Introduction: Pippa Passes Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A AB CDDECECCFGGFHIJIKIIH LMLNOPOQOORRRRSTSTAA UUVVAAWWXXOOHHYYHHZZ A2A2B2B2C2C2OOD2D2D2 OOIIE2E2F2A2A2A2F2HH HAHAHHHHG2G2OH2IOH2I HHH OOOA2A2A2I2A2I2HA2J2 A2J2OOI2I2OOAAH HIIHAHAOOK2I2K2I2HHL 2L2IIOOI2I2M2M2HHI2I 2I2 HI2I2HA2A2I2I2II2IOI 2OA2I2A2I2H2H2AA HHH2H2AAOO III A2New Year's Day at Asolo in the Trevisan | A |
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Scene | A |
A large mean airy chamber A girl Pippa from the Silk mills springing out of bed | B |
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Day | C |
Faster and more fast | D |
O'er night's brim day boils at last | D |
Boils pure gold o'er the cloud cup's brim | E |
Where spurting and suppressed it lay | C |
For not a froth flake touched the rim | E |
Of yonder gap in the solid gray | C |
Of the eastern cloud an hour away | C |
But forth one wavelet then another curled | F |
Till the whole sunrise not to be suppressed | G |
Rose reddened and its seething breast | G |
Flickered in bounds grew gold then overflowed the world | F |
Oh Day if I squander a wavelet of thee | H |
A mite of my twelve hours' treasure | I |
The least of thy gazes or glances | J |
Be they grants thou art bound to or gifts above measure | I |
One of thy choices or one of thy chances | K |
Be they tasks God imposed thee or freaks at thy pleasure | I |
My Day if I squander such labour or leisure | I |
Then shame fall on Asolo mischief on me | H |
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Thy long blue solemn hours serenely flowing | L |
Whence earth we feel gets steady help and good | M |
Thy fitful sunshine minutes coming going | L |
As if earth turned from work in gamesome mood | N |
All shall be mine But thou must treat me not | O |
As prosperous ones are treated those who live | P |
At hand here and enjoy the higher lot | O |
In readiness to take what thou wilt give | Q |
And free to let alone what thou refusest | O |
For Day my holiday if thou ill usest | O |
Me who am only Pippa old year's sorrow | R |
Cast off last night will come again to morrow | R |
Whereas if thou prove gentle I shall borrow | R |
Sufficient strength of thee for new year's sorrow | R |
All other men and women that this earth | S |
Belongs to who all days alike possess | T |
Make general plenty cure particular dearth | S |
Get more joy one way if another less | T |
Thou art my single day God lends to leaven | A |
What were all earth else with a feel of heaven | A |
Sole light that helps me through the year thy sun's | U |
Try now Take Asolo's Four Happiest Ones | U |
And let thy morning rain on that superb | V |
Great haughty Ottima can rain disturb | V |
Her Sebald's homage All the while thy rain | A |
Beats fiercest on her shrub house window pane | A |
He will but press the closer breathe more warm | W |
Against her cheek how should she mind the storm | W |
And morning past if mid day shed a gloom | X |
O'er Jules and Phene what care bride and groom | X |
Save for their dear selves 'T is their marriage day | O |
And while they leave church and go home their way | O |
Hand clasping hand within each breast would be | H |
Sunbeams and pleasant weather spite of thee | H |
Then for another trial obscure thy eve | Y |
With mist will Luigi and his mother grieve | Y |
The lady and her child unmatched forsooth | H |
She in her age as Luigi in his youth | H |
For true content The cheerful town warm close | Z |
And safe the sooner that thou art morose | Z |
Receives them And yet once again outbreak | A2 |
In storm at night on Monsignor they make | A2 |
Such stir about whom they expect from Rome | B2 |
To visit Asolo his brothers' home | B2 |
And say here masses proper to release | C2 |
A soul from pain what storm dares hurt his peace | C2 |
Calm would he pray with his own thoughts to ward | O |
Thy thunder off nor want the angels' guard | O |
But Pippa just one such mischance would spoil | D2 |
Her day that lightens the next twelvemonth's toil | D2 |
At wearisome silk winding coil on coil | D2 |
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And here I let time slip for nought | O |
Aha you foolhardy sunbeam caught | O |
With a single splash from my ewer | I |
You that would mock the best pursuer | I |
Was my basin over deep | E2 |
One splash of water ruins you asleep | E2 |
And up up fleet your brilliant bits | F2 |
Wheeling and counterwheeling | A2 |
Reeling broken beyond healing | A2 |
Now grow together on the ceiling | A2 |
That will task your wits | F2 |
Whoever it was quenched fire first hoped to see | H |
Morsel after morsel flee | H |
As merrily as giddily | H |
Meantime what lights my sunbeam on | A |
Where settles by degrees the radiant cripple | H |
Oh is it surely blown my martagon | A |
New blown and ruddy as St Agnes' nipple | H |
Plump as the flesh bunch on some Turk bird's poll | H |
