Specialized Rhyme Schemes in English Poetry Versification - Part VIII C

Anacreon Ode *
Dorian Ode or Choric Ode/Pindaric Ode *
Cowleyan Pindaric Ode *
Epinicion Ode *
Epithalamion Ode *
Horatian Ode
Homostrophic Ode
Irregular Ode
Prothalamion Ode *

I must say I'm still sewing seams on the fabric of Specialized Rhyme Schemes in English Poetry Versification. The needle continues to vibrate on the English odes. I'm being reminded that the lyric is a verse or poem that is susceptible of being sung to the accompaniment of the lyre. That being said, the lyre serves to emphasize that lyric goes back to ancient times. This song being carried on the wings of the lyre gave out the intense personal emotion of the voice as suggested in the verses. A good working definition for lyric poetry is that it expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. It is not narrative poetry or verse drama that serve only to relate events in the form of a story. When we think of elegies, odes and sonnets these are all important genres of lyric poetry.

The general agreement has been that the stem-cells of the Greek and Latin odes were crafted for choral responses, and for individual singers. The artistic lyricism in poetry gave birth to the odes written to address a person or abstract entity, always serious and elevated in tone. When we amalgamate all the facts known about odes we can truly say this much. There are two traditional or classical prototypes, one Greek and the other Roman. The first was designed by Pindar, a Greek poet, who modeled his odes on the choral songs of Greek drama. They were encomiums, that is to say, they were written to give public praise, usually to athletes who had been successful in the Olympic games. Pindar patterned his complex stanzas in a triadic framework: the strophe and antistrophe had the same metrical form, the epode had another. The strophe told one side of the narrative, while the antistrophe conveyed its counterpart. The epode recounted the adventure. The second by Horace, the Ist Century bC Latin poet who wrote literary odes in regular stanzas known as the Horatian Ode. The Horatian Ode is a short lyric poem written in stanzas of two or four short verses. The Horatian ode is intimate and reflective. They are often addressed to a friend and deal with such motifs as friendship, love and the practice of poetry.

If we look into the archives of the 12th- through 15th-centuries, poetry has made tremendous strides throughout centuries. During the time that Henry Tudor acceded to the English throne as Henry VII (1457 – 1509) and right up to the mid-16th century has been called the transition from medieval to renaissance in English literature, and is linked to the Elizabethan Age with the reign of Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603). The themes of education and good government predominated the new humanist writing of the 16th century. The first half of the 16th century was also a notable period for courtly lyric verse in the stricter sense of poems with musical settings. The Elizabethan Age is considered a part of the general renaissance that swept Europe during the 14th- through 16th-centuries although this movement only reached England around the 1480s. The complete impact of the renaissance in England was felt during the reign of Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan era is also known as the "golden age" of English literature to which poetry is one of it genres. A great deal of lyric poetry was produced during this period. The renaissance brought to England a revival of the old and classical literature of Greece and Rome and this was evident in the poetry of the age. It is in the Elizabethan age that we have grown to associate it with an extreme spirit of adventure, aestheticism and materialism and which became edged into Elizabethan poetry. Many poets displayed their skill in versification during this time and England came to be known as "The Nest of Singing Birds".

The excellent growth in poetry and other genres of literature during the Elizabethan era continued to flourish during the Jacobean era. The Jacobean era coincides with the reign of James I (1603-1625) of England. In Scotland where he was also King but with the title, James VI. The Jacobean era came after the Elizabethan age and preceded the Caroline era where Cavalier poets flourished. The notable poets of the Jacobean era bring to mind Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Francis Bacon, and John Donne since they are considered to have left stellar marks in English Literature. The popularity of classical odes (Horace, Pindar) remained very popular during the Jacobean era.

English odes no longer fit into the general schema of the classical odes we have come to know them, both in their structure and in their intent. However, to fully understand the "Pindaric" English ode we perhaps should turn to scholars like Ben Jonson, and Thomas Gray. They took particular pleasure in reproducing the general effect of Greek strophic arrangement of "turne", "counterturne"and "stand". Ben Jonson's "Ode to Sir Lucius Cary and Sir H. Morrison" and Gray's "Bard" and "Progress of Poesy" are good examples from which to start.

