The Recognition
'And scandal added'----'Hold!' the Miller cried,And, in an instant, stood at Phoebe's side;For he observed, while list'ning to the tale,Her spirits faulter'd, and her cheeks turn'd pale;Whilst her clasp'd hands descended to her kneeShe sinking whisper'd forth, 'O God, 'tis he!The good Man, though he guess'd the pleasing truth,Was far too busy to inform the Youth;But stirr'd himself amain to aid his Wife,Who soon restor'd the trembler back to life.Awhile insensible she still appear'd;But, 'O my Brother!' was distinctly heard:The astonisht Youth now held her to his breast;And tears and kisses soon explain'd the rest.
Past deeds now from each tongue alternate fell;For news of dearest import both could tell.Fondly, from childhood's tears to youth's full prime,They match'd the incidents of jogging time;
Words in this poem
- scandal n.
- Offense caused or experienced; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is regarded as wrong, criminal, heinous, or flagrant: opprobrium or disgrace. [F. scandale, fr. L. scandalum, Gr. scandle, OF. escandle. See Slander.]
- amain adv.
- With might; with full force; vigorously; violently; exceedingly. [Pref. a- + main. See 2d Main, n.]
- trembler n.
- One who trembles.
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- fondly adv.
- Foolishly. Verstegan (1673).
- jogging n.
- The act of giving a jog or jogs; traveling at a jog.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Recognition is in the public domain. This text is taken from Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs, Project Gutenberg ebook #9093; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Robert Bloomfield, The Recognition, in Rural Tales, Ballads and Songs (1802), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9093, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bloomfield-tales/the-recognition.html, id L09690.
Form and metre
The Recognition is 18 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 6% 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 AABBCCDDEE--FF criedA · sideA · taleB · paleB · kneeC · heC · truthD · youthD · wifeE · lifeE · appear'd · heard · breastF · restF
- 2 AABB fellA · tellA · primeB · timeB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 'And scandal added'----'Hold!' the Miller cried, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| And, in an instant, stood at Phoebe's side; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| For he observed, while list'ning to the tale, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Her spirits faulter'd, and her cheeks turn'd pale; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Whilst her clasp'd hands descended to her knee | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| She sinking whisper'd forth, 'O God, 'tis he! | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| The good Man, though he guess'd the pleasing truth, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Was far too busy to inform the Youth; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| But stirr'd himself amain to aid his Wife, | 10 | ··˘/˘/···· |
| Who soon restor'd the trembler back to life. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Awhile insensible she still appear'd; | 10 | ˘/˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| But, 'O my Brother!' was distinctly heard: | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| The astonisht Youth now held her to his breast; | 11 | ··········· |
| And tears and kisses soon explain'd the rest. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Past deeds now from each tongue alternate fell; | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| For news of dearest import both could tell. | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Fondly, from childhood's tears to youth's full prime, | 10 | /˘·/······ |
| They match'd the incidents of jogging time; | 10 | ···/˘˘·/˘· |
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.