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 CCCCUUCCO2IP2P

JANUARYA
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Now Time the harvester surveysB
His sorry crops of yesterdaysB
Of trampled hopes and reaped regretsC
And for another harvest whetsC
His ancient scythe eying the whileD
The budding year with cynic smileD
Well let him smile in snug retreatE
I fill my pipe with honeyed sweetE
Whose incense wafted from the bowlF
Shall make warm sunshine in my soulF
And conjure mid the fragrant hazeC
Fair memories of other daysC
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FEBRUARYA
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Bend you now before the shrineG
Of the good Saint ValentineG
Show to him your broken heartH
Pray the Saint to take your partH
Should he intercede in vainI
And the maid your heart disdainI
Call upon Saint NicotineJ
He will surely interveneJ
Bring burnt off'ring to his feetE
Incense of Havana sweetE
Then the maiden's shade invokeK
It will disappear in smokeK
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MARCHL
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Here comes bluff March a cross betweenJ
A Jester and a LibertineJ
He loves to make the parson raceC
With wicked words his hat to chaseC
To dye with compromising roseC
The pious man's abstemious noseC
The ladies hate him though he showsC
A pretty taste for silken hoseC
The smoker views him with distrustM
Shielding his last match from his gustM
But once alight his holy joyN
No blast from Heaven can destroyN
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APRILO
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Lady April it is clearP
Is the spoilt child of the YearP
See her tears about to startH
Thus she melts old Winter's heartH
Now the gay deceiving thingQ
Turns and plays the deuce with SpringQ
Winter lingers at her gateR
Spring grows chilly and irateR
I'd go home if I were heA
It is just such girls as sheA
Make a fellow thank his starsC
For the solace of cigarsC
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MAYS
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Like Brunhilda May is wonT
By the kisses of the SunT
Siegfried like the maid he takesC
In his arms and she awakesC
To the tender piping soundU
Of the birds while all aroundU
In a magic fire ringQ
Purple flames of Crocus springQ
Now I fill my fragrant briarV
Lo it glows with gentle fireV
Wafting scented wreaths of loveW
To the little leaves aboveW
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JUNEX
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What so rare as a day in JuneX
Thus I heard the poet croonX
To the month of roses sweetE
His song with barometric feetE
Perfect days I own are rareY
All depends on how you fareY
Can a day be perfect toZ
The rose that has not sipped the dewZ
Can the Bee do you supposeC
Hum that has not sipped the roseC
Can there be for Man I sayC
Without a smoke a perfect dayC
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JULYA2
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Red rockets skyward rush pell mellB2
And fill the night with noise and smellB2
The stars of Heaven look down and sayC
So this is Independence DayC
Poor earth born stars it makes us sadC2
To see your fire work like madC2
To make a Human HolidayC
Where is your independence prayC
Whereat I woke my fire was lowD2
My pipe was out Said I HeighoA
I never thought of it that wayC
I'll give them both a holidayC
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AUGUSTM
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Drowsing o'er my sainted briarV
Dreaming dreams of Heart's DesireV
Dreaming 'neath the August sunT
Thus my meditations runT
What if that great Ember brightE2
Were a monster Pipe alightE2
Or the glowing from afarF2
Of some Fire God's cigarF2
If the Smoker's Peace abideG2
In that sun fire multipliedG2
By its vastness I will beA
Henceforth a devout ParseeC
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SEPTEMBERV
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As the smoker sometimes seesC
In Nicotian reveriesC
Features of some Lovely GirlH2
In the tinted wreaths that curlH2
From his pipe so as we gazeC
Through the soft September hazeC
In the years' calm afternoonX
Red with summer's ashes strewnX
Through the tender veil of mistI2
Woven gold and amethystI2
Summer's charming ghost we seeC
Decked in Indian panoplyC
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OCTOBERV
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Say October how in thunderV
Do you keep so young I wonderV
You're no chicken and you know itJ2
Yet old man for all you show itJ2
You might on a sunny dayC
Pass for April or for MayC
See your house is falling round youZ
Yet you're laughing say confound youZ
What's the secret How'd you do itJ2
Mist and moisture Ah I knew itJ2
A pipe A mug October brewZ
Fill up October here's to youZ
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NOVEMBERV
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Who's that pedler at the doorK2
What November back once moreK2
Why it seems but yesterdayC
That he took himself awayC
Say I'm out Tell him to goD2
He has nothing new to showD2
Same old lay out every tripL2
Same Pneumonia same old GrippeL2
Same old Hard Luck tales to tellB2
Same Thanksgiving Day oh wellB2
Show him in then stir the logM2
And bring church warden pipes and grogN2
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DECEMBERV
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Proudly beams the Christmas TreeC
In its tinsel fineryC
Round and round in sprightly pairsC
Children dance to old time airsC
Though they laugh they make no soundU
Dancing still they tread no groundU
Naught but airy phantoms theyC
Of a vanished Christmas DayC
Ancient playmates found againO2
In a smoke wreath's purple skeinI
And they whisper in my earP2
Does Christmas still come once a yearP

Oliver Herford



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