Lines Written in a Young Lady's Album
A pretty task, Miss S----, to askA Benedictine pen,That cannot quite at freedom writeLike those of other men.
No lover's plaint my muse must paintTo fill this page's span,But be correct and recollectI'm not a single man.
Pray only think, for pen and inkHow hard to get along,That may not turn on words that burnOr Love, the life of song!
Nine Muses, if I chooses, IMay woo all in a clan,But one Miss S---- I daren't address--I'm not a single man.
Scribblers unwed, with little headMay eke it out with heart,And in their lays it often playsA rare first-fiddle part.
They make a kiss to rhyme with bliss,But if I so began,I have my fears about my ears--I'm not a single man.
Upon your cheek I may not speak,Nor on your lip be warm,I must be wise about your eyes,And formal with your form;
Of all that sort of thing, in short,On T.H. Bayly's plan,I must not twine a single line--I'm not a single man.
A watchman's part compels my heartTo keep you off its beat,And I might dare as soon to swearAt you, as at your feet.
I can't expire in passion's fireAs other poets can--My life (she's by) won't let me die--I'm not a single man.
Shut out from love, denied a dove,Forbidden bow and dart,Without a groan to call my own,With neither hand nor heart;
To Hymen vow'd, and not allow'dTo flirt e'en with your fan,Here end, as just a friend, I must--I'm not a single man.
Words in this poem
- benedictine a.
- Pertaining to the monks of St. Benedict, or St. Benet.
- plaint n.
- Audible expression of sorrow; lamentation; complaint; hence, a mournful song; a lament. Chaucer."The Psalmist's mournful plaint." [OE. plainte, pleynte, F. plainte, fr. L. plangere, planctum (plancta, fem. p.p.), to beat, beat the breast, lament. Cf. Complain, Plague, Plangent.]
- recollect v. t.
- To recover or recall the knowledge of; to bring back to the mind or memory; to remember. [Pref. re- + collect: cf. L. recolligere, recollectum, to collect. Cf. Recollet.]
- hymen n.
- A fold of muscous membrane often found at the orifice of the vagina; the vaginal membrane.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Lines Written in a Young Lady's Album is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood, Project Gutenberg ebook #15652; 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, Lines Written in a Young Lady's Album, in The Song of the Shirt, and Other Poems (1826–1845), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #15652, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hood-poetical-works/lines-written-in-a-young-lady-s-album.html, id L20152.
Form and metre
Lines Written in a Young Lady's Album is 48 lines in 12 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 95%).
See other poems in common measure.
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-A ask · penA · write · menA
- 2 -A-A paint · spanA · recollect · manA
- 3 -A-A ink · alongA · burn · songA
- 4 -A-A i · clanA · address · manA
- 5 -A-A head · heartA · plays · partA
- 6 -A-A bliss · beganA · ears · manA
- 7 -A-A speak · warmA · eyes · formA
- 8 -A-A short · planA · line · manA
- 9 -A-A heart · beatA · swear · feetA
- 10 -A-A fire · canA · die · manA
- 11 -A-A dove · dartA · own · heartA
- 12 -A-A allow'd · fanA · must · manA
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 common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| A pretty task, Miss S----, to ask | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| A Benedictine pen, | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| That cannot quite at freedom write | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Like those of other men. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| No lover's plaint my muse must paint | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| To fill this page's span, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| But be correct and recollect | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| I'm not a single man. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Pray only think, for pen and ink | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| How hard to get along, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| That may not turn on words that burn | 8 | ········ |
| Or Love, the life of song! | 6 | ······ |
| Nine Muses, if I chooses, I | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| May woo all in a clan, | 6 | ······ |
| But one Miss S---- I daren't address-- | 9 | ·······/· |
| I'm not a single man. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Scribblers unwed, with little head | 8 | /˘˘/·/˘· |
| May eke it out with heart, | 6 | ······ |
| And in their lays it often plays | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A rare first-fiddle part. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| They make a kiss to rhyme with bliss, | 8 | ········ |
| But if I so began, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| I have my fears about my ears-- | 8 | ········ |
| I'm not a single man. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Upon your cheek I may not speak, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor on your lip be warm, | 6 | ······ |
| I must be wise about your eyes, | 8 | ········ |
| And formal with your form; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Of all that sort of thing, in short, | 8 | ········ |
| On T.H. Bayly's plan, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| I must not twine a single line-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I'm not a single man. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| A watchman's part compels my heart | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| To keep you off its beat, | 6 | ······ |
| And I might dare as soon to swear | 8 | ········ |
| At you, as at your feet. | 6 | ······ |
| I can't expire in passion's fire | 9 | ··˘/·/˘/˘ |
| As other poets can-- | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| My life (she's by) won't let me die-- | 8 | ········ |
| I'm not a single man. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Shut out from love, denied a dove, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Forbidden bow and dart, | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| Without a groan to call my own, | 8 | ········ |
| With neither hand nor heart; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| To Hymen vow'd, and not allow'd | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| To flirt e'en with your fan, | 6 | ······ |
| Here end, as just a friend, I must-- | 8 | ········ |
| I'm not a single man. | 6 | ···/˘· |
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