Laurel · Thomas Hood · The Song of the Shirt, and Other Poems

Part III

Thomas Hood (1799–1845) · 1826–1845

iambic pentameter · ABAB · 124 lines · from The Song of the Shirt, and Other Poems

'Tis hard for human actions to account,Whether from reason or from impulse only--But some internal prompting bade me mountThe gloomy stairs and lonely.

Those gloomy stairs, so dark, and damp, and cold,With odors as from bones and relics carnal,Deprived of rite, and consecrated mould,The chapel vault, or charnel.

Those dreary stairs, where with the sounding stressOf ev'ry step so many echoes blended,The mind, with dark misgivings, fear'd to guessHow many feet ascended.

The tempest with its spoils had drifted in,Till each unwholesome stone was darkly spotted,As thickly as the leopard's dappled skin,With leaves that rankly rotted.

The air was thick--and in the upper gloomThe bat--or something in its shape--was winging;And on the wall, as chilly as a tomb,The Death's-Head moth was clinging.

That mystic moth, which, with a sense profoundOf all unholy presence, augurs truly;And with a grim significance flits roundThe taper burning bluely.

Such omens in the place there seem'd to be,At ev'ry crooked turn, or on the landing,The straining eyeball was prepared to seeSome Apparition standing.

For over all there hung a cloud of fear,A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,And said, as plain as whisper in the ear,The place is Haunted!

Yet no portentous Shape the sight amazed;Each object plain, and tangible, and valid;But from their tarnish'd frames dark Figures gazed,And Faces spectre-pallid.

Not merely with the mimic life that liesWithin the compass of Art's simulation;Their souls were looking thro' their painted eyesWith awful speculation.

On ev'ry lip a speechless horror dwelt;On ev'ry brow the burthen of affliction;The old Ancestral Spirits knew and feltThe House's malediction.

Such earnest woe their features overcast,They might have stirr'd, or sigh'd, or wept, or spoken;But, save the hollow moaning of the blast,The stillness was unbroken.

No other sound or stir of life was there,Except my steps in solitary clamber,From flight to flight, from humid stair to stair,From chamber into chamber.

Deserted rooms of luxury and state,That old magnificence had richly furnish'dWith pictures, cabinets of ancient date,And carvings gilt and burnish'd.

Rich hangings, storied by the needle's artWith scripture history, or classic fable;But all had faded, save one ragged part,Where Cain was slaying Abel.

The silent waste of mildew and the mothHad marr'd the tissue with a partial ravage;But undecaying frown'd upon the clothEach feature stern and savage.

The sky was pale; the cloud a thing of doubt;Some hues were fresh, and some decay'd and duller;But still the BLOODY HAND shone strangely outWith vehemence of color!

The BLOODY HAND that with a lurid stainShone on the dusty floor, a dismal token,Projected from the casement's painted pane,Where all beside was broken.

The BLOODY HAND significant of crime,That glaring on the old heraldic banner,Had kept its crimson unimpair'd by time,In such a wondrous manner!

O'er all there hung the shadow of a fear,A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,And said, as plain as whisper in the ear,The place is Haunted!

The Death Watch tick'd behind the panel'd oak,Inexplicable tremors shook the arras,And echoes strange and mystical awoke,The fancy to embarrass.

Prophetic hints that filled the soul with dread,But thro' one gloomy entrance pointing mostly,The while some secret inspiration said,That Chamber is the Ghostly!

Across the door no gossamer festoonSwung pendulous--no web--no dusty fringes,No silky chrysalis or white cocoonAbout its nooks and hinges.

The spider shunn'd the interdicted room,The moth, the beetle, and the fly were banish'd,And where the sunbeam fell athwart the gloomThe very midge had vanish'd.

One lonely ray that glanced upon a Bed,As if with awful aim direct and certainTo show the BLOODY HAND in burning redEmbroider'd on the curtain.

And yet no gory stain was on the quilt--The pillow in its place had slowly rotted;The floor alone retain'd the trace of guilt,Those boards obscurely spotted.

Obscurely spotted to the door, and thenceWith mazy doubles to the grated casement--Oh what a tale they told of fear intense,Of horror and amazement!

