From The Cuckoo And The Nightingale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BAAB A CCDDD A EFFEE A GGHHG A AAIIA A JJKKK A LMIIL A NOGGO E PPAAP E DDQQD A GGRSG G GGAQG G TUIIT A GGGGG A GGGGG A GGISG A VVAAW A AAAAA G AAAAA G AAKKA G SKRKK G GGAAG G KKRRK A NNXXN A AAAAA A GGXXG A AAGGA A QQAAQ G AAYYA G AAAAA G ZA2IIZ G GGGGA G AAGGA A YYGGY A GGAAG A YYGGY A AAI | A |
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The God of Love 'ah benedicite ' | - |
How mighty and how great a Lord is he | B |
For he of low hearts can make high of high | A |
He can make low and unto death bring nigh | A |
And hard hearts he can make them kind and free | B |
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II | A |
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Within a little time as hath been found | C |
He can make sick folk whole and fresh and sound | C |
Them who are whole in body and in mind | D |
He can make sick bind can he and unbind | D |
All that he will have bound or have unbound | D |
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III | A |
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To tell his might my wit may not suffice | E |
Foolish men he can make them out of wise | F |
For he may do all that he will devise | F |
Loose livers he can make abate their vice | E |
And proud hearts can make tremble in a trice | E |
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IV | A |
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In brief the whole of what he will he may | G |
Against him dare not any wight say nay | G |
To humble or afflict whome'er he will | H |
To gladden or to grieve he hath like skill | H |
But most his might he sheds on the eve of May | G |
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V | A |
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For every true heart gentle heart and free | A |
That with him is or thinketh so to be | A |
Now against May shall have some stirring whether | I |
To joy or be it to some mourning never | I |
At other time methinks in like degree | A |
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VI | A |
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For now when they may hear the small birds' song | J |
And see the budding leaves the branches throng | J |
This unto their remembrance doth bring | K |
All kinds of pleasure mixed with sorrowing | K |
And longing of sweet thoughts that ever long | K |
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VII | A |
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And of that longing heaviness doth come | L |
Whence oft great sickness grows of heart and home | M |
Sick are they all for lack of their desire | I |
And thus in May their hearts are set on fire | I |
So that they burn forth in great martyrdom | L |
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VIII | A |
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In sooth I speak from feeling what though now | N |
Old am I and to genial pleasure slow | O |
Yet have I felt of sickness through the May | G |
Both hot and cold and heart aches every day | G |
How hard alas to bear I only know | O |
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IX | E |
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Such shaking doth the fever in me keep | P |
Through all this May that I have little sleep | P |
And also 'tis not likely unto me | A |
That any living heart should sleepy be | A |
In which Love's dart its fiery point doth steep | P |
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X | E |
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But tossing lately on a sleepless bed | D |
I of a token thought which Lovers heed | D |
How among them it was a common tale | Q |
That it was good to hear the Nightingale | Q |
Ere the vile Cuckoo's note be uttered | D |
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XI | A |
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And then I thought anon as it was day | G |
I gladly would go somewhere to essay | G |
If I perchance a Nightingale might hear | R |
For yet had I heard none of all that year | S |
And it was then the third night of the May | G |
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XII | G |
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And soon as I a glimpse of day espied | G |
No longer would I in my bed abide | G |
But straightway to a wood that was hard by | A |
Forth did I go alone and fearlessly | Q |
And held the pathway down by a brookside | G |
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XIII | G |
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Till to a lawn I came all white and green | T |
I in so fair a one had never been | U |
The ground was green with daisy powdered over | I |
Tall were the flowers the grove a lofty cover | I |
All green and white and nothing else was seen | T |
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XIV | A |
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There sate I down among the fair fresh flowers | G |
And saw the birds come tripping from their bowers | G |
Where they had rested them all night and they | G |
Who were so joyful at the light of day | G |
Began to honour May with all their powers | G |
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XV | A |
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Well did they know that service all by rote | G |
And there was many and many a lovely note | G |
Some singing loud as if they had complained | G |
Some with their notes another manner feigned | G |
And some did sing all out with the full throat | G |
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XVI | A |
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They pruned themselves and made themselves right gay | G |
Dancing and leaping light upon the spray | G |
And ever two and two together were | I |
The same as they had chosen for the year | S |
Upon Saint Valentine's returning day | G |
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XVII | A |
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Meanwhile the stream whose bank I sate upon | V |
Was making such a noise as it ran on | V |
Accordant to the sweet Birds' harmony | A |
Methought that it was the best melody | A |
Which ever to man's ear a passage won | W |
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XVIII | A |
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And for delight but how I never wot | A |
I in a slumber and a swoon was caught | A |
Not all asleep and yet not waking wholly | A |
And as I lay the Cuckoo bird unholy | A |
