The Pictures of Columbus: Picture IX
I wish I was over the water again!'Tis a pity we cannot agree;When I try to be merry 'tis labour in vain,You always are scolding at me;Then what shall I doWith this termagant Sue;Tho' I hug her and squeeze herI never can please her--Was there ever a devil like you!
If I was a maid as I now am a wifeWith a sot and a brat to maintain,I think it should be the first care of my life,To shun such a drunkard again:Not one of the crewIs so hated by Sue;Though they always are bawling,And pulling and hauling--Not one is a puppy like you.
Dear Susan, I'm sorry that you should complain:There is nothing indeed to be done;If a war should break out, not a sailor in SpainWould sooner be found at his gun:Arriving from seaI would kneel on one knee,And the plunder presentingTo Susan relenting--Who then would be honour'd like me!
To-day as I came by the sign of the ship,A mighty fine captain was there,He was asking for sailors to take a small trip,But I cannot remember well where:He was hearty and free,And if you can agreeTo leave me, dear honey,To bring me some money!--How happy--indeed--I shall be!
The man that you saw not a sailor can get,'Tis a captain Columbus, they say;To fit out a ship he is running in debt,And our wages he never will pay:Yes, yes, it is he,And, Sue, do ye see,On a wild undertakingHis heart he is breaking--The devil may take him for me!
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- termagant n.
- An imaginary being supposed by the Christians to be a Mohammedan deity or false god. He is represented in the ancient moralities, farces, and puppet shows as extremely vociferous and tumultous. [OE. Trivigant, Termagant, Termagant (in sense 1), OF. Tervagan; cf. It. Trivigante.]
- brat n.
- A coarse garnment or cloak; also, coarse clothing, in general. [OE. bratt coarse garnment, AS. bratt cloak, fr. the Celtic; cf. W. brat clout, rag, Gael. brat cloak, apron, raf, Ir. brat cloak; properly then, a child's bib o]
- puppy n.
- The young of a canine animal, esp. of the common dog; a whelp. [F. poupée doll, puppet. See Puppet, and cf. Pup, n.]
- kneel v. i.
- To bend the knee; to fall or rest on the knees; -- sometimes with down. [OE. knelen, cneolien; akin to D. knielen, Dan. knæle. See Knee.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Pictures of Columbus: Picture IX is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Philip Freneau, Poet of the American Revolution. Volume 1 (of 3), Project Gutenberg ebook #38475; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Philip Freneau, The Pictures of Columbus: Picture IX, in Columbus to Ferdinand, and other poems (1786–1815), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #38475, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/freneau-poems/the-pictures-of-columbus-picture-ix.html, id L26055.
Form and metre
The Pictures of Columbus: Picture IX is 45 lines in 5 stanzas of 9 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABABCCDDC. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 ABABCCDDC againA · agreeB · vainA · meB · doC · sueC · herD · herD · youC
- 2 ABABCCDDC wifeA · maintainB · lifeA · againB · crewC · sueC · bawlingD · haulingD · youC
- 3 ABABCCDDC complainA · doneB · spainA · gunB · seaC · kneeC · presentingD · relentingD · meC
- 4 ABABCCDDC shipA · thereB · tripA · whereB · freeC · agreeC · honeyD · moneyD · beC
- 5 ABABCCDDC getA · sayB · debtA · payB · heC · seeC · undertakingD · breakingD · meC
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I wish I was over the water again! | 10 | ······/˘˘/ |
| 'Tis a pity we cannot agree; | 9 | ··/˘·˘/˘/ |
| When I try to be merry 'tis labour in vain, | 12 | ·····/˘·/··· |
| You always are scolding at me; | 8 | ·/··/˘·· |
| Then what shall I do | 5 | ····· |
| With this termagant Sue; | 6 | ··/˘˘· |
| Tho' I hug her and squeeze her | 7 | ······· |
| I never can please her-- | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Was there ever a devil like you! | 9 | ··/˘·/˘·· |
| If I was a maid as I now am a wife | 11 | ··········· |
| With a sot and a brat to maintain, | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| I think it should be the first care of my life, | 11 | ··········· |
| To shun such a drunkard again: | 8 | ····/˘˘/ |
| Not one of the crew | 5 | ····· |
| Is so hated by Sue; | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Though they always are bawling, | 7 | ··/··/˘ |
| And pulling and hauling-- | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Not one is a puppy like you. | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Dear Susan, I'm sorry that you should complain: | 11 | ·/˘·/˘···˘/ |
| There is nothing indeed to be done; | 9 | ··/˘˘/··· |
| If a war should break out, not a sailor in Spain | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| Would sooner be found at his gun: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Arriving from sea | 5 | ˘/˘·· |
| I would kneel on one knee, | 6 | ······ |
| And the plunder presenting | 7 | ··/˘˘/˘ |
| To Susan relenting-- | 6 | ·/˘˘/˘ |
| Who then would be honour'd like me! | 8 | ········ |
| To-day as I came by the sign of the ship, | 11 | ··········· |
| A mighty fine captain was there, | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| He was asking for sailors to take a small trip, | 12 | ··/˘·/˘····· |
| But I cannot remember well where: | 9 | ··˘/˘/˘·· |
| He was hearty and free, | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| And if you can agree | 6 | ····˘/ |
| To leave me, dear honey, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| To bring me some money!-- | 6 | ····/˘ |
| How happy--indeed--I shall be! | 8 | ·/˘˘/··· |
| The man that you saw not a sailor can get, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| 'Tis a captain Columbus, they say; | 9 | ··/˘˘/˘·· |
| To fit out a ship he is running in debt, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| And our wages he never will pay: | 10 | ·/˘/˘·/˘·· |
| Yes, yes, it is he, | 5 | ····· |
| And, Sue, do ye see, | 5 | ····· |
| On a wild undertaking | 7 | ···/˘·˘ |
| His heart he is breaking-- | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The devil may take him for me! | 8 | ·/˘····· |
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