Minden House
'Twer when the vo'k wer out to hawlA vield o' hay a day in June,An' when the zun begun to vallToward the west in afternoon,Woone only wer a-left behindTo bide indoors, at hwome, an' mindThe house, an' answer vo'k avoreThe geaete or door,--young Fanny Deaene.
The air 'ithin the geaerden wallWer deadly still, unless the beeDid hummy by, or in the hallThe clock did ring a-hetten dree,An' there, wi' busy hands, insideThe iron ceaesement, oben'd wide,Did zit an' pull wi' nimble twitchHer tiny stitch, young Fanny Deaene.
As there she zot she heaerd two blowsA-knock'd upon the rumblen door,An' laid azide her work, an' rose,An' walk'd out feaeir, athirt the vloor;An' there, a-holden in his handHis bridled meaere, a youth did stand,An' mildly twold his neaeme and pleaeceAvore the feaece o' Fanny Deaene.
He twold her that he had on handZome business on his father's zide,But what she didden understand;An' zoo she ax'd en if he'd rideOut where her father mid be vound,Bezide the plow, in Cowslip Ground;An' there he went, but left his mindBack there behind, wi' Fanny Deaene.
An' oh! his hwomeward road wer gayIn air a-blowen, whiff by whiff,While sheenen water-weaeves did playAn' boughs did sway above the cliff;Vor Time had now a-show'd en dimThe jay it had in store vor him;An' when he went thik road ageaenHis errand then wer Fanny Deaene.
How strangely things be brought aboutBy Providence, noo tongue can tell,She minded house, when vo'k wer out,An' zoo mus' bid the house farewell;The bees mid hum, the clock mid callThe lwonesome hours 'ithin the hall,But in behind the woaken door,There's now noo mwore a Fanny Deaene.
Words in this poem
- afternoon n.
- The part of the day which follows noon, between noon and evening.
- bide v. i.
- To dwell; to inhabit; to abide; to stay. [OE. biden, AS. bidan; akin to OHG. bitan, Goth. beidan, Icel. bi; perh. orig., to wait with trust, and akin to bid. See Bid, v. t., and cf. Abide.]
- indoors adv.
- Within the house; -- usually separated, in doors.
- dree v. i.
- To be able to do or endure.
- cowslip n.
- A common flower in England (Primula veris) having yellow blossoms and appearing in early spring. It is often cultivated in the United States. [AS. c, c, prob. orig., cow's droppings. Cf. Slop, n.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- blowen n.
- A prostitute; a courtesan; a strumpet. [Low] Smart.
- whiff n.
- A sudden expulsion of air from the mouth; a quick puff or slight gust, as of air or smoke. [OE. weffe vapor, whiff, probably of imitative origin; cf. Dan. vift a puff, gust, W. chwiff a whiff, puff.]
- strangely adv.
- As something foreign, or not one's own; in a manner adapted to something foreign and strange.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Minden House 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, Minden House, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/minden-house.html, id L02175.
Form and metre
Minden House is 48 lines in 6 stanzas of 8 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 46% 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 -A-ABB-- hawl · juneA · vall · afternoonA · behindB · mindB · avore · deaene
- 2 ABABCC-- wallA · beeB · hallA · dreeB · insideC · wideC · twitch · deaene
- 3 ABABCC-- blowsA · doorB · roseA · vloorB · handC · standC · pleaece · deaene
- 4 ABABCCC- handA · zideB · understandA · rideB · voundC · groundC · mindC · deaene
- 5 ABABCCDD gayA · whiffB · playA · cliffB · dimC · himC · ageaenD · deaeneD
- 6 ABABCC-- aboutA · tellB · outA · farewellB · callC · hallC · door · deaene
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 'Twer when the vo'k wer out to hawl | 8 | ········ |
| A vield o' hay a day in June, | 8 | ········ |
| An' when the zun begun to vall | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Toward the west in afternoon, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Woone only wer a-left behind | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| To bide indoors, at hwome, an' mind | 8 | ··/····· |
| The house, an' answer vo'k avore | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The geaete or door,--young Fanny Deaene. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The air 'ithin the geaerden wall | 8 | ········ |
| Wer deadly still, unless the bee | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Did hummy by, or in the hall | 8 | ········ |
| The clock did ring a-hetten dree, | 8 | ········ |
| An' there, wi' busy hands, inside | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| The iron ceaesement, oben'd wide, | 8 | ·/······ |
| Did zit an' pull wi' nimble twitch | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Her tiny stitch, young Fanny Deaene. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| As there she zot she heaerd two blows | 8 | ········ |
| A-knock'd upon the rumblen door, | 8 | ········ |
| An' laid azide her work, an' rose, | 8 | ········ |
| An' walk'd out feaeir, athirt the vloor; | 8 | ········ |
| An' there, a-holden in his hand | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| His bridled meaere, a youth did stand, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| An' mildly twold his neaeme and pleaece | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Avore the feaece o' Fanny Deaene. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| He twold her that he had on hand | 8 | ········ |
| Zome business on his father's zide, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| But what she didden understand; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| An' zoo she ax'd en if he'd ride | 8 | ········ |
| Out where her father mid be vound, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Bezide the plow, in Cowslip Ground; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' there he went, but left his mind | 8 | ········ |
| Back there behind, wi' Fanny Deaene. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' oh! his hwomeward road wer gay | 9 | ········· |
| In air a-blowen, whiff by whiff, | 8 | ········ |
| While sheenen water-weaeves did play | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' boughs did sway above the cliff; | 8 | ········ |
| Vor Time had now a-show'd en dim | 8 | ········ |
| The jay it had in store vor him; | 8 | ········ |
| An' when he went thik road ageaen | 8 | ········ |
| His errand then wer Fanny Deaene. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| How strangely things be brought about | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| By Providence, noo tongue can tell, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| She minded house, when vo'k wer out, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| An' zoo mus' bid the house farewell; | 8 | ·······/ |
| The bees mid hum, the clock mid call | 8 | ········ |
| The lwonesome hours 'ithin the hall, | 9 | ····/···· |
| But in behind the woaken door, | 8 | ········ |
| There's now noo mwore a Fanny Deaene. | 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.