What human creature in the dead of nightHad coursed like hunted hare that cruel distance?Had sought the door, the window in his flight,Striving for dear existence?

What shrieking Spirit in that bloody roomIts mortal frame had violently quitted?--Across the sunbeam, with a sudden gloom,A ghostly Shadow flitted.

Across the sunbeam, and along the wall,But painted on the air so very dimly,It hardly veil'd the tapestry at all,Or portrait frowning grimly.

O'er all there hung the shadow of a fear,A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,And said, as plain as whisper in the ear,The place is Haunted!

Words in this poem 43

bade: A form of the pat tense of Bid.
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]
dreary a.: Sorrowful; distressful. [OE. dreori, dreri, AS. dreórig, sad; akin to G. traurig, and prob. to AS. dreósan to fall, Goth. driusan. Cf. Dross, Drear, Drizzle, Drowse.]
dappled a.: Marked with spots of different shades of color; spotted; variegated; as, a dapple horse.
rankly adv.: With rank or vigorous growth; luxuriantly; hence, coarsely; grossly; as, weeds grow rankly.
unholy a.: Not holy; unhallowed; not consecrated; hence, profane; wicked; impious.
bluely adv.: With a blue color.
haunted a.: Inhabited by, or subject to the visits of, apparitions; frequented by a ghost.
portentous a.: Of the nature of a portent; containing portents; foreschadowing, esp. foreschadowing ill; ominous. [L. portentosus.]
valid a.: Strong; powerful; efficient. [F. valide, F. validus strong, from valere to be strong. See Valiant.]
spectre n.: Something preternaturally visible; an apparition; a ghost; a phantom. [F. spectre, fr. L. spectrum an appearance, image, specter, fr. specere to look. See Spy, and cf. Spectrum.]
simulation n.: The act of simulating, or assuming an appearance which is feigned, or not true; -- distinguished from dissimulation, which disguises or conceals what is true. [F. simulation, L. simulatio.]
speculation n.: The act of speculating. Specifically: -- (a) Examination by the eye; view. [L. speculatio a spying out, observation: cf. F. spéculation.]
speechless a.: Destitute or deprived of the faculty of speech.
malediction n.: A proclaiming of evil against some one; a cursing; imprecation; a curse or execration; -- opposed to benediction. [L. maledictio: cf. F. malédiction. See Maledicent.]
overcast v. t.: To cast or cover over; hence, to cloud; to darken.
stillness n.: The quality or state of being still; quietness; silence; calmness; inactivity.
clamber v. i.: To climb with difficulty, or with hands and feet; -- also used figuratively. [OE clambren, clameren, to heap together, climb; akin to Icel. klambra to clamp, G. klammern. Cf. Clamp, Climb.]
magnificence n.: The act of doing what magnificent; the state or quality of being magnificent. Acts xix. 27. [F. magnificence, L. magnificentia. See Magnific.]
storied a.: Told in a story. [From Story.]
classic a.: Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. [L. classicus relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis class: cf. F. clas]
mildew n.: A growth of minute powdery or webby fungi, whitish or of different colors, found on various diseased or decaying substances. [AS. meledeáw; akin to OHG. militou, G. mehlthau, mehltau; prob. orig. meaning, honeydew; cf. Goth. milip honey. See Mellifluous, and Dew.]
duller n.: One who, or that which, dulls.
strangely adv.: As something foreign, or not one's own; in a manner adapted to something foreign and strange.
lurid a.: Pale yellow; ghastly pale; wan; gloomy; dismal. [L. luridus.]
dismal a.: Fatal; ill-omened; unlucky. [Formerly a noun; e. g., "I trow it was in the dismalle." Chaucer. Of uncertain origin; but perh. (as suggested by Skeat) from OF. disme, F. dîme, tithe, the phr]
pane n.: The narrow edge of a hammer head. See Peen. [F. panne.]
glaring a.: Clear; notorious; open and bold; barefaced; as, a glaring crime.
wondrous adv.: In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
shook v. t.: To pack, as staves, in a shook.
arras n.: Tapestry; a rich figured fabric; especially, a screen or hangings of heavy cloth with interwoven figures. [From Arras the capital of Artois, in the French Netherlands.]
ghostly a.: Relating to the soul; not carnal or secular; spiritual; as, a ghostly confessor. [OE. gastlich, gostlich, AS. gastlic. See Ghost.]
gossamer n.: A fine, filmy substance, like cobwebs, floating in the air, in calm, clear weather, especially in autumn. It is seen in stubble fields and on furze or low bushes, and is formed by small spiders. [OE. gossomer, gossummer, gosesomer, perh. for goose summer, from its downy appearance, or perh. for God's summer, cf. G. mariengarr gossamer, properly Mary's ya]
festoon n.: A garland or wreath hanging in a depending curve, used in decoration for festivals, etc.; anything arranged in this way. [F. feston (cf. Sp. feston, It. festone), prob. fr. L. festum festival. See Feast.]
sunbeam n.: A beam or ray of the sun. [AS. sunnebeam.]
midge n.: Any one of many small, delicate, long-legged flies of the Chironomus, and allied genera, which do not bite. Their larvæ are usually aquatic.
gory a.: Covered with gore or clotted blood. [From Gore.]
grated a.: Furnished with a grate or grating; as, grated windows. [From 2d Grate.]
casement n.: A window sash opening on hinges affixed to the upright side of the frame into which it is fitted. (Poetically) A window. [Shortened fr. encasement. See Incase 1st Case, and cf. Incasement.]
amazement n.: The condition of being amazed; bewilderment ; overwhelming wonder, as from surprise, sudden fear, horror, or admiration.
coursed a.: Hunted; as, a coursed hare.
dimly adv.: In a dim or obscure manner; not brightly or clearly; with imperfect sight.
grimly a.: Grim; hideous; stern.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Part III 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, Part III, 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/part-iii-2.html, id L20113.