Broke silence or I heard him in my thought | A |
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XIX | G |
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And that was right upon a tree fast by | A |
And who was then ill satisfied but I | A |
Now God quoth I that died upon the rood | A |
From thee and thy base throat keep all that's good | A |
Full little joy have I now of thy cry | A |
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XX | G |
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And as I with the Cuckoo thus 'gan chide | A |
In the next bush that was me fast beside | A |
I heard the lusty Nightingale so sing | K |
That her clear voice made a loud rioting | K |
Echoing thorough all the green wood wide | A |
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XXI | G |
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Ah good sweet Nightingale for my heart's cheer | S |
Hence hast thou stayed a little while too long | K |
For we have had the sorry Cuckoo here | R |
And she hath been before thee with her song | K |
Evil light on her she hath done me wrong | K |
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XXII | G |
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But hear you now a wondrous thing I pray | G |
As long as in that swooning fit I lay | G |
Methought I wist right well what these birds meant | A |
And had good knowing both of their intent | A |
And of their speech and all that they would say | G |
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XXIII | G |
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The Nightingale thus in my hearing spake | K |
Good Cuckoo seek some other bush or brake | K |
And prithee let us that can sing dwell here | R |
For every wight eschews thy song to hear | R |
Such uncouth singing verily dost thou make | K |
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XXIV | A |
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What quoth she then what is't that ails thee now | N |
It seems to me I sing as well as thou | N |
For mine's a song that is both true and plain | X |
Although I cannot quaver so in vain | X |
As thou dost in thy throat I wot not how | N |
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XXV | A |
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All men may understanding have of me | A |
But Nightingale so may they not of thee | A |
For thou hast many a foolish and quaint cry | A |
Thou say'st OSEE OSEE then how may I | A |
Have knowledge I thee pray what this may be | A |
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XXVI | A |
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Ah fool quoth she wist thou not what it is | G |
Oft as I say OSEE OSEE I wis | G |
Then mean I that I should be wonderous fain | X |
That shamefully they one and all were slain | X |
Whoever against Love mean aught amiss | G |
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XXVII | A |
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And also would I that they all were dead | A |
Who do not think in love their life to lead | A |
For who is loth the God of Love to obey | G |
Is only fit to die I dare well say | G |
And for that cause OSEE I cry take heed | A |
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XXVIII | A |
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Ay quoth the Cuckoo that is a quaint law | Q |
That all must love or die but I withdraw | Q |
And take my leave of all such company | A |
For mine intent it neither is to die | A |
Nor ever while I live Love's yoke to draw | Q |
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XXIX | G |
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For lovers of all folk that be alive | A |
The most disquiet have and least do thrive | A |
Most feeling have of sorrow woe and care | Y |
And the least welfare cometh to their share | Y |
What need is there against the truth to strive | A |
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XXX | G |
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What quoth she thou art all out of thy mind | A |
That in thy churlishness a cause canst find | A |
To speak of Love's true Servants in this mood | A |
For in this world no service is so good | A |
To every wight that gentle is of kind | A |
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XXXI | G |
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For thereof comes all goodness and all worth | Z |
All gentiless and honour thence come forth | A2 |
Thence worship comes content and true heart's pleasure | I |
And full assured trust joy without measure | I |
And jollity fresh cheerfulness and mirth | Z |
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XXXII | G |
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And bounty lowliness and courtesy | G |
And seemliness and faithful company | G |
And dread of shame that will not do amiss | G |
For he that faithfully Love's servant is | G |
Rather than be disgraced would chuse to die | A |
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XXXIII | G |
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And that the very truth it is which I | A |
Now say in such belief I'll live and die | A |
And Cuckoo do thou so by my advice | G |
Then quoth she let me never hope for bliss | G |
If with that counsel I do e'er comply | A |
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XXXIV | A |
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Good Nightingale thou speakest wondrous fair | Y |
Yet for all that the truth is found elsewhere | Y |
For Love in young folk is but rage I wis | G |
And Love in old folk a great dotage is | G |
Who most it useth him 'twill most impair | Y |
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XXXV | A |
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For thereof come all contraries to gladness | G |
Thence sickness comes and overwhelming sadness | G |
Mistrust and jealousy despite debate | A |
Dishonour shame envy importunate | A |
Pride anger mischief poverty and madness | G |
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XXXVI | A |
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Loving is aye an office of despair | Y |
And one thing is therein which is not fair | Y |
For whoso gets of love a little bliss | G |
Unless it alway stay with him I wis | G |
He may full soon go with an old man's hair | Y |
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XXXVII | A |
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And therefore Nightingale do thou keep nigh | A |
For t | A |
William Wordsworth
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