The Humstrum
Why woonce, at Chris'mas-tide, avoreThe wold year wer a-reckon'd out,The humstrums here did come about,A-sounden up at ev'ry door.But now a bow do never screaepeA humstrum, any where all round,An' zome can't tell a humstrum's sheaepe,An' never heaerd his jinglen sound.As ing-an-ing did ring the string,As ang-an-ang the wires did clang.
The strings a-tighten'd lik' to crackAthirt the canister's tin zide,Did reach, a glitt'ren, zide by zide,Above the humstrum's hollow back.An' there the bwoy, wi' bended stick,A-strung wi' heaeir, to meaeke a bow,Did dreve his elbow, light'nen quick,Athirt the strings from high to low.As ing-an-ing did ring the string,As ang-an-ang the wires did clang.
The mother there did stan' an' hushHer child, to hear the jinglen sound,The merry maid, a-scrubben roundHer white-steaev'd pail, did stop her brush.The mis'ess there, vor wold time's seaeke,Had gifts to gi'e, and smiles to show,An' meaester, too, did stan' an' sheaekeHis two broad zides, a-chucklen low,While ing-an-ing did ring the string,While ang-an-ang the wires did clang.
The players' pockets wer a-strout,Wi' wold brown pence, a-rottlen in,Their zwangen bags did soon begin,Wi' brocks an' scraps, to plim well out.The childern all did run an' pokeTheir heads vrom hatch or door, an' shoutA-runnen back to wolder vo'k.Why, here! the humstrums be about!As ing-an-ing did ring the string,As ang-an-ang the wires did clang.
Words in this poem
- wold n.
- A wood; a forest. [OE. wold, wald, AS. weald, wald, a wood, forest; akin to OFries. & OS. wald, D. woud, G. wald, Icel. völlr, a field, and probably to Gr. va a garden, inclosure.]
- humstrum n.
- An instrument out of tune or rudely constructed; music badly played.
- clang v. t.
- To strike together so as to produce a ringing metallic sound. [L. clangere; akin to Gr. clank.]
- plim v. i.
- To swell, as grain or wood with water. Grose. [Cf. Plump.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Humstrum 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 Humstrum, 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-humstrum.html, id L02337.
Form and metre
The Humstrum is 40 lines in 4 stanzas of 10 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 20% 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 ABBACDCD-- avoreA · outB · aboutB · doorA · screaepeC · roundD · sheaepeC · soundD · string · clang
- 2 ABBACDCD-- crackA · zideB · zideB · backA · stickC · bowD · quickC · lowD · string · clang
- 3 ABBACDCD-- hushA · soundB · roundB · brushA · seaekeC · showD · sheaekeC · lowD · string · clang
- 4 ABBA-A-A-- stroutA · inB · beginB · outA · poke · shoutA · vo'k · aboutA · string · clang
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Why woonce, at Chris'mas-tide, avore | 8 | ········ |
| The wold year wer a-reckon'd out, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The humstrums here did come about, | 8 | ········ |
| A-sounden up at ev'ry door. | 8 | ········ |
| But now a bow do never screaepe | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A humstrum, any where all round, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| An' zome can't tell a humstrum's sheaepe, | 8 | ········ |
| An' never heaerd his jinglen sound. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| As ing-an-ing did ring the string, | 8 | ········ |
| As ang-an-ang the wires did clang. | 8 | ·····/·· |
| The strings a-tighten'd lik' to crack | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Athirt the canister's tin zide, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Did reach, a glitt'ren, zide by zide, | 8 | ········ |
| Above the humstrum's hollow back. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' there the bwoy, wi' bended stick, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A-strung wi' heaeir, to meaeke a bow, | 8 | ········ |
| Did dreve his elbow, light'nen quick, | 8 | ···/···· |
| Athirt the strings from high to low. | 8 | ········ |
| As ing-an-ing did ring the string, | 8 | ········ |
| As ang-an-ang the wires did clang. | 8 | ·····/·· |
| The mother there did stan' an' hush | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Her child, to hear the jinglen sound, | 8 | ········ |
| The merry maid, a-scrubben round | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Her white-steaev'd pail, did stop her brush. | 8 | ········ |
| The mis'ess there, vor wold time's seaeke, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Had gifts to gi'e, and smiles to show, | 8 | ········ |
| An' meaester, too, did stan' an' sheaeke | 8 | ········ |
| His two broad zides, a-chucklen low, | 8 | ········ |
| While ing-an-ing did ring the string, | 8 | ········ |
| While ang-an-ang the wires did clang. | 8 | ·····/·· |
| The players' pockets wer a-strout, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Wi' wold brown pence, a-rottlen in, | 8 | ········ |
| Their zwangen bags did soon begin, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Wi' brocks an' scraps, to plim well out. | 8 | ········ |
| The childern all did run an' poke | 8 | ········ |
| Their heads vrom hatch or door, an' shout | 8 | ········ |
| A-runnen back to wolder vo'k. | 8 | ········ |
| Why, here! the humstrums be about! | 8 | ········ |
| As ing-an-ing did ring the string, | 8 | ········ |
| As ang-an-ang the wires did clang. | 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.