Signs and Tokens
SAID the red-cloaked croneIn a whispered moan:
“The dead man was limpWhen laid in his chest;Yea, limp; and whyBut to signifyThat the grave will crimpEre next year’s sunYet another oneOf those in that house—It may be the best—For its endless drowse!”
Said the brown-shawled dameTo confirm the same:
“And the slothful fliesOn the rotting fruitHave been seen to wearWhile crawling thereCrape scarves, by eyesThat were quick and acute;As did those that had pitchedOn the cows by the pails,And with flaps of their tailsWere far away switched.”
Said the third in plaid,Each word being weighed:
“And trotting doesIn the park, in the lane,And just outsideThe shuttered pane,Have also been heard—Quick feet as lightAs the feet of a sprite—And the wise mind knowsWhat things may betideWhen such has occurred.”
Cried the black-craped fourth,Cold faced as the north:
“O, though giving suchSome head-room, I smileAt your falteringsWhen noting those thingsRound your domicile!For what, what can touchOne whom, riven of allThat makes life gay,No hints can appalOf more takings away!”
Words in this poem
- crone n.
- An old ewe. Tusser. [OD. kronie, karonie, an old sheep, OF. carogne, F. charogne, carrion (also F. carogne illnatured woman.). See Carrion, and Crony.]
- drowse v. i.
- To sleep imperfectly or unsoundly; to slumber; to be heavy with sleepiness; to doze. [AS. dr, dr, to sink, become slow or inactive; cf. OD. droosen to be sleepy, fall asleep, LG. dr, druusken, to slumber, fall down with a noise; prob, akin to AS.]
- 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]
- shuttered a.
- Furnished with shutters.
- pane n.
- The narrow edge of a hammer head. See Peen. [F. panne.]
- sprite n.
- A spirit; a soul; a shade; also, an apparition. See Spright. [OE. sprit, F. esprit, fr. L. spiritus. See Spirit, and cf. Sprightly.]
- betide v. t.
- To happen to; to befall; to come to ; as, woe betide the wanderer. [OE. bitiden; pref. bi-, be- + tiden, fr. AS. tidan, to happen, fr. tid time. See Tide.]
- domicile n.
- An abode or mansion; a place of permanent residence, either of an individual or a family. [L. domicilium; domus house + (prob.) root of celare to conceal: cf. F. domicile. See Dome, and Conceal.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Signs and Tokens is in the public domain. This text is taken from Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses, Project Gutenberg ebook #3255; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Thomas Hardy, Signs and Tokens, in Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses (1917), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #3255, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hardy-moments-of-vision/signs-and-tokens.html, id L24219.
Form and metre
Signs and Tokens is 48 lines in 8 stanzas. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%).
See other poems in iambic trimeter.
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 AA croneA · moanA
- 2 ABCCADD-B- limpA · chestB · whyC · signifyC · crimpA · sunD · oneD · house · bestB · drowse
- 3 AA dameA · sameA
- 4 ABCCABDEED fliesA · fruitB · wearC · thereC · eyesA · acuteB · pitchedD · pailsE · tailsE · switchedD
- 6 -ABACDD-BC does · laneA · outsideB · paneA · heardC · lightD · spriteD · knows · betideB · occurredC
- 7 AA fourthA · northA
- 8 A-BB-A-C-C suchA · smile · falteringsB · thingsB · domicile · touchA · all · gayC · appal · awayC
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 trimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| SAID the red-cloaked crone | 5 | ····· |
| In a whispered moan: | 5 | ··/˘· |
| “The dead man was limp | 5 | ····· |
| When laid in his chest; | 5 | ····· |
| Yea, limp; and why | 4 | ···· |
| But to signify | 5 | ··/˘· |
| That the grave will crimp | 5 | ····· |
| Ere next year’s sun | 4 | ···· |
| Yet another one | 5 | ·˘/˘· |
| Of those in that house— | 5 | ····· |
| It may be the best— | 5 | ····· |
| For its endless drowse!” | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Said the brown-shawled dame | 5 | ····· |
| To confirm the same: | 5 | ·˘/·· |
| “And the slothful flies | 5 | ··/˘· |
| On the rotting fruit | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Have been seen to wear | 5 | ····· |
| While crawling there | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Crape scarves, by eyes | 4 | ···· |
| That were quick and acute; | 6 | ····˘/ |
| As did those that had pitched | 6 | ······ |
| On the cows by the pails, | 6 | ······ |
| And with flaps of their tails | 6 | ······ |
| Were far away switched.” | 5 | ··˘/· |
| Said the third in plaid, | 5 | ····· |
| Each word being weighed: | 5 | ··/˘· |
| “And trotting does | 4 | ·/˘· |
| In the park, in the lane, | 6 | ······ |
| And just outside | 4 | ··// |
| The shuttered pane, | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Have also been heard— | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Quick feet as light | 4 | ···· |
| As the feet of a sprite— | 6 | ······ |
| And the wise mind knows | 5 | ····· |
| What things may betide | 5 | ···˘/ |
| When such has occurred.” | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Cried the black-craped fourth, | 5 | ····· |
| Cold faced as the north: | 5 | ····· |
| “O, though giving such | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Some head-room, I smile | 5 | ····· |
| At your falterings | 5 | ··/˘˘ |
| When noting those things | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Round your domicile! | 5 | ··/˘˘ |
| For what, what can touch | 5 | ····· |
| One whom, riven of all | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| That makes life gay, | 4 | ···· |
| No hints can appal | 5 | ····· |
| Of more takings away!” | 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.