Uncle Out o' Debt an' Out o' Danger
Ees; uncle had thik small hwomestead,The leaezes an' the bits o' mead,Besides the orcha'd in his prime,An' copse-wood vor the winter time.His wold black meaere, that draw'd his cart,An' he, wer seldom long apeaert;Vor he work'd hard an' paid his woy,An' zung so litsom as a bwoy,As he toss'd an' work'd,An' blow'd an' quirk'd,"I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger,An' I can feaece a friend or stranger;I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeirVor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meaere."
His meaere's long vlexy vetlocks grow'dDown roun' her hoofs so black an' brode;Her head hung low, her tail reach'd downA-bobben nearly to the groun'.The cwoat that uncle mwostly woreWer long behind an' straight avore,
An' in his shoes he had girt buckles,An' breeches button'd round his huckles;An' he zung wi' pride,By's wold meaere's zide,"I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger,An' I can feaece a friend or stranger;I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeirVor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare."
An' he would work,--an' lwoad, an' shoot,An' spur his heaps o' dung or zoot;Or car out hay, to sar his vewMilch cows in corners dry an' lew;Or dreve a zyve, or work a pick,To pitch or meaeke his little rick;Or thatch en up wi' straw or zedge,Or stop a shard, or gap, in hedge;An' he work'd an' flungHis eaerms, an' zung"I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger,An' I can feaece a friend or stranger;I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeirVor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare."
An' when his meaere an' he'd a-doneTheir work, an' tired ev'ry bwone,He zot avore the vire, to spendHis evenen wi' his wife or friend;An' wi' his lags out-stratch'd vor rest,An' woone hand in his wes'coat breast,While burnen sticks did hiss an' crack,An' fleaemes did bleaezy up the back,There he zung so proudIn a bakky cloud,"I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger,An' I can feaece a friend or stranger;I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeirVor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare."
From market how he used to ride,Wi' pot's a-bumpen by his zideWi' things a-bought--but not vor trust,Vor what he had he paid vor vu'st;An' when he trotted up the yard,The calves did bleaery to be sar'd,An' pigs did scoat all drough the muck,An' geese did hiss, an' hens did cluck;An' he zung aloud,So pleased an' proud,"I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger,An' I can feaece a friend or stranger;I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeirVor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare."
When he wer joggen hwome woone nightVrom market, after candle-light,(He mid a-took a drop o' beer,Or midden, vor he had noo fear,)Zome ugly, long-lagg'd, herren ribs,Jump'd out an' ax'd en vor his dibs;But he soon gi'ed en such a mawlen,That there he left en down a-sprawlen,While he jogg'd alongWi' his own wold zong,"I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger,An' I can feaece a friend or stranger;I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeirVor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare."
Words in this poem
- copse n.
- A wood of small growth; a thicket of brushwood. See Coppice. [Contr. from coppice.]
- 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.]
- meddle v. i.
- To mix; to mingle. [OE. medlen to mix, OF. medler, mesler, F. mêler, LL. misculare, a dim. fr. L. miscere to mix. Mix, and cf. Medley, Mellay.]
- 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.]
- milch a.
- Giving milk; -- now applied only to beasts. [OE. milche; akin to G. melk, Icel. milkr, mj, and to E. milk. See Milk.]
- shard n.
- A plant; chard.
- 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.]
- scoat v. t.
- To prop; to scotch.
- cluck v. i.
- To make the noise, or utter the call, of a brooding hen. Ray. [AS. cloccian; cf. D. klokken, G. glucken, glucksen, LG. klukken, Dan. klukke; all prob. of imitative origin.]
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- dibs n.
- A sweet preparation or treacle of grape juice, much used in the East. Johnston.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Uncle Out o' Debt an' Out o' Danger 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, Uncle Out o' Debt an' Out o' Danger, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/uncle-out-o-debt-an-out-o-danger.html, id L02125.
