Poll
When out below the trees, that drow'dTheir scraggy lim's athirt the road,While evenen zuns, a'most a-zet,Gi'ed goolden light, but little het,The merry chaps an' maidens met,An' look'd to zomebody to neaemeTheir bit o' fun, a dance or geaeme,'Twer Poll they cluster'd round.
An' after they'd a-had enoughO' snappen tongs, or blind-man's buff,O' winter nights, an' went an' stoodAvore the vire o' bleaezen wood,Though there wer maidens kind an' good,Though there wer maidens feaeir an' tall,'Twer Poll that wer the queen o'm all,An' Poll they cluster'd round.
An' when the childern used to catchA glimpse o' Poll avore the hatch,The little things did run to meetTheir friend wi' skippen tott'ren veetAn' thought noo other kiss so sweetAs hers; an' nwone could vind em outSuch geaemes to meaeke em jump an' shout,As Poll they cluster'd round.
An' now, since she've a-left em, allThe pleaece do miss her, girt an' small.In vain vor them the zun do sheenUpon the lwonesome rwoad an' green;Their zwing do hang vorgot betweenThe leaenen trees, vor they've a-lostThe best o' maidens, to their cost,The maid they cluster'd round.
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- vire n.
- An arrow, having a rotary motion, formerly used with the crossbow. Cf. Vireton. Gower. [OF. vire, fr. virer to turn. Cf. Veer, Vireton.]
- girt v. t.
- To gird; to encircle; to invest by means of a girdle; to measure the girth of; as, to girt a tree. [From Girt, n., cf. Girth, v.]
- sheen v. i.
- To shine; to glisten.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Poll 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, Poll, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/poll.html, id L02138.
Form and metre
Poll is 32 lines in 4 stanzas of 8 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 50% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.9 syllables. 41% 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 --AAABB- drow'd · road · zetA · hetA · metA · neaemeB · geaemeB · round
- 2 AABBBCC- enoughA · buffA · stoodB · woodB · goodB · tallC · allC · round
- 3 AABBBCC- catchA · hatchA · meetB · veetB · sweetB · outC · shoutC · round
- 4 AABBBCC- allA · smallA · sheenB · greenB · betweenB · lostC · costC · round
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 |
|---|---|---|
| When out below the trees, that drow'd | 8 | ········ |
| Their scraggy lim's athirt the road, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| While evenen zuns, a'most a-zet, | 9 | ········· |
| Gi'ed goolden light, but little het, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The merry chaps an' maidens met, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| An' look'd to zomebody to neaeme | 9 | ········· |
| Their bit o' fun, a dance or geaeme, | 8 | ········ |
| 'Twer Poll they cluster'd round. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| An' after they'd a-had enough | 8 | ······˘/ |
| O' snappen tongs, or blind-man's buff, | 8 | ········ |
| O' winter nights, an' went an' stood | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Avore the vire o' bleaezen wood, | 8 | ········ |
| Though there wer maidens kind an' good, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Though there wer maidens feaeir an' tall, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| 'Twer Poll that wer the queen o'm all, | 8 | ········ |
| An' Poll they cluster'd round. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| An' when the childern used to catch | 8 | ········ |
| A glimpse o' Poll avore the hatch, | 8 | ········ |
| The little things did run to meet | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Their friend wi' skippen tott'ren veet | 8 | ········ |
| An' thought noo other kiss so sweet | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| As hers; an' nwone could vind em out | 8 | ········ |
| Such geaemes to meaeke em jump an' shout, | 8 | ········ |
| As Poll they cluster'd round. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| An' now, since she've a-left em, all | 8 | ········ |
| The pleaece do miss her, girt an' small. | 8 | ········ |
| In vain vor them the zun do sheen | 8 | ········ |
| Upon the lwonesome rwoad an' green; | 9 | ········· |
| Their zwing do hang vorgot between | 8 | ········ |
| The leaenen trees, vor they've a-lost | 9 | ········· |
| The best o' maidens, to their cost, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The maid they cluster'd round. | 6 | ···/˘· |
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.