Ellen Brine Ov Allenburn
Noo soul did hear her lips complain,An' she's a-gone vrom all her pain,An' others' loss to her is gainFor she do live in heaven's love;Vull many a longsome day an' weekShe bore her ailen, still, an' meek;A-worken while her strangth held on,An' guiden housework, when 'twer gone.Vor Ellen Brine ov Allenburn,Oh! there be souls to murn.
The last time I'd a-cast my zightUpon her feaece, a-feaeded white,Wer in a zummer's mornen lightIn hall avore the smwold'ren vier,The while the childern beaet the vloor,In play, wi' tiny shoes they wore,An' call'd their mother's eyes to viewThe feaet's their little limbs could do.Oh! Ellen Brine ov Allenburn,They childern now mus' murn.
Then woone, a-stoppen vrom his reaece,Went up, an' on her knee did pleaeceHis hand, a-looken in her feaece,An' wi' a smilen mouth so small,He zaid, "You promised us to gooTo Shroton feaeir, an' teaeke us two!"She heaerd it wi' her two white ears,An' in her eyes there sprung two tears,Vor Ellen Brine ov AllenburnDid veel that they mus' murn.
September come, wi' Shroton feaeir,But Ellen Brine wer never there!A heavy heart wer on the meaereTheir father rod his hwomeward road.'Tis true he brought zome feaerens back,Vor them two childern all in black;But they had now, wi' playthings new,Noo mother vor to shew em to,Vor Ellen Brine ov AllenburnWould never mwore return.
Words in this poem
- longsome a.
- Extended in length; tiresome. Bp. Hall. Prior. [AS. langsum.]
- housework n.
- The work belonging to housekeeping; especially, kitchen work, sweeping, scrubbing, bed making, and the like.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- shew n.
- Show. [Obs. except in shewbread.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ellen Brine Ov Allenburn is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect, Project Gutenberg ebook #21785; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Barnes, Ellen Brine Ov Allenburn, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/ellen-brine-ov-allenburn.html, id L02163.
Form and metre
Ellen Brine Ov Allenburn is 40 lines in 4 stanzas of 10 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 70% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.8 syllables. 25% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AAA-BBCCDD complainA · painA · gainA · love · weekB · meekB · onC · goneC · allenburnD · murnD
- 2 AAA---BBCC zightA · whiteA · lightA · vier · vloor · wore · viewB · doB · allenburnC · murnC
- 3 AAA-BBCCDD reaeceA · pleaeceA · feaeceA · small · gooB · twoB · earsC · tearsC · allenburnD · murnD
- 4 A-A-BBCCDD feaeirA · there · meaereA · road · backB · blackB · newC · toC · allenburnD · returnD
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Noo soul did hear her lips complain, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| An' she's a-gone vrom all her pain, | 8 | ········ |
| An' others' loss to her is gain | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For she do live in heaven's love; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Vull many a longsome day an' week | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| She bore her ailen, still, an' meek; | 8 | ········ |
| A-worken while her strangth held on, | 8 | ········ |
| An' guiden housework, when 'twer gone. | 8 | ···/···· |
| Vor Ellen Brine ov Allenburn, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Oh! there be souls to murn. | 6 | ······ |
| The last time I'd a-cast my zight | 8 | ········ |
| Upon her feaece, a-feaeded white, | 8 | ········ |
| Wer in a zummer's mornen light | 8 | ········ |
| In hall avore the smwold'ren vier, | 8 | ········ |
| The while the childern beaet the vloor, | 8 | ········ |
| In play, wi' tiny shoes they wore, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' call'd their mother's eyes to view | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The feaet's their little limbs could do. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Oh! Ellen Brine ov Allenburn, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| They childern now mus' murn. | 6 | ······ |
| Then woone, a-stoppen vrom his reaece, | 8 | ········ |
| Went up, an' on her knee did pleaece | 8 | ········ |
| His hand, a-looken in her feaece, | 8 | ········ |
| An' wi' a smilen mouth so small, | 8 | ········ |
| He zaid, "You promised us to goo | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| To Shroton feaeir, an' teaeke us two!" | 8 | ········ |
| She heaerd it wi' her two white ears, | 8 | ········ |
| An' in her eyes there sprung two tears, | 8 | ········ |
| Vor Ellen Brine ov Allenburn | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Did veel that they mus' murn. | 6 | ······ |
| September come, wi' Shroton feaeir, | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| But Ellen Brine wer never there! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| A heavy heart wer on the meaere | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Their father rod his hwomeward road. | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| 'Tis true he brought zome feaerens back, | 8 | ········ |
| Vor them two childern all in black; | 8 | ········ |
| But they had now, wi' playthings new, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Noo mother vor to shew em to, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Vor Ellen Brine ov Allenburn | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Would never mwore return. | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
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