Tess’s Lament
I WOULD that folk forgot me quite,Forgot me quite!I would that I could shrink from sight,And no more see the sun.Would it were time to say farewell,To claim my nook, to need my knell,Time for them all to stand and tellOf my day’s work as done.
Ah! dairy where I lived so long,I lived so long;Where I would rise up stanch and strong,And lie down hopefully.’Twas there within the chimney-seatHe watched me to the clock’s slow beat—Loved me, and learnt to call me sweet,And whispered words to me.
And now he’s gone; and now he’s gone; . . .And now he’s gone!The flowers we potted p’rhaps are thrownTo rot upon the farm.And where we had our supper-fireMay now grow nettle, dock, and briar,And all the place be mould and mireSo cozy once and warm.
And it was I who did it all,Who did it all;’Twas I who made the blow to fallOn him who thought no guile.Well, it is finished—past, and heHas left me to my misery,And I must take my Cross on meFor wronging him awhile.
How gay we looked that day we wed,That day we wed!“May joy be with ye!” all o’m saidA standing by the durn.I wonder what they say o’s now,And if they know my lot; and howShe feels who milks my favourite cow,And takes my place at churn!
It wears me out to think of it,To think of it;I cannot bear my fate as writ,I’d have my life unbe;Would turn my memory to a blot,Make every relic of me rot,My doings be as they were not,And what they’ve brought to me!
Words in this poem
- folk n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- nook n.
- A narrow place formed by an angle in bodies or between bodies; a corner; a recess; a secluded retreat. [OE. nok; cf. Gael. & Ir. niuc.]
- briar n.
- A plant with a slender woody stem bearing stout prickles; especially, species of Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax. [OE. brere, brer, AS. brer, brær; cf. Ir. briar prickle, thorn, brier, pin, Gael. preas bush, brier, W. prys, prysg.]
- mould n.
- Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil. [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole a]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- churn n.
- A vessel in which milk or cream is stirred, beaten, or otherwise agitated (as by a plunging or revolving dasher) in order to separete the oily globules from the other parts, and obtain butter. [OE. chirne, cherne, AS. ceren, cyrin; akin to D. karn, Dan. kierne. See Churn, v. t.]
- unbe v. t.
- To cause not to be; to cause to be another. [1st pref. un- + be.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Tess’s Lament is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems of the Past and the Present, Project Gutenberg ebook #3168; 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, Tess’s Lament, in Poems of the Past and the Present (1901), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #3168, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hardy-past-and-present/tess-s-lament.html, id L16941.
Form and metre
Tess’s Lament is 48 lines in 6 stanzas of 8 lines each. The commonest rhyme scheme is AAABCCCB, in 2 of the 6 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.1 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 21% 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 AAABCCCB quiteA · quiteA · sightA · sunB · farewellC · knellC · tellC · doneB
- 2 AAA-BBB- longA · longA · strongA · hopefully · seatB · beatB · sweetB · me
- 3 AA--BBB- goneA · goneA · thrown · farm · fireB · briarB · mireB · warm
- 4 AAABC-CB allA · allA · fallA · guileB · heC · misery · meC · awhileB
- 5 AAABCCCB wedA · wedA · saidA · durnB · nowC · howC · cowC · churnB
- 6 AAA-BBB- itA · itA · writA · unbe · blotB · rotB · notB · me
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I WOULD that folk forgot me quite, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Forgot me quite! | 4 | ˘/·· |
| I would that I could shrink from sight, | 8 | ········ |
| And no more see the sun. | 6 | ······ |
| Would it were time to say farewell, | 8 | ·······/ |
| To claim my nook, to need my knell, | 8 | ········ |
| Time for them all to stand and tell | 8 | ········ |
| Of my day’s work as done. | 6 | ······ |
| Ah! dairy where I lived so long, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I lived so long; | 4 | ···· |
| Where I would rise up stanch and strong, | 8 | ········ |
| And lie down hopefully. | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| ’Twas there within the chimney-seat | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| He watched me to the clock’s slow beat— | 8 | ········ |
| Loved me, and learnt to call me sweet, | 8 | ········ |
| And whispered words to me. | 7 | ·/˘˘··· |
| And now he’s gone; and now he’s gone; . . . | 8 | ········ |
| And now he’s gone! | 4 | ···· |
| The flowers we potted p’rhaps are thrown | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| To rot upon the farm. | 6 | ······ |
| And where we had our supper-fire | 9 | ····//˘/˘ |
| May now grow nettle, dock, and briar, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| And all the place be mould and mire | 8 | ········ |
| So cozy once and warm. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And it was I who did it all, | 8 | ········ |
| Who did it all; | 4 | ···· |
| ’Twas I who made the blow to fall | 8 | ········ |
| On him who thought no guile. | 6 | ······ |
| Well, it is finished—past, and he | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Has left me to my misery, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| And I must take my Cross on me | 8 | ········ |
| For wronging him awhile. | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| How gay we looked that day we wed, | 8 | ········ |
| That day we wed! | 4 | ···· |
| “May joy be with ye!” all o’m said | 8 | ········ |
| A standing by the durn. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| I wonder what they say o’s now, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And if they know my lot; and how | 8 | ········ |
| She feels who milks my favourite cow, | 9 | ········· |
| And takes my place at churn! | 6 | ······ |
| It wears me out to think of it, | 8 | ········ |
| To think of it; | 4 | ···· |
| I cannot bear my fate as writ, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I’d have my life unbe; | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Would turn my memory to a blot, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Make every relic of me rot, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| My doings be as they were not, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And what they’ve brought to me! | 6 | ······ |
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