Long Ago
De ol' time's gone, de new time's hyeahWid all hits fuss an' feddahs;I done fu'got de joy an' cheahWe knowed all kin's o' weddahs,I done fu'got each ol'-time hymnWe ust to sing in meetin';I 's leahned de prah's, so neat an' trim,De preachah keeps us 'peatin'.
Hang a vine by de chimney side,An' one by de cabin do';An' sing a song fu' de day dat died,De day of long ergo.
My youf, hit's gone, yes, long ergo,An' yit I ain't a-moanin';Hit 's fu' somet'ings I ust to knowI set to-night a-honin'.De pallet on de ol' plank flo',De rain bar'l und' de eaves,De live oak 'fo' de cabin do',Whaih de night dove comes an' grieves.
Hang a vine by de chimney side,An' one by de cabin do';An' sing a song fu' de day dat died,De day of long ergo.
I 'd lak a few ol' frien's to-nightTo come an' set wid me;An' let me feel dat ol' delightI ust to in dey glee.But hyeah we is, my pipe an' me,Wid no one else erbout;We bofe is choked ez choked kin be,An' bofe 'll soon go out.
Hang a vine by de chimney side,An' one by de cabin do';An' sing a song fu' de day dat died,De day of long ergo.
Words in this poem
- fuss n.
- A tumult; a bustle; unnecessary or annoying ado about trifles. [Cf. Fusome.]
- chimney n.
- A fireplace or hearth. Sir W. Raleigh.
- ergo conj.
- Therefore; consequently; -- often used in a jocular way. [L.]
- pallet n.
- A small and mean bed; a bed of straw. [OE. paillet, F. paillet a heap of straw, fr. paille straw, fr. L. palea chaff; cf. Gr. pala straw, palava chaff. Cf. Paillasse.]
- glee n.
- Music; minstrelsy; entertainment.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Long Ago 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, Long Ago, in The Complete Poems (1893–1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #18338, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dunbar-poems/long-ago.html, id L00746.
Form and metre
Long Ago is 36 lines in 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 78%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.5 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 17% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See 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 ABABCDCD hyeahA · feddahsB · cheahA · weddahsB · hymnC · meetinD · trimC · peatinD
- 2 A-A- sideA · do · diedA · ergo
- 3 -ABABC-C ergo · moaninA · knowB · honinA · floB · eavesC · do · grievesC
- 4 A-A- sideA · do · diedA · ergo
- 5 ABABBCBC nightA · meB · delightA · gleeB · meB · erboutC · beB · outC
- 6 A-A- sideA · do · diedA · ergo
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 |
|---|---|---|
| De ol' time's gone, de new time's hyeah | 8 | ········ |
| Wid all hits fuss an' feddahs; | 7 | ······· |
| I done fu'got de joy an' cheah | 8 | ········ |
| We knowed all kin's o' weddahs, | 8 | ··˘···/˘ |
| I done fu'got each ol'-time hymn | 8 | ········ |
| We ust to sing in meetin'; | 7 | ······· |
| I 's leahned de prah's, so neat an' trim, | 9 | ········· |
| De preachah keeps us 'peatin'. | 7 | ······· |
| Hang a vine by de chimney side, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' one by de cabin do'; | 7 | ····/˘· |
| An' sing a song fu' de day dat died, | 9 | ········· |
| De day of long ergo. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| My youf, hit's gone, yes, long ergo, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| An' yit I ain't a-moanin'; | 7 | ······· |
| Hit 's fu' somet'ings I ust to know | 10 | ·········· |
| I set to-night a-honin'. | 7 | ······· |
| De pallet on de ol' plank flo', | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| De rain bar'l und' de eaves, | 6 | ······ |
| De live oak 'fo' de cabin do', | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Whaih de night dove comes an' grieves. | 7 | ······· |
| Hang a vine by de chimney side, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' one by de cabin do'; | 7 | ····/˘· |
| An' sing a song fu' de day dat died, | 9 | ········· |
| De day of long ergo. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| I 'd lak a few ol' frien's to-night | 9 | ········· |
| To come an' set wid me; | 6 | ······ |
| An' let me feel dat ol' delight | 8 | ······˘/ |
| I ust to in dey glee. | 6 | ······ |
| But hyeah we is, my pipe an' me, | 8 | ········ |
| Wid no one else erbout; | 6 | ······ |
| We bofe is choked ez choked kin be, | 8 | ········ |
| An' bofe 'll soon go out. | 6 | ······ |
| Hang a vine by de chimney side, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' one by de cabin do'; | 7 | ····/˘· |
| An' sing a song fu' de day dat died, | 9 | ········· |
| De day of long ergo. | 6 | ····/˘ |
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.