The Hard Times In Elfland Poem Rhyme Scheme

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 2 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Wonderful Women
by Umaru Kanneh Boima
Freedom To Scratch In Peace
by Olute Aete
Happy New Year
by Felix Menda
Human Beings
by Dana Graslie
Lust
by Wisdom Greatness
An Isolated Tree's Song
by Sayeed Abubakar
A Strange Boy
by Sayeed Abubakar
O Soil
by Sayeed Abubakar
No War, No War-monger
by Sayeed Abubakar
Night's Town
by Sayeed Abubakar

Popular Poets

1. Emily Dickinson(2414 poems)
2. Madison Julius Cawein(1231 poems)
3. Ella Wheeler Wilcox(1136 poems)
4. William Wordsworth(1016 poems)
5. Robert Burns(986 poems)
6. Edgar Albert Guest(945 poems)
7. Thomas Moore(849 poems)
8. Robert Service(831 poems)

Sidney Lanier

The Hard Times In Elfland Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Write your comment about The Hard Times In Elfland poem by Sidney Lanier

Recent Interactions*

New Poems

Popular Poets

A Story of Christmas Eve	A
	-
	-
	-
Strange that the termagant winds should scold	B
The Christmas Eve so bitterly	C
But Wife and Harry the four year old	B
Big Charley Nimblewits and I	D
	-
Blithe as the wind was bitter drew	E
More frontward of the mighty fire	F
Where wise Newfoundland Fan foreknew	G
The heaven that Christian dogs desire	F
	-
Stretched o'er the rug serene and grave	H
Huge nose on heavy paws reclined	I
With never a drowning boy to save	H
And warmth of body and peace of mind	I
	-
And as our happy circle sat	J
The fire well capp'd the company	G
In grave debate or careless chat	J
A right good fellow mingled he	G
	-
He seemed as one of us to sit	K
And talked of things above below	L
With flames more winsome than our wit	K
And coals that burned like love aglow	L
	-
While thus our rippling discourse rolled	B
Smooth down the channel of the night	M
We spoke of Time thereat one told	B
A parable of the Seasons' flight	M
	-
Time was a Shepherd with four sheep	N
In a certain Field he long abode	O
He stood by the bars and his flock bade leap	N
One at a time to the Common Road	O
	-
And first there leapt like bird on wing	P
A lissome Lamb that played in the air	Q
I heard the Shepherd call him Spring'	P
Oh large eyed fresh and snowy fair	Q
	-
He skipped the flowering Highway fast	R
Hurried the hedgerows green and white	M
Set maids and men a yearning passed	R
The Bend and gamboll'd out of sight	M
	-
And next marched forth a matron Ewe	E
While Time took down a bar for her	F
Udder'd so large 'twas much ado	E
E'en then to clear the barrier	F
	-
Full softly shone her silken fleece	S
What stately time she paced along	P
Each heartsome hoof stroke wrought increase	S
Of sunlight substance seedling song	P
	-
In flower in fruit in field in bird	T
Till the great globe rich fleck'd and pied	U
Like some large peach half pinkly furred	U
Turned to the sun a glowing side	U
	-
And hung in the heavenly orchard bright	U
None such complete	U
Then while the Ewe	E
Slow passed the Bend a blur of light	U
The Shepherd's face in sadness grew	E
	-
Summer ' he said as one would say	V
A sigh in syllables So in haste	U
For shame of Summer's long delay	V
Yet gazing still what way she paced	U
	-
He summoned Autumn slanting down	G
The second bar Thereover strode	U
A Wether fleeced in burning brown	G
And largely loitered down the Road	U
	-
Far as the farmers sight his shape	W
Majestic moving o'er the way	V
All cry To harvest ' crush the grape	W
And haul the corn and house the hay	V
	-
Till presently no man can say	V
So brown the woods that line that end	U
If yet the brown fleeced Wether may	V
Or not have passed beyond the Bend	U
	-
Now turn I towards the Shepherd lo	L
An aged Ram flapp'd gnarly horn'd	U
With bones that crackle o'er the snow	L
Rheum'd wind gall'd rag fleec'd burr'd and thorn'd	U
	-
Time takes the third bar off for him	X
He totters down the windy lane	G
'Tis Winter still the Bend lies dim	X
O Lamb would thou wouldst leap again	G
	-
Those seasons out we talked of these	Y
And I with inward purpose sly	D
To shield my purse from Christmas trees	Y
And stockings and wild robbery	G
	-
When Hal and Nimblewits invade	U
My cash in Santa Claus's name	Z
In full the hard hard times surveyed	U
Denounced all waste as crime and shame	Z
	-
Hinted that waste might be a term	A2
Including skates velocipedes	Y
Kites marbles soldiers towers infirm	A2
