The Bull Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABBCDDEFCCGGHIHICCJK KJCCLMMLMMNOONMMPQQP RSMMMMMMTUUTVVWXWXQQ YQYQMMMZZMQQSA2A2RCC MB2B2MQQMQQMVVMA2A2M QQQC2QPD2D2B2E2E2B2M MF2G2BG2H2I2CQQCNNMM MMQQJ2K2K2J2L2A2MMMM M2N2MSSMVVMO2O2MP2NL CCLMMCQQCQQQ2SRQ2MMX QQXMMMQMQQQ

See an old unhappy bullA
Sick in soul and body bothB
Slouching in the undergrowthB
Of the forest beautifulC
Banished from the herd he ledD
Bulls and cows a thousand headD
Cranes and gaudy parrots goE
Up and down the burning skyF
Tree top cats purr drowsilyC
In the dim day green belowC
And troops of monkeys nutting someG
All disputing go and comeG
And things abominable sitH
Picking offal buck or swineI
On the mess and over itH
Burnished flies and beetles shineI
And spiders big as bladders lieC
Under hemlocks ten foot highC
And a dotted serpent curledJ
Round and round and round a treeK
Yellowing its greeneryK
Keeps a watch on all the worldJ
All the world and this old bullC
In the forest beautifulC
Bravely by his fall he cameL
One he led a bull of bloodM
Newly come to lustihoodM
Fought and put his prince to shameL
Snuffed and pawed the prostrate headM
Tameless even while it bledM
There they left him every oneN
Left him there without a lickO
Left him for the birds to pickO
Left him there for carrionN
Vilely from their bosom castM
Wisdom worth and love at lastM
When the lion left his lairP
And roared his beauty through the hillsQ
And the vultures pecked their quillsQ
And flew into the middle airP
Then this prince no more to reignR
Came to life and lived againS
He snuffed the herd in far retreatM
He saw the blood upon the groundM
And snuffed the burning airs aroundM
Still with beevish odours sweetM
While the blood ran down his headM
And his mouth ran slaver redM
Pity him this fallen chiefT
All his spendour all his strengthU
All his body's breadth and lengthU
Dwindled down with shame and griefT
Half the bull he was beforeV
Bones and leather nothing moreV
See him standing dewlap deepW
In the rushes at the lakeX
Surly stupid half asleepW
Waiting for his heart to breakX
And the birds to join the fliesQ
Feasting at his bloodshot eyesQ
Standing with his head hung downY
In a stupor dreaming thingsQ
Green savannas jungles brownY
Battlefields and bellowingsQ
Bulls undone and lions deadM
And vultures flapping overheadM
Dreaming things of days he spentM
With his mother gaunt and leanZ
In the valley warm and greenZ
Full of baby wondermentM
Blinking out of silly eyesQ
At a hundred mysteriesQ
Dreaming over once againS
How he wandered with a throngA2
Of bulls and cows a thousand strongA2
Wandered on from plain to plainR
Up the hill and down the daleC
Always at his mother's tailC
How he lagged behind the herdM
Lagged and tottered weak of limbB2
And she turned and ran to himB2
Blaring at the loathly birdM
Stationed always in the skiesQ
Waiting for the flesh that diesQ
Dreaming maybe of a dayM
When her drained and drying papsQ
Turned him to the sweets and sapsQ
Richer fountains by the wayM
And she left the bull she boreV
And he looked on her no moreV
And his little frame grew stoutM
And his little legs grew strongA2
And the way was not so longA2
And his little horns came outM
And he played at butting treesQ
And boulder stones and tortoisesQ
Joined a game of knobby skullsQ
With the youngsters of his yearC2
All the other little bullsQ
Learning both to bruise and bearP
Learning how to stand a shockD2
Like a little bull of rockD2
Dreaming of a day less dimB2
Dreaming of a time less farE2
When the faint but certain starE2
Of destiny burned clear for himB2
And a fierce and wild unrestM
Broke the quiet of his breastM
And the gristles of his youthF2
Hardened in his comely powG2
And he came to fighting growthB
Beat his bull and won his cowG2
And flew his tail and trampled offH2
Past the tallest vain enoughI2
And curved about in spendour fullC
And curved again and snuffed the airsQ
As who should say Come out who daresQ
And all beheld a bull a BullC
And knew that here was surely oneN
That backed for no bull fearing noneN
And the leader of the herdM
Looked and saw and beat the groundM
And shook the forest with his soundM
Bellowed at the loathly birdM
Stationed always in the skiesQ
Wating for the flesh that diesQ
Dreaming this old bull forlornJ2
Surely dreaming of the hourK2
When he came to sultan powerK2
And they owned him master hornJ2
Chiefest bull of all amongL2
Bulls and cows a thousand strongA2
And in all the tramping herdM
Not a bull that barred his wayM
Not a cow that said him nayM
Not a bull or cow that erredM
In the furnace of his lookM2
Dared a second worse rebukeN2
Not in all the forest wideM
Jungle thicket pasture fenS
Not another dared him thenS
Dared him and again defiedM
Not a sovereign buck or boarV
Came a second time for moreV
Not a serpent that survivedM
Once the terrors of his hoofO2
Risked a second time reproofO2
Came a second time and livedM
Not serpent in its skinP2
Came again for disciplineN
Not a leopard brght as flameL
Flashing fingerhooks of steelC
That a wooden tree might feelC
Met his fury once and cameL
For second reprimandM
Not a leopard in the landM
Not a lion of them allC
Not a lion of the hillsQ
Hero of a thousand killsQ
Dared a second fight and fallC
Dared that ram terrific twiceQ
Paid a second time the priceQ
Pity him this dupe of dreamQ2
Leader of the heard againS
Only in his daft old brainR
Once again the bull supremeQ2
And bull enough to bear the partM
Only in his tameless heartM
Pity him that he must wakeX
Even now the swarm of fliesQ
Blackening his bloodshot eyesQ
Bursts and blusters round the lakeX
Scattered from the feast half fedM
By great shadows overheadM
And the dreamer turns awayM
From his visionary herdsQ
And his splendid yesterdayM
Turns to meet the loathly birdsQ
Flocking round him from the skiesQ
Waiting for the flesh that diesQ

Ralph Hodgson



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