Laurel · James Weldon Johnson · Fifty Years and Other Poems

The Rivals

James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) · 1917

trochaic octameter · rhyming couplets · 112 lines · from Fifty Years and Other Poems

Look heah! Is I evah tole you 'bout de curious way I wonAnna Liza? Say, I nevah? Well heah's how de thing wuz done.

Lize, you know, wuz mighty purty--dat's been forty yeahs ago--'N 'cos to look at her dis minit, you might'n spose dat it wuz so.

She wuz jes de greates' 'traction in de county, 'n bless de lam'!Eveh darkey wuz a-co'tin, but it lay 'twix me an' Sam.

You know Sam. We both wuz wukin' on de ole John Tompkin's place.'N evehbody wuz a-watchin' t'see who's gwine to win de race.

Hee! hee! hee! Now you mus' raley 'scuse me fu' dis snickering,But I jes can't he'p f'om laffin' eveh time I tells dis thing.

Ez I wuz a-sayin', me an' Sam wuked daily side by side,He a-studyin', me a-studyin', how to win Lize fu' a bride.

Well, de race was kinder equal, Lize wuz sorter on de fence;Sam he had de mostes dollars, an' I had de mostes sense.

Things dey run along 'bout eben tel der come Big Meetin' day;Sam den thought, to win Miss Liza, he had foun' de shoest way.

An' you talk about big meetin's! None been like it 'fore nor sence;Der wuz sich a crowd o' people dat we had to put up tents.

Der wuz preachers f'om de Eas', an' 'der wuz preachers f'om de Wes';Folks had kilt mos' eveh chicken, an' wuz fattenin' up de res'.

Gals had all got new w'ite dresses, an' bought ribbens fu' der hair,Fixin' fu' de openin' Sunday, prayin' dat de day'd be fair.

Dat de Reveren' Jasper Jones of Mount Moriah, it wuz 'low'd,Wuz to preach de openin' sermon; so you know der wuz a crowd.

Fu' dat man wuz sho a preacher; had a voice jes like a bull;So der ain't no use in sayin' dat de meetin' house wuz full.

Folks wuz der f'om Big Pine Hollow, some come 'way f'om Muddy Creek,Some come jes to stay fu' Sunday, but de crowd stay'd thoo de week.

Some come ridin' in top-buggies wid de w'eels all painted red,Pulled by mules dat run like rabbits, each one tryin' to git ahead.

Othah po'rer folks come drivin' mules dat leaned up 'ginst de shaf',Hitched to broke-down, creaky wagons dat looked like dey'd drap in half.

But de bigges' crowd come walkin', wid der new shoes on der backs;'Scuse wuz dat dey couldn't weah em 'cause de heels wuz full o' tacks.

Fact is, it's a job for Job, a-trudgin' in de sun an' heat,Down a long an' dusty clay road wid yo' shoes packed full o' feet.

'Cose dey stopt an' put dem shoes on w'en dey got mos' to de do';Den dey had to grin an' bear it; dat tuk good religion sho.

But I mos' forgot ma story,--well at las' dat Sunday cameAnd it seemed dat evehbody, blin' an' deef, an' halt an' lame,

Wuz out in de grove a-waitin' fu' de meetin' to begin;Ef dat crowd had got converted 'twould a been de end o' sin.

Lize wuz der in all her glory, purty ez a big sunflowah,I kin 'member how she looked jes same ez 'twuz dis ve'y houah.

But to make ma story shorter, w'ile we wuz a-waitin' der,Down de road we spied a cloud o' dus' dat filled up all de air.

An' ez we kep' on a-lookin', out f'om 'mongst dat ve'y cloud,Sam, on Marse John's big mule, Caesar, rode right slam up in de crowd.

You jes oughtah seed dat darkey, 'clar I like tah loss ma bref;Fu' to use a common 'spression, he wuz 'bout nigh dressed to def.

He had slipped to town dat Sat'day, didn't let nobody know,An' had car'yd all his cash an' lef it in de dry goods sto'.

He had on a bran' new suit o' sto'-bought clo'es, a high plug hat;He looked 'zactly like a gen'man, tain't no use d'nyin' dat.

