The Girt Woak Tree That's in the Dell
The girt woak tree that's in the dell!There's noo tree I do love so well;Vor times an' times when I wer young,I there've a-climb'd, an' there've a-zwung,An' pick'd the eaecorns green, a-shedIn wrestlen storms vrom his broad head.An' down below's the cloty brookWhere I did vish with line an' hook,An' beaet, in playsome dips and zwims,The foamy stream, wi' white-skinn'd lim's.An' there my mother nimbly shotHer knitten-needles, as she zotAt evenen down below the wideWoak's head, wi' father at her zide.An' I've a-played wi' many a bwoy,That's now a man an' gone awoy;Zoo I do like noo tree so well'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell.
An' there, in leaeter years, I rovedWi' thik poor maid I fondly lov'd,--The maid too feaeir to die so soon,--When evenen twilight, or the moon,Cast light enough 'ithin the pleaeceTo show the smiles upon her feaece,Wi' eyes so clear's the glassy pool,An' lips an' cheaeks so soft as wool.There han' in han', wi' bosoms warm,Wi' love that burn'd but thought noo harm,Below the wide-bough'd tree we pastThe happy hours that went too vast;An' though she'll never be my wife,She's still my leaeden star o' life.She's gone: an' she've a-left to meHer mem'ry in the girt woak tree;Zoo I do love noo tree so well'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell
An' oh! mid never ax nor hookBe brought to spweil his steaetely look;Nor ever roun' his ribby zidesMid cattle rub ther heaeiry hides;Nor pigs rout up his turf, but keepHis lwonesome sheaede vor harmless sheep;An' let en grow, an' let en spread,An' let en live when I be dead.But oh! if men should come an' vellThe girt woak tree that's in the dell,An' build his planks 'ithin the zideO' zome girt ship to plough the tide,Then, life or death! I'd goo to sea,A sailen wi' the girt woak tree:An' I upon his planks would stand,An' die a-fighten vor the land,--The land so dear,--the land so free,--The land that bore the girt woak tree;Vor I do love noo tree so well'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell.
Words in this poem
- 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.]
- dell n.
- A small, retired valley; a ravine. [AS. del, akin to E. dale; cf. D. delle, del, low ground. See Dale.]
- playsome a.
- Playful; wanton; sportive. R. Browning.
- fondly adv.
- Foolishly. Verstegan (1673).
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- 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
The Girt Woak Tree That's in the Dell 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, The Girt Woak Tree That's in the Dell, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/the-girt-woak-tree-that-s-in-the-dell.html, id L02044.
Form and metre
The Girt Woak Tree That's in the Dell is 56 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 89% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.1 syllables. 32% 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 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHAA dellA · wellA · youngB · zwungB · shedC · headC · brookD · hookD · zwimsE · lim'sE · shotF · zotF · wideG · zideG · bwoyH · awoyH · wellA · dellA
- 2 --AABB----CCDDEEFF roved · lov'd · soonA · moonA · pleaeceB · feaeceB · pool · wool · warm · harm · pastC · vastC · wifeD · lifeD · meE · treeE · wellF · dellF
- 3 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHGGEE hookA · lookA · zidesB · hidesB · keepC · sheepC · spreadD · deadD · vellE · dellE · zideF · tideF · seaG · treeG · standH · landH · freeG · treeG · wellE · dellE
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The girt woak tree that's in the dell! | 8 | ········ |
| There's noo tree I do love so well; | 8 | ········ |
| Vor times an' times when I wer young, | 8 | ········ |
| I there've a-climb'd, an' there've a-zwung, | 8 | ········ |
| An' pick'd the eaecorns green, a-shed | 8 | ········ |
| In wrestlen storms vrom his broad head. | 8 | ········ |
| An' down below's the cloty brook | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Where I did vish with line an' hook, | 8 | ········ |
| An' beaet, in playsome dips and zwims, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The foamy stream, wi' white-skinn'd lim's. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| An' there my mother nimbly shot | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Her knitten-needles, as she zot | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| At evenen down below the wide | 9 | ········· |
| Woak's head, wi' father at her zide. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' I've a-played wi' many a bwoy, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| That's now a man an' gone awoy; | 8 | ········ |
| Zoo I do like noo tree so well | 8 | ········ |
| 'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell. | 9 | ········· |
| An' there, in leaeter years, I roved | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' thik poor maid I fondly lov'd,-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The maid too feaeir to die so soon,-- | 8 | ········ |
| When evenen twilight, or the moon, | 9 | ····/···· |
| Cast light enough 'ithin the pleaece | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| To show the smiles upon her feaece, | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' eyes so clear's the glassy pool, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' lips an' cheaeks so soft as wool. | 8 | ········ |
| There han' in han', wi' bosoms warm, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Wi' love that burn'd but thought noo harm, | 8 | ········ |
| Below the wide-bough'd tree we past | 8 | ········ |
| The happy hours that went too vast; | 8 | ·/˘/···· |
| An' though she'll never be my wife, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| She's still my leaeden star o' life. | 8 | ········ |
| She's gone: an' she've a-left to me | 8 | ········ |
| Her mem'ry in the girt woak tree; | 8 | ········ |
| Zoo I do love noo tree so well | 8 | ········ |
| 'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell | 9 | ········· |
| An' oh! mid never ax nor hook | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Be brought to spweil his steaetely look; | 9 | ········· |
| Nor ever roun' his ribby zides | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Mid cattle rub ther heaeiry hides; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Nor pigs rout up his turf, but keep | 8 | ········ |
| His lwonesome sheaede vor harmless sheep; | 9 | ······/˘· |
| An' let en grow, an' let en spread, | 8 | ········ |
| An' let en live when I be dead. | 8 | ········ |
| But oh! if men should come an' vell | 8 | ········ |
| The girt woak tree that's in the dell, | 8 | ········ |
| An' build his planks 'ithin the zide | 8 | ········ |
| O' zome girt ship to plough the tide, | 8 | ········ |
| Then, life or death! I'd goo to sea, | 8 | ········ |
| A sailen wi' the girt woak tree: | 8 | ········ |
| An' I upon his planks would stand, | 8 | ········ |
| An' die a-fighten vor the land,-- | 8 | ········ |
| The land so dear,--the land so free,-- | 8 | ········ |
| The land that bore the girt woak tree; | 8 | ········ |
| Vor I do love noo tree so well | 8 | ········ |
| 'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell. | 9 | ········· |
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