The Shop Described and the Merchant's Outset
Hard by the road a pigmy building stood,Thatch'd was its roof, and earthen were its floors;So small its size, that, in a jesting mood,It might be call'd a house turn'd out of doors--Yet here, adjacent to an aged oak,Full fifty years old dad his hams did smoke,Nor ceas'd the trade, 'till worn with years and spent,To Pluto's smoke-house he, himself, was sent.Hither our merchant turn'd his curious eye,And mused awhile upon this sable shell;"Here father smoked his hogs (he said) and why"In truth, may not our garret do as well?"So, down he took his hams and bacon flitches,Resolv'd to fill the place with other riches;From every hole and cranny brush'd the soot,And fixt up shelves throughout the crazy hut;A counter, too, most cunningly was plann'd,Behind whose breast-work none but he might stand,Excepting now and then, by special grace,Some brother merchant from some other place.Now, muster'd up his cash, and said his prayers,In Sunday suit he rigs himself for town,Two raw-boned steeds (design'd for great affairs)Are to the waggon hitch'd, old Bay and Brown;Who ne'er had been before a league from home,But now are doom'd full many a mile to roam,Like merchant-ships, a various freight to bringOf ribbons, lawns, and many a tawdry thing.Molasses too, blest sweet, was not forgot,And island Rum, that every taste delights,And teas, for maid and matron must be bought,Rosin and catgut strings for fiddling wights--But why should I his invoice here repeat?'Twould be like counting grains in pecks of wheat.Half Europe's goods were on his invoice found,And all was to be bought with forty pound!Soon as the early dawn proclaim'd the day,He cock'd his hat with pins, and comb'd his hair:Curious it was, and laughable to seeThe village-merchant, mounted in his chair:Shelves, piled with lawns and linens, in his head,Coatings and stuffs, and cloths, and scarlets red--All that would suit man, woman, girl, or boy;Muslins and muslinets, jeans, grograms, corduroy.Alack! said I, he little, little dreamsThat all the cash he guards with studious care--His cash! the mother of a thousand schemes,Will hardly buy a load of earthen ware!But why should I excite the hidden tearBy whispering truths ungrateful to his ear;Still let him travel on, with scheming pate,As disappointment never comes too late.--
Words in this poem 15
- curious a.
- Difficult to please or satisfy; solicitous to be correct; careful; scrupulous; nice; exact. [OF. curios, curius, F. curieux, L. curiosus careful, inquisitive, fr. cura care. See Cure.]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- sable n.
- A carnivorous animal of the Weasel family (Mustela zibellina) native of the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and America, -- noted for its fine, soft, and valuable fur. [OF. sable, F. zibeline sable (in sense 4), LL. sabellum; cf. D. sabel, Dan. sabel, zobel, Sw. sabel, sobel, G. zobel; all fr. Russ. sóbole.]
- garret n.
- A turret; a watchtower. [OE. garite, garette, watchtower, place of lookout, OF. garite, also meaning, a place of refuge, F. guérite a place of refuge, donjon, sentinel box, fr. OF. gari]
- cranny n.
- A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance. [F. cran notch, prob. from L. crena (a doubful word).]
- tawdry a.
- Bought at the festival of St. Audrey. [Said to be corrupted from Saint Audrey, or Auldrey, meaning Saint Ethelreda, implying therefore, originally, bought at the fair of St. Audrey, where laces and g]
- catgut n.
- A cord of great toughness made from the intestines of animals, esp. of sheep, used for strings of musical instruments, etc. [Cat + gut.]
- invoice n.
- A written account of the particulars of merchandise shipped or sent to a purchaser, consignee, factor, etc., with the value or prices and charges annexed. Wharton. [F. envois things sent, goods forwarded, pl. of envoi a sending or things sent, fr. envoyer to send; cf. F. lettre d'envoi letter of advice of goods forwarded. S]
- piled a.
- Having a pile or point; pointed. [From 2d Pile.]
- corduroy n.
- A sort of cotton velveteen, having the surface raised in ridges. [Prob. for F. corde du roi king's cord.]
- alack interj.
- An exclamation expressive of sorrow. [Prob. from ah! lack! OE. lak loss, failure, misfortune. See Lack.]
- ungrateful a.
- Not grateful; not thankful for favors; making no returns, or making ill return for kindness, attention, etc.; ingrateful. South.
