Metamorphoses: Book The Sixth Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEFGGHIJJKKLL MNMOOPLQQRRSSTTUVWXY ZA2A2TTB2C2GZD2D2E2E 2F2G2H2AI2J2MMK2K2TU TNVL2L2M2M2N2N2O2O2N NOOO2O2P2P2Q2P2OO2O2 IIO2O2R2R2TTS2S2S2S2 S2S2S2O2O2LLO2O2F2T2 O2O2U2OV2NW2W2O2H2H2 X2X2O2O2S2O2PALLAS attending to the Muse's song | A |
Approv'd the just resentment of their wrong | A |
And thus reflects While tamely I commend | B |
Those who their injur'd deities defend | B |
My own divinity affronted stands | C |
And calls aloud for justice at my hands | C |
Then takes the hint asham'd to lag behind | D |
And on Arachne' bends her vengeful mind | D |
One at the loom so excellently skill'd | E |
That to the Goddess she refus'd to yield | F |
The Low was her birth and small her native town | G |
Transformation She from her art alone obtain'd renown | G |
of Arachne Idmon her father made it his employ | H |
into a Spider To give the spungy fleece a purple dye | I |
Of vulgar strain her mother lately dead | J |
With her own rank had been content to wed | J |
Yet she their daughter tho' her time was spent | K |
In a small hamlet and of mean descent | K |
Thro' the great towns of Lydia gain'd a name | L |
And fill'd the neighb'ring countries with her fame | L |
Oft to admire the niceness of her skill | M |
The Nymphs would quit their fountain shade or | N |
hill | M |
Thither from green Tymolus they repair | O |
And leave the vineyards their peculiar care | O |
Thither from fam'd Pactolus' golden stream | P |
Drawn by her art the curious Naiads came | L |
Nor would the work when finish'd please so much | Q |
As while she wrought to view each graceful touch | Q |
Whether the shapeless wool in balls she wound | R |
Or with quick motion turn'd the spindle round | R |
Or with her pencil drew the neat design | S |
Pallas her mistress shone in every line | S |
This the proud maid with scornful air denies | T |
And ev'n the Goddess at her work defies | T |
Disowns her heav'nly mistress ev'ry hour | U |
Nor asks her aid nor deprecates her pow'r | V |
Let us she cries but to a tryal come | W |
And if she conquers let her fix my doom | X |
The Goddess then a beldame's form put on | Y |
With silver hairs her hoary temples shone | Z |
Prop'd by a staff she hobbles in her walk | A2 |
And tott'ring thus begins her old wives' talk | A2 |
Young maid attend nor stubbornly despise | T |
The admonitions of the old and wise | T |
For age tho' scorn'd a ripe experience bears | B2 |
That golden fruit unknown to blooming years | C2 |
Still may remotest fame your labours crown | G |
And mortals your superior genius own | Z |
But to the Goddess yield and humbly meek | D2 |
A pardon for your bold presumption seek | D2 |
The Goddess will forgive At this the maid | E2 |
With passion fir'd her gliding shuttle stay'd | E2 |
And darting vengeance with an angry look | F2 |
To Pallas in disguise thus fiercely spoke | G2 |
Thou doating thing whose idle babling tongue | H2 |
But too well shews the plague of living long | A |
Hence and reprove with this your sage advice | I2 |
Your giddy daughter or your aukward neice | J2 |
Know I despise your counsel and am still | M |
A woman ever wedded to my will | M |
And if your skilful Goddess better knows | K2 |
Let her accept the tryal I propose | K2 |
She does impatient Pallas strait replies | T |
And cloath'd with heavenly light sprung from her | U |
odd disguise | T |
The Nymphs and virgins of the plain adore | N |
The awful Goddess and confess her pow'r | V |
The maid alone stood unappall'd yet show'd | L2 |
A transient blush that for a moment glow'd | L2 |
Then disappear'd as purple streaks adorn | M2 |
The opening beauties of the rosy morn | M2 |
Till Phoebus rising prevalently bright | N2 |
Allays the tincture with his silver light | N2 |
Yet she persists and obstinately great | O2 |
In hopes of conquest hurries on her fate | O2 |
The Goddess now the challenge waves no more | N |
Nor kindly good advises as before | N |
Strait to their posts appointed both repair | O |
And fix their threaded looms with equal care | O |
Around the solid beam the web is ty'd | O2 |
While hollow canes the parting warp divide | O2 |
Thro' which with nimble flight the shuttles play | P2 |
And for the woof prepare a ready way | P2 |
The woof and warp unite press'd by the toothy | Q2 |
slay | P2 |
Thus both their mantles button'd to their | O |
breast | O2 |
Their skilful fingers ply with willing haste | O2 |
And work with pleasure while they chear the eye | I |
With glowing purple of the Tyrian dye | I |
Or justly intermixing shades with light | O2 |
Their colourings insensibly unite | O2 |
As when a show'r transpierc'd with sunny rays | R2 |
Its mighty arch along the heav'n displays | R2 |
From whence a thousand diff'rent colours rise | T |
Whose fine transition cheats the clearest eyes | T |
So like the intermingled shading seems | S2 |
And only differs in the last extreams | S2 |
Then threads of gold both artfully dispose | S2 |
And as each part in just proportion rose | S2 |
Some antique fable in their work disclose | S2 |
Pallas in figures wrought the heav'nly Pow'rs | S2 |
And Mars's hill among th' Athenian tow'rs | S2 |
On lofty thrones twice six celestials sate | O2 |
Jove in the midst and held their warm debate | O2 |
The subject weighty and well known to fame | L |
From whom the city shou'd receive its name | L |
Each God by proper features was exprest | O2 |
Jove with majestick mein excell'd the rest | O2 |
His three fork'd mace the dewy sea God shook | F2 |
And looking sternly smote the ragged rock | T2 |
When from the stone leapt forth a spritely steed | O2 |
And Neptune claims the city for the deed | O2 |
Herself she blazons with a glitt'ring spear | U2 |
And crested helm that veil'd her braided hair | O |
With shield and scaly breast plate implements of | V2 |
war | N |
Struck with her pointed launce the teeming Earth | W2 |
Seem'd to produce a new surprizing birth | W2 |
When from the glebe the pledge of conquest | O2 |
sprung | H2 |
A tree pale green with fairest olives hung | H2 |
And then to let her giddy rival learn | X2 |
What just rewards such boldness was to earn | X2 |
Four tryals at each corner had their part | O2 |
Design'd in miniature and touch'd with art | O2 |
Haemus in one and Rodope of Thrace | S2 |
Transform'd to mountains fill'd the foremost | O2 |
Ovid
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