The Vicar Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCE FGFGHIHI JKJKLMLM NONPQMQM RSRTUVUV WMWMUKUK BTXTBYBY HTHTZA2ZA2 B2C2B2C2D2C2D2C2 DPDPE2MBM BTBTF2G2F2C H2BH2BI2BI2B J2CK2CCL2CK

SOME years ago ere time and tasteA
Had turn d our parish topsy turvyB
When Darnel Park was Darnel WasteA
And roads as little known as scurvyB
The man who lost his way betweenC
St Mary s Hill and Sandy ThicketD
Was always shown across the greenC
And guided to the parson s wicketE
-
Back flew the bolt of lissom lathF
Fair Margaret in her tidy kirtleG
Led the lorn traveller up the pathF
Through clean clipp d rows of box and myrtleG
And Don and Sancho Tramp and TrayH
Upon the parlor steps collectedI
Wagg d all their tails and seem d to sayH
Our master knows you you re expectedI
-
Up rose the reverend Doctor BrownJ
Up rose the doctor s winsome marrowK
The lady laid her knitting downJ
Her husband clasp d his ponderous BarrowK
Whate er the stranger s caste or creedL
Pundit or papist saint or sinnerM
He found a stable for his steedL
And welcome for himself and dinnerM
-
If when he reach d his journey s endN
And warm d himself in court or collegeO
He had not gain d an honest friendN
And twenty curious scraps of knowledgeP
If he departed as he cameQ
With no new light on love or liquorM
Good sooth the traveller was to blameQ
And not the vicarage nor the vicarM
-
His talk was like a stream which runsR
With rapid change from rocks to rosesS
It slipp d from politics to punsR
It pass d from Mahomet to MosesT
Beginning with the laws which keepU
The planets in their radiant coursesV
And ending with some precept deepU
For dressing eels or shoeing horsesV
-
He was a shrewd and sound divineW
Of loud dissent the mortal terrorM
And when by dint of page and lineW
He stablish d truth or startled errorM
The Baptist found him far too deepU
The Deist sigh d with saving sorrowK
And the lean Levite went to sleepU
And dream d of tasting pork to morrowK
-
His sermon never said or show dB
That earth is foul that heaven is graciousT
Without refreshment on the roadX
From Jerome or from AthanasiusT
And sure a righteous zeal inspir dB
The hand and head that penn d and plann d themY
For all who understood admir dB
And some who did not understand themY
-
He wrote too in a quiet wayH
Small treatises and smaller versesT
And sage remarks on chalk and clayH
And hints to noble lords and nursesT
True histories of last year s ghostZ
Lines to a ringlet or a turbanA2
And trifles to the Morning PostZ
And nothings for Sylvanus UrbanA2
-
He did not think all mischief fairB2
Although he had a knack of jokingC2
He did not make himself a bearB2
Although he had a taste for smokingC2
And when religious sects ran madD2
He held in spite of all his learningC2
That if a man s belief is badD2
It will not be improv d by burningC2
-
And he was king and lov d to sitD
In the low hut or garnish d cottageP
And praise the farmer s homely witD
And share the widow s homelier pottageP
At his approach complaint grew mildE2
And when his hand unbarr d the shutterM
The clammy lips of fever smil dB
The welcome which they could not utterM
-
He always had a tale for meB
Of Julius C sar or of VenusT
From him I learn d the rule of threeB
Cat s cradle leap frog and Qu genusT
I used to singe his powder d wigF2
To steal the staff he put such trust inG2
And make the puppy dance a jigF2
When he began to quote AugustineC
-
Alack the change In vain I lookH2
For haunts in which my boyhood trifledB
The level lawn the trickling brookH2
The trees I climb d the beds I rifledB
The church is larger than beforeI2
You reach it by a carriage entryB
It holds three hundred people moreI2
And pews are fitted for the gentryB
-
Sit in the vicar s seat you ll hearJ2
The doctrine of a gentle JohnianC
Whose hand is white whose voice is clearK2
Whose tone is very CiceronianC
Where is the old man laid Look downC
And construe on the slab before youL2
Hic jacet Gulielmus BrownC
Vir null non donandus lauroK

Winthrop Mackworth Praed



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about The Vicar poem by Winthrop Mackworth Praed


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 12 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

Popular Poets