- scheming a.
- Given to forming schemes; artful; intriguing.
- pate n.
- A pie. See Patty. [F. pâté.]
- disappointment n.
- The act of disappointing, or the state of being disappointed; defeat or failure of expectation or hope; miscarriage of design or plan; frustration. [Cf. F. désappointement.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Shop Described and the Merchant's Outset 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 Shop Described and the Merchant's Outset, in Poems (1786–1815), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #38475, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/freneau-poems/the-shop-described-and-the-merchant-s-outset.html, id L12694.
Form and metre
The Shop Described and the Merchant's Outset is 52 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 10% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 -A-ABBCCDEDE----FFGGHIHIJJKKL-L-MMNN-O-OPPQQRSRSSSTT stood · floorsA · mood · doorsA · oakB · smokeB · spentC · sentC · eyeD · shellE · whyD · wellE · flitches · riches · soot · hut · plann'dF · standF · graceG · placeG · prayersH · townI · affairsH · brownI · homeJ · roamJ · bringK · thingK · forgotL · delights · boughtL · wights · repeatM · wheatM · foundN · poundN · day · hairO · see · chairO · headP · redP · boyQ · corduroyQ · dreamsR · careS · schemesR · wareS · tearS · earS · pateT · lateT
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hard by the road a pigmy building stood, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Thatch'd was its roof, and earthen were its floors; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| So small its size, that, in a jesting mood, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| It might be call'd a house turn'd out of doors-- | 10 | ·········· |
| Yet here, adjacent to an aged oak, | 9 | ··˘/˘···· |
| Full fifty years old dad his hams did smoke, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Nor ceas'd the trade, 'till worn with years and spent, | 10 | ·········· |
| To Pluto's smoke-house he, himself, was sent. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| Hither our merchant turn'd his curious eye, | 10 | /˘//˘··/˘· |
| And mused awhile upon this sable shell; | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| "Here father smoked his hogs (he said) and why | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| "In truth, may not our garret do as well?" | 10 | ····//˘··· |
| So, down he took his hams and bacon flitches, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| Resolv'd to fill the place with other riches; | 11 | ˘/·····/˘/˘ |
| From every hole and cranny brush'd the soot, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| And fixt up shelves throughout the crazy hut; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A counter, too, most cunningly was plann'd, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘˘·· |
| Behind whose breast-work none but he might stand, | 10 | ·········· |
| Excepting now and then, by special grace, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Some brother merchant from some other place. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Now, muster'd up his cash, and said his prayers, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| In Sunday suit he rigs himself for town, | 10 | ·/····˘/·· |
| Two raw-boned steeds (design'd for great affairs) | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| Are to the waggon hitch'd, old Bay and Brown; | 10 | ·········· |
| Who ne'er had been before a league from home, | 10 | ·········· |
| But now are doom'd full many a mile to roam, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Like merchant-ships, a various freight to bring | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Of ribbons, lawns, and many a tawdry thing. | 10 | ·/˘··/·/˘· |
| Molasses too, blest sweet, was not forgot, | 10 | ˘/˘·····˘/ |
| And island Rum, that every taste delights, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| And teas, for maid and matron must be bought, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Rosin and catgut strings for fiddling wights-- | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| But why should I his invoice here repeat? | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| 'Twould be like counting grains in pecks of wheat. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Half Europe's goods were on his invoice found, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And all was to be bought with forty pound! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Soon as the early dawn proclaim'd the day, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| He cock'd his hat with pins, and comb'd his hair: | 10 | ·········· |
| Curious it was, and laughable to see | 10 | /˘···/˘˘·· |
| The village-merchant, mounted in his chair: | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| Shelves, piled with lawns and linens, in his head, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Coatings and stuffs, and cloths, and scarlets red-- | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| All that would suit man, woman, girl, or boy; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Muslins and muslinets, jeans, grograms, corduroy. | 12 | /˘·······/˘· |
| Alack! said I, he little, little dreams | 10 | ˘/···/˘/˘· |
| That all the cash he guards with studious care-- | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| His cash! the mother of a thousand schemes, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Will hardly buy a load of earthen ware! | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| But why should I excite the hidden tear | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| By whispering truths ungrateful to his ear; | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| Still let him travel on, with scheming pate, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| As disappointment never comes too late.-- | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
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