The Surprise
Yet I've escap'd; and bear my arms no more;My age discharg'd me when I came on shore.My Wife, I've heard,'--and here he wip'd his eyes,---'In the cold corner of the Church-yard lies.By her consent it was I left my home:Employment fail'd, and poverty waa come;The Bounty tempted me;--she had it all:We parted; and I've seen my betters fall.Yet, as I'm spar'd, though in this piteous case,I'm tray'ling homeward to my native place;Though should I reach that dear remember'd spot,Perhaps OLD GRAINGER will be quite forgot.'
All eyes beheld young George with wonder start:Strong were the secret bodings of his heart;Yet not indulg'd: for he with doubts survey'dBy turns the Stranger, and the lovely Maid.'Had you no Children?'--'Yes, young Man; I'd two:A Boy, if still he lives, as old as you:
Words in this poem
- bounty n.
- Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F. bonté, fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr. duvas honor, respect.]
- homeward a.
- Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Surprise 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 Surprise, in Rural Tales, Ballads and Songs (1802), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9093, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bloomfield-tales/the-surprise.html, id L09696.
Form and metre
The Surprise is 18 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 97% 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 AABBCCDDEEFF moreA · shoreA · eyesB · liesB · homeC · comeC · allD · fallD · caseE · placeE · spotF · forgotF
- 2 AABBCC startA · heartA · survey'dB · maidB · twoC · youC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Yet I've escap'd; and bear my arms no more; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| My age discharg'd me when I came on shore. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| My Wife, I've heard,'--and here he wip'd his eyes,--- | 10 | ·········· |
| 'In the cold corner of the Church-yard lies. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| By her consent it was I left my home: | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Employment fail'd, and poverty waa come; | 10 | ˘/˘··/˘˘·· |
| The Bounty tempted me;--she had it all: | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| We parted; and I've seen my betters fall. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Yet, as I'm spar'd, though in this piteous case, | 11 | ·······/˘˘· |
| I'm tray'ling homeward to my native place; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Though should I reach that dear remember'd spot, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Perhaps OLD GRAINGER will be quite forgot.' | 10 | ˘/·/˘···˘/ |
| All eyes beheld young George with wonder start: | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Strong were the secret bodings of his heart; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Yet not indulg'd: for he with doubts survey'd | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| By turns the Stranger, and the lovely Maid. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| 'Had you no Children?'--'Yes, young Man; I'd two: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| A Boy, if still he lives, as old as you: | 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.