Be sure if corals branching 'neath the ripple | H |
Of ocean bud there fairies watch unroll | H |
Such turban flowers I say such lamps disperse | G2 |
Thick red flame through that dusk green universe | G2 |
I am queen of thee floweret | O |
And each fleshy blossom | H2 |
Preserve I not safer | I |
Than leaves that embower it | O |
Or shells that embosom | H2 |
From weevil and chafer | I |
Laugh through my pane then solicit the bee | H |
Gibe him be sure and in midst of thy glee | H |
Love thy queen worship me | H |
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Worship whom else For am I not this day | O |
Whate'er I please What shall I please to day | O |
My morn noon eve and night how spend my day | O |
To morrow I must be Pippa who winds silk | A2 |
The whole year round to earn just bread and milk | A2 |
But this one day I have leave to go | A2 |
And play out my fancy's fullest games | I2 |
I may fancy all day and it shall be so | A2 |
That I taste of the pleasures am called by the names | I2 |
Of the Happiest Four in our Asolo | H |
See Up the hill side yonder through the morning | A2 |
Some one shall love me as the world calls love | J2 |
I am no less than Ottima take warning | A2 |
The gardens and the great stone house above | J2 |
And other house for shrubs all glass in front | O |
Are mine where Sebald steals as he is wont | O |
To court me while old Luca yet reposes | I2 |
And therefore till the shrub house door uncloses | I2 |
I what now give abundant cause for prate | O |
About me Ottima I mean of late | O |
Too bold too confident she'll still face down | A |
The spitefullest of talkers in our town | A |
How we talk in the little town below | H |
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But love love love there's better love I know | H |
This foolish love was only day's first offer | I |
I choose my next love to defy the scoffer | I |
For do not our Bride and Bridegroom sally | H |
Out of Possagno church at noon | A |
Their house looks over Orcana valley | H |
Why should not I be the bride as soon | A |
As Ottima For I saw beside | O |
Arrive last night that little bride | O |
Saw if you call it seeing her one flash | K2 |
Of the pale snow pure cheek and black bright tresses | I2 |
Blacker than all except the black eyelash | K2 |
I wonder she contrives those lids no dresses | I2 |
So strict was she the veil | H |
Should cover close her pale | H |
Pure cheeks a bride to look at and scarce touch | L2 |
Scarce touch remember Jules For are not such | L2 |
Used to be tended flower like every feature | I |
As if one's breath would fray the lily of a creature | I |
A soft and easy life these ladies lead | O |
Whiteness in us were wonderful indeed | O |
Oh save that brow its virgin dimness | I2 |
Keep that foot its lady primness | I2 |
Let those ankles never swerve | M2 |
From their exquisite reserve | M2 |
Yet have to trip along the streets like me | H |
All but naked to the knee | H |
How will she ever grant her Jules a bliss | I2 |
So startling as her real first infant kiss | I2 |
Oh no not envy this | I2 |
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Not envy sure for if you gave me | H |
Leave to take or to refuse | I2 |
In earnest do you think I'd choose | I2 |
That sort of new love to enslave me | H |
Mine should have lapped me round from the beginning | A2 |
As little fear of losing it as winning | A2 |
Lovers grow cold men learn to hate their wives | I2 |
And only parents' love can last our lives | I2 |
At eve the Son and Mother gentle pair | I |
Commune inside our turret what prevents | I2 |
My being Luigi While that mossy lair | I |
Of lizards through the winter time is stirred | O |
With each to each imparting sweet intents | I2 |
For this new year as brooding bird to bird | O |
For I observe of late the evening walk | A2 |
Of Luigi and his mother always ends | I2 |
Inside our ruined turret where they talk | A2 |
Calmer than lovers yet more kind than friends | I2 |
Let me be cared about kept out of harm | H2 |
And schemed for safe in love as with a charm | H2 |
Let me be Luigi If I only knew | A |
What was my mother's face my father too | A |
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Nay if you come to that best love of all | H |
Is God's then why not have God's love befall | H |
Myself as in the palace by the Dome | H2 |
Monsignor who to night will bless the home | H2 |
Of his dead brother and God bless in turn | A |
That heart which beats those eyes which mildly burn | A |
With love for all men I to night at least | O |
Would be that holy and beloved priest | O |
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Now wait even I already seem to share | I |
In God's love what does New year's hymn declare | I |
What other meaning do these verses bear | I |
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All service rank | A2 |
Robert Browning
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