On Her Opening the Strand Theatre
O Betty--I beg pardon--Fanny K.(I was just thinking of your Betty Finnikin)--Permit me this to say,In quite a friendly way--I like your theatre, though but a minnikin;For though small stages Kean dislikes to spout on,Renounce me if I don’t agree with Dowton,The Minors are the Passions’ proper schoolsFor me, I never canFind wisdom in the planThat keeps large reservoirs for little Pooles.
I like your boxes where the audience sitA family circle; and your little pit;I like your little stage, where you discussYour pleasant bill of fare,And show us passengers so rich and rare,Your little stage seems quite an omnibus.
I like exceedingly your Parthian dame,Dimly remembering dramatic codgers,The ghost of Memory--the shade of Fame!--Lord! what a housekeeper for Mr. Rogers!I like your savage, of a one-horse power;And Terence, done in Irish from the Latin;And Sally--quite a kitchen-garden flower;And Mrs. Drake, serene in sky-blue satin!I like your girl as speechless as a mummy--It shows you can play dummy!--I like your boy, deprived of every gleamOf light for ever--a benighted being!And really think--though Irish it may seem--Your blindness is worth seeing.
I like your Governess; and there’s a strikingTale of Two Brothers, that sets tears a-flowing--But I’m not goingAll through the bill to tell you of my liking.Suffice it, Fanny Kelly! with your artSo much in love, like others I have grown,I really mean myself to take a partIn “Free and Easy”--at my own bespeak--And shall three times a weekDrop in and make your pretty house my own!
Words in this poem 16
- betty n.
- Etym: [Supposed to be a cant word, from Betty, for Elizabeth, as such an instrument is also called Bess (i. e., Elizabeth) in the Canting Dictionary of 1725, and Jenny (i. e., Jane).]
- finnikin n.
- A variety of pigeon, with a crest somewhat resembling the mane of a horse.
- theatre n.
- An edifice in which dramatic performances or spectacles are exhibited for the amusement of spectators; anciently uncovered, except the stage, but in modern times roofed. [F. thé\'83tre, L. theatrum, Gr. dhya to meditate, think. Cf. Theory.]
- discuss v. t.
- To break to pieces; to shatter. Sir T. Browne. [L. discussus, p. p. of discutere to strike asunder (hence came the sense to separate mentally, distinguish); dis- + quatere to shake, strike. See Quash.]
- omnibus n.
- A long four-wheeled carriage, having seats for many people; especially, one with seats running lengthwise, used in conveying passengers short distances. [L., for all, dat. pl. from omnis all. Cf. Bus.]
- parthian a.
- Of or pertaining to ancient Parthia, in Asia.
- 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]
- dimly adv.
- In a dim or obscure manner; not brightly or clearly; with imperfect sight.
- ghost n.
- The spirit; the soul of man. [OE. gast, gost, soul, spirit, AS. gast breath, spirit, soul; akin to OS. g spirit, soul, D. geest, G. geist, and prob. to E. gaze, ghastly.]
- housekeeper n.
- One who occupies a house with his family; a householder; the master or mistress of a family.
- drake n.
- The male of the duck kind. [Akin to LG. drake, OHG. antrache, anetrecho, G. enterich, Icel. andriki, Dan. andrik, OSw. andrak, andrage, masc., and fr. AS. ened, fem., duck; akin to D. eend]
- speechless a.
- Destitute or deprived of the faculty of speech.
- dummy a.
- Silent; mute; noiseless; as a dummy engine. [See Dumb.]
- suffice v. i.
- To be enough, or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be equal to the end proposed; to be adequate. [OE. suffisen, OF. soufire, F. suffire (cf. suffisant, p.pr.), L. sufficere to put under, to substitute, to avail for, to suffice; sub under + facere to make. Se]
- bespeak v. t.
- To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor. [OE. bispeken, AS. besprecan, to speak to, accuse; pref. be- + sprecan to speak. See Speak.]
- 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,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On Her Opening the Strand Theatre is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Comic Poems of Thomas Hood A New and Complete Edition, Project Gutenberg ebook #56712; 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 Hood, On Her Opening the Strand Theatre, in Poems (1827–1845), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #56712, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hood-poems/on-her-opening-the-strand-theatre.html, id L06769.
Form and metre
On Her Opening the Strand Theatre is 41 lines in 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.2 syllables. 11 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 27% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 ABAAB--CDDC kA · finnikinB · sayA · wayA · minnikinB · on · dowton · schoolsC · canD · planD · poolesC
- 2 AABCCB sitA · pitA · discussB · fareC · rareC · omnibusB
- 3 ABABCDCDEEFGFG dameA · codgersB · fameA · rogersB · powerC · latinD · flowerC · satinD · mummyE · dummyE · gleamF · beingG · seemF · seeingG
- 4 ABBACDCEED strikingA · flowingB · goingB · likingA · artC · grownD · partC · bespeakE · weekE · ownD
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| O Betty--I beg pardon--Fanny K. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| (I was just thinking of your Betty Finnikin)-- | 12 | ···/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| Permit me this to say, | 6 | ˘/···· |
| In quite a friendly way-- | 6 | ···/˘· |
| I like your theatre, though but a minnikin; | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| For though small stages Kean dislikes to spout on, | 11 | ···/˘·˘/··· |
| Renounce me if I don’t agree with Dowton, | 11 | ˘/····˘/··· |
| The Minors are the Passions’ proper schools | 9 | ·/··/˘/˘· |
| For me, I never can | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Find wisdom in the plan | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| That keeps large reservoirs for little Pooles. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| I like your boxes where the audience sit | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| A family circle; and your little pit; | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| I like your little stage, where you discuss | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Your pleasant bill of fare, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And show us passengers so rich and rare, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Your little stage seems quite an omnibus. | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| I like exceedingly your Parthian dame, | 9 | ··˘/˘·/˘· |
| Dimly remembering dramatic codgers, | 10 | /˘˘/˘˘/˘·· |
| The ghost of Memory--the shade of Fame!-- | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Lord! what a housekeeper for Mr. Rogers! | 11 | ···/·˘·/˘/˘ |
| I like your savage, of a one-horse power; | 10 | ···/˘····/ |
| And Terence, done in Irish from the Latin; | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| And Sally--quite a kitchen-garden flower; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘/ |
| And Mrs. Drake, serene in sky-blue satin! | 11 | ·/˘·˘/···/˘ |
| I like your girl as speechless as a mummy-- | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| It shows you can play dummy!-- | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| I like your boy, deprived of every gleam | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| Of light for ever--a benighted being! | 9 | ···/·˘/˘/ |
| And really think--though Irish it may seem-- | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Your blindness is worth seeing. | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| I like your Governess; and there’s a striking | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| Tale of Two Brothers, that sets tears a-flowing-- | 10 | ···/˘····/ |
| But I’m not going | 5 | ···/˘ |
| All through the bill to tell you of my liking. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Suffice it, Fanny Kelly! with your art | 10 | ˘/·/˘/˘··· |
| So much in love, like others I have grown, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I really mean myself to take a part | 10 | ·/˘··/···· |
| In “Free and Easy”--at my own bespeak-- | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| And shall three times a week | 6 | ······ |
| Drop in and make your pretty house my own! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
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