Part I
“I HAVE a Love I love too wellWhere Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor;I have a Love I love too well,To whom, ere she was mine,‘Such is my love for you,’ I said,‘That you shall have to hood your headA silken kerchief crimson-red,Wove finest of the fine.’
“And since this Love, for one mad moon,On Exon Wild by Dunkery Tor,Since this my Love for one mad moonDid clasp me as her king,I snatched a silk-piece red and rareFrom off a stall at Priddy Fair,For handkerchief to hood her hairWhen we went gallanting.
“Full soon the four weeks neared their endWhere Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor;And when the four weeks neared their end,And their swift sweets outwore,I said, ‘What shall I do to ownThose beauties bright as tulips blown,And keep you here with me aloneAs mine for evermore?’
“And as she drowsed within my vanOn Exon Wild by Dunkery Tor—And as she drowsed within my van,And dawning turned to day,She heavily raised her sloe-black eyesAnd murmured back in softest wise,‘One more thing, and the charms you prizeAre yours henceforth for aye.
“‘And swear I will I’ll never goWhile Dunkery frowns on Exon MoorTo meet the Cornish Wrestler JoeFor dance and dallyings.If you’ll to yon cathedral shrine,And finger from the chest divineTreasure to buy me ear-drops fine,And richly jewelled rings.’
“I said: ‘I am one who has gathered gearFrom Marlbury Downs to Dunkery Tor,Who has gathered gear for many a yearFrom mansion, mart and fair;But at God’s house I’ve stayed my hand,Hearing within me some command—Curbed by a law not of the landFrom doing damage there.’
“Whereat she pouts, this Love of mine,As Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor,And still she pouts, this Love of mine,So cityward I go.But ere I start to do the thing,And speed my soul’s imperillingFor one who is my ravishingAnd all the joy I know,
“I come to lay this charge on thee—On Exon Wild by Dunkery Tor—I come to lay this charge on theeWith solemn speech and sign:Should things go ill, and my life payFor botchery in this rash assay,You are to take hers likewise—yea,The month the law takes mine.
“For should my rival, Wrestler Joe,Where Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor—My reckless rival, Wrestler Joe,My Love’s possessor be,My tortured spirit would not rest,But wander weary and distrestThroughout the world in wild protest:The thought nigh maddens me!”
Words in this poem
- exon n.
- A native or inhabitant of Exeter, in England. [NL., from E. Exe (Celt. uisge water) the name of a river.]
- 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,]
- wove
- p. pr. & rare vb. n. of Weave.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- wrestler n.
- One who wrestles; one who is skillful in wrestling. [AS. wræstlere.]
- mansion n.
- A dwelling place, -- whether a part or whole of a house or other shelter. [OF. mansion, F. maison, fr. L. mansio a staying, remaining, a dwelling, habitation, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell; akin to Gr. Manse, Manor, Menagerie, Men]
- mart v. t.
- To buy or sell in, or as in, a mart.
- stayed a.
- Staid; fixed; settled; sober; -- now written staid. See Staid.
- whereat adv.
- At which; upon which; whereupon; -- used relatively.
- ravishing a.
- Rapturous; transporting.
- botchery n.
- A botching, or that which is done by botching; clumsy or careless workmanship.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Part I is in the public domain. This text is taken from Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries, with Miscellaneous Pieces, Project Gutenberg ebook #2863; 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, Part I, in Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries (1914), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2863, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hardy-satires/part-i.html, id L24094.