Form and metre
Uncle Out o' Debt an' Out o' Danger is 84 lines in 7 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 86% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.2 syllables. 14 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 21% 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 AABBCC----DDEE hwomesteadA · meadA · primeB · timeB · cartC · apeaertC · woy · bwoy · work'd · quirk'd · dangerD · strangerD · peaeirE · meaereE
- 2 ----AA grow'd · brode · down · groun · woreA · avoreA
- 3 AABBCCDD bucklesA · hucklesA · prideB · zideB · dangerC · strangerC · peaeirD · meareD
- 4 AA--BBCCDDEEFF shootA · zootA · vew · lew · pickB · rickB · zedgeC · hedgeC · flungD · zungD · dangerE · strangerE · peaeirF · meareF
- 5 --AABBCCDDEEFF done · bwone · spendA · friendA · restB · breastB · crackC · backC · proudD · cloudD · dangerE · strangerE · peaeirF · meareF
- 6 AABBCCDDEEFFGG rideA · zideA · trustB · vu'stB · yardC · sar'dC · muckD · cluckD · aloudE · proudE · dangerF · strangerF · peaeirG · meareG
- 7 AABBCCDDEEFFBB nightA · lightA · beerB · fearB · ribsC · dibsC · mawlenD · sprawlenD · alongE · zongE · dangerF · strangerF · peaeirB · meareB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ees; uncle had thik small hwomestead, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| The leaezes an' the bits o' mead, | 8 | ········ |
| Besides the orcha'd in his prime, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| An' copse-wood vor the winter time. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| His wold black meaere, that draw'd his cart, | 8 | ········ |
| An' he, wer seldom long apeaert; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Vor he work'd hard an' paid his woy, | 8 | ········ |
| An' zung so litsom as a bwoy, | 8 | ········ |
| As he toss'd an' work'd, | 5 | ····· |
| An' blow'd an' quirk'd, | 4 | ···· |
| "I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An' I can feaece a friend or stranger; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeir | 10 | ·········· |
| Vor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meaere." | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| His meaere's long vlexy vetlocks grow'd | 8 | ········ |
| Down roun' her hoofs so black an' brode; | 8 | ········ |
| Her head hung low, her tail reach'd down | 8 | ········ |
| A-bobben nearly to the groun'. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The cwoat that uncle mwostly wore | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Wer long behind an' straight avore, | 8 | ········ |
| An' in his shoes he had girt buckles, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An' breeches button'd round his huckles; | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| An' he zung wi' pride, | 5 | ····· |
| By's wold meaere's zide, | 4 | ···· |
| "I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An' I can feaece a friend or stranger; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeir | 10 | ·········· |
| Vor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare." | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| An' he would work,--an' lwoad, an' shoot, | 8 | ········ |
| An' spur his heaps o' dung or zoot; | 8 | ········ |
| Or car out hay, to sar his vew | 8 | ········ |
| Milch cows in corners dry an' lew; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Or dreve a zyve, or work a pick, | 8 | ········ |
| To pitch or meaeke his little rick; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Or thatch en up wi' straw or zedge, | 8 | ········ |
| Or stop a shard, or gap, in hedge; | 8 | ········ |
| An' he work'd an' flung | 5 | ····· |
| His eaerms, an' zung | 4 | ···· |
| "I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An' I can feaece a friend or stranger; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeir | 10 | ·········· |
| Vor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare." | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| An' when his meaere an' he'd a-done | 8 | ········ |
| Their work, an' tired ev'ry bwone, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| He zot avore the vire, to spend | 8 | ········ |
| His evenen wi' his wife or friend; | 9 | ········· |
| An' wi' his lags out-stratch'd vor rest, | 8 | ········ |
| An' woone hand in his wes'coat breast, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| While burnen sticks did hiss an' crack, | 8 | ········ |
| An' fleaemes did bleaezy up the back, | 8 | ········ |
| There he zung so proud | 5 | ····· |
| In a bakky cloud, | 5 | ····· |
| "I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An' I can feaece a friend or stranger; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeir | 10 | ·········· |
| Vor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare." | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| From market how he used to ride, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Wi' pot's a-bumpen by his zide | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' things a-bought--but not vor trust, | 8 | ········ |
| Vor what he had he paid vor vu'st; | 8 | ········ |
| An' when he trotted up the yard, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The calves did bleaery to be sar'd, | 8 | ········ |
| An' pigs did scoat all drough the muck, | 8 | ········ |
| An' geese did hiss, an' hens did cluck; | 8 | ········ |
| An' he zung aloud, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| So pleased an' proud, | 4 | ···· |
| "I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An' I can feaece a friend or stranger; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeir | 10 | ·········· |
| Vor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare." | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| When he wer joggen hwome woone night | 8 | ········ |
| Vrom market, after candle-light, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| (He mid a-took a drop o' beer, | 8 | ········ |
| Or midden, vor he had noo fear,) | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Zome ugly, long-lagg'd, herren ribs, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Jump'd out an' ax'd en vor his dibs; | 8 | ········ |
| But he soon gi'ed en such a mawlen, | 9 | ········· |
| That there he left en down a-sprawlen, | 9 | ········· |
| While he jogg'd along | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Wi' his own wold zong, | 5 | ····· |
| "I'm out o' debt an' out o' danger, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An' I can feaece a friend or stranger; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I've a vist vor friends, an' I'll vind a peaeir | 10 | ·········· |
| Vor the vu'st that do meddle wi' me or my meare." | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
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