It is recognized that English poets looked to the classical odes of Pindar and Horace to mutate them for their own purposes. How were these mutations carried out? Well, for starters, they changed the meaning of the ode since the days of the founders, Pindar and Horace by using the definition proffered by Edmund Gosse as any strain of enthusiastic and lyrical verse directed to a fixed purpose and dealing progressively with one dignified theme. With the definition now in place they started on restructuring the odes. This new definition for the ode allowed English poets to ignore the rigid structure so characteristic of the classical Horatian and Pindaric odes.

In the case of the Horatian ode they adopted uniform stanzas, each with the same metrical pattern, and tended generally to be more personal, more meditative, and more restrained. The 17th Century poet, Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) started the tradition of the English Horatian ode. However, after Marvell's "Horatian Ode Upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland" the term came to mean in English poetry any longer lyrical poem with a uniform stanza structure and is synonymous with the term, Homostrophic ode. Thus, both Shelly's "Ode to the West wind" and "Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" belong to the English Horatian Ode tradition, different though their form is, but because they have a regular stanza pattern they are Homostrophic odes.

During the Cromwell's regime (1649-1659) that began after Charles I of England was executed, Abraham Cowley in 1656 introduced the Irregular Ode through his flawed perception of Pindar's ode. As the story goes, it is said that Cowley whose life spanned 1618-1667 found out that he really could not master the intricacies of neither the Horatian or the Pindaric. So, he crafted his own style of ode out of the Pindaric model by opting for greater freedom in its structure but retained the serious nature of the subject matter. The Irregular Ode also known as the Cowley Pindaric Ode abandoned the recurrent strophic triad and instead permitted each stanza to be individually shaped, resulting in stanzas of varying verse lengths, number of verses, and rhyme scheme. This irregular stanzaic structure, that created different patterns to accord with changes of mood or subject became a common English tradition having gained tremendous popularity among English poets. The Cowleyan brand of ode became very popular but as the brand's inventor began loosing his popularity so too was the Irregular Ode during the late 17th century. Noticeably, the decline of Cowley's style ode came at a time of civil unrest in England during Cromwell's regime, the Restoration of the Monarchy and the ousting of James II from the English Throne. This lost in the high profile of Cowley and his Irregular ode gave rise in popularity to Cavalier poetry recognized for lightness in style and with secular themes.

Lately, I have been reading Cavalier poetry written by Thomas Carew and I have just finished reading his poem entitled "To Ben Jonson Upon Occasion of his Ode of Defiance annexed to his Play of the New Inn". The rhyme scheme he used in this poem is aabbccddee but the stanzas don't have a triadic framework and the verses don't have the same length. So I came to the conclusion that this is an Irregular Ode or what is known as a Cowley Pindaric Ode. I have scanned the ten verses in the first stanza of the ode to show you where the varying length of the verses occur. As you can see, there are five 4-foot verses, four 5-foot verses and one 3-foot verse. Have a look; then you may want to complete the scansion for the remaining stanzas. Have fun!

To Ben Jonson Upon Occasion of his Ode of Defiance annexed to his Play of the New Inn

‘Tis true, dear Ben, thy just chastising hand a
Hath fix’d upon the sotted age a brand a
To their swoll’n pride and empty scribbling due; b
It can nor judge, nor write, and yet ’tis true b
Thy comic muse, from the exalted line c
Touch’d by thy Alchemist, doth since decline c
From that her zenith, and foretells a red d
And blushing evening, when she goes to bed; d
Yet such as shall outshine the glimmering light e
With which all stars shall gild the following night. e

    ˬ           ⁄          ⁄        ⁄       ˬ      ⁄        ⁄     ˬ   ˬ       ⁄

‘Tis     ׀true, dear׀ Ben, thy׀ just chas׀tising hand׀

anacrusis    spondee             iamb        spondee       anapest         (iambic pentameter anacrusis)

‘Tis true dear Ben, thy just chastising hand

It is true dear Ben, thy just chastising hand

   ˬ        ⁄       ˬ     ⁄    ˬ       ⁄    ˬ       ⁄   ˬ      ⁄

Hath fix’d׀ upon׀ the sott׀ed age׀ a brand׀

       iamb         iamb     iamb       iamb       iamb       (iambic pentameter)

Hath fix’d upon the sotted age a brand

They have fixed upon the sotted age a brand

    ˬ     ˬ        ⁄    ˬ       ⁄         ˬ       ⁄     ˬ      ⁄         ˬ       ⁄

To their swol׀l’n pride׀ and emp׀ty scribb׀ling due;׀

      anapest           iamb           iamb            iamb           iamb  (iambic pentameter)

