Jeane's Wedden Day in Mornen
At last Jeaene come down stairs, a-drestWi' wedden knots upon her breast,A-blushen, while a tear did lieUpon her burnen cheaek half dry;An' then her Robert, drawen nighWi' tothers, took her han' wi' pride,To meaeke her at the church his bride,Her wedden day in mornen.
Wi' litty voot an' beaeten heartShe stepp'd up in the new light cart,An' took her bridemaid up to rideAlong wi' Robert at her zide:An' uncle's meaere look'd roun' wi' prideTo zee that, if the cart wer vull,'Twer Jenny that he had to pull,Her wedden day in mornen.
An' aunt an' uncle stood stock-still,An' watch'd em trotten down the hill;An' when they turn'd off out o' groun'Down into leaene, two tears run downAunt's feaece; an' uncle, turnen roun',Sigh'd woonce, an' stump'd off wi' his stick,Because did touch en to the quickTo peaert wi' Jeaene thik mornen.
"Now Jeaene's agone," Tom mutter'd, "weShall mwope lik' owls 'ithin a tree;Vor she did zet us all agogVor fun, avore the burnen log."An' as he zot an' talk'd, the dogPut up his nose athirt his thighs,But coulden meaeke en turn his eyes,Jeaene's wedden day in mornen.
An' then the naighbours round us, allBy woones an' twos begun to call,To meet the young vo'k, when the meaereMid bring em back a married peaeir:An' all o'm zaid, to Robert's sheaere,There had a-vell the feaerest feaece,An' kindest heart in all the pleaece,Jeaene's wedden day in mornen.
Words in this poem
- jenny n.
- A familiar or pet form of the proper name Jane.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- agog a.
- In eager desire; eager; astir. [Cf. F. gogue fun, perhaps of Celtic origin.]
- vell n.
- The salted stomach of a calf, used in making cheese; a rennet bag. [Cf. L. vellus the skin of a sheep with the wool on it, a fleece, a hide or pelt, or E. fell a hide.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Jeane's Wedden Day in Mornen 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, Jeane's Wedden Day in Mornen, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/jeane-s-wedden-day-in-mornen.html, id L02064.
Form and metre
Jeane's Wedden Day in Mornen is 40 lines in 5 stanzas of 8 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.9 syllables. 32% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See 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 AABBBCC- drestA · breastA · lieB · dryB · nighB · prideC · brideC · mornen
- 2 AABBBCC- heartA · cartA · rideB · zideB · prideB · vullC · pullC · mornen
- 3 AAB-BCC- stillA · hillA · grounB · down · rounB · stickC · quickC · mornen
- 4 AA-BBCC- weA · treeA · agog · logB · dogB · thighsC · eyesC · mornen
- 5 AABBBCC- allA · callA · meaereB · peaeirB · sheaereB · feaeceC · pleaeceC · mornen
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 |
|---|---|---|
| At last Jeaene come down stairs, a-drest | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' wedden knots upon her breast, | 8 | ········ |
| A-blushen, while a tear did lie | 8 | ········ |
| Upon her burnen cheaek half dry; | 8 | ········ |
| An' then her Robert, drawen nigh | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Wi' tothers, took her han' wi' pride, | 8 | ········ |
| To meaeke her at the church his bride, | 8 | ········ |
| Her wedden day in mornen. | 7 | ······· |
| Wi' litty voot an' beaeten heart | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| She stepp'd up in the new light cart, | 8 | ········ |
| An' took her bridemaid up to ride | 9 | ········· |
| Along wi' Robert at her zide: | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| An' uncle's meaere look'd roun' wi' pride | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| To zee that, if the cart wer vull, | 8 | ········ |
| 'Twer Jenny that he had to pull, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Her wedden day in mornen. | 7 | ······· |
| An' aunt an' uncle stood stock-still, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' watch'd em trotten down the hill; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' when they turn'd off out o' groun' | 8 | ········ |
| Down into leaene, two tears run down | 8 | ········ |
| Aunt's feaece; an' uncle, turnen roun', | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Sigh'd woonce, an' stump'd off wi' his stick, | 8 | ········ |
| Because did touch en to the quick | 8 | ········ |
| To peaert wi' Jeaene thik mornen. | 7 | ······· |
| "Now Jeaene's agone," Tom mutter'd, "we | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Shall mwope lik' owls 'ithin a tree; | 8 | ········ |
| Vor she did zet us all agog | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Vor fun, avore the burnen log." | 8 | ········ |
| An' as he zot an' talk'd, the dog | 8 | ········ |
| Put up his nose athirt his thighs, | 8 | ········ |
| But coulden meaeke en turn his eyes, | 8 | ········ |
| Jeaene's wedden day in mornen. | 7 | ······· |
| An' then the naighbours round us, all | 8 | ········ |
| By woones an' twos begun to call, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| To meet the young vo'k, when the meaere | 8 | ········ |
| Mid bring em back a married peaeir: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' all o'm zaid, to Robert's sheaere, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| There had a-vell the feaerest feaece, | 8 | ········ |
| An' kindest heart in all the pleaece, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Jeaene's wedden day in mornen. | 7 | ······· |
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.