The Description Of A Woman Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDBEECCCCCCFFGHCC IIJJEECCKKLMNOCCCCPP QQRSTTUUFFVVWWFFXXCC YZA2A2KKB2B2YZDBGC2K KKKC2BBBWhose head befringed with bescattered tresses | A |
Shows like Apollo's when the morn he dresses B | B |
Or like Aurora when with pearl she sets | C |
Her long dishevell'd rose crown'd trammelets | C |
Her forehead smooth full polish'd bright and high | D |
Bears in itself a graceful majesty | B |
Under the which two crawling eyebrows twine | E |
Like to the tendrils of a flatt'ring vine | E |
Under whose shade two starry sparkling eyes | C |
Are beautifi'd with fair fring'd canopies | C |
Her comely nose with uniformal grace | C |
Like purest white stands in the middle place | C |
Parting the pair as we may well suppose | C |
Each cheek resembling still a damask rose | C |
Which like a garden manifestly show | F |
How roses lilies and carnations grow | F |
Which sweetly mixed both with white and red | G |
Like rose leaves white and red seem C mingled | H |
Then nature for a sweet allurement sets | C |
Two smelling swelling bashful cherrylets | C |
The which with ruby redness being tipp'd | I |
Do speak a virgin merry cherry lipp'd | I |
Over the which a neat sweet skin is drawn | J |
Which makes them show like roses under lawn | J |
These be the ruby portals and divine | E |
Which ope themselves to show a holy shrine | E |
Whose breath is rich perfume that to the sense | C |
Smells like the burn'd Sabean frankincense | C |
In which the tongue though but a member small | K |
Stands guarded with a rosy hilly wall | K |
And her white teeth which in the gums are set | L |
Like pearl and gold make one rich cabinet | M |
Next doth her chin with dimpled beauty strive | N |
For his white plump and smooth prerogative | O |
At whose fair top to please the sight there grows | C |
The fairest D image of a blushing rose | C |
Mov'd by the chin whose motion causeth this | C |
That both her lips do part do meet do kiss | C |
Her ears which like two labyrinths are plac'd | P |
On either side with rich rare jewels grac'd | P |
Moving a question whether that by them | Q |
The gem is grac'd or they grac'd by the gem | Q |
But the foundation of the architect | R |
Is the swan staining fair rare stately neck | S |
Which with ambitious humbleness stands under | T |
Bearing aloft this rich round world of wonder | T |
Her breast a place for beauty's throne most fit | U |
Bears up two globes where love and pleasure sit | U |
Which headed with two rich round rubies show | F |
Like wanton rosebuds growing out of snow | F |
And in the milky valley that's between | V |
Sits Cupid kissing of his mother queen | V |
Fingering the paps that feel like sieved silk | W |
And press'd a little they will weep pure milk | W |
Then comes the belly seated next below | F |
Like a fair mountain in Riphean snow | F |
Where Nature in a whiteness without spot | X |
Hath in the middle tied a Gordian knot | X |
Now love invites me to survey her thighs | C |
Swelling in likeness like two crystal skies | C |
Which to the knees by Nature fastened on | Y |
Derive their ever well 'greed motion | Z |
Her legs with two clear calves like silver tri'd | A2 |
Kindly swell up with little pretty pride | A2 |
Leaving a distance for the comely E small | K |
To beautify the leg and foot withal | K |
Then lowly yet most lovely stand the feet | B2 |
Round short and clear like pounded spices sweet | B2 |
And whatsoever thing they tread upon | Y |
They make it scent like bruised cinnamon | Z |
The lovely shoulders now allure the eye | D |
To see two tablets of pure ivory | B |
From which two arms like branches seem to spread | G |
With tender rind F and silver coloured | C2 |
With little hands and fingers long and small | K |
To grace a lute a viol virginal | K |
In length each finger doth his next excel | K |
Each richly headed with a pearly shell | K |
Thus every part in contrariety | C2 |
Meet in the whole and make a harmony | B |
As divers strings do singly disagree | B |
But form'd by number make sweet melody | B |
Robert Herrick
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation