The Smoker's Year Book Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCCDDEEFFCC A GGHHIIJJEEKK L JJCCCCCCMMNN O PPHHQQRRAACC S TTCCUUQQVVWW X XXEEYYZZCCCC A2 B2B2CCC2C2CCD2ACC M VVTTE2E2F2F2G2G2AC V CCH2H2CCXXI2I2CC V VVJ2J2CCZZJ2J2ZZ V K2K2CCD2D2L2L2B2B2M2 N2 V CCCCUUCCO2IP2PJANUARY | A |
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Now Time the harvester surveys | B |
His sorry crops of yesterdays | B |
Of trampled hopes and reaped regrets | C |
And for another harvest whets | C |
His ancient scythe eying the while | D |
The budding year with cynic smile | D |
Well let him smile in snug retreat | E |
I fill my pipe with honeyed sweet | E |
Whose incense wafted from the bowl | F |
Shall make warm sunshine in my soul | F |
And conjure mid the fragrant haze | C |
Fair memories of other days | C |
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FEBRUARY | A |
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Bend you now before the shrine | G |
Of the good Saint Valentine | G |
Show to him your broken heart | H |
Pray the Saint to take your part | H |
Should he intercede in vain | I |
And the maid your heart disdain | I |
Call upon Saint Nicotine | J |
He will surely intervene | J |
Bring burnt off'ring to his feet | E |
Incense of Havana sweet | E |
Then the maiden's shade invoke | K |
It will disappear in smoke | K |
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MARCH | L |
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Here comes bluff March a cross between | J |
A Jester and a Libertine | J |
He loves to make the parson race | C |
With wicked words his hat to chase | C |
To dye with compromising rose | C |
The pious man's abstemious nose | C |
The ladies hate him though he shows | C |
A pretty taste for silken hose | C |
The smoker views him with distrust | M |
Shielding his last match from his gust | M |
But once alight his holy joy | N |
No blast from Heaven can destroy | N |
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APRIL | O |
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Lady April it is clear | P |
Is the spoilt child of the Year | P |
See her tears about to start | H |
Thus she melts old Winter's heart | H |
Now the gay deceiving thing | Q |
Turns and plays the deuce with Spring | Q |
Winter lingers at her gate | R |
Spring grows chilly and irate | R |
I'd go home if I were he | A |
It is just such girls as she | A |
Make a fellow thank his stars | C |
For the solace of cigars | C |
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MAY | S |
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Like Brunhilda May is won | T |
By the kisses of the Sun | T |
Siegfried like the maid he takes | C |
In his arms and she awakes | C |
To the tender piping sound | U |
Of the birds while all around | U |
In a magic fire ring | Q |
Purple flames of Crocus spring | Q |
Now I fill my fragrant briar | V |
Lo it glows with gentle fire | V |
Wafting scented wreaths of love | W |
To the little leaves above | W |
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JUNE | X |
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What so rare as a day in June | X |
Thus I heard the poet croon | X |
To the month of roses sweet | E |
His song with barometric feet | E |
Perfect days I own are rare | Y |
All depends on how you fare | Y |
Can a day be perfect to | Z |
The rose that has not sipped the dew | Z |
Can the Bee do you suppose | C |
Hum that has not sipped the rose | C |
Can there be for Man I say | C |
Without a smoke a perfect day | C |
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JULY | A2 |
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Red rockets skyward rush pell mell | B2 |
And fill the night with noise and smell | B2 |
The stars of Heaven look down and say | C |
So this is Independence Day | C |
Poor earth born stars it makes us sad | C2 |
To see your fire work like mad | C2 |
To make a Human Holiday | C |
Where is your independence pray | C |
Whereat I woke my fire was low | D2 |
My pipe was out Said I Heigho | A |
I never thought of it that way | C |
I'll give them both a holiday | C |
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AUGUST | M |
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Drowsing o'er my sainted briar | V |
Dreaming dreams of Heart's Desire | V |
Dreaming 'neath the August sun | T |
Thus my meditations run | T |
What if that great Ember bright | E2 |
Were a monster Pipe alight | E2 |
Or the glowing from afar | F2 |
Of some Fire God's cigar | F2 |
If the Smoker's Peace abide | G2 |
In that sun fire multiplied | G2 |
By its vastness I will be | A |
Henceforth a devout Parsee | C |
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SEPTEMBER | V |
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As the smoker sometimes sees | C |
In Nicotian reveries | C |
Features of some Lovely Girl | H2 |
In the tinted wreaths that curl | H2 |
From his pipe so as we gaze | C |
Through the soft September haze | C |
In the years' calm afternoon | X |
Red with summer's ashes strewn | X |
Through the tender veil of mist | I2 |
Woven gold and amethyst | I2 |
Summer's charming ghost we see | C |
Decked in Indian panoply | C |
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OCTOBER | V |
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Say October how in thunder | V |
Do you keep so young I wonder | V |
You're no chicken and you know it | J2 |
Yet old man for all you show it | J2 |
You might on a sunny day | C |
Pass for April or for May | C |
See your house is falling round you | Z |
Yet you're laughing say confound you | Z |
What's the secret How'd you do it | J2 |
Mist and moisture Ah I knew it | J2 |
A pipe A mug October brew | Z |
Fill up October here's to you | Z |
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NOVEMBER | V |
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Who's that pedler at the door | K2 |
What November back once more | K2 |
Why it seems but yesterday | C |
That he took himself away | C |
Say I'm out Tell him to go | D2 |
He has nothing new to show | D2 |
Same old lay out every trip | L2 |
Same Pneumonia same old Grippe | L2 |
Same old Hard Luck tales to tell | B2 |
Same Thanksgiving Day oh well | B2 |
Show him in then stir the log | M2 |
And bring church warden pipes and grog | N2 |
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DECEMBER | V |
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Proudly beams the Christmas Tree | C |
In its tinsel finery | C |
Round and round in sprightly pairs | C |
Children dance to old time airs | C |
Though they laugh they make no sound | U |
Dancing still they tread no ground | U |
Naught but airy phantoms they | C |
Of a vanished Christmas Day | C |
Ancient playmates found again | O2 |
In a smoke wreath's purple skein | I |
And they whisper in my ear | P2 |
Does Christmas still come once a year | P |
Oliver Herford
(1)
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