Humphrey And William Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A B CCDDEE F GGHHDIJJKLMMNN B OOCCII F PPNNQQRRSSTTUN B VVBB F WWVVXXYYZCA2A2B2B2C2 C2D2CSSE2 B F2F2WWG2G2H2H2GGOOOO I2I2MMC2C2BBDDJ2J2K2 K2J2J2L2L2D2D2BBIIC2 C2M2M2OON2N2O2O2OOOO N2N2OOC2C2OOP2L2Q2Q2 IIN2N2NNR2R2BBC2C2BB BBBB

Time NoonA
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HUMPHREYB
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See'st thou not William that the scorching SunC
By this time half his daily race has runC
The savage thrusts his light canoe to shoreD
And hurries homeward with his fishy storeD
Suppose we leave awhile this stubborn soilE
To eat our dinner and to rest from toilE
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WILLIAMF
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Agreed Yon tree whose purple gum bestowsG
A ready medicine for the sick man's woesG
Forms with its shadowy boughs a cool retreatH
To shield us from the noontide's sultry heatH
Ah Humphrey now upon old England's shoreD
The weary labourer's morning work is o'erI
The woodman now rests from his measur'd strokeJ
Flings down his axe and sits beneath the oakJ
Savour'd with hunger there he eats his foodK
There drinks the cooling streamlet of the woodL
To us no cooling streamlet winds its wayM
No joys domestic crown for us the dayM
The felon's name the outcast's garb we wearN
Toil all the day and all the night despairN
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HUMPHREYB
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Ah William labouring up the furrowed groundO
I used to love the village clock's dull soundO
Rejoice to hear my morning toil was doneC
And trudge it homewards when the clock went oneC
'Twas ere I turn'd a soldier and a sinnerI
Pshaw curse this whining let us fall to dinnerI
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WILLIAMF
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I too have loved this hour nor yet forgotP
Each joy domestic of my little cotP
For at this hour my wife with watchful careN
Was wont each humbler dainty to prepareN
The keenest sauce by hunger was suppliedQ
And my poor children prattled at my sideQ
Methinks I see the old oak table spreadR
The clean white trencher and the good brown breadR
The cheese my daily food which Mary madeS
For Mary knew full well the housewife's tradeS
The jug of cyder cyder I could makeT
And then the knives I won 'em at the wakeT
Another has them now I toiling hereU
Look backward like a child and drop a tearN
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HUMPHREYB
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I love a dismal story tell me thineV
Meantime good Will I'll listen as I dineV
I too my friend can tell a piteous storyB
When I turn'd hero how I purchas'd gloryB
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WILLIAMF
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But Humphrey sure thou never canst have knownW
The comforts of a little home thine ownW
A home so snug So chearful too as mineV
'Twas always clean and we could make it fineV
For there King Charles's golden rules were seenX
And there God bless 'em both the King and QueenX
The pewter plates our garnish'd chimney graceY
So nicely scour'd you might have seen your faceY
And over all to frighten thieves was hungZ
Well clean'd altho' but seldom us'd my gunC
Ah that damn'd gun I took it down one mornA2
A desperate deal of harm they did my cornA2
Our testy Squire too loved to save the breedB2
So covey upon covey eat my seedB2
I mark'd the mischievous rogues and took my aimC2
I fir'd they fell and up the keeper cameC2
That cursed morning brought on my undoingD2
I went to prison and my farm to ruinC
Poor Mary for her grave the parish paidS
No tomb stone tells where her cold corpse is laidS
My children my dear boysE2
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HUMPHREYB
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Come Grief is dryF2
You to your dinner to my story IF2
To you my friend who happier days have knownW
And each calm comfort of a home your ownW
This is bad living I have spent my lifeG2
In hardest toil and unavailing strifeG2
And here from forest ambush safe at leastH2
To me this scanty pittance seems a feastH2
I was a plough boy once as free from woesG
And blithesome as the lark with whom I roseG
Each evening at return a meal I foundO
And tho' my bed was hard my sleep was soundO
One Whitsuntide to go to fair I drestO
Like a great bumkin in my Sunday's bestO
A primrose posey in my hat I stuckI2
And to the revel went to try my luckI2
From show to show from booth to booth I strayM
See stare and wonder all the live long dayM
A Serjeant to the fair recruiting cameC2
Skill'd in man catching to beat up for gameC2
Our booth he enter'd and sat down by meB
Methinks even now the very scene I seeB
The canvass roof the hogshead's running storeD
The old blind fiddler seated next the doorD
The frothy tankard passing to and froJ2
And the rude rabble round the puppet showJ2
The Serjeant eyed me well the punch bowl comesK2
And as we laugh'd and drank up struck the drumsK2
And now he gives a bumper to his WenchJ2
God save the King and then God damn the FrenchJ2
Then tells the story of his last campaignL2
How many wounded and how many slainL2
Flags flying cannons roaring drums a beatingD2
The English marching on the French retreatingD2
Push on push on my lads they fly before yeB
March on to riches happiness and gloryB
At first I wonder'd by degrees grew bolderI
Then cried tis a fine thing to be a soldierI
Aye Humphrey says the Serjeant that's your nameC2
'Tis a fine thing to fight the French for fameC2
March to the field knock out a Mounseer's brainsM2
And pick the scoundrel's pocket for your painsM2
Come Humphrey come thou art a lad of spiritO
Rise to a halbert as I did by meritO
Would'st thou believe it even I was onceN2
As thou art now a plough boy and a dunceN2
But Courage rais'd me to my rank How now boyO2
Shall Hero Humphrey still be Numps the plough boyO2
A proper shaped young fellow tall and straightO
Why thou wert made for glory five feet eightO
The road to riches is the field of fightO
Didst ever see a guinea look so brightO
Why regimentals Numps would give thee graceN2
A hat and feather would become that faceN2
The girls would crowd around thee to be kistO
Dost love a girl Od Zounds I cried I'll listO
So past the night anon the morning cameC2
And off I set a volunteer for fameC2
Back shoulders turn out your toes hold up your headO
Stand easy so I did till almost deadO
Oh how I long'd to tend the plough againP2
Trudge up the field and whistle o'er the plainL2
When tir'd and sore amid the piteous throngQ2
Hungry and cold and wet I limp'd alongQ2
And growing fainter as I pass'd and colderI
Curs'd that ill hour when I became a soldierI
In town I found the hours more gayly passN2
And Time fled swiftly with my girl and glassN2
The girls were wonderous kind and wonderous fairN
They soon transferred me to the Doctor's careN
The Doctor undertook to cure the evilR2
And he almost transferred me to the DevilR2
'Twere tedious to relate the dismal storyB
Of fighting fasting wretchedness and gloryB
At last discharg'd to England's shores I cameC2
Paid for my wounds with want instead of fameC2
Found my fair friends and plunder'd as they bade meB
They kist me coax'd me robb'd me and betray'd meB
Tried and condemn'd his Majesty transports meB
And here in peace I thank him he supports meB
So ends my dismal and heroic storyB
And Humphrey gets more good from guilt than gloryB

Robert Southey



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