Form and metre
Part I is 72 lines in 9 stanzas of 8 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
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 A-ABCCCB wellA · moor · wellA · mineB · saidC · headC · redC · fineB
- 2 A-ABCCCB moonA · tor · moonA · kingB · rareC · fairC · hairC · gallantingB
- 3 A-ABCCCB endA · moor · endA · outworeB · ownC · blownC · aloneC · evermoreB
- 4 A-A-BBB- vanA · tor · vanA · day · eyesB · wiseB · prizeB · aye
- 5 A-ABCCCB goA · moor · joeA · dallyingsB · shrineC · divineC · fineC · ringsB
- 6 A-ABCCCB gearA · tor · yearA · fairB · handC · commandC · landC · thereB
- 7 A-ABCCCB mineA · moor · mineA · goB · thingC · imperillingC · ravishingC · knowB
- 8 A-ABC-CB theeA · tor · theeA · signB · payC · assay · yeaC · mineB
- 9 A-ABCCCB joeA · moor · joeA · beB · restC · distrestC · protestC · meB
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 HAVE a Love I love too well | 8 | ········ |
| Where Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor; | 9 | ·······/· |
| I have a Love I love too well, | 8 | ········ |
| To whom, ere she was mine, | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Such is my love for you,’ I said, | 8 | ········ |
| ‘That you shall have to hood your head | 8 | ········ |
| A silken kerchief crimson-red, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| Wove finest of the fine.’ | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| “And since this Love, for one mad moon, | 8 | ········ |
| On Exon Wild by Dunkery Tor, | 9 | ··/······ |
| Since this my Love for one mad moon | 8 | ········ |
| Did clasp me as her king, | 6 | ······ |
| I snatched a silk-piece red and rare | 8 | ········ |
| From off a stall at Priddy Fair, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For handkerchief to hood her hair | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| When we went gallanting. | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| “Full soon the four weeks neared their end | 8 | ········ |
| Where Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor; | 9 | ·······/· |
| And when the four weeks neared their end, | 8 | ········ |
| And their swift sweets outwore, | 6 | ······ |
| I said, ‘What shall I do to own | 8 | ········ |
| Those beauties bright as tulips blown, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And keep you here with me alone | 8 | ······˘/ |
| As mine for evermore?’ | 6 | ···/˘· |
| “And as she drowsed within my van | 8 | ········ |
| On Exon Wild by Dunkery Tor— | 9 | ··/······ |
| And as she drowsed within my van, | 8 | ········ |
| And dawning turned to day, | 7 | ·/˘·˘·· |
| She heavily raised her sloe-black eyes | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And murmured back in softest wise, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| ‘One more thing, and the charms you prize | 8 | ········ |
| Are yours henceforth for aye. | 6 | ··//·· |
| “‘And swear I will I’ll never go | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| While Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor | 9 | ·······/· |
| To meet the Cornish Wrestler Joe | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| For dance and dallyings. | 5 | ····· |
| If you’ll to yon cathedral shrine, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| And finger from the chest divine | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Treasure to buy me ear-drops fine, | 8 | /˘······ |
| And richly jewelled rings.’ | 7 | ·/˘/˘˘· |
| “I said: ‘I am one who has gathered gear | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| From Marlbury Downs to Dunkery Tor, | 10 | ·········· |
| Who has gathered gear for many a year | 9 | ··/˘··/·· |
| From mansion, mart and fair; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| But at God’s house I’ve stayed my hand, | 8 | ········ |
| Hearing within me some command— | 8 | /˘····˘/ |
| Curbed by a law not of the land | 8 | ········ |
| From doing damage there.’ | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| “Whereat she pouts, this Love of mine, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| As Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor, | 9 | ·······/· |
| And still she pouts, this Love of mine, | 8 | ········ |
| So cityward I go. | 6 | ······ |
| But ere I start to do the thing, | 8 | ········ |
| And speed my soul’s imperilling | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| For one who is my ravishing | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| And all the joy I know, | 6 | ······ |
| “I come to lay this charge on thee— | 8 | ········ |
| On Exon Wild by Dunkery Tor— | 9 | ··/······ |
| I come to lay this charge on thee | 8 | ········ |
| With solemn speech and sign: | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Should things go ill, and my life pay | 8 | ········ |
| For botchery in this rash assay, | 9 | ·/˘˘···/˘ |
| You are to take hers likewise—yea, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| The month the law takes mine. | 6 | ······ |
| “For should my rival, Wrestler Joe, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Where Dunkery frowns on Exon Moor— | 9 | ·······/· |
| My reckless rival, Wrestler Joe, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| My Love’s possessor be, | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| My tortured spirit would not rest, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| But wander weary and distrest | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Throughout the world in wild protest: | 8 | ······/· |
| The thought nigh maddens me!” | 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.