Form and metre

Part III is 124 lines in 31 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 28 of its 31 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 94%).

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 ABAB account^A · only^B · mount^A · lonely^B
2 ABAB cold^A · carnal^B · mould^A · charnel^B
3 ABAB stress^A · blended^B · guess^A · ascended^B
4 ABAB in^A · spotted^B · skin^A · rotted^B
5 ABAB gloom^A · winging^B · tomb^A · clinging^B
6 A-A- profound^A · truly · round^A · bluely
7 ABAB be^A · landing^B · see^A · standing^B
8 ABAB fear^A · daunted^B · ear^A · haunted^B
9 ABAB amazed^A · valid^B · gazed^A · pallid^B
10 ABAB lies^A · simulation^B · eyes^A · speculation^B
11 ABAB dwelt^A · affliction^B · felt^A · malediction^B
12 ABAB overcast^A · spoken^B · blast^A · unbroken^B
13 A-A- there^A · clamber · stair^A · chamber
14 ABAB state^A · furnish'd^B · date^A · burnish'd^B
15 ABAB art^A · fable^B · part^A · abel^B
16 ABAB moth^A · ravage^B · cloth^A · savage^B
17 ABAB doubt^A · duller^B · out^A · color^B
18 ABAB stain^A · token^B · pane^A · broken^B
19 ABAB crime^A · banner^B · time^A · manner^B
20 ABAB fear^A · daunted^B · ear^A · haunted^B
21 A-A- oak^A · arras · awoke^A · embarrass
22 ABAB dread^A · mostly^B · said^A · ghostly^B
23 ABAB festoon^A · fringes^B · cocoon^A · hinges^B
24 ABAB room^A · banish'd^B · gloom^A · vanish'd^B
25 ABAB bed^A · certain^B · red^A · curtain^B
26 ABAB quilt^A · rotted^B · guilt^A · spotted^B
27 ABAB thence^A · casement^B · intense^A · amazement^B
28 ABAB night^A · distance^B · flight^A · existence^B
29 ABAB room^A · quitted^B · gloom^A · flitted^B
30 ABAB wall^A · dimly^B · all^A · grimly^B
31 ABAB fear^A · daunted^B · ear^A · haunted^B

