- | |
Racing along the last mean street that goes | V |
From house to house to find the mountain track | W |
I loosed their hands to catch a rose | V |
Flung from some casement swiftly they turned back | W |
With gusty laughter their wild mates to greet | X |
Swift as the footless wind along the wheat | X |
Fainter and fainter grew their revelling | W |
Deserted of a sudden lay the street | X |
Silence fell on me like a famished thing | W |
Making my soul aware of one who stood | Y |
Beside me one who wore a monkish hood | Y |
I stared as one who sees | Z |
Beneath the thin and settled sheet | X |
Over still mysteries | Z |
Faint outline of belov d hands and feet | X |
Too little loved and now too dead to care | A2 |
And suddenly becomes aware | A2 |
That more than Death lies there | A2 |
That from this piteous and submissive change | B2 |
Something has risen terrible and strange | B2 |
- | |
Why fell my roses What fear drove me then | I |
To question him Who art thou citizen | R |
Fainter and fainter grows the Carnival | K |
Wilt thou lock hands and turn with me again | I |
He answered not but let the hood half fall | N |
Showing a thorn plait on a forehead marred | C2 |
Trembling I cried Who art thou Lord | D2 |
As thou sayest I am He | E2 |
How long upn my cross am I to bleed | F2 |
For thee still to deny me utterly | E2 |
Is not the hour yet come that I be freed | F2 |
How long am I to listen at thy door | A |
- | |
Stricken in soul I fell against his feet | X |
In rose disorderd street | X |
Weeping I have not heard Thy foot before | A |
He answered He who hears | G2 |
Loud noise of Carnival about his ears | H2 |
How shall he heed the foot with silence shod | I2 |
Or listen for the small still voice of God | I2 |
What is thy life | J2 |
Is thy sword stained in any splended strife | J2 |
Hast thou in all thy safe unshaken years | H2 |
Once thrown thyself upon Night's ambushed spears | H2 |
Or broken with thy tears | K2 |
Thy heart against the Dawn's feet any day | L2 |
Hast thou spurned | M2 |
Any earthly perishable sweet thing | W |
To bear another's burden Hast thou learned | M2 |
At any knee but Folly's trafficing | W |
With every sweet delight that said thee 'yea' | N2 |
Oft hast thy goaded men to kiss thy mouth | O2 |
The flower of thy youth | P2 |
Thou hast rendered up to any wind that's fleet | X |
But hast thou ever hastened to the Cross | Q2 |
To kiss My saving feet | X |
- | |
Thou knowest Lord thou knowest I have not striven | R |
I made life easy profitable sweet | X |
I have not loved much or been much forgiven | R |
Of all a woman's vows the holiest | R2 |
To children that were posies at my breast | S2 |
I have forsworn to night forsaking all | N |
The ways of God to dance at Carnival | K |
What have I now to offer Thee Who deignest | S2 |
To seek for grape on such unfruitful vine | Q |
Who with such sinful head Thy bosom stainest | S2 |
He said The last allegiance will be Mine | Q |
Leave all and follow Me | E2 |
- | |
Nay but my little children sleep at home | T2 |
Beside their father I would say good bye | N2 |
He answered Was there any time for Me | E2 |
To make My farewells in Gethsemane | Q |
Or any lips to take last kisses from | U2 |
Knowest thou not that I can satisfy | N2 |
All creatures I make Mine shall I not be | E2 |
Thy priest blessing for thee the common bread | S2 |
Till the white flesh divine | Q |
Quicken against thy lip and hallow d | E2 |
The blood beat through the wine | Q |
I would have all thou hast | S2 |
Be all thou art | S2 |
I would claim all thy present future past | S2 |
For My dispis d heart | S2 |
For Me thou shalt all other creatures hate | S2 |
My seven wounds thou shalt assuage | V2 |
With mouth inviolate | S2 |
O pardoning love I wept O love divine | Q |
That such as thou shouldst ask of such | W2 |
I am Thine all Thine | Q |
Casting here at Thy feet despis d Thou | X2 |
All other loves that used to mean so much | W2 |
All other hopes that mean so little now | X2 |
- | |
From a side alley dumb to revelry | E2 |
Came the low sound of weeping then my name | Y2 |
A beggar came | Y2 |
Out of the heaving dark and spake to me | E2 |
How knowest thou Christ I answered By the thorn | Q |
Nay but the thorn tree grows in every wood | S2 |
For any brow forsworn | Q |
The other whispered Thou art tempted here | Z2 |
For my sake but the beggar's voice came fleet | S2 |
As pain Three crosses did that hillside bear | A2 |
Not Christ alone hath wounded hands and feet | S2 |
Dost thou believe | A3 |
That every pierced hand stretched to thee is Christ | S2 |
Shall not some thief inpenitent deceive | A3 |
At some strange shrine wilt thou be sacrificed | S2 |
The other whispered Shall thy faith be led | S2 |
So soon a traitor child For such as he | E2 |
Trample me every day The beggar said | S2 |
Nay wast thou spit upon in Galilee | E2 |
- | |
Wildly I cried Oh from this hallowed street | S2 |
Go thy way beggar take thine apostate feet | S2 |
From this poor temple on whose pinnacle | K |
Christ in His Love doth not disdain to dwell | B3 |
Who doth confer | C |
Glory on things inglorious nor doth shun | Q |
But bids an angel to Him minister | C |
Albeit a fallen one | Q |
And if thou canst not pray | L2 |
Leave me my prayer at least and go thy way | L2 |
- | |
Swift were Christ's feet the mountain road along | W |
A swift as they my soul beside them fled | S2 |
Keeping fleet measure to the strong | W |
Unshatterable music of His words | C3 |
That in my hard heart made | S2 |
Exquisite wounds that sang the while they bled | S2 |
Like little tam d birds | C3 |
O Holy One I break here at Thy feet | S2 |
The perfume of my soul like Magdalen's sweet | S2 |
Spilled ointment knewest Thou who gather d | E2 |
Those holy spices What dishevelled night | S2 |
What lust profaning every temple rite | S2 |
To toss the gold of her sweet shameless head | S2 |
Had eased from priestly hands the spikenard | S2 |
That made her soiled garments smell of God | S2 |
Thou did accept that sweetness when she kneeled | S2 |
That holy myrrh spilled from the soul and shard | S2 |
Nor didst disdain by her to be unshod | S2 |
Nay Thy world wounded feet her tresses healed | S2 |
- | |
So here I gather sweets of all my life | J2 |
Treasure for which sin waged unworthy strife | J2 |
Holding as one who guilty pleasure wins | D3 |
Yea even all my sins my little sins | D3 |
My loves and penitences foes no more | A |
At strife with Thee for me Oh bid me pour | A |
My spirit's perfume I have wept and kissed | S2 |
Those feet grown weary following what men | Q |
Caught up so easily upon this brow | X2 |
Be shed the gl | B3 |
Muriel Stuart
(1)
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