The End O’t
There’s a fine braw thistle that lifts its croonBy the river-bank whaur the ashes stand,An’ the swirl o’ water comes whisp’rin’ doonPast birk an’ bramble an’ grazin’ land.But simmer’s flittit an’ time’s no heedin’A feckless lass nor a pridefu’ flow’r;The dark to hide me’s the grace I’m needin’,An’ the thistle’s seedin’An’ my day’s owre.
I redd the hoose an’ I meat the hens(Oh, it’s ill to wark when ye daurna tire!)An’ what’ll I get when my mither kensIt’s niver a maiden that biggs her fire?I mind my pray’rs, but I’m feared to say them,I hide my een, for they’re greetin’ fast,What though I blind them--for wha wad hae them?The licht’s ga’en frae themAn’ my day’s past.
Oh, wha tak’s tent for a fadin’ cheek?No him, I’se warrant, that gar’d it fade!There’s little love for a lass to seekWhen the coortin’s through an’ the price is paid.Oh, aince forgotten’s forgotten fairly,An’ heavy endit what’s licht begun,But God forgie ye an’ keep ye, Chairlie,For the nicht’s fa’en airlyAn’ my day’s done!
Words in this poem
- braw a.
- Well-dressed; handsome; smart; brave; -- used of persons or their clothing, etc.; as, a braw lad.
- croon v. i.
- To make a continuous hollow moan, as cattle do when in pain.
- swirl v. t.
- To whirl, or cause to whirl, as in an eddy. [Akin to Norw. svirla to whirl, freq. of sverra to whirl, Dan. svirre, G. schwirren to whiz, to buzz. *177. See Swarm, n.]
- birk n.
- A small European minnow (Leuciscus phoxinus).
- bramble n.
- Any plant of the genus Rubus, including the raspberry and blackberry. Hence: Any rough, prickly shrub. [OE. brembil, AS.brbramal), fr. the same root as E. broom, As. br. See Broom.]
- simmer v. i.
- To boil gently, or with a gentle hissing; to begin to boil. [Prov. E. also simper; -- an onomatopoetic word.]
- feckless a.
- Spiritless; weak; worthless. [Perh. a corruption of effectless.]
- lass n.
- A youth woman; a girl; a sweetheart. [OE. lasse; prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. llodes girl, fem. of llawd lad. (Lad a youth.]
- redd
- . imp. & p. p. of Read.
- wark n.
- Work; a building. [See Work.]
- fairly adv.
- In a fairmanner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The End O’t is in the public domain. This text is taken from Bonnie Joann, and other poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #69484; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Violet Jacob, The End O’t, in Bonnie Joann, and Other Poems (1921), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #69484, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/jacob-bonnie-joann/the-end-o-t.html, id L21940.
Form and metre
The End O’t is 27 lines in 3 stanzas of 9 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABABCDCCD. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 75%).
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 ABABCDCCD croonA · standB · doonA · landB · heedinC · flow'rD · needinC · seedinC · owreD
- 2 ABABCDCCD hensA · tireB · kensA · fireB · themC · fastD · themC · themC · pastD
- 3 ABABCDCCD cheekA · fadeB · seekA · paidB · fairlyC · begunD · chairlieC · airlyC · doneD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| There’s a fine braw thistle that lifts its croon | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| By the river-bank whaur the ashes stand, | 10 | ··/˘···/˘· |
| An’ the swirl o’ water comes whisp’rin’ doon | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| Past birk an’ bramble an’ grazin’ land. | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| But simmer’s flittit an’ time’s no heedin’ | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| A feckless lass nor a pridefu’ flow’r; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The dark to hide me’s the grace I’m needin’, | 10 | ·········· |
| An’ the thistle’s seedin’ | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| An’ my day’s owre. | 4 | ···· |
| I redd the hoose an’ I meat the hens | 9 | ········· |
| (Oh, it’s ill to wark when ye daurna tire!) | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| An’ what’ll I get when my mither kens | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| It’s niver a maiden that biggs her fire? | 11 | ·/˘·/˘···/˘ |
| I mind my pray’rs, but I’m feared to say them, | 10 | ·········· |
| I hide my een, for they’re greetin’ fast, | 9 | ········· |
| What though I blind them--for wha wad hae them? | 10 | ·········· |
| The licht’s ga’en frae them | 5 | ····· |
| An’ my day’s past. | 4 | ···· |
| Oh, wha tak’s tent for a fadin’ cheek? | 9 | ········· |
| No him, I’se warrant, that gar’d it fade! | 10 | ···/˘·/˘·· |
| There’s little love for a lass to seek | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| When the coortin’s through an’ the price is paid. | 10 | ·········· |
| Oh, aince forgotten’s forgotten fairly, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘/˘/˘ |
| An’ heavy endit what’s licht begun, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| But God forgie ye an’ keep ye, Chairlie, | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| For the nicht’s fa’en airly | 6 | ······ |
| An’ my day’s done! | 4 | ···· |
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