To their swoll’n pride and empty scribbling due;

iamb amphimacer amphibrach amphimacer 4-foot

 ˬ     ⁄      ˬ        ⁄         ˬ        ⁄        ˬ      ⁄      ˬ       ⁄

It can׀ nor judge,׀ nor write,׀ and yet ׀’tis true׀

  iamb       iamb              iamb              iamb           iamb     (iambic pentameter)

It can nor judge, nor write, and yet ’tis true

It can nor judge, nor write, and yet it is true

   ˬ     ˬ     ⁄         ⁄        ˬ      ˬ     ˬ   ⁄     ˬ       ⁄        

Thy comic ׀ muse, from the׀exal ׀ ted line ׀

    anapest               dactyl                iamb     iamb    (tetrameter)

Thy comic muse, from the exalted line

          ⁄        ˬ    ˬ      ⁄   ˬ    ˬ           ⁄      ˬ         ˬ    ⁄               

Touch’d by thy׀ Al׀chemist,׀ doth since׀ decline׀

          dactyl                 dactyl                trochee       trochee  (tetrameter)

Touch’d by thy Alchemist, doth since decline

Touched by thy Alchemist, do since decline

    ˬ       ˬ      ˬ    ˬ      ⁄      ˬ       ⁄         ⁄    ˬ     ⁄                           

 From that ׀her zenith,׀ and fore׀tells a׀ red׀

    pyrrhic        anapest             iamb       trochee   catalectic  (tetrameter catalectic)

From that her zenith, and foretells a red

   ˬ         ⁄      ˬ       ⁄     ˬ          ⁄        ˬ       ⁄       ˬ     ⁄                           

And blush׀ing eve׀ning, when׀ she goes׀ to bed;׀

   iamb              iamb         iamb               iamb          iamb    (iambic pentameter)

And blushing evening, when she goes to bed;

    ⁄      ˬ     ˬ       ⁄        ⁄       ⁄      ˬ        ⁄      ˬ     ˬ      ⁄                                                       

Yet such as׀ shall out׀shine the׀ glimmer׀ ing light׀

       dactyl         spondee        trochee       trochee       iamb    (pentameter)

Yet such as shall outshine the glimmering light

    ˬ         ˬ       ⁄        ⁄         ⁄        ⁄      ˬ    ˬ      ⁄    ˬ      ⁄

With which all ׀stars shall׀ gild the׀ follow׀ ing night.׀

      anapest               spondee           trochee     iamb       iamb  (pentameter)

With which all stars shall gild the following night.

When a poem has more than one stanza and any number of verses; how are the alphabet letters arrange in the rhyme scheme in subsequent stanzas?

If the end-rhymes of verses in the first stanza do not match the end-rhymes of verses in subsequent stanzas as shown in the poem below two options to choose from:

1.         Start each subsequent stanza with the same rhyme scheme as in the first stanza as shown in examples below.

Stanza I

Nor think it much, since all thy eaglets may                                  a

Endure the sunny trial, if we say                                                       a

This hath the stronger wing, or that doth shine                              b

Trick’d up in fairer plumes, since all are thine                               b 

Who hath his flock of cackling geese compar’d                           c

With thy tun’d choir of swans? or else who dar’d                         c

To call thy births deform’d? But if thou bind                                   d

By city-custom, or by gavelkind,                                                     d

In equal shares thy love on all thy race,                                         e

We may distinguish of their sex, and place;                                   e

Stanza II

Though one hand form them, and though one brain strike               a

Souls into all, they are not all alike.                                                  a

Why should the follies then of this dull age                                     b

Draw from thy pen such an immodest rage                                    b

As seems to blast thy else-immortal bays,                                       c

When thine own tongue proclaims thy itch of praise?                   c

Such thirst will argue drouth. No, let be hurl’d                               d

Upon thy works by the detracting world                                         d

What malice can suggest; let the rout say,                                      e

The running sands, that, ere thou make a play,                            e

Stanza III

Count the slow minutes, might a Goodwin frame                          a

To swallow, when th’ hast done, thy shipwreck’d name;            a

Let them the dear expense of oil upbraid,                                      b

Suck’d by thy watchful lamp, that hath betray’d                         b

To theft the blood of martyr’d authors, spilt                                  c

Into thy ink, whilst thou growest pale with guilt.                           c

Repine not at the taper’s thrifty waste,                                            d

That sleeks thy terser poems; nor is haste                                       d

