Berries
There was an old womanWent blackberry pickingAlong the hedgesFrom Weep to Wicking. -Half a pottle-No more she had got,When out steps a FairyFrom her green grot;And says, 'Well, Jill,Would 'ee pick ee mo?'And Jill, she curtseys,And looks just so.Be off,' says the Fairy,'As quick as you can,Over the meadowsTo the little green laneThat dips to the hayfieldsOf Farmer Grimes:I've berried those hedgesA score of times;Bushel on bushelI'll promise'ee, Jill,This side of supperIf'ee pick with a will.'She glints very bright,And speaks her fair;Then lo, and behold!She had faded in air.
Be sure Old GoodieShe trots betimesOver the meadowsTo Farmer Grimes.And never was queenWith jewelry richAs those same hedgesFrom twig to ditch;Like Dutchmen's coffers,Fruit, thorn, and flower -They shone like WilliamAnd Mary's bower.And be sure Old GoodieWent back to Weep,So tired with her basketShe scarce could creep.
When she comes in the duskTo her cottage door,There's Towser waggingAs never before,To see his MissusSo glad to beCome from her fruit-pickingBack to he.As soon as next morningDawn was grey,The pot on the hobWas simmering away;And all in a stewAnd a hugger-muggerTowser and JillA-boiling of sugar,And the dark clear fruitThat from Faerie came,For syrup and jellyAnd blackberry jam.
Twelve jolly gallipotsJill put by;And one little teeny one,One inch high;And that she's hiddenA good thumb deep,Half way overFrom Wicking to Weep.
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- wicking n.
- the material of which wicks are made; esp., a loosely braided or twisted cord or tape of cotton.
- pottle n.
- A liquid measure of four pints. [OE. potel, OF. potel, dim. of pot. See Pot.]
- jill n.
- A young woman; a sweetheart. See Gill. Beau. & Fl. [See Gill sweetheart.]
- berried a.
- Furnished with berries; consisting of a berry; baccate; as, a berried shrub.
- betimes adv.
- In good season or time; before it is late; seasonably; early. [Pref. be- (for by) + time; that is, by the proper time. The -s is an adverbial ending.]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- towser n.
- A familiar name for a dog. [ Written also Towzer. ] [See Touse to pull about.]
- syrup n.
- A thick and viscid liquid made from the juice of fruits, herbs, etc., boiled with sugar. [F. sirop (cf. It. siroppo, Sp. jarabe, jarope, LL. siruppus, syrupus), fr. Ar. sharab a drink, wine, coffee, sirup. Cf. Sherbet.]
- teeny a.
- Very small; tiny.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Berries is in the public domain. This text is taken from Peacock Pie, a Book of Rhymes, Project Gutenberg ebook #3753; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Walter de la Mare, Berries, in Peacock Pie (1913), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #3753, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/de-la-mare-peacock-pie/berries.html, id L12590.
Form and metre
Berries is 72 lines in 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 5.0 syllables. 26 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 47% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic trimeter.
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 -ABAC-DECE-ED-B--FBFCC-C-G-G woman · pickingA · hedgesB · wickingA · pottleC · got · fairyD · grotE · jillC · moE · curtseys · soE · fairyD · can · meadowsB · lane · hayfields · grimesF · hedgesB · timesF · bushelC · jillC · supper · willC · bright · fairG · behold · airG
- 2 ABCB-DCD-E-EAF-F goodieA · betimesB · meadowsC · grimesB · queen · richD · hedgesC · ditchD · coffers · flowerE · william · bowerE · goodieA · weepF · basket · creepF
- 3 -A-A-B-B-C-C-------- dusk · doorA · wagging · beforeA · missus · beB · picking · heB · morning · greyC · hob · awayC · stew · mugger · jill · sugar · fruit · came · jelly · jam
- 4 -ABABC-C gallipots · byA · oneB · highA · hiddenB · deepC · over · weepC
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 trimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| There was an old woman | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Went blackberry picking | 6 | ·/·˘/˘ |
| Along the hedges | 5 | ˘/·/˘ |
| From Weep to Wicking. - | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Half a pottle- | 4 | ··/˘ |
| No more she had got, | 5 | ····· |
| When out steps a Fairy | 6 | ····/˘ |
| From her green grot; | 4 | ···· |
| And says, 'Well, Jill, | 4 | ···· |
| Would 'ee pick ee mo?' | 5 | ····· |
| And Jill, she curtseys, | 5 | ····· |
| And looks just so. | 4 | ···· |
| Be off,' says the Fairy, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| 'As quick as you can, | 5 | ····· |
| Over the meadows | 5 | ···/· |
| To the little green lane | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| That dips to the hayfields | 6 | ····/· |
| Of Farmer Grimes: | 4 | ·/˘· |
| I've berried those hedges | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| A score of times; | 4 | ···· |
| Bushel on bushel | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| I'll promise'ee, Jill, | 5 | ····· |
| This side of supper | 5 | ···/˘ |
| If'ee pick with a will.' | 6 | ······ |
| She glints very bright, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| And speaks her fair; | 4 | ···· |
| Then lo, and behold! | 5 | ···˘/ |
| She had faded in air. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Be sure Old Goodie | 5 | ···/˘ |
| She trots betimes | 4 | ···· |
| Over the meadows | 5 | ···/· |
| To Farmer Grimes. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| And never was queen | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| With jewelry rich | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| As those same hedges | 5 | ···/˘ |
| From twig to ditch; | 4 | ···· |
| Like Dutchmen's coffers, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Fruit, thorn, and flower - | 5 | ···/˘ |
| They shone like William | 5 | ···/˘ |
| And Mary's bower. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| And be sure Old Goodie | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Went back to Weep, | 4 | ···· |
| So tired with her basket | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| She scarce could creep. | 4 | ···· |
| When she comes in the dusk | 6 | ······ |
| To her cottage door, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| There's Towser wagging | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| As never before, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| To see his Missus | 5 | ···/˘ |
| So glad to be | 4 | ···· |
| Come from her fruit-picking | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Back to he. | 3 | ··· |
| As soon as next morning | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Dawn was grey, | 3 | ··· |
| The pot on the hob | 5 | ····· |
| Was simmering away; | 6 | ·/˘˘˘/ |
| And all in a stew | 5 | ····· |
| And a hugger-mugger | 6 | ··/˘/˘ |
| Towser and Jill | 4 | /˘·· |
| A-boiling of sugar, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| And the dark clear fruit | 5 | ····· |
| That from Faerie came, | 5 | ····· |
| For syrup and jelly | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| And blackberry jam. | 5 | ·/·˘· |
| Twelve jolly gallipots | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Jill put by; | 3 | ··· |
| And one little teeny one, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| One inch high; | 3 | ··· |
| And that she's hidden | 5 | ···/˘ |
| A good thumb deep, | 4 | ···· |
| Half way over | 4 | ···· |
| From Wicking to Weep. | 5 | ·/˘·· |
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.