Absence of Mind
They paused just at the crossing’s brink.Said she, “We must turn back, I think.”She eyes the mud. He sees her shrink,Yet does not falter,But recollects with fatal tactThat cloak upon his arm--in fact,Resolves to do the courtly actOf good Sir Walter.
Why is it that she makes no sound,Staring aghast as on the groundHe lays the cloak with bow profound?Her utterance chokes her.She stands as petrified, until,Her voice regained, in accents chillShe gasps, “I’ll thank you if you willPick up my cloak, sir!”
“You are old, ‘Father World,’” cried the Graduate,“But for one of your age and size,I feel it is only my duty to stateYou are not uncommonly wise.”
“I am aged,” replied Father World, “it is true.And not very wise I agree.Do you think tho’ it’s fair for a scholar like youTo abuse an old fossil like me?”
Said the youth, “I refer not to college degrees,Nor dates that one crams in his skull,I complain not because you are lacking in these,But because you’re so awfully dull!
“I have studied you now I should think more or lessFor twenty-one years, and I knowYou right through and through, and I can but confessYou are really confoundedly slow.”
Said the world, “My dear sir, you are right, there’s no crimeLike dullness--henceforth I will tryTo be clever--forgive me! I’m taking your time,Perhaps we’ll meet later! Good-bye!”
Words in this poem
- brink n.
- The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. [Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity, hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.]
- falter v. t.
- To thrash in the chaff; also, to cleanse or sift, as barley.
- tact n.
- The sense of touch; feeling. [L. tactus a touching, touch, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tact. See Tangent.]
- courtly a.
- Relating or belonging to a court. [From Court.]
- walter v. i.
- To roll or wallow; to welter. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] [See Welter.]
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- awfully adv.
- In an awful manner; in a manner to fill with terror or awe; fearfully; reverently.
- confoundedly adv.
- Extremely; odiously; detestably.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Absence of Mind is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Bashful Earthquake, & Other Fables and Verses, Project Gutenberg ebook #56765; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Oliver Herford, Absence of Mind, in The Bashful Earthquake, and Other Fables and Verses (1898), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #56765, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/herford-bashful-earthquake/absence-of-mind.html, id L22107.
Form and metre
Absence of Mind is 36 lines in 7 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 5 of its 7 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 76%).
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 brinkA · thinkA · shrinkA · falterB · tactC · factC · actC · walterB
- 2 AAABCCCB soundA · groundA · profoundA · herB · untilC · chillC · willC · sirB
- 3 ABAB graduateA · sizeB · stateA · wiseB
- 4 ABAB trueA · agreeB · youA · meB
- 5 ABAB degreesA · skullB · theseA · dullB
- 6 ABAB lessA · knowB · confessA · slowB
- 7 ABAB crimeA · tryB · timeA · byeB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| They paused just at the crossing’s brink. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Said she, “We must turn back, I think.” | 8 | ········ |
| She eyes the mud. He sees her shrink, | 8 | ········ |
| Yet does not falter, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| But recollects with fatal tact | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| That cloak upon his arm--in fact, | 8 | ········ |
| Resolves to do the courtly act | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Of good Sir Walter. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Why is it that she makes no sound, | 8 | ········ |
| Staring aghast as on the ground | 8 | /˘˘/···· |
| He lays the cloak with bow profound? | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Her utterance chokes her. | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| She stands as petrified, until, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Her voice regained, in accents chill | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| She gasps, “I’ll thank you if you will | 8 | ········ |
| Pick up my cloak, sir!” | 5 | ····· |
| “You are old, ‘Father World,’” cried the Graduate, | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| “But for one of your age and size, | 8 | ········ |
| I feel it is only my duty to state | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| You are not uncommonly wise.” | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| “I am aged,” replied Father World, “it is true. | 11 | ···˘//˘···· |
| And not very wise I agree. | 8 | ··/˘··˘/ |
| Do you think tho’ it’s fair for a scholar like you | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| To abuse an old fossil like me?” | 9 | ·˘/··/˘·· |
| Said the youth, “I refer not to college degrees, | 12 | ····˘/··/˘˘/ |
| Nor dates that one crams in his skull, | 8 | ········ |
| I complain not because you are lacking in these, | 12 | ·˘/·····/˘·· |
| But because you’re so awfully dull! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| “I have studied you now I should think more or less | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| For twenty-one years, and I know | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| You right through and through, and I can but confess | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| You are really confoundedly slow.” | 9 | ··/˘˘/˘˘· |
| Said the world, “My dear sir, you are right, there’s no crime | 12 | ············ |
| Like dullness--henceforth I will try | 8 | ·/˘//··· |
| To be clever--forgive me! I’m taking your time, | 12 | ··/˘˘/··/˘·· |
| Perhaps we’ll meet later! Good-bye!” | 8 | ˘/··/˘·· |
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.