The Crystal Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKG LMNONNPPQNRSTUUN VTJPWXNUYNUNZNNA2B2 JNNNNC2N NTNNU JD2NJ TNUE2 TNF2NJ JUUE2G2 H2NTI2O NJ2UNUG2K2L2IM2OPUNN UUND2 AG2E2UUNUJNNJU XAt midnight death's and truth's unlocking time | A |
When far within the spirit's hearing rolls | B |
The great soft rumble of the course of things | C |
A bulk of silence in a mask of sound | D |
When darkness clears our vision that by day | E |
Is sun blind and the soul's a ravening owl | F |
For truth and flitteth here and there about | G |
Low lying woody tracts of time and oft | H |
Is minded for to sit upon a bough | I |
Dry dead and sharp of some long stricken tree | J |
And muse in that gaunt place 'twas then my heart | K |
Deep in the meditative dark cried out | G |
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Ye companies of governor spirits grave | L |
Bards and old bringers down of flaming news | M |
From steep wall'd heavens holy malcontents | N |
Sweet seers and stellar visionaries all | O |
That brood about the skies of poesy | N |
Full bright ye shine insuperable stars | N |
Yet if a man look hard upon you none | P |
With total lustre blazeth no not one | P |
But hath some heinous freckle of the flesh | Q |
Upon his shining cheek not one but winks | N |
His ray opaqued with intermittent mist | R |
Of defect yea you masters all must ask | S |
Some sweet forgiveness which we leap to give | T |
We lovers of you heavenly glad to meet | U |
Your largesse so with love and interplight | U |
Your geniuses with our mortalities | N |
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Thus unto thee O sweetest Shakespeare sole | V |
A hundred hurts a day I do forgive | T |
'Tis little but enchantment 'tis for thee | J |
Small curious quibble Juliet's prurient pun | P |
In the poor pale face of Romeo's fancied death | W |
Cold rant of Richard Henry's fustian roar | X |
Which frights away that sleep he invocates | N |
Wronged Valentine's unnatural haste to yield | U |
Too silly shifts of maids that mask as men | Y |
In faint disguises that could ne'er disguise | N |
Viola Julia Portia Rosalind | U |
Fatigues most drear and needless overtax | N |
Of speech obscure that had as lief be plain | Z |
Last I forgive with more delight because | N |
'Tis more to do the labored lewd discourse | N |
That e'en thy young invention's youngest heir | A2 |
Besmirched the world with | B2 |
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Father Homer thee | J |
Thee also I forgive thy sandy wastes | N |
Of prose and catalogue thy drear harangues | N |
That tease the patience of the centuries | N |
Thy sleazy scrap of story but a rogue's | N |
Rape of a light o' love too soiled a patch | C2 |
To broider with the gods | N |
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Thee Socrates | N |
Thou dear and very strong one I forgive | T |
Thy year worn cloak thine iron stringencies | N |
That were but dandy upside down thy words | N |
Of truth that mildlier spoke had mainlier wrought | U |
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So Buddha beautiful I pardon thee | J |
That all the All thou hadst for needy man | D2 |
Was Nothing and thy Best of being was | N |
But not to be | J |
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Worn Dante I forgive | T |
The implacable hates that in thy horrid hells | N |
Or burn or freeze thy fellows never loosed | U |
By death nor time nor love | E2 |
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And I forgive | T |
Thee Milton those thy comic dreadful wars | N |
Where armed with gross and inconclusive steel | F2 |
Immortals smite immortals mortalwise | N |
And fill all heaven with folly | J |
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Also thee | J |
Brave Aeschylus thee I forgive for that | U |
Thine eye by bare bright justice basilisked | U |
Turned not nor ever learned to look where Love | E2 |
Stands shining | G2 |
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So unto thee Lucretius mine | H2 |
For oh what heart hath loved thee like to this | N |
That's now complaining freely I forgive | T |
Thy logic poor thine error rich thine earth | I2 |
Whose graves eat souls and all | O |
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Yea all you hearts | N |
Of beauty and sweet righteous lovers large | J2 |
Aurelius fine oft superfine mild Saint | U |
A Kempis overmild Epictetus | N |
Whiles low in thought still with old slavery tinct | U |
Rapt Behmen rapt too far high Swedenborg | G2 |
O'ertoppling Langley that with but a touch | K2 |
Of art hadst sung Piers Plowman to the top | L2 |
Of English songs whereof 'tis dearest now | I |
And most adorable Caedmon in the morn | M2 |
A calling angels with the cow herd's call | O |
That late brought up the cattle Emerson | P |
Most wise that yet in finding Wisdom lost | U |
Thy Self sometimes tense Keats with angels' nerves | N |
Where men's were better Tennyson largest voice | N |
Since Milton yet some register of wit | U |
Wanting all all I pardon ere 'tis asked | U |
Your more or less your little mole that marks | N |
You brother and your kinship seals to man | D2 |
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But Thee but Thee O sovereign Seer of time | A |
But Thee O poets' Poet Wisdom's Tongue | G2 |
But Thee O man's best Man O love's best Love | E2 |
O perfect life in perfect labor writ | U |
O all men's Comrade Servant King or Priest | U |
What 'if' or 'yet' what mole what flaw what lapse | N |
What least defect or shadow of defect | U |
What rumor tattled by an enemy | J |
Of inference loose what lack of grace | N |
Even in torture's grasp or sleep's or death's | N |
Oh what amiss may I forgive in Thee | J |
Jesus good Paragon thou Crystal Christ | U |
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Baltimore | X |
Sidney Lanier
(1)
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