In the Spring
My love is the maid ov all maidens,Though all mid be comely,Her skin's lik' the jessamy blossomA-spread in the Spring.
Her smile is so sweet as a beaeby'sYoung smile on his mother,Her eyes be as bright as the dew dropA-shed in the Spring.
O grey-leafy pinks o' the geaerden,Now bear her sweet blossoms;Now deck wi' a rwose-bud, O briar.Her head in the Spring.
O light-rollen wind blow me hither,The vaeice ov her talken,Or bring vrom her veet the light doust,She do tread in the Spring.
O zun, meaeke the gil'cups all glitter,In goold all around her;An' meaeke o' the deaeisys' white flowersA bed in the Spring.
O whissle gay birds, up bezide her,In drong-way, an' woodlands,O zing, swingen lark, now the clouds,Be a-vled in the Spring.
An' who, you mid ax, be my praisesA-meaeken so much o',An' oh! 'tis the maid I'm a-hopenTo wed in the Spring.
Words in this poem
- briar n.
- A plant with a slender woody stem bearing stout prickles; especially, species of Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax. [OE. brere, brer, AS. brer, brær; cf. Ir. briar prickle, thorn, brier, pin, Gael. preas bush, brier, W. prys, prysg.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
In the Spring 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, In the Spring, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/in-the-spring.html, id L02264.
Form and metre
In the Spring is 28 lines in 7 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 73%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.2 syllables. 10 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 21% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
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.
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 common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| My love is the maid ov all maidens, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Though all mid be comely, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Her skin's lik' the jessamy blossom | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| A-spread in the Spring. | 5 | ····· |
| Her smile is so sweet as a beaeby's | 9 | ········· |
| Young smile on his mother, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Her eyes be as bright as the dew drop | 9 | ········· |
| A-shed in the Spring. | 5 | ····· |
| O grey-leafy pinks o' the geaerden, | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| Now bear her sweet blossoms; | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Now deck wi' a rwose-bud, O briar. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Her head in the Spring. | 5 | ····· |
| O light-rollen wind blow me hither, | 9 | ··/˘···/˘ |
| The vaeice ov her talken, | 6 | ······ |
| Or bring vrom her veet the light doust, | 8 | ········ |
| She do tread in the Spring. | 6 | ······ |
| O zun, meaeke the gil'cups all glitter, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| In goold all around her; | 6 | ······ |
| An' meaeke o' the deaeisys' white flowers | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| A bed in the Spring. | 5 | ····· |
| O whissle gay birds, up bezide her, | 9 | ········· |
| In drong-way, an' woodlands, | 6 | ····/· |
| O zing, swingen lark, now the clouds, | 8 | ········ |
| Be a-vled in the Spring. | 6 | ······ |
| An' who, you mid ax, be my praises | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| A-meaeken so much o', | 6 | ······ |
| An' oh! 'tis the maid I'm a-hopen | 9 | ········· |
| To wed in the Spring. | 5 | ····· |
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.