The Thorn Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AA BCDCEFGGFHH HIJIKLMMLNN OPQPRSTT UU HVJVSHUUH S UVWVJSXXSUU HJYJKXZZXS VA2B2A2C2XD2D2XS VHIHH D2D2 X E2XF2X CG2G2CU X IHX HCD2D2CH2I2 X CJ2K2J2L2MCCMM2M2 X XHHHN2HO2O2HP2Q2 X BEHEXHR2R2HS2S2 T2U2EU2HV2W2W2V2YY VX2Y2X2Z2W2NUW2XX HU2ZU2A3VB3B3VXX HNXNXHHHHLL XX HHC3C3H X TNX XXTTXUU X W2D3XE2H XX HH X XHA | |
A | |
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I | - |
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'There is a Thorn it looks so old | B |
In truth you'd find it hard to say | C |
How it could ever have been young | D |
It looks so old and grey | C |
Not higher than a two years' child | E |
It stands erect this aged Thorn | F |
No leaves it has no prickly points | G |
It is a mass of knotted joints | G |
A wretched thing forlorn | F |
It stands erect and like a stone | H |
With lichens is it overgrown | H |
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II | - |
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'Like rock or stone it is o'ergrown | H |
With lichens to the very top | I |
And hung with heavy tufts of moss | J |
A melancholy crop | I |
Up from the earth these mosses creep | K |
And this poor Thorn they clasp it round | L |
So close you'd say that they are bent | M |
With plain and manifest intent | M |
To drag it to the ground | L |
And all have joined in one endeavour | N |
To bury this poor Thorn for ever | N |
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III | - |
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'High on a mountain's highest ridge | O |
Where oft the stormy winter gale | P |
Cuts like a scythe while through the clouds | Q |
It sweeps from vale to vale | P |
Not five yards from the mountain path | R |
This Thorn you on your left espy | S |
And to the left three yards beyond | T |
You see a little muddy pond | T |
Of water never dry | - |
Though but of compass small and bare | U |
To thirsty suns and parching air | U |
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IV | - |
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'And close beside this aged Thorn | H |
There is a fresh and lovely sight | V |
A beauteous heap a hill of moss | J |
Just half a foot in height | V |
All lovely colours there you see | S |
All colours that were ever seen | H |
And mossy network too is there | U |
As if by hand of lady fair | U |
The work had woven been | H |
And cups the darlings of the eye | - |
So deep is their vermilion dye | - |
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V | S |
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'Ah me what lovely tints are there | U |
Of olive green and scarlet bright | V |
In spikes in branches and in stars | W |
Green red and pearly white | V |
This heap of earth o'ergrown with moss | J |
Which close beside the Thorn you see | S |
So fresh in all its beauteous dyes | X |
Is like an infant's grave in size | X |
As like as like can be | S |
But never never any where | U |
An infant's grave was half so fair | U |
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VI | - |
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'Now would you see this aged Thorn | H |
This pond and beauteous hill of moss | J |
You must take care and choose your time | Y |
The mountain when to cross | J |
For oft there sits between the heap | K |
So like an infant's grave in size | X |
And that same pond of which I spoke | Z |
A Woman in a scarlet cloak | Z |
And to herself she cries | X |
'Oh misery oh misery | S |
Oh woe is me oh misery ' | - |
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VII | - |
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'At all times of the day and night | V |
This wretched Woman thither goes | A2 |
And she is known to every star | B2 |
And every wind that blows | A2 |
And there beside the Thorn she sits | C2 |
When the blue daylight's in the skies | X |
And when the whirlwind's on the hill | D2 |
Or frosty air is keen and still | D2 |
And to herself she cries | X |
'Oh misery oh misery | S |
Oh woe is me oh misery '' | - |
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VIII | - |
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'Now wherefore thus by day and night | V |
In rain in tempest and in snow | H |
Thus to the dreary mountain top | I |
Does this poor Woman go | H |
And why sits she beside the Thorn | H |
When the blue daylight's in the sky | - |
Or when the whirlwind's on the hill | D2 |
Or frosty air is keen and still | D2 |
And wherefore does she cry | - |
O wherefore wherefore tell me why | - |
Does she repeat that doleful cry ' | - |
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IX | X |
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'I cannot tell I wish I could | E2 |
For the true reason no one knows | X |
But would you gladly view the spot | F2 |
The spot to which she goes | X |
The hillock like an infant's grave | - |
The pond and Thorn so old and grey | C |
Pass by her door 'tis seldom shut | G2 |
And if you see her in her hut | G2 |
Then to the spot away | C |
I never heard of such as dare | U |
Approach the spot when she is there ' | - |
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X | X |
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'But wherefore to the mountain top | I |
Can this unhappy Woman go | H |
Whatever star is in the skies | X |
Whatever wind may blow ' | - |
'Full twenty years are past and gone | H |
Since she her name is Martha Ray | C |
Gave with a maiden's true good will | D2 |
Her company to Stephen Hill | D2 |
And she was blithe and gay | C |
While friends and kindred all approved | H2 |
