Martha Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ KKLLDDMMNNAA OOPQRNSSTTUUDDVVWWLL DDOOXXYYZZA2A2B2B2C2 C2 D2D2E2E2F2F2G2G2H2H2 FFC2C2I2J2K2L2E2E2M2 M2M2M2M2M2M2M2ZZLLM2 M2M2M2JJN2N2M2M2 M2M2DDWWM2M2K2K2M2M2 RRO2O2 MMP2P2M2M2M2M2DDQ2Q2 UUR2R2R2M2M2S2S2ZZM2 M2M2M2M2M2M2Q2Q2M2M2 M2M2M2M2N2N2Q2Q2M2M2 RRM2M2WWT2T2U2U2M2M2 M2M2JJR2R2R2MMQ2Q2JJ JJV2V2D2D2W2R2M2M2M2 M2 X2X2ZZM2M2M2M2JJY2 Y2A woman sat with roses red | A |
Upon her lap before her spread | A |
On that high bridge whose parapet | B |
Wide over turbulent Thames is set | B |
Between the dome's far glittering crest | C |
And those famed towers that throng the west | C |
Neglectful of the summer air | D |
That on her pale brow stirred the hair | D |
She sat with fond and troubled look | E |
And in her hand the roses shook | E |
Shy to her lips a bloom she laid | F |
Then shrank as suddenly afraid | F |
For from the breathing crimson leaf | G |
The sweetness came to her like grief | G |
Dropping her hands her eyes she raised | H |
And on the hurrying passers gazed | H |
Two children loitering along | I |
Amid that swift and busy throng | I |
Their arms about each other's shoulder | J |
The younger clinging to the older | J |
Stopped with their faces backward turned | K |
To her her heart within her yearned | K |
They were so young She looked away | L |
Oh the whole earth was young to day | L |
The whole wide earth was laughing fair | D |
The flashing river the soft air | D |
The horses proud the voices clear | M |
Of young men frequent cry and cheer | M |
All these were beautiful and free | N |
Each with its joy Alas but she | N |
She started up and bowed her head | A |
And gathering her roses fled | A |
- | |
Through dim uncounted silent days | O |
She had trod deep secluded ways | O |
'Mid the fierce throng of jostling lives | P |
Whom unrelenting hunger drives | Q |
Close to the wall had stolen by | R |
Yet could not shun calamity | N |
Her painful thrift her patient face | S |
Could not the world old debt erase | S |
Nor gentle lips nor feet that glide | T |
Persuade the sudden blow aside | T |
This morn when she arose her store | U |
Trusted to others was no more | U |
No more avail her years of care | D |
She must her bosom frail prepare | D |
Exposed in her defenceless age | V |
Against the world and fortune's rage | V |
For bread for bread what must be done | W |
She stole forth in the morning sun | W |
I will sell flowers she thought this way | L |
Seemed gentler to her first dismay | L |
Soon to the great flower market fair | D |
With watered leaves and scented air | D |
She came her seeking timorous gaze | O |
Wandered about her in amaze | O |
The arches hummed with cheerful sound | X |
Buyers and sellers thronged around | X |
Lilies in virgin slumber stirred | Y |
Hardly the gold dust brightly blurred | Y |
Upon their rich illumined snow | Z |
As the soft breezes come and go | Z |
From her smooth sheath with ardent wings | A2 |
Purple and gold the iris springs | A2 |
Deep umbered wall flowers dusk between | B2 |
The radiance and the odour keen | B2 |
Of jonquils this sad woman's eyes | C2 |
And her o'erclouded soul surprise | C2 |
- | |
But most the wine red roses deep | D2 |
In sunshine lying warm asleep | D2 |
Breathing perfume drinking light | E2 |
Into their inmost bosoms bright | E2 |
Seemed fathomlessly to unfold | F2 |
A treasure of more price than gold | F2 |
Martha o'ercome by wonder new | G2 |
Into her heart the crimson drew | G2 |
The colour burning on her cheek | H2 |
She stood in strange emotion weak | H2 |
But she must buy Her choice was made | F |
Red rose upon red rose she laid | F |
Lingering then hastened out with eyes | C2 |
Bright and her hands about the prize | C2 |
And quickened thought that nowhere aims | I2 |
Soon pausing above glittering Thames | J2 |
She spreads the flowers upon her knees | K2 |
Vast many windowed palaces | L2 |
Before her raised their scornful height | E2 |
And haughtily struck back the light | E2 |
She scarcely marked them only bent | M2 |
Her fond gaze on the flowers intent | M2 |
To bind them in gay bunches drest | M2 |
So to allure the spoiler best | M2 |
But now as her caressing hand | M2 |
Each odorous fresh nosegay planned | M2 |
A new grief smote her to the heart | M2 |
Must she from her sweet treasure part | M2 |
They seemed of her own blood O no | Z |
I cannot shame my roses so | Z |
I will get bread some other way | L |
So she shut out all thought The day | L |
Was radiant and her soul surprised | M2 |
To beauty and the unsurmised | M2 |
Sweetness of life itself reproved | M2 |
That had so little felt and loved | M2 |
O now to love if even a flower | J |
