Saint Mar Magdelene; Or, The Weeper Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAAABB CACABB DEDEAA FGFGCC AAAAHH AIAJKK BCBCAA FLFLJM DNDNEE FOFOPP QBQBBB RSTUBB COCOGG AAAAAA AVAWAA AXAXAA CCCCAA YBYBCC AAAAAA CACAZA2 CBCBAA B2CDCCC ADADC2C2 CD2CD2E2E2 ABABAA C CAA CRCF2G2G2 AAAACC H2I2J2I2AA XG2XG2CC AAAAK| Hail sister springs | A |
| Parents of silver footed rills | A |
| Ever bubbling things | A |
| Thawing crystal snowy hills | A |
| Still spending never spent I mean | B |
| Thy fair eyes sweet Magdalene | B |
| - | |
| Heavens thy fair eyes be | C |
| Heavens of ever falling stars | A |
| 'Tis seed time still with thee | C |
| And stars thou sow'st whose harvest dares | A |
| Promise the earth to countershine | B |
| Whatever makes Heaven's forehead fine | B |
| - | |
| But we're deceived all | D |
| Stars indeed they are too true | E |
| For they but seem to fall | D |
| As heav'n's other spangles do | E |
| It is not for our earth and us | A |
| To shine in things so precious | A |
| - | |
| Upwards thou dost weep | F |
| Heavn's bosom drinks the gentle stream | G |
| Where the milky rivers creep | F |
| Thine floats above and is the cream | G |
| Waters above th' heav'n's what they be | C |
| We're taught best by thy tears and thee | C |
| - | |
| Every morn from hence | A |
| A brisk cherub something sips | A |
| Whose soft influence | A |
| Adds sweetness to his sweetest lips | A |
| Then to his music and his song | H |
| Tastes of this breakfast all day long | H |
| - | |
| Not in the evening's eyes | A |
| When they red with weeping are | I |
| For the sun that dies | A |
| Sits sorrow with a face so fair | J |
| Nowhere but here did ever meet | K |
| Sweetness so sad sadness so sweet | K |
| - | |
| When sorrow would be seen | B |
| In her brightest majesty | C |
| For she is a queen | B |
| Then is she dressed by none but thee | C |
| Then and only then she wears | A |
| Her proudest pearls I mean thy tears | A |
| - | |
| The dew no more will weep | F |
| The primrose's pale cheek to deck | L |
| The dew no more will sleep | F |
| Nuzzled in the lily's neck | L |
| Much rather would it be thy tear | J |
| And leave them both to tremble here | M |
| - | |
| There's no need at all | D |
| That the balsam sweating bough | N |
| So coyly should let fall | D |
| His med'cinable tears for now | N |
| Nature hath learn't extract a dew | E |
| More sovereign and sweet from you | E |
| - | |
| You let the poor drops weep | F |
| Weeping is the ease of woe | O |
| Softly let them creep | F |
| Sad that they are vanquished so | O |
| They though to others no relief | P |
| Balsam may be for their own grief | P |
| - | |
| Such the maiden gem | Q |
| By the purpling vine put on | B |
| Peeps from her parent stem | Q |
| And blushes at the bridegroom sun | B |
| This wat'ry blossom of thy eyne | B |
| Ripe will make the richer wine | B |
| - | |
| When some new bright guest | R |
| Takes up among the stars a room | S |
| And Heav'n will make a feast | T |
| Angels with crystal vials come | U |
| And draw from these full eyes of thine | B |
| Their Master's water their own wine | B |
| - | |
| Golden though he be | C |
| Golden Tagus murmurs though | O |
| Were his way by thee | C |
| Content and quiet he would go | O |
| So much more rich would he esteem | G |
| Thy silver than his golden stream | G |
| - | |
| Well does the May that lies | A |
| Smiling in thy cheeks confess | A |
| The April in thine eyes | A |
| Mutual sweetness they express | A |
| No April e'er lent kinder showers | A |
| Nor May returned more faithful flowers | A |
| - | |
| O cheeks beds of chaste loves | A |
| By your own showers seasonably dashed | V |
| Eyes nests of milky doves | A |
| In your own wells decently washed | W |
| O wit of Love that thus could place | A |
| Fountain and garden in one face | A |
| - | |
| O sweet contest of woes | A |
| With loves of tears with smiles disputing | X |
| O fair and friendly foes | A |
| Each other kissing and confuting | X |
