In August
When August days are hot an' dry,When burning copper is the sky,I 'd rather fish than feast or flyIn airy realms serene and high.
I 'd take a suit not made for looks,Some easily digested books,Some flies, some lines, some bait, some hooks,Then would I seek the bays and brooks.
I would eschew mine every task,In Nature's smiles my soul should bask,And I methinks no more could ask,Except--perhaps--one little flask.
In case of accident, you know,Or should the wind come on to blow,Or I be chilled or capsized, so,A flask would be the only go.
Then could I spend a happy time,--A bit of sport, a bit of rhyme(A bit of lemon, or of lime,To make my bottle's contents prime).
When August days are hot an' dry,I won't sit by an' sigh or die,I 'll get my bottle (on the sly)And go ahead, and fish, and lie!
Words in this poem
- eschew v. t.
- To shun; to avoid, as something wrong, or from a feeling of distaste; to keep one's self clear of. [OF. eschever, eschiver, eskiver, F. esquiver, fr. OHG. sciuhen, G. scheuen; akin to E. sky. See Shy, a.]
- bask v. i.
- To lie in warmth; to be exposed to genial heat. [OScand. ba to bathe one's self, or perh. bakask to bake one's self, sk being reflexive. See Bath, n., Bake, v. t.]
- methinks v.
- It seems to me; I think. See Me. [AS. þyncan to seem, me þynceedh, me þuhte, OE. me thinketh, me thoughte; akin to G. dünken to seem, denken to think, and E. think. See Me, and Think.]
- chilled a.
- Hardened on the surface or edge by chilling; as, chilled iron; a chilled wheel.
- ahead adv.
- In or to the front; in advance; onward. [Pref. a- + head.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
In August is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Project Gutenberg ebook #18338; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Paul Laurence Dunbar, In August, in The Complete Poems (1893–1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #18338, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dunbar-poems/in-august.html, id L00666.
Form and metre
In August is 24 lines in 6 stanzas of 4 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.1 syllables. 8% 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 AAAA dryA · skyA · flyA · highA
- 2 AAAA looksA · booksA · hooksA · brooksA
- 3 AAAA taskA · baskA · askA · flaskA
- 4 AAAA knowA · blowA · soA · goA
- 5 AAAA timeA · rhymeA · limeA · primeA
- 6 AAAA dryA · dieA · slyA · lieA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| When August days are hot an' dry, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| When burning copper is the sky, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| I 'd rather fish than feast or fly | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| In airy realms serene and high. | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| I 'd take a suit not made for looks, | 9 | ········· |
| Some easily digested books, | 8 | ·/˘˘/·˘· |
| Some flies, some lines, some bait, some hooks, | 8 | ········ |
| Then would I seek the bays and brooks. | 8 | ········ |
| I would eschew mine every task, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| In Nature's smiles my soul should bask, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And I methinks no more could ask, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Except--perhaps--one little flask. | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| In case of accident, you know, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Or should the wind come on to blow, | 8 | ········ |
| Or I be chilled or capsized, so, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| A flask would be the only go. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Then could I spend a happy time,-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A bit of sport, a bit of rhyme | 8 | ········ |
| (A bit of lemon, or of lime, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| To make my bottle's contents prime). | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| When August days are hot an' dry, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I won't sit by an' sigh or die, | 8 | ········ |
| I 'll get my bottle (on the sly) | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| And go ahead, and fish, and lie! | 8 | ··˘/···· |
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.