John Bleaeke at Hwome at Night
No: where the woak do overspread,The grass begloom'd below his head,An' water, under bowen zedge,A-springen vrom the river's edge,Do ripple, as the win' do blow,An' sparkle, as the sky do glow;An' grey-leav'd withy-boughs do cool,Wi' darksome sheaedes, the clear-feaeced pool,My chimny smoke, 'ithin the lewO' trees is there arisen blue;Avore the night do dim our zight,Or candle-light, a-sheenen bright,Do sparkle drough the window.
When crumpled leaves o' Fall do boundAvore the wind, along the ground,An' wither'd bennet-stems do standA-quiv'ren on the chilly land;The while the zun, wi' zetten rim,Do leaeve the workman's pathway dim;An' sweet-breath'd childern's hangen headsBe laid wi' kisses, on their beds;Then I do seek my woodland nest,An' zit bezide my vier at rest,While night's a-spread, where day's a-vled,An' lights do shed their beams o' red,A-sparklen drough the window.
If winter's whistlen winds do vreezeThe snow a-gather'd on the trees,An' sheaedes o' poplar stems do vallIn moonlight up athirt the wall;An' icicles do hang belowThe oves, a-glitt'ren in a row,An' risen stars do slowly rideAbove the ruf's upslanten zide;Then I do lay my weary headAsleep upon my peaceful bed,When middle-night ha' quench'd the lightOv embers bright, an' candles whiteA-beamen drough the window.
Words in this poem
- withy n.
- The osier willow (Salix viminalis). See Osier, n. (a). [OE. withe, wipi, AS. wi a willow, willow twig; akin to G. weide willow, OHG. wida, Icel. vi, a withy, Sw. vide a willow twig, Dan. vidie a willow, osier, Gr. vi]
- darksome a.
- Dark; gloomy; obscure; shaded; cheerless.
- pathway n.
- A footpath; a beaten track; any path or course. Also used figuratively.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
John Bleaeke at Hwome at Night 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, John Bleaeke at Hwome at Night, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/john-bleaeke-at-hwome-at-night.html, id L02192.
Form and metre
John Bleaeke at Hwome at Night is 39 lines in 3 stanzas of 13 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 82% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 94%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.9 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 28% 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 AABBCCDDEEFF- overspreadA · headA · zedgeB · edgeB · blowC · glowC · coolD · poolD · lewE · blueE · zightF · brightF · window
- 2 AABBCCDDEE--- boundA · groundA · standB · landB · rimC · dimC · headsD · bedsD · nestE · restE · vled · red · window
- 3 AA--BBCCDDEE- vreezeA · treesA · vall · wall · belowB · rowB · rideC · zideC · headD · bedD · lightE · whiteE · window
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 |
|---|---|---|
| No: where the woak do overspread, | 8 | ········ |
| The grass begloom'd below his head, | 8 | ········ |
| An' water, under bowen zedge, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| A-springen vrom the river's edge, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Do ripple, as the win' do blow, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| An' sparkle, as the sky do glow; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| An' grey-leav'd withy-boughs do cool, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Wi' darksome sheaedes, the clear-feaeced pool, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| My chimny smoke, 'ithin the lew | 8 | ········ |
| O' trees is there arisen blue; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Avore the night do dim our zight, | 8 | ······/· |
| Or candle-light, a-sheenen bright, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Do sparkle drough the window. | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| When crumpled leaves o' Fall do bound | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Avore the wind, along the ground, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| An' wither'd bennet-stems do stand | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| A-quiv'ren on the chilly land; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The while the zun, wi' zetten rim, | 8 | ········ |
| Do leaeve the workman's pathway dim; | 8 | ···/˘/·· |
| An' sweet-breath'd childern's hangen heads | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Be laid wi' kisses, on their beds; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Then I do seek my woodland nest, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| An' zit bezide my vier at rest, | 8 | ········ |
| While night's a-spread, where day's a-vled, | 8 | ········ |
| An' lights do shed their beams o' red, | 8 | ········ |
| A-sparklen drough the window. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| If winter's whistlen winds do vreeze | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The snow a-gather'd on the trees, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' sheaedes o' poplar stems do vall | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In moonlight up athirt the wall; | 8 | ·/······ |
| An' icicles do hang below | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| The oves, a-glitt'ren in a row, | 8 | ········ |
| An' risen stars do slowly ride | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Above the ruf's upslanten zide; | 8 | ········ |
| Then I do lay my weary head | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Asleep upon my peaceful bed, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| When middle-night ha' quench'd the light | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Ov embers bright, an' candles white | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| A-beamen drough the window. | 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.