Bows arrows cannon Indian reeds	Y
	-
Cap pistols drums mechanic toys	Y
And all th' infernal host of horns	Y
Whereby to strenuous hells of noise	Y
Are turned the blessed Christmas morns	Y
	-
Thus roused those horns to sacred rage	B2
I rose forefinger high in air	Q
When Harry cried SOME war to wage	B2
Papa is hard times ev'ywhere	Q
	-
Maybe in Santa Claus's land	U
It isn't hard times none at all	C2
Now blessed Vision to my hand	U
Most pat a marvel strange did fall	C2
	-
Scarce had my Harry ceased when Look	P
He cried leapt up in wild alarm	D2
Ran to my Comrade shelter took	P
Beneath the startled mother's arm	D2
	-
And so was still what time we saw	Y
A foot hang down the fireplace Then	G
With painful scrambling scratched and raw	Q
Two hands that seemed like hands of men	G
	-
Eased down two legs and a body through	Q
The blazing fire and forth there came	Z
Before our wide and wondering view	Q
A figure shrinking half with shame	Z
	-
And half with weakness Sir I said	U
But with a mien of dignity	G
The seedy stranger raised his head	U
My friends I'm Santa Claus said he	G
	-
But oh how changed That rotund face	Y
The new moon rivall'd pale and thin	G
Where once was cheek now empty space	Y
Whate'er stood out did now stand in	G
	-
His piteous legs scarce propped him up	E2
His arms mere sickles seemed to be	G
But most o'erflowed our sorrow's cup	E2
When that we saw or did not see	G
	-
His belly we remembered how	F2
It shook like a bowl of jelly fine	G
An earthquake could not shake it now	F2
He HAD no belly not a sign	G
	-
Yes yes old friends you well may stare	Q
I HAVE seen better days he said	U
But now with shrinkage loss and care	Q
Your Santa Claus scarce owns his head	U
	-
We've had such hard hard times this year	Q
For goblins Never knew the like	P
All Elfland's mortgaged And we fear	Q
The gnomes are just about to strike	P
	-
I once was rich and round and hale	G2
The whole world called me jolly brick	P
But listen to a piteous tale	G2
Young Harry Santa Claus is sick	P
	-
'Twas thus a smooth tongued railroad man	G
Comes to my house and talks to me	G
I've got ' says he a little plan	G
That suits this nineteenth century	G
	-
Instead of driving as you do	Q
Six reindeer slow from house to house	Y
Let's build a Grand Trunk Railway through	Q
From here to earth's last terminus	Y
	-
We'll touch at every chimney top	H2
An Elevated Track of course	Y
Then as we whisk you by you'll drop	H2
Each package down just think the force	Y
	-
You'll save the time Besides we'll make	P
Our millions look you soon we will	I2
Compete for freights and then we'll take	P
Dame Fortune's bales of good and ill	I2
	-
Why she's the biggest shipper sir	Q
That e'er did business in this world	U
Then Death that ceaseless Traveller	Q
Shall on his rounds by us be whirled	U
	-
When ghosts return to walk with men	G
We'll bring 'em cheap by steam and fast	U
We'll run a Branch to heaven and then	G
We'll riot man for then at last	U
	-
We'll make with heaven a contract fair	Q
To call each hour from town to town	G
And carry the dead folks' souls up there	Q
And bring the unborn babies down '	-
	-
The plan seemed fair I gave him cash	J2
Nay every penny I could raise	Y
My wife e'er cried 'Tis rash 'tis rash '	-
How could I know the stock thief's ways	Y
	-
But soon I learned full well poor fool	K2
My woes began that wretched day	U
The President plied me like a tool	K2
In lawyer's fees and rights of way	U
	-
Injunctions leases charters I	D
Was meshed as in a mighty maze	Y
The stock ran low the talk ran high	D
Then quickly flamed the final blaze	Y
	-
With never an inch of track 'tis true	Q
The debts were large the oft told tale	G2
The President rolled in splendor new	Q
He bought my silver at the sale	G2
	-
Yes sold me out we've moved away	U
I've had to give up everything	P
My reindeer even whom I pray	U
Excuse me here o'er sorrowing	P
	-
Poor Santa Claus burst into tears	Y
Then calmed again my reindeer fleet	U
I gave them up on foot my dears	Y
I now must plod through snow and sleet	U
	-
Retrenchment rules in Elfland now	F2
Yes every luxury is cut off	L2
Which by the way reminds me how	F2
I caught this dreadful hacking cough	M2
	-
I cut off the tail of my Ulster furred	U
To make young Kris a coat of state	U
That very night the storm occurred	U
Thus we became the sport of Fate	U
	-
For I was out till after one	G
Surveying chimney tops and roofs	Y
An	G