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
'Tis hard for human actions to account,	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
Whether from reason or from impulse only--	11	···/˘··/˘/˘
But some internal prompting bade me mount	10	··˘/˘/˘···
The gloomy stairs and lonely.	7	·/˘··/˘
Those gloomy stairs, so dark, and damp, and cold,	10	·/˘·······
With odors as from bones and relics carnal,	11	·/˘····/˘/˘
Deprived of rite, and consecrated mould,	10	˘/···/˘·˘·
The chapel vault, or charnel.	7	·/˘··/˘
Those dreary stairs, where with the sounding stress	10	·/˘····/˘·
Of ev'ry step so many echoes blended,	11	·····/˘/˘/˘
The mind, with dark misgivings, fear'd to guess	10	····˘/˘···
How many feet ascended.	7	·/˘·˘/˘
The tempest with its spoils had drifted in,	10	·/˘····/˘·
Till each unwholesome stone was darkly spotted,	12	········/˘/˘
As thickly as the leopard's dappled skin,	10	·/˘··/˘·˘·
With leaves that rankly rotted.	7	···/˘/˘
The air was thick--and in the upper gloom	10	·······/˘·
The bat--or something in its shape--was winging;	11	···/˘····/˘
And on the wall, as chilly as a tomb,	10	·····/˘···
The Death's-Head moth was clinging.	7	·····/˘
That mystic moth, which, with a sense profound	10	·/˘·····˘/
Of all unholy presence, augurs truly;	11	··˘/˘/˘/˘/˘
And with a grim significance flits round	10	····˘/˘˘··
The taper burning bluely.	7	·/˘/˘/˘
Such omens in the place there seem'd to be,	10	·/˘·······
At ev'ry crooked turn, or on the landing,	11	···/˘····/˘
The straining eyeball was prepared to see	10	·/˘/··˘/··
Some Apparition standing.	7	··˘/˘/˘
For over all there hung a cloud of fear,	10	··········
A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,	11	···/˘˘·/˘/˘
And said, as plain as whisper in the ear,	10	·····/˘···
The place is Haunted!	5	···/˘
Yet no portentous Shape the sight amazed;	10	··˘/˘···˘/
Each object plain, and tangible, and valid;	11	·/˘··/˘˘·/˘
But from their tarnish'd frames dark Figures gazed,	10	···/˘··/˘·
And Faces spectre-pallid.	7	·/˘/˘/˘
Not merely with the mimic life that lies	10	·/˘··/˘···
Within the compass of Art's simulation;	11	···/˘···˘/˘
Their souls were looking thro' their painted eyes	10	···/˘··/˘·
With awful speculation.	7	·/˘·˘/˘
On ev'ry lip a speechless horror dwelt;	10	·····/˘/˘·
On ev'ry brow the burthen of affliction;	11	·····/˘·˘/˘
The old Ancestral Spirits knew and felt	10	··˘/˘/˘···
The House's malediction.	7	·/˘····
Such earnest woe their features overcast,	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
They might have stirr'd, or sigh'd, or wept, or spoken;	11	·········/˘
But, save the hollow moaning of the blast,	10	···/˘/˘···
The stillness was unbroken.	7	·/˘·˘/˘
No other sound or stir of life was there,	10	·/˘·······
Except my steps in solitary clamber,	11	·····/˘·˘/˘
From flight to flight, from humid stair to stair,	10	·····/˘···
From chamber into chamber.	7	·/˘··/˘
Deserted rooms of luxury and state,	10	˘/˘··/˘˘··
That old magnificence had richly furnish'd	11	··˘/˘˘·/˘/˘
With pictures, cabinets of ancient date,	10	·/˘/˘˘·/˘·
And carvings gilt and burnish'd.	7	·/˘··/˘
Rich hangings, storied by the needle's art	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
With scripture history, or classic fable;	11	·/˘/˘˘·/˘/˘
But all had faded, save one ragged part,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Where Cain was slaying Abel.	7	···/˘/˘
The silent waste of mildew and the moth	10	·/˘··/····
