The Three Tailors
I shall tell you in rhyme how, once on a time,Three tailors tramped up to the Inn IngleheimOn the Rhine--lovely Rhine;They were broke, but, the worst of it all, they were curstWith that malady common to tailors--a thirstFor wine--lots of wine!
"Sweet host," quoth the three, "we're as hard up as can be,Yet skilled in the practice of cunning are weOn the Rhine--genial Rhine;And we pledge you we will impart you that skillRight quickly and fully, providing you'll fillUs with wine--cooling wine!"
But that host shook his head, and warily said:"Though cunning be good, we take money instead,On the Rhine--thrifty Rhine;If ye fancy ye may without pelf have your wayYou'll find there's both host and the devil to payFor your wine--costly wine!"
Then the first knavish wight took his needle so brightAnd threaded its eye with a wee ray of lightFrom the Rhine--sunny Rhine;And in such a deft way patched a mirror that dayThat where it was mended no expert could say--Done so fine--'twas for wine!
The second thereat spied a poor little gnatGo toiling along on his nose broad and flatToward the Rhine--pleasant Rhine;"Aha, tiny friend, I should hate to offend,But your stockings need darning," which same did he mend,All for wine--soothing wine!
And next there occurred what you'll deem quite absurd--His needle a space in the wall thrust the third,By the Rhine--wondrous Rhine;And then, all so spry, he leapt through the eyeOf that thin cambric needle; nay, think you I'd lieAbout wine? Not for wine!
The landlord allowed (with a smile) he was proudTo do the fair thing by that talented crowdOn the Rhine--generous Rhine!So a thimble filled he as full as could be;"Drink long and drink hearty, my jolly guests three,Of my wine--filling wine!"
Words in this poem 16
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- curst a.
- Froward; malignant; mischievous; malicious; snarling. [SeeCurse.]
- malady n.
- Any disease of the human body; a distemper, disorder, or indisposition, proceeding from impaired, defective, or morbid organic functions; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder. [F. maladie, fr. malade ill, sick, OF. also, malabde, fr. L. male habitus, i. e., ill-kept, not in good condition. See Malice, and Habit.]
- quoth v. t.
- Said; spoke; uttered; -- used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. [AS.cweedhan, imp cwæedh, pl. cwædon; akin to OS. queedhan, OHG. quethan, quedan, Icel. kveedha, Goth. qiþan. sq. root22. Cf. Bequeath.]
- genial a.
- Contributing to, or concerned in, propagation or production; generative; procreative; productive. [L. genialis: cf. OF. genial. See Genius.]
- shook v. t.
- To pack, as staves, in a shook.
- warily adv.
- In a wary manner.
- pelf n.
- Money; riches; lucre; gain; -- generally conveying the idea of something ill-gotten or worthless. It has no plural. [OE. pelfir booty, OF. pelfre, akin to pelfrer to plunder, and perh. to E. pillage. Cf. Pilfer.]
- wight n.
- A whit; a bit; a jot. [OE. wight, wiht, a wight, a whit, AS. wiht, wuht, a creature, a thing; skin to D. wicht a child, OS. & OHG. wiht a creature, thing, G. wicht a creature, Icel. v]
- sunny a.
- Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
- deft a.
- Apt; fit; dexterous; clever; handy; spruce; neat. [OE. daft, deft, becoming, mild, gentle, stupid (cf. OE. daffe, deffe, fool, coward), AS. dæft (in derivatives only) mild, gentle, fitting, seasonable; akin to d]
- thereat adv.
- At that place; there.
- deem v. t.
- To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
- spry a.
- Having great power of leaping or running; nimble; active. [U.S. [Cf. dial. Sw. sprygg lively, skittish, and E. sprag.]
- talented a.
- Furnished with talents; possessing skill or talent; mentally gifted. Abp. Abbot (1663).
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Three Tailors is in the public domain. This text is taken from Hoosier Lyrics, Project Gutenberg ebook #36150; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Eugene Field, The Three Tailors, in Hoosier Lyrics (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #36150, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/field-poems/the-three-tailors.html, id L11649.
Form and metre
The Three Tailors is 42 lines in 7 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABCCB, complete in 6 of its 7 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 88% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.4 syllables. 40% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in anapaestic 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 --ABBA time · ingleheim · rhineA · curstB · thirstB · wineA
- 2 AABCCB beA · weA · rhineB · skillC · fillC · wineB
- 3 AABCCB saidA · insteadA · rhineB · wayC · payC · wineB
- 4 AABCCB brightA · lightA · rhineB · dayC · sayC · wineB
- 5 AABCCB gnatA · flatA · rhineB · offendC · mendC · wineB
- 6 AABCCB absurdA · thirdA · rhineB · eyeC · lieC · wineB
- 7 AABCCB proudA · crowdA · rhineB · beC · threeC · wineB
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 anapaestic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I shall tell you in rhyme how, once on a time, | 11 | ··········· |
| Three tailors tramped up to the Inn Ingleheim | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| On the Rhine--lovely Rhine; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| They were broke, but, the worst of it all, they were curst | 12 | ············ |
| With that malady common to tailors--a thirst | 11 | ··/˘/˘·/˘·· |
| For wine--lots of wine! | 5 | ····· |
| "Sweet host," quoth the three, "we're as hard up as can be, | 12 | ············ |
| Yet skilled in the practice of cunning are we | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| On the Rhine--genial Rhine; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And we pledge you we will impart you that skill | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| Right quickly and fully, providing you'll fill | 11 | ·/˘·/˘˘/˘·· |
| Us with wine--cooling wine!" | 6 | ···/˘· |
| But that host shook his head, and warily said: | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| "Though cunning be good, we take money instead, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘˘/ |
| On the Rhine--thrifty Rhine; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| If ye fancy ye may without pelf have your way | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| You'll find there's both host and the devil to pay | 10 | ·······/·· |
| For your wine--costly wine!" | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Then the first knavish wight took his needle so bright | 12 | ···/˘···/˘·· |
| And threaded its eye with a wee ray of light | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| From the Rhine--sunny Rhine; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And in such a deft way patched a mirror that day | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| That where it was mended no expert could say-- | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| Done so fine--'twas for wine! | 6 | ······ |
| The second thereat spied a poor little gnat | 11 | ·/˘˘/···/˘· |
| Go toiling along on his nose broad and flat | 11 | ·/˘˘/······ |
| Toward the Rhine--pleasant Rhine; | 7 | ····/˘· |
| "Aha, tiny friend, I should hate to offend, | 11 | ·//˘·····˘/ |
| But your stockings need darning," which same did he mend, | 12 | ··/˘·/˘····· |
| All for wine--soothing wine! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And next there occurred what you'll deem quite absurd-- | 11 | ···˘/····˘/ |
| His needle a space in the wall thrust the third, | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| By the Rhine--wondrous Rhine; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And then, all so spry, he leapt through the eye | 10 | ·········· |
| Of that thin cambric needle; nay, think you I'd lie | 12 | ···/˘/˘····· |
| About wine? Not for wine! | 6 | ······ |
| The landlord allowed (with a smile) he was proud | 11 | ·/·˘/······ |
| To do the fair thing by that talented crowd | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| On the Rhine--generous Rhine! | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| So a thimble filled he as full as could be; | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| "Drink long and drink hearty, my jolly guests three, | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| Of my wine--filling wine!" | 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.