A Country Life: To His Brother Mr Thomas Herrick Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCDEEFFGHIIBBJJKK CCLLMMNNOOPPQRSSRRTT BBBBBBRRSSRRUUBBRRBV BBRRNRBBWWXXYVZZBBBB UUBBBBRRUUBBRRUURRRR UUUURRBBUURRBVBBRRUU BBA2A2B2C2RRD2D2E2E2 UURRUUF2F2G2G2BBThrice and above blest my soul's half art thou | A |
In thy both last and better vow | A |
Could'st leave the city for exchange to see | B |
The country's sweet simplicity | B |
And it to know and practise with intent | C |
To grow the sooner innocent | D |
By studying to know virtue and to aim | E |
More at her nature than her name | E |
The last is but the least the first doth tell | F |
Ways less to live than to live well | F |
And both are known to thee who now canst live | G |
Led by thy conscience to give | H |
Justice to soon pleased nature and to show | I |
Wisdom and she together go | I |
And keep one centre This with that conspires | B |
To teach man to confine desires | B |
And know that riches have their proper stint | J |
In the contented mind not mint | J |
And canst instruct that those who have the itch | K |
Of craving more are never rich | K |
These things thou knows't to th' height and dost prevent | C |
That plague because thou art content | C |
With that Heaven gave thee with a wary hand | L |
More blessed in thy brass than land | L |
To keep cheap Nature even and upright | M |
To cool not cocker appetite | M |
Thus thou canst tersely live to satisfy | N |
The belly chiefly not the eye | N |
Keeping the barking stomach wisely quiet | O |
Less with a neat than needful diet | O |
But that which most makes sweet thy country life | P |
Is the fruition of a wife | P |
Whom stars consenting with thy fate thou hast | Q |
Got not so beautiful as chaste | R |
By whose warm side thou dost securely sleep | S |
While Love the sentinel doth keep | S |
With those deeds done by day which ne'er affright | R |
Thy silken slumbers in the night | R |
Nor has the darkness power to usher in | T |
Fear to those sheets that know no sin | T |
The damask'd meadows and the pebbly streams | B |
Sweeten and make soft your dreams | B |
The purling springs groves birds and well weaved bowers | B |
With fields enamelled with flowers | B |
Present their shapes while fantasy discloses | B |
Millions of Lilies mix'd with Roses | B |
Then dream ye hear the lamb by many a bleat | R |
Woo'd to come suck the milky teat | R |
While Faunus in the vision comes to keep | S |
From rav'ning wolves the fleecy sheep | S |
With thousand such enchanting dreams that meet | R |
To make sleep not so sound as sweet | R |
Nor call these figures so thy rest endear | U |
As not to rise when Chanticlere | U |
Warns the last watch but with the dawn dost rise | B |
To work but first to sacrifice | B |
Making thy peace with Heaven for some late fault | R |
With holy meal and spirting salt | R |
Which done thy painful thumb this sentence tells us | B |
'Jove for our labour all things sells us ' | V |
Nor are thy daily and devout affairs | B |
Attended with those desp'rate cares | B |
Th' industrious merchant has who for to find | R |
Gold runneth to the Western Ind | R |
And back again tortured with fears doth fly | N |
Untaught to suffer Poverty | R |
But thou at home blest with securest ease | B |
Sitt'st and believ'st that there be seas | B |
And watery dangers while thy whiter hap | W |
But sees these things within thy map | W |
And viewing them with a more safe survey | X |
Mak'st easy fear unto thee say | X |
'A heart thrice walled with oak and brass that man | Y |
Had first durst plough the ocean ' | V |
But thou at home without or tide or gale | Z |
Canst in thy map securely sail | Z |
Seeing those painted countries and so guess | B |
By those fine shades their substances | B |
And from thy compass taking small advice | B |
Buy'st travel at the lowest price | B |
Nor are thine ears so deaf but thou canst hear | U |
Far more with wonder than with fear | U |
Fame tell of states of countries courts and kings | B |
And believe there be such things | B |
When of these truths thy happier knowledge lies | B |
More in thine ears than in thine eyes | B |
And when thou hear'st by that too true report | R |
Vice rules the most or all at court | R |
Thy pious wishes are though thou not there | U |
Virtue had and moved her sphere | U |
But thou liv'st fearless and thy face ne'er shows | B |
Fortune when she comes or goes | B |
But with thy equal thoughts prepared dost stand | R |
To take her by the either hand | R |
Nor car'st which comes the first the foul or fair | U |
A wise man ev'ry way lies square | U |
And like a surly oak with storms perplex'd | R |
Grows still the stronger strongly vex'd | R |
Be so bold Spirit stand centre like unmoved | R |
And be not only thought but proved | R |
To be what I report thee and inure | U |
Thyself if want comes to endure | U |
And so thou dost for thy desires are | U |
Confined to live with private Lar | U |
Nor curious whether appetite be fed | R |
Or with the first or second bread | R |
Who keep'st no proud mouth for delicious cates | B |
Hunger makes coarse meats delicates | B |
Canst and unurged forsake that larded fare | U |
Which art not nature makes so rare | U |
To taste boil'd nettles coleworts beets and eat | R |
These and sour herbs as dainty meat | R |
While soft opinion makes thy Genius say | B |
'Content makes all ambrosia ' | V |
Nor is it that thou keep'st this stricter size | B |
So much for want as exercise | B |
To numb the sense of dearth which should sin haste it | R |
Thou might'st but only see't not taste it | R |
Yet can thy humble roof maintain a quire | U |
Of singing crickets by thy fire | U |
And the brisk mouse may feast herself with crumbs | B |
Till that the green eyed kitling comes | B |
Then to her cabin blest she can escape | A2 |
The sudden danger of a rape | A2 |
And thus thy little well kept stock doth prove | B2 |
Wealth cannot make a life but love | C2 |
Nor art thou so close handed but canst spend | R |
Counsel concurring with the end | R |
As well as spare still conning o'er this theme | D2 |
To shun the first and last extreme | D2 |
Ordaining that thy small stock find no breach | E2 |
Or to exceed thy tether's reach | E2 |
But to live round and close and wisely true | U |
To thine own self and known to few | U |
Thus let thy rural sanctuary be | R |
Elysium to thy wife and thee | R |
There to disport your selves with golden measure | U |
For seldom use commends the pleasure | U |
Live and live blest thrice happy pair let breath | F2 |
But lost to one be th' other's death | F2 |
And as there is one love one faith one troth | G2 |
Be so one death one grave to both | G2 |
Till when in such assurance live ye may | B |
Nor fear or wish your dying day | B |
Robert Herrick
(1)
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