Praise, but excuse; and if thou overcome                                       e

A knotty writer, bring the booty home;                                            e

Stanza IV

Nor think it theft if the rich spoils so torn                                        a

From conquer’d authors be as trophies worn.                                a

Let others glut on the extorted praise                                              b

Of vulgar breath, trust thou to after-days;                                     b

Thy labour’d works shall live when time devours                          c

Th’ abortive offspring of their hasty hours.                                   c

Thou are not of their rank, the quarrel lies                                      d

Within thine own verge; then let this suffice,                                  d

The wiser world doth greater thee confess                                      e

Than all men else, than thyself only less.                                       e

2.         Start each subsequent stanza with the continuing alphabet sequence that is for example if the stanza before ends with the alphabet letter “e” then first verse of the next stanza would begin with the letter “f” as shown examples below.

Stanza I

Nor think it much, since all thy eaglets may                                  a

Endure the sunny trial, if we say                                                       a

This hath the stronger wing, or that doth shine                              b

Trick’d up in fairer plumes, since all are thine                                b

Who hath his flock of cackling geese compar’d                           c

With thy tun’d choir of swans? or else who dar’d                         c

To call thy births deform’d? But if thou bind                                  d

By city-custom, or by gavelkind,                                                     d

In equal shares thy love on all thy race,                                         e

We may distinguish of their sex, and place;                                   e

Stanza II

Though one hand form them, and though one brain strike               f

Souls into all, they are not all alike.                                                  f

Why should the follies then of this dull age                                    g 

Draw from thy pen such an immodest rage                                    g

As seems to blast thy else-immortal bays,                                      h

When thine own tongue proclaims thy itch of praise?                  h

Such thirst will argue drouth. No, let be hurl’d                               i

Upon thy works by the detracting world                                         i

What malice can suggest; let the rout say,                                     j

The running sands, that, ere thou make a play,                            j

Stanza III

Count the slow minutes, might a Goodwin frame                         k

To swallow, when th’ hast done, thy shipwreck’d name;            k

Let them the dear expense of oil upbraid,                                      l

Suck’d by thy watchful lamp, that hath betray’d                         l

To theft the blood of martyr’d authors, spilt                                  m

Into thy ink, whilst thou growest pale with guilt.                           m

Repine not at the taper’s thrifty waste,                                            p

That sleeks thy terser poems; nor is haste                                       p

Praise, but excuse; and if thou overcome                                       q

A knotty writer, bring the booty home;                                            q

Stanza IV

Nor think it theft if the rich spoils so torn                                        r

From conquer’d authors be as trophies worn.                                r

Let others glut on the extorted praise                                              s

Of vulgar breath, trust thou to after-days;                                     s

Thy labour’d works shall live when time devours                          t

Th’ abortive offspring of their hasty hours.                                   t

Thou are not of their rank, the quarrel lies                                      u

Within thine own verge; then let this suffice,                                  u

The wiser world doth greater thee confess                                      v

Than all men else, than thyself only less.                                       v

But what is there to know about Thomas Carew? He was an English Cavalier poet born in London, England in 1594 and died in 1640 and he wrote Cavalier poetry. English Cavalier poets associated with Charles I (1525-1649) and his son, Charles II both kings of England (1649-1685). Most of their work was done between 1637-1660. Their poetry embodied life and culture of the upper-class, pre-commonwealth England, mixing sophistication with naiveté, elegance with raciness. They wrote poems on the courtly themes of beauty, love and loyalty with verses expressed with wit, shortness and directness. The use of such direct language displayed the individualistic personalities of Cavalier poets. Their poetry mirrored their indebtedness to both Ben Jonson and John Donne. Thomas Carew is listed among the leading Cavalier poets identified as Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Sir John Suckling.

Thomas Carew as a Cavalier poet, no doubt would have embraced the philosophical thought that 'life was much too enjoyable to attempt to understand and study deep and meaningful literature'. Cavalier poets were more focused on things that were meaningful to them such as day-to-day humanity and activities that coincided with their motto "Carpe Diem" translated as to "seize the day".

English poets of the early 17th century are roughly classified by divisions into Cavaliers and metaphysical poets. For example, John Donne being concerned with religion was labelled a metaphysical poet. Metaphysical poetry used complicated metaphors and unfeasible imagery. The division of Cavalier poets was more along the line approximating to secular and religion. However, this division was not exclusive since, for example, Thomas Carew was seen as both a secular and religious Cavalier poet by some critics.

