The Country Mouse And The Town Mouse Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCBCDCDEDEDEDFDFG FGDGDFDFHFHIHIDIDJDD FDFJFJBJBBBBKBKLKLHL HMHCDCDNDNONODODBDBD BDBDBPQPDPDDDDKDKRKR STSDSDBDB| My mother's maids when they did sew and spin | A |
| They sang sometime a song of the field mouse | B |
| That for because her livelood was but thin | A |
| Would needs go seek her townish sister's house | B |
| She thought herself endured to much pain | C |
| The stormy blasts her cave so sore did souse | B |
| That when the furrows swimmed with the rain | C |
| She must lie cold and wet in sorry plight | D |
| And worse than that bare meat there did remain | C |
| To comfort her when she her house had dight | D |
| Sometime a barleycorn sometime a bean | E |
| For which she labored hard both day and night | D |
| In harvest time whilst she might go and glean | E |
| And when her store was 'stroyed with the flood | D |
| Then well away for she undone was clean | E |
| Then was she fain to take instead of food | D |
| Sleep if she might her hunger to beguile | F |
| My sister qoth she hath a living good | D |
| And hence from me she dwelleth not a mile | F |
| In cold and storm she lieth warm and dry | G |
| In bed of down and dirt doth not defile | F |
| Her tender foot she laboreth not as I | G |
| Richly she feedeth and at the rich man's cost | D |
| And for her meat she needs not crave nor cry | G |
| By sea by land of the delicates the most | D |
| Her cater seeks and spareth for no peril | F |
| She feedeth on boiled baken meat and roast | D |
| And hath thereof neither charge nor travail | F |
| And when she list the liquor of the grape | H |
| Doth goad her heart till that her belly swell | F |
| And at this journey she maketh but a jape | H |
| So forth she goeth trusting of all this wealth | I |
| With her sister her part so for to shape | H |
| That if she might keep herself in health | I |
| To live a lady while her life doth last | D |
| And to the door now is she come by stealth | I |
| And with her foot anon she scrapeth full fast | D |
| The other for fear durst not well scarce appear | J |
| Of every noise so was the wretch aghast | D |
| Peace quoth the town mouse why speakest thou so loud | D |
| And by the hand she took her fair and well | F |
| Welcome quoth she my sister by the rood | D |
| She feasted her that joy is was to tell | F |
| The fare they had they drank the wine so clear | J |
| And as to purpose now and then it fell | F |
| She cheered her with How sister what cheer | J |
| Amids this joy there fell a sorry chance | B |
| That wellaway the stranger bought full dear | J |
| The fare she had For as she looks askance | B |
| Under a stool she spied two steaming eyes | B |
| In a round head with sharp ears In France | B |
| was never mouse so feared for though the unwise | B |
| Had not yseen such a beast before | K |
| Yet had nature taught her after her guise | B |
| To know her foe and dread him evermore | K |
| The town mouse fled she knew whither to go | L |
| The other had no shift but wondrous sore | K |
| Feared of her life at home she wished her though | L |
| And to the door alas as she did skip | H |
| Th' heaven it would lo and eke her chance was so | L |
| At the threshold her silly foot did trip | H |
| And ere she might recover it again | M |
| The traitor cat had caught her by the hip | H |
| And made her there against her will remain | C |
| That had forgotten her poor surety and rest | D |
| For seeming wealth wherein she thought to reign | C |
| Alas my Poynz how men do seek the best | D |
| And find the worst by error as they stray | N |
| And no marvel when sight is so opprest | D |
| And blind the guide Anon out of the way | N |
| Goeth guide and all in seeking quiet life | O |
| O wretched minds there is no gold that may | N |
| Grant that ye seek no war no peace no strife | O |
| No no although thy head was hoopt with gold | D |
| Sergeant with mace haubert sword nor knife | O |
| Cannot repulse the care that follow should | D |
| Each kind of life hath with him his disease | B |
| Live in delight even as thy lust would | D |
| And thou shalt find when lust doth most thee please | B |
| It irketh strait and by itself doth fade | D |
| A small thing it is that may thy mind appease | B |
| None of ye all there is that is so mad | D |
| To seek grapes upon brambles or breers | B |
| Not none I trow that hath his wit so bad | D |
| To set his hay for conies over rivers | B |
| Ne ye set not a drag net for an hare | P |
| And yet the thing that most is your desire | Q |
| Ye do misseek with more travail and care | P |
| Make plain thine heart that it be not notted | D |
| With hope or dread and see thy will be bare | P |
| From all effects whom vice hath ever spotted | D |
| Thyself content with that is thee assigned | D |
| And use it well that is to thee allotted | D |
| Then seek no more out of thyself to find | D |
| The thing that thou hast sought so long before | K |
| For thou shalt find it sitting in thy mind | D |
| Mad if ye list to continue your sore | K |
| Let present pass and gape on time to come | R |
| And deep yourself in travail more and more | K |
| Henceforth my Poynz this shall be all and some | R |
| These wretched fools shall have nought else of me | S |
| But to the great God and to His high doom | T |
| None other pain pray I for them to be | S |
| But when the rage doth lead them from the right | D |
| That looking backward Virtue they may see | S |
| Even as She is so goodly fair and bright | D |
| And whilst they clasp their lusts in arms across | B |
| Grant them good Lord as Thou mayst of Thy might | D |
| To fret inward for losing such a loss | B |
Sir Thomas Wyatt
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About The Country Mouse And The Town Mouse
The Country Mouse And The Town Mouse is a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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