To Dr. F. W. R
If I were rich enough to buyA case of wine (though I abhor it),I'd send a quart of extra dryAnd willingly get trusted for it.But, lackaday! You know that I'mAs poor as Job's historic turkey--In lieu of Mumm, accept this rhyme,An honest gift though somewhat jerky.
This is your silver wedding day--You didn't mean to let me know it!And yet your smiles and raiments gayBeyond all peradventure show it!By all you say and do it's clearA birdling in your heart is singing,And everywhere you go you hearThe old-time bridal bells a-ringing.
Ah, well, God grant that these dear chimesMay mind you of the sweetness onlyOf those far distant, callow timesWhen you were Benedick and lonely--And when an angel blessed your lot--For angel is your helpmeet, truly--And when, to share the joy she brought,Came other little angels, duly.
So here's a health to you and wife--Long may you mock the Reaper's warning,And may the evening of your lifeIn rising sons renew the morning;May happiness and peace and loveCome with each morrow to caress ye,And when you're done with earth, above--God bless ye, dear old friend--God bless ye!
Words in this poem
- abhor v. i.
- To shrink back with horror, disgust, or dislike; to be contrary or averse; -- with from.
- willingly adv.
- In a willing manner; with free will; without reluctance; cheerfully.
- lackaday interj.
- Alack the day; alas; -- an expression of sorrow, regret, dissatisfaction, or surprise. [Abbreviated from alackaday.]
- historic a.
- Of or pertaining to history, or the record of past events; as, an historical poem; the historic page. [L. historicus, Gr. historique. See History.]
- mumm v. i.
- To sport or make diversion in a mask or disguise; to mask. [D. mimmen to mask, mom a mask; akin to G. mumme disguise; prob. of imitative origin, and akin to E. mum, mumble, in allusion to the indistinctness of speech occ]
- jerky a.
- Moving by jerks and starts; characterized by abrupt transitions; as, a jerky vehicle; a jerky style.
- birdling n.
- A little bird; a nestling.
- callow a.
- Destitute of feathers; naked; unfledged. [OE. calewe, calu, bald, AS. calu; akin to D. kaal, OHG. chalo, G. Kuhl; cf. L. calvus.]
- benedick n.
- A married man, or a man newly married. [From Benedick, one of the characters in Shakespeare's play of "Much Ado about Nothing."]
- helpmeet n.
- A wife; a helpmate. [See Helpmate.]
- caress n.
- An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. [F. caresse, It. carezza, LL. caritia dearness, fr. L. carus dear. See Charity.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
To Dr. F. W. R 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, To Dr. F. W. R, in Hoosier Lyrics (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #36150, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/field-poems/to-dr-f-w-r.html, id L11590.
Form and metre
To Dr. F. W. R is 32 lines in 4 stanzas of 8 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABABCDCD. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.5 syllables. 10 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 34% 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 buyA · itB · dryA · itB · i'mC · turkeyD · rhymeC · jerkyD
- 2 ABABCDCD dayA · itB · gayA · itB · clearC · singingD · hearC · ringingD
- 3 ABABCDCD chimesA · onlyB · timesA · lonelyB · lotC · trulyD · broughtC · dulyD
- 4 ABABCDCD wifeA · warningB · lifeA · morningB · loveC · yeD · aboveC · yeD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| If I were rich enough to buy | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| A case of wine (though I abhor it), | 9 | ······˘/· |
| I'd send a quart of extra dry | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And willingly get trusted for it. | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| But, lackaday! You know that I'm | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| As poor as Job's historic turkey-- | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| In lieu of Mumm, accept this rhyme, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| An honest gift though somewhat jerky. | 9 | ·/˘··///˘ |
| This is your silver wedding day-- | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| You didn't mean to let me know it! | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| And yet your smiles and raiments gay | 8 | ········ |
| Beyond all peradventure show it! | 9 | ········· |
| By all you say and do it's clear | 8 | ········ |
| A birdling in your heart is singing, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| And everywhere you go you hear | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The old-time bridal bells a-ringing. | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| Ah, well, God grant that these dear chimes | 8 | ········ |
| May mind you of the sweetness only | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Of those far distant, callow times | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| When you were Benedick and lonely-- | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| And when an angel blessed your lot-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| For angel is your helpmeet, truly-- | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| And when, to share the joy she brought, | 8 | ········ |
| Came other little angels, duly. | 9 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| So here's a health to you and wife-- | 8 | ········ |
| Long may you mock the Reaper's warning, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| And may the evening of your life | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In rising sons renew the morning; | 9 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| May happiness and peace and love | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Come with each morrow to caress ye, | 9 | ···/˘·˘/· |
| And when you're done with earth, above-- | 8 | ········ |
| God bless ye, dear old friend--God bless ye! | 9 | ········· |
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