The popularity of the English odes by the end of the 17th century took a nose-dive but became very popular again in the early part of the 18th Century. This comeback was attributed to poets like Matthew Prior, Jonathan Swift and Samuel Johnson.... 

If the end-rhymes of verses in the first stanza rhyme with the end-rhymes of subsequent verses; the rhyme scheme of the first stanza becomes the rhyme scheme for all subsequent stanzas as shown in this the example below:

When November comes to the door,                                x             

Zesty conkies we share;                                                     b             

Sweet and mighty strong with essence;                           y             

A Bajan dish set square.                                                    b

Pumpkin alone will never do;                                            x             

Mix, corn, coconut fair,                                                     b

With potato, sugar and spice;                                           y

Cook on square leaves with care.                                    b

Conkies wrapped in banana leaves;                                 x             

Pass the plate with cheer,                                                  b

To friends but satellites of none;                                      y

Great cheese-on-bread is there.                                        b

Stacked independently on plate,                                      x                             

Conkies banana wear;                                                       b

Housed in jacket uniquely ours;                                       y

Plainly stacked on tableware;                                           b

Skilled fingers cut the leaves to strap,                             x

From stalk with sharp hardware;                                    b

Laboriously they toiled each day,                                    y

In cane-fields near Foursquare;                                      b

Please wait for the Continuation

Specialized Rhyme Schemes in English Poetry Versification - Part V

There is still much more work to be done on the topic. Here is the list that will guide the entries on the blog. Links are provided on areas previously discussed for your reviewing pleasure.

Anacreon Ode *
Dorian Ode or Choric Ode/Pindaric Ode
Cowley Pindaric Ode
Epinicion Ode *
Epithalamion Ode
Horatian Ode
Homostrophic Ode
Irregular Ode
Prothalamion Ode

Centuries and Centuries ago, odes were sung with musical instruments. The Greek odes were sung with the reed instruments such as the aulos. The Anacreon odes were accompanied by the lyre. Odes are majestic and intricate forms of lyrical verse. However, odes as we know them today do not rely on the use of musical instruments when they are recited.

The English ode is typically written in praise of, or dedicated to someone or something which captures the poet's interest or serves as an inspiration for the ode. In a remarkable way, the Greek poet, Pindar and the Latin poet, Horace have left their marks on the forms of odes that appear in many cultures that were influenced by the Greeks and Latins. There is the widely accepted view that the initial model for English odes was Horace who used the form to write meditative lyrics on various themes. Odes do have the tendency to give voice to the poet's narrator who addresses the audience directly. This gives the narrator lead-way to project personal feelings and state of mind on the audience who in turn may equally be affected by the imagery created. English odes are structured around specialized rhyme schemes with some being regular and some irregular. So as you continue reading on some more, you will become perhaps more familiar with poets who use regular and irregular rhyme schemes in their English odes.

These arranged letters ababccbcbddeffeexx ababccdcdeefggffXX aaaabbcbcddeffeggXX ababccdcdeefggffXX ababccdcdeefggffXX ababccdcdbbaeeaaXX ababccdcdeefggfhhXX ababccdcdeefggfhhXX ababccdcdcceffeggXX ababccdcddeffeggXX ababccdedffghghiiXX ababccdcdeefggfhhXX ababccdedffgfdghhXX ababccdcdeefggfhhXX ababccdcdeffeggXX ababccdceeBffbggXX ababccdcdeefggfhhXX abacccdcdeefbbfggXX ababccecefFghhgiiXX ababccdcdeefccfggXX ababccdcddeffeggXX ababccdcdeeaaeaffXX ababccdcdffghhgfXX ababcdd reflect the irregular rhyme scheme used in the Epithalamion ode by Edmund Spenser (1552-1599). Though the rhyme schemes vary, Spenser used typical concatenation technique to link each stage of the stanza together and repeated refrain.

Spenser wrote this wedding ode for his marriage to Elizabeth Boyle, his second wife. This ode has 24 stanzas with varying number of verses in each stanza shown here in the brackets (18, 18, 19, 18, 18, 18, 19, 19, 19, 18, 19, 19, 19, 19, 17, 18, 19, 19, 19, 19, 18, 19, 18, 7) . The last stanza has only 7 verses is the ode's envoi.

