Captain Reece
OF all the ships upon the blue,No ship contained a better crewThan that of worthy CAPTAIN REECE,Commanding of The Mantelpiece.
He was adored by all his men,For worthy CAPTAIN REECE, R.N.,Did all that lay within him toPromote the comfort of his crew.
If ever they were dull or sad,Their captain danced to them like mad,Or told, to make the time pass by,Droll legends of his infancy.
A feather bed had every man,Warm slippers and hot-water can,Brown windsor from the captain’s store,A valet, too, to every four.
Did they with thirst in summer burn,Lo, seltzogenes at every turn,And on all very sultry daysCream ices handed round on trays.
Then currant wine and ginger popsStood handily on all the “tops;”And also, with amusement rife,A “Zoetrope, or Wheel of Life.”
New volumes came across the seaFrom MISTER MUDIE’S libraree;The Times and Saturday ReviewBeguiled the leisure of the crew.
Kind-hearted CAPTAIN REECE, R.N.,Was quite devoted to his men;In point of fact, good CAPTAIN REECEBeatified The Mantelpiece.
One summer eve, at half-past ten,He said (addressing all his men):“Come, tell me, please, what I can doTo please and gratify my crew.
“By any reasonable planI’ll make you happy if I can;My own convenience count as nil:It is my duty, and I will.”
Then up and answered WILLIAM LEE(The kindly captain’s coxswain he,A nervous, shy, low-spoken man),He cleared his throat and thus began:
“You have a daughter, CAPTAIN REECE,Ten female cousins and a niece,A Ma, if what I’m told is true,Six sisters, and an aunt or two.
“Now, somehow, sir, it seems to me,More friendly-like we all should be,If you united of ’em toUnmarried members of the crew.
“If you’d ameliorate our life,Let each select from them a wife;And as for nervous me, old pal,Give me your own enchanting gal!”
Good CAPTAIN REECE, that worthy man,Debated on his coxswain’s plan:“I quite agree,” he said, “O BILL;It is my duty, and I will.
“My daughter, that enchanting gurl,Has just been promised to an Earl,And all my other famileeTo peers of various degree.
“But what are dukes and viscounts toThe happiness of all my crew?The word I gave you I’ll fulfil;It is my duty, and I will.
“As you desire it shall befall,I’ll settle thousands on you all,And I shall be, despite my hoard,The only bachelor on board.”
The boatswain of The Mantelpiece,He blushed and spoke to CAPTAIN REECE:“I beg your honour’s leave,” he said;“If you would wish to go and wed,
“I have a widowed mother whoWould be the very thing for you—She long has loved you from afar:She washes for you, CAPTAIN R.”
The Captain saw the dame that day—Addressed her in his playful way—“And did it want a wedding ring?It was a tempting ickle sing!
“Well, well, the chaplain I will seek,We’ll all be married this day weekAt yonder church upon the hill;It is my duty, and I will!”
The sisters, cousins, aunts, and niece,And widowed Ma of CAPTAIN REECE,Attended there as they were bid;It was their duty, and they did.
Words in this poem 19
- windsor n.
- A town in Berkshire, England. Windsor bean. (Bot.) See under Bean.
- valet n.
- A male waiting servant; a servant who attends on gentleman's person; a body servant. [F. valet, OF. vallet, varlet, vaslet. See Varlet, and Vassal.]
- handily adv.
- In a handy manner; skillfully; conveniently. [See Handy.]
- amusement n.
- Deep thought; muse. [Cf. F. amusement.]
- rife a.
- Prevailing; prevalent; abounding. [AS. rif abundant, or Icel. rifr munificent; akin to OD. riff, rijve, abundant.]
- mister n.
- A trade, art, or occupation. [OF. mistier trade, office, ministry, need, F. métier trade, fr. L. ministerium service, office, ministry. See Ministry, Mystery trade.]
- saturday n.
- The seventh or last day of the week; the day following Friday and preceding Sunday. [OE. Saterday, AS. Sæterdæg, Sæterndæg, Sæternesdæg, literally, Saturn's day, fr. L. Saturnus Saturn + AS. dæg day; cf. L. dies Saturni.]
- niece n.
- A relative, in general; especially, a descendant, whether male or female; a granddaughter or a grandson. B. Jonson. Wyclif. [OE. nece, F. nièce, LL. neptia, for L. neptis a granddaughter, niece, akin to nepos. See Nephew.]
- somehow adv.
- In one way or another; in some way not yet known or designated; by some means; as, the thing must be done somehow; he lives somehow.
- ameliorate v. t.
- To make better; to improve; to meliorate. [L. ad + meliorare to make better: cf. F. améliorer. See Meliorate.]
- gurl n.
- A young person of either sex. See Girl.
- 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,]
- boatswain n.
- An officer who has charge of the boats, sails, rigging, colors, anchors, cables, cordage, etc., of a ship, and who also summons the crew, and performs other duties. [Boat + swain.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- dame n.
- A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
- chaplain n.
- An ecclesiastic who has a chapel, or who performs religious service in a chapel. [F. chapelain, fr. LL. capellanus, fr. capella. See Chapel.]
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Captain Reece is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Bab Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #931; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: W. S. Gilbert, Captain Reece, in The Bab Ballads (1869), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #931, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/gilbert-bab-ballads/captain-reece.html, id L02360.