Had marr'd the tissue with a partial ravage;	11	···/···/˘/˘
But undecaying frown'd upon the cloth	9	·········
Each feature stern and savage.	7	·/˘··/˘
The sky was pale; the cloud a thing of doubt;	10	··········
Some hues were fresh, and some decay'd and duller;	11	······˘/·/˘
But still the BLOODY HAND shone strangely out	10	···/˘··/˘·
With vehemence of color!	7	·/˘˘·/˘
The BLOODY HAND that with a lurid stain	10	·/˘····/˘·
Shone on the dusty floor, a dismal token,	11	···/˘··/˘/˘
Projected from the casement's painted pane,	11	˘/˘·····/˘·
Where all beside was broken.	7	··˘/·/˘
The BLOODY HAND significant of crime,	10	·/˘·˘/˘˘··
That glaring on the old heraldic banner,	11	·/˘···˘/˘/˘
Had kept its crimson unimpair'd by time,	10	···/˘·˘/··
In such a wondrous manner!	7	···/˘/˘
O'er all there hung the shadow of a fear,	10	·····/····
A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,	11	···/˘˘·/˘/˘
And said, as plain as whisper in the ear,	10	·····/˘···
The place is Haunted!	5	···/˘
The Death Watch tick'd behind the panel'd oak,	10	·······/˘·
Inexplicable tremors shook the arras,	11	·˘/˘˘/˘··/˘
And echoes strange and mystical awoke,	10	·/˘··/˘˘˘/
The fancy to embarrass.	7	·/˘·˘/˘
Prophetic hints that filled the soul with dread,	10	˘/˘·······
But thro' one gloomy entrance pointing mostly,	11	···/˘/˘/˘/˘
The while some secret inspiration said,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
That Chamber is the Ghostly!	7	·/˘··/˘
Across the door no gossamer festoon	10	˘/···/˘˘·/
Swung pendulous--no web--no dusty fringes,	11	·/˘˘···/˘/˘
No silky chrysalis or white cocoon	10	·/˘/˘˘··˘/
About its nooks and hinges.	7	·····/˘
The spider shunn'd the interdicted room,	10	·/˘··/˘·˘·
The moth, the beetle, and the fly were banish'd,	11	···/˘····/˘
And where the sunbeam fell athwart the gloom	10	···/··˘/··
The very midge had vanish'd.	7	·/˘··/˘
One lonely ray that glanced upon a Bed,	10	·/˘·······
As if with awful aim direct and certain	11	···/˘·˘/·/˘
To show the BLOODY HAND in burning red	10	···/˘··/˘·
Embroider'd on the curtain.	7	˘/˘··/˘
And yet no gory stain was on the quilt--	10	···/˘·····
The pillow in its place had slowly rotted;	11	·/˘····/˘/˘
The floor alone retain'd the trace of guilt,	10	··˘/˘/····
Those boards obscurely spotted.	7	··˘/˘/˘
Obscurely spotted to the door, and thence	10	˘/˘/˘·····
With mazy doubles to the grated casement--	11	·/˘/˘··/˘/˘
Oh what a tale they told of fear intense,	10	········˘/
Of horror and amazement!	7	·/˘·˘/˘
What human creature in the dead of night	10	·/˘/˘·····
Had coursed like hunted hare that cruel distance?	11	···/˘··/˘/˘
Had sought the door, the window in his flight,	10	·····/˘···
Striving for dear existence?	7	/˘··˘/˘
What shrieking Spirit in that bloody room	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Its mortal frame had violently quitted?--	11	·/˘··/˘˘˘/˘
Across the sunbeam, with a sudden gloom,	10	˘/·/···/˘·
A ghostly Shadow flitted.	7	·/˘/·/˘
Across the sunbeam, and along the wall,	10	˘/·/··˘/··
But painted on the air so very dimly,	11	·/˘····/˘/˘
It hardly veil'd the tapestry at all,	10	·/˘··/˘˘··
Or portrait frowning grimly.	7	·/˘/˘/˘
O'er all there hung the shadow of a fear,	10	·····/····
A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,	11	···/˘˘·/˘/˘
And said, as plain as whisper in the ear,	10	·····/˘···
The place is Haunted!	5	···/˘

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.

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