A close examination revealed that the stanzas have an irregular pattern of verse lengths and rhyme schemes. This rhyme scheme used by Spenser reflects his use of regular rhyming words mixed with slant rhymes (e.g. sight rhyme, half rhyme, sprung rhyme, near rhyme, oblique rhyme, off-rhyme, imperfect rhyme, para rhyme). His refrain verses for his Epithalamion are shown in the rhyme scheme with the letter x and repeated rhymes have the letters capitalized. The verses are written in iambic. The long verses have ten syllables and the short verses having fewer than ten syllables. Take look

EPITHALAMION

Stanza 1

1 Ye learned sisters, which have oftentimes a
2 Beene to me ayding, others to adorne, b
3 Whom ye thought worthy for your gracefull rymes, a
4 That even the greatest did not greatly scorne b
5 To heare theyr names sung in your simple layes, c
6   But joyèd in theyr praise; c
7 And when ye list your owne mishaps to mourne, b
8 Which death, or love, or fortunes wreck did rayse, c
9 Your string could soone to sadder tenor turne, b
10 And teach the woods and waters to lament d
11   Your doleful dreriment: d
12 Now lay those sorrowfull complaints aside, e
13 And having all your heads with girland crownd, f
14 Helpe me mine owne loves prayses to resound; f
15 Ne let the same of any be envíde: e
16 So Orpheus did for his owne bride: e
17 So I unto my selfe alone will sing; x
18 The woods shall to me answer, and my Eccho ring. x

Stanza 2

1 Early before the worlds light giving lampe a
2 His golden beame upon the hils doth spred, b
3 Having disperst the nights unchearefull dampe, a
4 Doe ye awake, and with fresh lustyhed, b
5 Go to the bowre of my belovèd love, c
6    My truest turtle dove, c7 Bid her awake; for Hymen is awake, d
8 And long since ready forth his maske to move, c
9 With his bright Tead that flames with many a flake, d
10 And many a bachelor to waite on him, e
11 In theyr fresh garments trim. e
12 Bid her awake therefore, and soone her dight, f
13 For lo! the wishèd day is come at last, g
14 That shall, for al the paynes and sorrowes past, g
15 Pay to her usury of long delight: f
16   And whylest she doth her dight, f
17 Doe ye to her of joy and solace sing, X
18 That all the woods may answer, and your eccho ring. X

Stanza 3

1 Bring with you all the Nymphes that you can heare, a
2 Both of the rivers and the forrests greene, a
3 And of the sea that neighbours to her neare, a
4 Al with gay girlands goodly wel beseene. a
5 And let them also with them bring in hand b
6  Another gay girland, b
7 For my fayre love of lillyes and of roses, c
8 Bound truelove wize with a blew silke riband. b
9 And let them make great store of bridale poses, c
10 And let them eeke bring store of other flowers, d
11  To deck the bridale bowers. d
12 And let the ground whereas her foot shall tread, e
13 For feare the stones her tender foot should wrong, f
14 Be strewed with fragrant flowers all along, f
15 And diapred lyke the discolored mead. e
16 Which done, doe at her chamber dore awayt, g
17    For she will waken strayt; g
18 The whiles doe ye this song unto her sing X
19 The woods shall to you answer, and your Eccho ring. X

Stanza 4

1 Ye Nymphes of Mulla, which with carefull heed a
2 The silver scaly trouts doe tend full well, b
3 And greedy pikes which use therein to feed, a
4 (Those trouts and pikes all others doo excell) b
5 And ye likewise which keepe the rushy lake, c
6 Where none doo fishes take, c
7 Bynd up the locks the which hang scatterd light, d
8 And in his waters which your mirror make, c
9 Behold your faces as the christall bright, d
10 That when you come whereas my love doth lie, e
11  No blemish she may spie. e
12 And eke ye lightfoot mayds which keepe the deere f
13 That on the hoary mountayne use to towre, g
14 And the wylde wolves which seeke them to devoure, g
15 With your steele darts doo chace from comming neer, f
16   Be also present heere, f
17 To helpe to decke her and to help to sing, X
18 That all the woods may answer, and your eccho ring. X