| While rain and sunshine cheeks and eyes | A |
| Close in kind contrarieties | A |
| - | |
| But can these fair floods be | C |
| Friends with the bosom fires that fill thee | C |
| Can so great flames agree | C |
| Eternal tears should thus distill thee | C |
| O floods O fires O suns O showers | A |
| Mixed and made friends by Love's sweet powers | A |
| - | |
| 'Twas his well pointed dart | Y |
| That digged these wells and dressed this vine | B |
| And taught the wounded heart | Y |
| The way into these weeping eyne | B |
| Vain loves avaunt bold hands forbear | C |
| The Lamb hath dipped His white foot here | C |
| - | |
| And now where'er He strays | A |
| Among the Galilean mountains | A |
| Or more unwelcome ways | A |
| He's followed by two faithful fountains | A |
| Two walking baths two weeping motions | A |
| Portable and compendious oceans | A |
| - | |
| O thou thy Lord's fair store | C |
| In thy so rich and rare expenses | A |
| Even when He showed most poor | C |
| He might provoke the wealth of princes | A |
| What prince's wanton'st pride e'er could | Z |
| Wash with silver wipe with gold | A2 |
| - | |
| Who is that King but He | C |
| Who call'st His crown to be called thine | B |
| That thus can boast to be | C |
| Waited on by a wand'ring mine | B |
| A voluntary mint that strows | A |
| Warm silver showers where'er He goes | A |
| - | |
| O precious prodigal | B2 |
| Fair spendthrift of thyself thy measure | C |
| Merciless love is all | D |
| Even to the last pearl in thy treasure | C |
| All places times and objects be | C |
| Thy tears' sweet opportunity | C |
| - | |
| Does the day star rise | A |
| Still thy tears do fall and fall | D |
| Does day close his eyes | A |
| Still the fountain weeps for all | D |
| Let night or day do what they will | C2 |
| Thou hast thy task thou weepest still | C2 |
| - | |
| Does thy song lull the air | C |
| Thy falling tears keep faithful time | D2 |
| Does thy sweet breathed prayer | C |
| Up in clouds in incense climb | D2 |
| Still at each sigh that is each stop | E2 |
| A bead that is a tear does drop | E2 |
| - | |
| At these thy weeping gates | A |
| Watching their wat'ry motion | B |
| Each winged moment waits | A |
| Takes his tear and gets him gone | B |
| By thine eye's tinct ennobled thus | A |
| Time lays him up he's precious | A |
| - | |
| Not 'So long she lived ' | - |
| Shall thy tomb report of thee | C |
| But 'So long she grieved ' | - |
| Thus must we date thy memory | C |
| Others by moments months and years | A |
| Measure their ages thou by tears | A |
| - | |
| So do perfumes expire | C |
| So sigh tormented sweets oppressed | R |
| With proud unpitying fire | C |
| Such tears the suff'ring rose that's vexed | F2 |
| With ungentle flames does shed | G2 |
| Sweating in a too warm bed | G2 |
| - | |
| Say ye bright brothers | A |
| The fugitive sons of those fair eyes | A |
| Your faithful mothers | A |
| What make you here What hopes can 'tice | A |
| You to be born What cause can borrow | C |
| You from those nests of noble sorrow | C |
| - | |
| Whither away so fast | H2 |
| For sure the sordid earth | I2 |
| Your sweetness cannot taste | J2 |
| Nor does the dust deserve your birth | I2 |
| Sweet whiter haste you then O say | A |
| Why you trip so fast away | A |
| - | |
| 'We go not to seek | X |
| The darlings of Aurora's bed | G2 |
| The rose's modest cheek | X |
| Nor the violet's humble head | G2 |
| Though the field's eyes too weepers be | C |
| Because they want such tears as we | C |
| - | |
| 'Much less mean we to trace | A |
| The fortune of inferior gems | A |
| Preferred to some proud face | A |
| Or perched upon feared diadems | A |
| Crowned heads are toys We go to meet | K |
| A worthy object our Lord's feet ' | - |
Richard Crashaw
(1)
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About Saint Mar Magdelene; Or, The Weeper
Saint Mar Magdelene; Or, The Weeper is a poem by Richard Crashaw. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.