The Mead A-Mow'd
When sheaedes do vall into ev'ry hollow,An' reach vrom trees half athirt the groun';An' banks an' walls be a-looken yollow,That be a-turn'd to the zun gwain down;Drough hay in cock, O,We all do vlock, O,Along our road vrom the meaed a-mow'd.
An' when the last swayen lwoad's a-startedUp hill so slow to the lofty rick,Then we so weary but merry-hearted,Do shoulder each [=o]'s a reaeke an' pick,Wi' empty flagon,Behind the waggon,To teaeke our road vrom the meaed a-mow'd.
When church is out, an' we all so slowlyAbout the knap be a-spreaden wide,How gay the paths be where we do strollyAlong the leaene an' the hedge's zide;But nwone's a voun', O,Up hill or down, O,So gay's the road drough the meaed a-mow'd.
An' when the visher do come, a-drowenHis flutt'ren line over bleaedy zedge,Drough groun's wi' red thissle-heads a-blowen,An' watchen o't by the water's edge;Then he do love, O,The best to rove, O,Along his road drough the meaed a-mow'd.
Words in this poem
- flagon n.
- A vessel with a narrow mouth, used for holding and conveying liquors. It is generally larger than a bottle, and of leather or stoneware rather than of glass. [F. flacon, for flascon, fr. OF. flasche, from LL. flasco. See Flask.]
- knap v. t.
- To bite; to bite off; to break short. [D. knappen to chew, bite, crack, take hold of; prob. of imitative origin.]
- blowen n.
- A prostitute; a courtesan; a strumpet. [Low] Smart.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Mead A-Mow'd 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 Mead A-Mow'd, 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-mead-a-mow-d.html, id L02069.
Form and metre
The Mead A-Mow'd is 28 lines in 4 stanzas of 7 lines each. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.1 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 14% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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-A-BB- hollowA · groun · yollowA · down · oB · oB · mow'd
- 2 ABABCCA startedA · rickB · heartedA · pickB · flagonC · waggonC · mow'dA
- 3 -A-ABB- slowly · wideA · strolly · zideA · oB · oB · mow'd
- 4 ABABCC- drowenA · zedgeB · blowenA · edgeB · oC · oC · mow'd
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| When sheaedes do vall into ev'ry hollow, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| An' reach vrom trees half athirt the groun'; | 9 | ········· |
| An' banks an' walls be a-looken yollow, | 10 | ·········· |
| That be a-turn'd to the zun gwain down; | 9 | ········· |
| Drough hay in cock, O, | 5 | ····· |
| We all do vlock, O, | 5 | ····· |
| Along our road vrom the meaed a-mow'd. | 9 | ˘//······ |
| An' when the last swayen lwoad's a-started | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Up hill so slow to the lofty rick, | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Then we so weary but merry-hearted, | 10 | ···/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Do shoulder each [=o]'s a reaeke an' pick, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Wi' empty flagon, | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Behind the waggon, | 5 | ····· |
| To teaeke our road vrom the meaed a-mow'd. | 9 | ··/······ |
| When church is out, an' we all so slowly | 10 | ········/˘ |
| About the knap be a-spreaden wide, | 9 | ········· |
| How gay the paths be where we do strolly | 10 | ·········· |
| Along the leaene an' the hedge's zide; | 9 | ˘/····/˘· |
| But nwone's a voun', O, | 5 | ····· |
| Up hill or down, O, | 5 | ····· |
| So gay's the road drough the meaed a-mow'd. | 9 | ········· |
| An' when the visher do come, a-drowen | 10 | ·········· |
| His flutt'ren line over bleaedy zedge, | 8 | ········ |
| Drough groun's wi' red thissle-heads a-blowen, | 10 | ·········· |
| An' watchen o't by the water's edge; | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Then he do love, O, | 5 | ····· |
| The best to rove, O, | 5 | ····· |
| Along his road drough the meaed a-mow'd. | 9 | ˘/······· |
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