Stanza 5

1 Wake now, my love, awake! for it is time, a
2 The Rosy Morne long since left Tithones bed, b
3 All ready to her silver coche to clyme, a
4 And Phoebus gins to shew his glorious hed. b
5 Hark how the cheerefull birds do chaunt theyr laies, c
6  And carroll of loves praise! c
7 The merry Larke hir mattins sings aloft, d
8 The thrush replyes, the mavis descant playes, c
9 The Ouzell shrills, the Ruddock warbles soft, d
10 So goodly all agree, with sweet consent, e
11    To this dayes merriment. e
12 Ah! my deere love, why doe ye sleepe thus long, f
13 When meeter were that ye should now awake, g
14 T'awayt the comming of your joyous make, g
15 And hearken to the birds love-learnèd song, f
16 The deawy leaves among? f
17 For they of joy and pleasance to you sing, X
18 That all the woods them answer, and theyr eccho ring. X

Stanza 6

1 My love is now awake out of her dreame, a
2 And her fayre eyes, like stars that dimmèd were b
3 With darksome cloud, now shew theyr goodly beams a
4 More bright then Hesperus his head doth rere. b
5 Come now, ye damzels, daughters of delight, c
6   Helpe quickly her to dight. c
7 But first come ye, fayre Houres, which were begot, d
8 In Joves sweet paradice, of Day and Night, c
9 Which doe the seasons of the year allot, d
10 And al that ever in this world is fayre b
11 Doe make and still repayre. b
12 And ye three handmayds of the Cyprian Queene, a
13 The which doe still adorne her beauties pride, e
14 Helpe to addorne my beautifullest bride: e
15 And as ye her array, still throw betweene a
16  Some graces to be seene: a
17 And as ye use to Venus, to her sing, X
18 The whiles the woods shal answer, and your eccho ring. X

Stanza 7: ababccdcdeefggfhhXX
Stanza 8: ababccdcdeefggfhhXX
Stanza 9: ababccdcdcceffeggXX
Stanza 10: ababccdcddeffeggXX
Stanza 11: ababccdedffghghiiXX
Stanza 12: ababccdcdeefggfhhXX
Stanza 13: ababccdedffgfdghhXX
Stanza 14: ababccdcdeefggfhhXX
Stanza 15: ababccdcdeffeggXX
Stanza 16: ababccdceeBffbggXX
Stanza 17: ababccdcdeefggfhhXX
Stanza 18: abacccdcdeefbbfggXX
Stanza 19: ababccecefFghhgiiXX
Stanza 20: ababccdcdeefccfggXX
Stanza 21: ababccdcddeffeggXX
Stanza 22: ababccdcdeeaaeaffXX
Stanza 23: ababccdcdffghhgfXX
Stanza 24: ababcdd

Click here to read the ode in its entirety

These arranged letters abbaabcbccddedeexx abbaacdcdbeefeffXX abbaabcbccccdcddXX abbaAcdcddeefeffXX abbaacdcddeeFefFXX abbaacdcddeefeffXX abbaabcdcceefeffXX abbaacdcddeefeffXX abbaacdcddeefeffXX abbaacdcddeefeffXX reflect the irregular rhyme scheme used in the Prothalamion ode written by Edmund Spenser, one of the important poets of the Tudor Period in England. This ode was published in 1596. Spenser wrote this wedding ode to honor the double marriage of the twin daughters of the Earl of Worcester, Lady Elizabeth Somerset and Lady Katherine Somerset. I have read the ten stanzas of the Prothalamion Ode and noticed that each stanza has eighteen verses written in iambic with a refrain and like his Epithalamion ode the stanzas have an irregular pattern of verse lengths and rhyme schemes. This rhyme scheme used by Spenser reflects his use of regular rhyming words mixed with slant rhymes (e.g. sight rhyme, half rhyme, sprung rhyme, near rhyme, oblique rhyme, off-rhyme, imperfect rhyme, para rhyme). His refrain verses for his Prothalamion are shown in the rhyme scheme with the letter x and repeated rhymes have the letters capitalized. In this Prothalamion both spelling and punctuation have been modernized to facilitate ease of reading. Take look

Prothalamion

Stanza 1

1 Calm was the day, and through the trembling air, a
2 Sweet-breathing Zephyrus did softly play-- b
3 A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay b
4 Hot Titan's beams, which then did glister fair; a
5 When I (whom sullen care, a
6 Through discontent of my long fruitless stay b
7 In Princes' court, and expectation vain c
8 Of idle hopes, which still do fly away b
9 Like empty shadows, did afflict my brain) c
10 Walk'd forth to ease my pain c
11 Along the shore of silver-streaming Thames; d
12 Whose rutty bank, the which his river hems, d
13 Was painted all with variable flowers, e
14 And all the meads adorn'd with dainty gems, d
15 Fit to deck maidens' bowers, e
16 And crown their paramours e
17 Against the bridal day, which is not long: x
18   Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song. x

