In Summer Time
When summer time has come, and allThe world is in the magic thrallOf perfumed airs that lull each senseTo fits of drowsy indolence;When skies are deepest blue above,And flow'rs aflush,--then most I loveTo start, while early dews are damp,And wend my way in woodland trampWhere forests rustle, tree on tree,And sing their silent songs to me;Where pathways meet and path ways part,--To walk with Nature heart by heart,Till wearied out at last I lieWhere some sweet stream steals singing byA mossy bank; where violets vieIn color with the summer sky,--Or take my rod and line and hook,And wander to some darkling brook,Where all day long the willows dream,And idly droop to kiss the stream,And there to loll from morn till night--Unheeding nibble, run, or bite--Just for the joy of being thereAnd drinking in the summer air,The summer sounds, and summer sights,That set a restless mind to rightsWhen grief and pain and raging doubtOf men and creeds have worn it out;The birds' song and the water's drone,The humming bees' low monotone,The murmur of the passing breeze,And all the sounds akin to these,That make a man in summer timeFeel only fit for rest and rhyme.Joy springs all radiant in my breast;Though pauper poor, than king more blest,The tide beats in my soul so strongThat happiness breaks forth in song,And rings aloud the welkin blueWith all the songs I ever knew.O time of rapture! time of song!How swiftly glide thy days alongAdown the current of the years,Above the rocks of grief and tears!'Tis wealth enough of joy for meIn summer time to simply be.
Words in this poem
- lull v. t.
- To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm; to soothe; to quiet. [Akin to OD. lullen to sing to sleep, G. lullen, Dan. lulle, Sw. lulla; all of imitative origin. Cf. Loll, Lollard.]
- indolence n.
- Freedom from that which pains, or harasses, as toil, care, grief, etc. [L. indolentia freedom from pain: cf. F. indolence.]
- aflush adv.
- In a flushed or blushing state. [Pref. a- + flush, n.]
- wend n.
- A large extent of ground; a perambulation; a circuit.
- rustle v. i.
- To make a quick succession of small sounds, like the rubbing or moving of silk cloth or dry leaves. [AS. hristlan to rustle; or cf. Sw. rusta to stir, make a riot, or E. rush, v.]
- darkling a.
- Becoming dark or gloomy; frowing.
- loll v. i.
- To act lazily or indolently; to recline; to lean; to throw one's self down; to lie at ease. [Cf. Icel. lolla to act lazily, loll, lolla, laziness, OD. lollen to sit over the fire, and E. lull. Cf. Lill, Lull.]
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- monotone n.
- A single unvaried tone or sound. [See Monotonous, Monotony.]
- pauper n.
- A poor person; especially, one development on private or public charity. Also used adjectively; as, pouper immigrants, pouper labor. [L. See Poor.]
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- welkin n.
- The visible regions of the air; the vault of heaven; the sky. [OE. welken, welkene, welkne, wolcne, weolcne, AS. wolcen, pl. wolcnu, a cloud; akin to D. wolk, OFries. wolken, OS. wolkan, G. wolke, OHG. wolchan, and probably]
- adown adv.
- From a higher to a lower situation; downward; down, to or on the ground. [OE. adun, adoun, adune. AS. of dune off the hill. See Down.]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
In Summer Time 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 Summer Time, in The Complete Poems (1893–1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #18338, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dunbar-poems/in-summer-time.html, id L00887.
Form and metre
In Summer Time is 46 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 91% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 94%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 35% 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 AA--BBCCDDEEDDDDFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQPP--RR allA · thrallA · sense · indolence · aboveB · loveB · dampC · trampC · treeD · meD · partE · heartE · lieD · byD · vieD · skyD · hookF · brookF · dreamG · streamG · nightH · biteH · thereI · airI · sightsJ · rightsJ · doubtK · outK · droneL · monotoneL · breezeM · theseM · timeN · rhymeN · breastO · blestO · strongP · songP · blueQ · knewQ · songP · alongP · years · tears · meR · beR
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 summer time has come, and all | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The world is in the magic thrall | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Of perfumed airs that lull each sense | 8 | ·˘/····· |
| To fits of drowsy indolence; | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| When skies are deepest blue above, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And flow'rs aflush,--then most I love | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| To start, while early dews are damp, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And wend my way in woodland tramp | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Where forests rustle, tree on tree, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And sing their silent songs to me; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Where pathways meet and path ways part,-- | 8 | ·/······ |
| To walk with Nature heart by heart, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Till wearied out at last I lie | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Where some sweet stream steals singing by | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A mossy bank; where violets vie | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| In color with the summer sky,-- | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Or take my rod and line and hook, | 8 | ········ |
| And wander to some darkling brook, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Where all day long the willows dream, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| And idly droop to kiss the stream, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And there to loll from morn till night-- | 8 | ········ |
| Unheeding nibble, run, or bite-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Just for the joy of being there | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And drinking in the summer air, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The summer sounds, and summer sights, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That set a restless mind to rights | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| When grief and pain and raging doubt | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Of men and creeds have worn it out; | 8 | ········ |
| The birds' song and the water's drone, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The humming bees' low monotone, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The murmur of the passing breeze, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And all the sounds akin to these, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| That make a man in summer time | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Feel only fit for rest and rhyme. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Joy springs all radiant in my breast; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Though pauper poor, than king more blest, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The tide beats in my soul so strong | 8 | ········ |
| That happiness breaks forth in song, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| And rings aloud the welkin blue | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| With all the songs I ever knew. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| O time of rapture! time of song! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| How swiftly glide thy days along | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Adown the current of the years, | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Above the rocks of grief and tears! | 8 | ········ |
| 'Tis wealth enough of joy for me | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| In summer time to simply be. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
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