Hay-Carren
'Tis merry ov a zummer's day,When vo'k be out a-haulen hay,Where boughs, a-spread upon the ground,Do meaeke the staddle big an' round;An' grass do stand in pook, or lieIn long-back'd weaeles or parsels, dry.There I do vind it stir my heartTo hear the frothen hosses snort,A-haulen on, wi' sleek heaeir'd hides,The red-wheel'd waggon's deep-blue zides.Aye; let me have woone cup o' drink,An' hear the linky harness clink,An' then my blood do run so warm,An' put sich strangth 'ithin my eaerm,That I do long to toss a pick,A-pitchen or a-meaeken rick.
The bwoy is at the hosse's head,An' up upon the waggon bedThe lwoaders, strong o' eaerm do stan',At head, an' back at tail, a man,Wi' skill to build the lwoad uprightAn' bind the vwolded corners tight;An' at each zide [=o]'m, sprack an' strong,A pitcher wi' his long-stem'd prong,Avore the best two women nowA-call'd to reaeky after plough.
When I do pitchy, 'tis my prideVor Jenny Hine to reaeke my zide,An' zee her fling her reaeke, an' reachSo vur, an' teaeke in sich a streech;An' I don't shatter hay, an' meaekeMwore work than needs vor Jenny's reaeke.I'd sooner zee the weaeles' high rowsLik' hedges up above my nose,Than have light work myzelf, an' vindPoor Jeaene a-beaet an' left behind;Vor she would sooner drop down dead.Than let the pitchers get a-head.
'Tis merry at the rick to zeeHow picks do wag, an' hay do vlee.While woone's unlwoaden, woone do teaekeThe pitches in; an' zome do meaekeThe lofty rick upright an' roun',An' tread en hard, an' reaeke en down,An' tip en, when the zun do zet,To shoot a sudden vall o' wet.An' zoo 'tis merry any dayWhere vo'k be out a-carren hay.
Words in this poem
- staddle n.
- Anything which serves for support; a staff; a prop; a crutch; a cane. [AS. stathol, srathul, a foundation, firm seat; akin to E. stand. *163. See Stand, v. i.]
- clink v. t.
- To cause to give out a slight, sharp, tinkling, sound, as by striking metallic or other sonorous bodies together. [OE. clinken; akin to G. klingen, D. klinken, SW. klinga, Dan. klinge; prob. of imitative origin. Cf. Clank, Clench, Click, v. i.]
- sprack a.
- Quick; lively' alert. [Cf. Icel. spækr sprightly, dial. Sw. spräk, spräg, spirited, mettlesome; or Gael. spraic vigor.]
- prong n.
- A sharp-pointed instrument. [Cf. D. prangen to pinch, press, LG. prange a stick, or W. procio to thrust, E. prowl, pang.]
- pitchy a.
- Partaking of the qualities of pitch; resembling pitch. [From 1st Pitch.]
- jenny n.
- A familiar or pet form of the proper name Jane.
- hine n.
- A servant; a farm laborer; a peasant; a hind. [See Hind a servant.]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hay-Carren 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, Hay-Carren, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/hay-carren.html, id L20540.
Form and metre
Hay-Carren is 48 lines in 4 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 92% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
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 AABBCC--DDEEFFGG dayA · hayA · groundB · roundB · lieC · dryC · heart · snort · hidesD · zidesD · drinkE · clinkE · warmF · eaermF · pickG · rickG
- 2 AABBCCDDEE headA · bedA · stanB · manB · uprightC · tightC · strongD · prongD · nowE · ploughE
- 3 AABBCCDDEEFF prideA · zideA · reachB · streechB · meaekeC · reaekeC · rowsD · noseD · vindE · behindE · deadF · headF
- 4 AABB--CCDD zeeA · vleeA · teaekeB · meaekeB · roun · down · zetC · wetC · dayD · hayD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 'Tis merry ov a zummer's day, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| When vo'k be out a-haulen hay, | 8 | ········ |
| Where boughs, a-spread upon the ground, | 8 | ········ |
| Do meaeke the staddle big an' round; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' grass do stand in pook, or lie | 8 | ········ |
| In long-back'd weaeles or parsels, dry. | 8 | ········ |
| There I do vind it stir my heart | 8 | ········ |
| To hear the frothen hosses snort, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A-haulen on, wi' sleek heaeir'd hides, | 8 | ········ |
| The red-wheel'd waggon's deep-blue zides. | 8 | ········ |
| Aye; let me have woone cup o' drink, | 8 | ········ |
| An' hear the linky harness clink, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' then my blood do run so warm, | 8 | ········ |
| An' put sich strangth 'ithin my eaerm, | 10 | ·········· |
| That I do long to toss a pick, | 8 | ········ |
| A-pitchen or a-meaeken rick. | 8 | ········ |
| The bwoy is at the hosse's head, | 8 | ········ |
| An' up upon the waggon bed | 8 | ········ |
| The lwoaders, strong o' eaerm do stan', | 8 | ········ |
| At head, an' back at tail, a man, | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' skill to build the lwoad upright | 8 | ······˘/ |
| An' bind the vwolded corners tight; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' at each zide [=o]'m, sprack an' strong, | 9 | ········· |
| A pitcher wi' his long-stem'd prong, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Avore the best two women now | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A-call'd to reaeky after plough. | 8 | ········ |
| When I do pitchy, 'tis my pride | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Vor Jenny Hine to reaeke my zide, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| An' zee her fling her reaeke, an' reach | 8 | ········ |
| So vur, an' teaeke in sich a streech; | 10 | ·········· |
| An' I don't shatter hay, an' meaeke | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Mwore work than needs vor Jenny's reaeke. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I'd sooner zee the weaeles' high rows | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Lik' hedges up above my nose, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Than have light work myzelf, an' vind | 8 | ········ |
| Poor Jeaene a-beaet an' left behind; | 8 | ········ |
| Vor she would sooner drop down dead. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Than let the pitchers get a-head. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| 'Tis merry at the rick to zee | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| How picks do wag, an' hay do vlee. | 8 | ········ |
| While woone's unlwoaden, woone do teaeke | 8 | ········ |
| The pitches in; an' zome do meaeke | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The lofty rick upright an' roun', | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| An' tread en hard, an' reaeke en down, | 8 | ········ |
| An' tip en, when the zun do zet, | 8 | ········ |
| To shoot a sudden vall o' wet. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' zoo 'tis merry any day | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Where vo'k be out a-carren hay. | 8 | ········ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.