Form and metre
Captain Reece is 92 lines in 23 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 19 of its 23 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 16% 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 AABB blueA · crewA · reeceB · mantelpieceB
- 2 --AA men · — · toA · crewA
- 3 AA-- sadA · madA · by · infancy
- 4 AABB manA · canA · storeB · fourB
- 5 AABB burnA · turnA · daysB · traysB
- 6 AABB popsA · topsA · rifeB · lifeB
- 7 AABB seaA · librareeA · reviewB · crewB
- 8 --AA — · men · reeceA · mantelpieceA
- 9 AABB tenA · menA · doB · crewB
- 10 AABB planA · canA · nilB · willB
- 11 AABB leeA · heA · manB · beganB
- 12 AABB reeceA · nieceA · trueB · twoB
- 13 AABB meA · beA · toB · crewB
- 14 AABB lifeA · wifeA · palB · galB
- 15 AABB manA · planA · billB · willB
- 16 AABB gurlA · earlA · famileeB · degreeB
- 17 AA-- toA · crewA · fulfil · will
- 18 AABB befallA · allA · hoardB · boardB
- 19 AABB mantelpieceA · reeceA · saidB · wedB
- 20 AABB whoA · youA · afarB · rB
- 21 AABB dayA · wayA · ringB · singB
- 22 AABB seekA · weekA · hillB · willB
- 23 AABB nieceA · reeceA · bidB · didB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| OF all the ships upon the blue, | 8 | ········ |
| No ship contained a better crew | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Than that of worthy CAPTAIN REECE, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Commanding of The Mantelpiece. | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| He was adored by all his men, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| For worthy CAPTAIN REECE, R.N., | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Did all that lay within him to | 8 | ········ |
| Promote the comfort of his crew. | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| If ever they were dull or sad, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Their captain danced to them like mad, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Or told, to make the time pass by, | 8 | ········ |
| Droll legends of his infancy. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| A feather bed had every man, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Warm slippers and hot-water can, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Brown windsor from the captain’s store, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| A valet, too, to every four. | 8 | ·˘/··/˘· |
| Did they with thirst in summer burn, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Lo, seltzogenes at every turn, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And on all very sultry days | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Cream ices handed round on trays. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Then currant wine and ginger pops | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Stood handily on all the “tops;” | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| And also, with amusement rife, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| A “Zoetrope, or Wheel of Life.” | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| New volumes came across the sea | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| From MISTER MUDIE’S libraree; | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| The Times and Saturday Review | 8 | ···/···/ |
| Beguiled the leisure of the crew. | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Kind-hearted CAPTAIN REECE, R.N., | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Was quite devoted to his men; | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| In point of fact, good CAPTAIN REECE | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Beatified The Mantelpiece. | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| One summer eve, at half-past ten, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| He said (addressing all his men): | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| “Come, tell me, please, what I can do | 8 | ········ |
| To please and gratify my crew. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| “By any reasonable plan | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘˘· |
| I’ll make you happy if I can; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| My own convenience count as nil: | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| It is my duty, and I will.” | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Then up and answered WILLIAM LEE | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| (The kindly captain’s coxswain he, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| A nervous, shy, low-spoken man), | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| He cleared his throat and thus began: | 8 | ······˘/ |
| “You have a daughter, CAPTAIN REECE, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Ten female cousins and a niece, | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| A Ma, if what I’m told is true, | 8 | ········ |
| Six sisters, and an aunt or two. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| “Now, somehow, sir, it seems to me, | 8 | ·/······ |
| More friendly-like we all should be, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| If you united of ’em to | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Unmarried members of the crew. | 8 | ˘/˘/˘··· |
| “If you’d ameliorate our life, | 8 | ··˘/˘·/· |
| Let each select from them a wife; | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| And as for nervous me, old pal, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Give me your own enchanting gal!” | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Good CAPTAIN REECE, that worthy man, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Debated on his coxswain’s plan: | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| “I quite agree,” he said, “O BILL; | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| It is my duty, and I will. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| “My daughter, that enchanting gurl, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Has just been promised to an Earl, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And all my other familee | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| To peers of various degree. | 8 | ···/˘˘˘/ |
| “But what are dukes and viscounts to | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The happiness of all my crew? | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| The word I gave you I’ll fulfil; | 8 | ········ |
| It is my duty, and I will. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| “As you desire it shall befall, | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| I’ll settle thousands on you all, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And I shall be, despite my hoard, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| The only bachelor on board.” | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| The boatswain of The Mantelpiece, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| He blushed and spoke to CAPTAIN REECE: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| “I beg your honour’s leave,” he said; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| “If you would wish to go and wed, | 8 | ········ |
| “I have a widowed mother who | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Would be the very thing for you— | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| She long has loved you from afar: | 8 | ······˘/ |
| She washes for you, CAPTAIN R.” | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The Captain saw the dame that day— | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Addressed her in his playful way— | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| “And did it want a wedding ring? | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| It was a tempting ickle sing! | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| “Well, well, the chaplain I will seek, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| We’ll all be married this day week | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| At yonder church upon the hill; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| It is my duty, and I will!” | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The sisters, cousins, aunts, and niece, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And widowed Ma of CAPTAIN REECE, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Attended there as they were bid; | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| It was their duty, and they did. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
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