The Crystal Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKG LMNONNPPQNRSTUUN VTJPWXNUYNUNZNNA2B2 JNNNNC2N NTNNU JD2NJ TNUE2 TNF2NJ JUUE2G2 H2NTI2O NJ2UNUG2K2L2IM2OPUNN UUND2 AG2E2UUNUJNNJU X

At midnight death's and truth's unlocking timeA
When far within the spirit's hearing rollsB
The great soft rumble of the course of thingsC
A bulk of silence in a mask of soundD
When darkness clears our vision that by dayE
Is sun blind and the soul's a ravening owlF
For truth and flitteth here and there aboutG
Low lying woody tracts of time and oftH
Is minded for to sit upon a boughI
Dry dead and sharp of some long stricken treeJ
And muse in that gaunt place 'twas then my heartK
Deep in the meditative dark cried outG
-
Ye companies of governor spirits graveL
Bards and old bringers down of flaming newsM
From steep wall'd heavens holy malcontentsN
Sweet seers and stellar visionaries allO
That brood about the skies of poesyN
Full bright ye shine insuperable starsN
Yet if a man look hard upon you noneP
With total lustre blazeth no not oneP
But hath some heinous freckle of the fleshQ
Upon his shining cheek not one but winksN
His ray opaqued with intermittent mistR
Of defect yea you masters all must askS
Some sweet forgiveness which we leap to giveT
We lovers of you heavenly glad to meetU
Your largesse so with love and interplightU
Your geniuses with our mortalitiesN
-
Thus unto thee O sweetest Shakespeare soleV
A hundred hurts a day I do forgiveT
'Tis little but enchantment 'tis for theeJ
Small curious quibble Juliet's prurient punP
In the poor pale face of Romeo's fancied deathW
Cold rant of Richard Henry's fustian roarX
Which frights away that sleep he invocatesN
Wronged Valentine's unnatural haste to yieldU
Too silly shifts of maids that mask as menY
In faint disguises that could ne'er disguiseN
Viola Julia Portia RosalindU
Fatigues most drear and needless overtaxN
Of speech obscure that had as lief be plainZ
Last I forgive with more delight becauseN
'Tis more to do the labored lewd discourseN
That e'en thy young invention's youngest heirA2
Besmirched the world withB2
-
Father Homer theeJ
Thee also I forgive thy sandy wastesN
Of prose and catalogue thy drear haranguesN
That tease the patience of the centuriesN
Thy sleazy scrap of story but a rogue'sN
Rape of a light o' love too soiled a patchC2
To broider with the godsN
-
Thee SocratesN
Thou dear and very strong one I forgiveT
Thy year worn cloak thine iron stringenciesN
That were but dandy upside down thy wordsN
Of truth that mildlier spoke had mainlier wroughtU
-
So Buddha beautiful I pardon theeJ
That all the All thou hadst for needy manD2
Was Nothing and thy Best of being wasN
But not to beJ
-
Worn Dante I forgiveT
The implacable hates that in thy horrid hellsN
Or burn or freeze thy fellows never loosedU
By death nor time nor loveE2
-
And I forgiveT
Thee Milton those thy comic dreadful warsN
Where armed with gross and inconclusive steelF2
Immortals smite immortals mortalwiseN
And fill all heaven with follyJ
-
Also theeJ
Brave Aeschylus thee I forgive for thatU
Thine eye by bare bright justice basiliskedU
Turned not nor ever learned to look where LoveE2
Stands shiningG2
-
So unto thee Lucretius mineH2
For oh what heart hath loved thee like to thisN
That's now complaining freely I forgiveT
Thy logic poor thine error rich thine earthI2
Whose graves eat souls and allO
-
Yea all you heartsN
Of beauty and sweet righteous lovers largeJ2
Aurelius fine oft superfine mild SaintU
A Kempis overmild EpictetusN
Whiles low in thought still with old slavery tinctU
Rapt Behmen rapt too far high SwedenborgG2
O'ertoppling Langley that with but a touchK2
Of art hadst sung Piers Plowman to the topL2
Of English songs whereof 'tis dearest nowI
And most adorable Caedmon in the mornM2
A calling angels with the cow herd's callO
That late brought up the cattle EmersonP
Most wise that yet in finding Wisdom lostU
Thy Self sometimes tense Keats with angels' nervesN
Where men's were better Tennyson largest voiceN
Since Milton yet some register of witU
Wanting all all I pardon ere 'tis askedU
Your more or less your little mole that marksN
You brother and your kinship seals to manD2
-
But Thee but Thee O sovereign Seer of timeA
But Thee O poets' Poet Wisdom's TongueG2
But Thee O man's best Man O love's best LoveE2
O perfect life in perfect labor writU
O all men's Comrade Servant King or PriestU
What 'if' or 'yet' what mole what flaw what lapseN
What least defect or shadow of defectU
What rumor tattled by an enemyJ
Of inference loose what lack of graceN
Even in torture's grasp or sleep's or death'sN
Oh what amiss may I forgive in TheeJ
Jesus good Paragon thou Crystal ChristU
-
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BaltimoreX

Sidney Lanier



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