Stanza 2

1 There, in a meadow, by the river's side, a
2 A flock of nymphs I chancèd to espy, b
3 All lovely daughters of the flood thereby, b
4 With goodly greenish locks all loose untied a
5 As each had been a bride, a
6 And each one had a little wicker basket c
7 Made of fine twigs, entrailèd curiously, d
8 In which they gather'd flowers to fill their flasket, c
9 And with fine fingers, cropt full feateously d
10 The tender stalks on high. b
11 Of every sort, which in that meadow grew, e
12 They gathered some; the violet, pallid blue, e
13 The little daisy, that at evening closes, f
14 The virgin lilly, and the primrose true, e
15 With store of vermeil roses, f
16 To deck their bridegromes' posies f
17 Against the bridal day, which was not long: X
18 Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song. X

Stanza 3

1 With that I saw two swans of goodly hue, a
2 Come softly swimming down along the Lee; b
3 Two fairer birds I yet did never see; b
4 The snow which doth the top of Pindus strow, a
5 Did never whiter show, a
6 Nor Jove himself when he a swan would be b
7 For love of Leda, whiter did appear; c
8 Yet Leda was (they say) as white as he, b
9 Yet not so white as these, nor nothing near; c
10 So purely white they were c
11 That even the gentle stream, the which them bare, c
12 Seem'd foul to them, and bade his billows spare c
13 To wet their silken feathers, least they might d
14 Soil their fair plumes with water not so fair, c
15 And mar their beauties bright d
16 That shone as Heaven's light d
17 Against their bridal day, which was not long: X
18 Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song. X

Stanza 4

1 Eftsoons the nymphs, which now had flowers their fill, a
2 Ran all in haste, to see that silver brood b
3 As they came floating on the crystal flood; b
4 Whom when they saw, they stood amazèd still a
5 Their wondering eyes to fill; A
6 Them seem'd they never saw a sight so fair c
7 Of fowls, so lovely, that they sure did deem d
8 Them heavenly born, or to be that same pair c
9 Which through the sky draw Venus' silver team; d
10 For sure they did not seem d
11 To be begot of any earthly seed, e
12 But rather Angels or of Angels' breed; e
13 Yet were they bred of summer's heat, they say, f
14 In sweetest season, when each flower and weed e
15 The earth did fresh array;: f
16 So fresh they seem'd as day, f
17 Ev'n as their bridal day, which was not long: X
 18 Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song. X

Stanza 5

1 Then forth they all out of their baskets drew, a
2 Great store of flowers, the honour of the field, b
3 That to the sense did fragrant odours yield, b
4 All which upon those goodly birds they threw, a
5 And all the waves did strew, a
6 That like old Peneus' waters they did seem c
7 When down along by pleasant Tempe's shore d
8 Scatter'd with flowers, through Thessaly they stream, c
9 That they appear, through lillies' plenteous store, d
10 Like a bride's chamber-floor. d
11 Two of those nymphs, meanwhile, two garlands bound e
12 Of freshest flowers which in that mead they found, e
13 The which presenting all in trim array, f
14 Their snowy foreheads therewithall they crown'd; e
15 Whilst one did sing this lay f
16 Prepared against that day, f
17 Against their bridal day, which was not long: X
18   Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song. X

Stanza 6

1 "Ye gentle birds! the world's fair ornament, a
2 And Heaven's glory, whom this happy hour b
3 Doth lead unto your lovers' blissful bower, b
4 Joy may you have, and gentle heart's content a
5 Of your love's couplement; a
6 And let fair Venus, that is queen of love, c
7 With her heart-quelling son upon you smile, d
8 Whose smile, they say, hath virtue to remove c
9 All love's dislike, and friendship's faulty guile d
10 For ever to assoil. d
11 Let endless peace your steadfast hearts accord, e
12 And blessèd plenty wait upon your board; e
13 And let your bed with pleasures chaste abound, f
14 That fruitful issue may to you afford e
15 Which may your foes confound, f
16 And make your joys redound f
17 Upon your bridal day, which is not long: X
18   Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song." X

Stanza 7: abbaabcdcceefeffXX
Stanza 8: abbaacdcddeefeffXX
Stanza 9: abbaacdcddeefeffXX
Stanza 10: abbaacdcddeefeffXX

Click here to read the ode in its entirety

Wait for the continuation