Of him whom tenderly she loved | I2 |
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XI | X |
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'And they had fixed the wedding day | C |
The morning that must wed them both | J2 |
But Stephen to another Maid | K2 |
Had sworn another oath | J2 |
And with this other Maid to church | L2 |
Unthinking Stephen went | M |
Poor Martha on that woeful day | C |
A pang of pitiless dismay | C |
Into her soul was sent | M |
A fire was kindled in her breast | M2 |
Which might not burn itself to rest | M2 |
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XII | X |
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'They say full six months after this | X |
While yet the summer leaves were green | H |
She to the mountain top would go | H |
And there was often seen | H |
What could she seek or wish to hide | N2 |
Her state to any eye was plain | H |
She was with child and she was mad | O2 |
Yet often was she sober sad | O2 |
From her exceeding pain | H |
O guilty Father would that death | P2 |
Had saved him from that breach of faith | Q2 |
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XIII | X |
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Sad case for such a brain to hold | B |
Communion with a stirring child | E |
Sad case as you may think for one | H |
Who had a brain so wild | E |
Last Christmas eve we talked of this | X |
And grey haired Wilfred of the glen | H |
Held that the unborn infant wrought | R2 |
About its mother's heart and brought | R2 |
Her senses back again | H |
And when at last her time drew near | S2 |
Her looks were calm her senses clear | S2 |
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XIV | - |
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'More know I not I wish I did | T2 |
And it should all be told to you | U2 |
For what became of this poor child | E |
No mortal ever knew | U2 |
Nay if a child to her was born | H |
No earthly tongue could ever tell | V2 |
And if 'twas born alive or dead | W2 |
Far less could this with proof be said | W2 |
But some remember well | V2 |
That Martha Ray about this time | Y |
Would up the mountain often climb | Y |
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XV | - |
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'And all that winter when at night | V |
The wind blew from the mountain peak | X2 |
'Twas worth your while though in the dark | Y2 |
The churchyard path to seek | X2 |
For many a time and oft were heard | Z2 |
Cries coming from the mountain head | W2 |
Some plainly living voices were | N |
And others I've heard many swear | U |
Were voices of the dead | W2 |
I cannot think whate'er they say | X |
They had to do with Martha Ray | X |
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XVI | - |
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'But that she goes to this old Thorn | H |
The Thorn which I described to you | U2 |
And there sits in a scarlet cloak | Z |
I will be sworn is true | U2 |
For one day with my telescope | A3 |
To view the ocean wide and bright | V |
When to this country first I came | B3 |
Ere I had heard of Martha's name | B3 |
I climbed the mountain's height | V |
A storm came on and I could see | X |
No object higher than my knee | X |
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XVII | - |
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''Twas mist and rain and storm and rain | H |
No screen no fence could I discover | N |
And then the wind in sooth it was | X |
A wind full ten times over | N |
I looked around I thought I saw | X |
A jutting crag and off I ran | H |
Head foremost through the driving rain | H |
The shelter of the crag to gain | H |
And as I am a man | H |
Instead of jutting crag I found | L |
A Woman seated on the ground | L |
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XVIII | - |
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'I did not speak I saw her face | X |
Her face it was enough for me | X |
I turned about and heard her cry | - |
'Oh misery oh misery ' | - |
And there she sits until the moon | H |
Through half the clear blue sky will go | H |
And when the little breezes make | C3 |
The waters of the pond to shake | C3 |
As all the country know | H |
She shudders and you hear her cry | - |
'Oh misery oh misery '' | - |
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XIX | X |
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'But what's the Thorn and what the pond | T |
And what the hill of moss to her | N |
And what the creeping breeze that comes | X |
The little pond to stir ' | - |
'I cannot tell but some will say | X |
She hanged her baby on the tree | X |
Some say she drowned it in the pond | T |
Which is a little step beyond | T |
But all and each agree | X |
The little Babe was buried there | U |
Beneath that hill of moss so fair | U |
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XX | X |
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'I've heard the moss is spotted red | W2 |
With drops of that poor infant's blood | D3 |
But kill a new born infant thus | X |
I do not think she could | E2 |
Some say if to the pond you go | H |
And fix on it a steady view | - |
The shadow of a babe you trace | X |
A baby and a baby's face | X |
And that it looks at you | - |
Whene'er you look on it 'tis plain | H |
The baby looks at you again | H |
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XXI | X |
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'And some had sworn an oath that she | X |
Should be to public justice broug | H |
William Wordsworth
(1)
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