Out at Plough

William Barnes (1801–1886) · 1844–1862

iambic tetrameter · 55 lines · from Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect

Though cool avore the sheenen skyDo vall the sheaedes below the copse,The timber-trees, a-reachen high,Ha' zunsheen on their lofty tops,Where yonder land's a-lyen plow'd,An' red, below the snow-white cloud,An' vlocks o' pitchen rooks do vwoldTheir wings to walk upon the mwold.While floods be low,An' buds do grow,An' air do blow, a-broad, O.

But though the air is cwold belowThe creaken copses' darksome screen,The truest sheaede do only showHow strong the warmer zun do sheen;An' even times o' grief an' pain,Ha' good a-comen in their train,An' 'tis but happiness do markThe sheaedes o' sorrow out so dark.As tweils be sad,Or smiles be glad,Or times be bad, at hwome, O

An' there the zunny land do lieBelow the hangen, in the lew,Wi' vurrows now a-crumblen dry,Below the plowman's dousty shoe;An' there the bwoy do whissel sh'ill,Below the skylark's merry bill,Where primrwose beds do deck the zidesO' banks below the meaeple wrides.As trees be brightWi' bees in flight,An' weather's bright, abroad, O.

An' there, as sheenen wheels do spinVull speed along the dousty rwoad,He can but stan', an' wish 'ithinHis mind to be their happy lwoad,That he mid gaily ride, an' gooTo towns the rwoad mid teaeke en drough,An' zee, for woonce, the zights behindThe bluest hills his eyes can vind,O' towns, an' tow'rs,An' downs, an' flow'rs,In zunny hours, abroad, O.

But still, vor all the weather's feaeir,Below a cloudless sky o' blue,The bwoy at plough do little ceaereHow vast the brightest day mid goo;Vor he'd be glad to zee the zunA-zetten, wi' his work a-done,That he, at hwome, mid still injayHis happy bit ov evenen play,So light's a larkTill night is dark,While dogs do bark, at hwome, O.

Words in this poem

copse n.
A wood of small growth; a thicket of brushwood. See Coppice. [Contr. from coppice.]
yonder adv.
At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
darksome a.
Dark; gloomy; obscure; shaded; cheerless.
sheen v. i.
To shine; to glisten.
gaily adv.
Merrily; showily. See gaily. [From Gay.]
cloudless a.
Without a cloud; clear; bright.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Out at Plough 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, Out at Plough, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/out-at-plough.html, id L02236.

Form and metre

Out at Plough is 55 lines in 5 stanzas of 11 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.2 syllables. 31% 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. 1 ABABCCDDEEE skyA · copseB · highA · topsB · plow'dC · cloudC · vwoldD · mwoldD · lowE · growE · oE
  2. 2 ABABCCDDEEA belowA · screenB · showA · sheenB · painC · trainC · markD · darkD · sadE · gladE · oA
  3. 3 ABABCCDDEE- lieA · lewB · dryA · shoeB · sh'illC · billC · zidesD · wridesD · brightE · flightE · o
  4. 4 -A-A--BBCC- spin · rwoadA · ithin · lwoadA · goo · drough · behindB · vindB · tow'rsC · flow'rsC · o
  5. 5 ABAB--CCDD- feaeirA · blueB · ceaereA · gooB · zun · done · injayC · playC · larkD · darkD · o
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.

LineSyl.Stress
Though cool avore the sheenen sky8········
Do vall the sheaedes below the copse,8········
The timber-trees, a-reachen high,8·/˘·····
Ha' zunsheen on their lofty tops,8·····/˘·
Where yonder land's a-lyen plow'd,7·/˘····
An' red, below the snow-white cloud,8········
An' vlocks o' pitchen rooks do vwold8········
Their wings to walk upon the mwold.8········
While floods be low,4····
An' buds do grow,4····
An' air do blow, a-broad, O.7·······
But though the air is cwold below8········
The creaken copses' darksome screen,8·····/˘·
The truest sheaede do only show8·/˘··/˘·
How strong the warmer zun do sheen;8···/˘···
An' even times o' grief an' pain,8·/˘·····
Ha' good a-comen in their train,8········
An' 'tis but happiness do mark8···/˘˘··
The sheaedes o' sorrow out so dark.8···/˘···
As tweils be sad,4····
Or smiles be glad,4····
Or times be bad, at hwome, O7·······
An' there the zunny land do lie8········
Below the hangen, in the lew,8···/˘···
Wi' vurrows now a-crumblen dry,8········
Below the plowman's dousty shoe;8···/˘···
An' there the bwoy do whissel sh'ill,8········
Below the skylark's merry bill,8···/·/˘·
Where primrwose beds do deck the zides8········
O' banks below the meaeple wrides.8········
As trees be bright4····
Wi' bees in flight,4····
An' weather's bright, abroad, O.7·/˘·˘/·
An' there, as sheenen wheels do spin8········
Vull speed along the dousty rwoad,8··˘/····
He can but stan', an' wish 'ithin8········
His mind to be their happy lwoad,8·····/˘·
That he mid gaily ride, an' goo8···/˘···
To towns the rwoad mid teaeke en drough,8········
An' zee, for woonce, the zights behind8········
The bluest hills his eyes can vind,8·/˘·····
O' towns, an' tow'rs,4····
An' downs, an' flow'rs,4····
In zunny hours, abroad, O.8···/˘˘/·
But still, vor all the weather's feaeir,8·····/˘·
Below a cloudless sky o' blue,8···/˘···
The bwoy at plough do little ceaere8·····/˘·
How vast the brightest day mid goo;8···/˘···
Vor he'd be glad to zee the zun8········
A-zetten, wi' his work a-done,8········
That he, at hwome, mid still injay8········
His happy bit ov evenen play,9·/˘······
So light's a lark4····
Till night is dark,4····
While dogs do bark, at hwome, O.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.

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