To taste the sweet sun for an hour | J |
Was better than the struggle vain | N2 |
The dull unprofitable pain | N2 |
To find her useless body bread | M2 |
Stricken with grievous joy she fled | M2 |
- | |
She fled but soon her pace grew faint | M2 |
She paused awhile and easier went | M2 |
Often in spirits wrought despair | D |
Not less than joy the end of care | D |
A lightness feigns for all is done | W |
And certainty at last begun | W |
Martha with impulse fresh recoiled | M2 |
From empty years forlorn and soiled | M2 |
Trembled to feel the radiant breeze | K2 |
Blowing from unknown living seas | K2 |
And rising eager from long fast | M2 |
Drank in the wine of life at last | M2 |
Now as some lovely face went by | R |
She noted it with yearning eye | R |
She joyed in the exultant course | O2 |
Of horses and their rushing force | O2 |
- | |
At last long wandering she drew near | M |
Her home then fell on her a fear | M |
A shadow from the coming Hours | P2 |
By chance a hawker crying flowers | P2 |
His barrow pushed along the street | M2 |
And the dull air with scent was sweet | M2 |
As on her threshold Martha stood | M2 |
A sudden thought surprised her blood | M2 |
Quickly she entered and the stair | D |
Ascended first with gentle care | D |
Cooled her tired roses then a box | Q2 |
Of little hoardings she unlocks | Q2 |
And brings her silver to the door | U |
And buys till she can buy no more | U |
Laden she enters the drear room | R2 |
Glows strangely the transfigured gloom | R2 |
Flows over prodigal in bloom | R2 |
Her lonely supper now she spread | M2 |
But with her eyes she banqueted | M2 |
Over the roofs in solemn flame | S2 |
The strong beam of the sunset came | S2 |
And from the floor striking a glow | Z |
Burned back upon the wall and lo | Z |
How deep in double splendour dyed | M2 |
Blushed the red roses glorified | M2 |
When darkness dimmed them Martha sighed | M2 |
Yet still about the room she went | M2 |
Touching them and the subtle scent | M2 |
Wandered into her soul and brought | M2 |
All memories yet stifled thought | M2 |
As in her bed she lay the flowers | Q2 |
Haunted her through the midnight hours | Q2 |
'Twixt her shut lids the colours crept | M2 |
But wearied out at last she slept | M2 |
- | |
Next morning she awoke in dread | M2 |
O mad O sinful me she said | M2 |
What have I done how shall this end | M2 |
For me Alas I have no friend | M2 |
She strove to rise but in her brain | N2 |
A drowsy magic worked like pain | N2 |
She sank back in a weak amaze | Q2 |
Upon the pillow then her gaze | Q2 |
Fell on the roses she looked round | M2 |
And in the spell again was bound | M2 |
The deep hued blossoms standing by | R |
With serious beauty awed her eye | R |
Upward inscrutable they flamed | M2 |
Of that mean fear she was ashamed | M2 |
All day their fragrance in the sun | W |
Possessed her spirit one by one | W |
She pondered o'er them dozing still | T2 |
And waking half against her will | T2 |
Her body hungered but her soul | U2 |
Was feasting Gradually stole | U2 |
The evening shadow on her bed | M2 |
She could no longer lift her head | M2 |
Deep on her brain the flowers had wrought | M2 |
Now in the dim twilight her thought | M2 |
Put trembling on a strange attire | J |
And blossomed in fantastic fire | J |
She stretched her hand out in the gloom | R2 |
It touched upon a living bloom | R2 |
Thither she turned the deep perfume | R2 |
O'ercame her nearer and more near | M |
And now her joy is in her fear | M |
The lily hangs the rose inclines | Q2 |
With incense that her soul entwines | Q2 |
Her inmost soul that dares not stir | J |
The gentle flowers have need of her | J |
Unpitying is their rich desire | J |
Her breath her being they require | J |
O she must yield She sinks far down | V2 |
Conquered listless happy down | V2 |
Under wells of darkness deep | D2 |
Into labyrinths of sleep | D2 |
Perishing in sweetness dumb | W2 |
By the close enfolding bloom | R2 |
To a sighing phantom kissed | M2 |
Like a water into mist | M2 |
Melting and extinguished quite | M2 |
In unfathomed odorous night | M2 |
- | |
At last the brief stars paling dawn | X2 |
Breathed from distant stream and lawn | X2 |
The earliest bird with chirrup low | Z |
Called his mates softly and slow | Z |
The flowers their languid petals part | M2 |
And open to the fragrant heart | M2 |
And now the first fresh beam returned | M2 |
Bright through the lily's edge it burned | M2 |
And filled the purple rose with fire | J |
And brightened all their green attire | J |
And woke a shadow on the wall | Y2 |
- | |
But Martha slept nor stirred at all | Y2 |
Robert Laurence Binyon
(1)
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