W'en he got down off dat mule an' bowed to Liza I could seeHow she looked at him so 'dmirin', an' jes kinder glanced at me.

Den I know'd to win dat gal, I sho would need some othah means'Sides a-hangin' 'round big meetin' in a suit o' homespun jeans.

W'en dey blow'd de ho'n fu' preachin', an' de crowd all went inside,I jes felt ez doh I'd like tah go off in de woods an' hide.

So I stay'd outside de meetin', set'n underneat' de trees,Seemed to me I sot der ages, wid ma elbows on ma knees.

W'en dey sung dat hymn, "Nobody knows de trouble dat I see,"Seem'd to me dat dey wuz singin' eveh word o' it fu' me.

Jes how long I might ha' sot der, actin' like a cussed fool,I don't know, but it jes happen'd dat I look'd an' saw Sam's mule.

An' de thought come slowly tricklin' thoo ma brain right der an' den,Dat, perhaps, wid some persuasion, I could make dat mule ma fren'.

An' I jes kep' on a-thinkin', an' I kep' a-lookin' 'roun',Tel I spied two great big san' spurs right close by me on de groun'.

Well, I took dem spurs an' put em underneat' o' Caesar's saddle,So dey'd press down in his backbone soon ez Sam had got a-straddle.

'Twuz a pretty ticklish job, an' jes ez soon ez it wuz done,I went back w'ere I wuz set'n fu' to wait an' see de fun.

Purty soon heah come de people, jes a-swa'min' out de do',Talkin' 'bout de "pow'ful sermon"--"nevah heah'd de likes befo'."

How de "monahs fell convicted" jes de same ez lumps o' lead,How dat some wuz still a-layin' same es if dey'd been struck dead.

An' to rectly heah come Liza, Sam a-strollin' by her side,An' it seem'd to me dat darky's smile wuz 'bout twelve inches wide.

Look to me like he had swelled up to 'bout twice his natchul size,An' I heah'd him say, "I'd like to be yo' 'scort to-night, Miss Lize."

Den he made a bow jes like he's gwine to make a speech in school,An' walk'd jes ez proud ez Marse John over to untie his mule,

W'en Sam's foot fust touched de stirrup he know'd der wuz sump'n wrong;'Cuz de mule begin to tremble an' to sorter side along.

Wen Sam raised his weight to mount him, Caesar bristled up his ear,W'en Sam sot down in de saddle, den dat mule cummenced to rear.

An' he reared an' pitched an' caper'd, only ez a mule kin pitch,Tel he flung Sam clean f'om off him, landed him squar' in a ditch.

Wen dat darky riz, well raly, I felt kinder bad fu' him;He had bust dem cheap sto' britches f'om de center to de rim.

All de plug hat dat wuz lef' him wuz de brim aroun' his neck,Smear'd wid mud f'om top to bottom, well, he wuz a sight, I 'speck.

Wuz de folks a-laffin'? Well, su', I jes sholy thought dey'd bus';Wuz Sam laffin'? 'Twuz de fus' time dat I evah heah'd him cuss.

W'ile Sam slink'd off thoo de backwoods I walk'd slowly home wid Lize,W'en I axed her jes one question der wuz sump'n in her eyes

Made me know der wuz no need o' any answer bein' said,An' I felt jes like de whole world wuz a-spinnin' 'roun' ma head.

So I said, "Lize, w'en we marry, mus' I weah some sto'-bought clo'es?"She says, "Jeans is good enough fu' any po' folks, heaben knows!"

If homely virtues draw from me a tuneIn happy jingle or a half-sad croon;Or if the smoldering future should inspireMy hand to strike the seer's prophetic lyre;Or if injustice, brutishness and wrongShould make a blasting trumpet of my song;O God, give beauty and strength--truth to my words,Oh, may they fall like sweetly cadenced chords,Or burn like beacon fires from out the dark,Or speed like arrows, swift and sure, to the mark.

Words in this poem 22

tole v. t.: To draw, or cause to follow, by displaying something pleasing or desirable; to allure by some bait. [OE. tollen to draw, to entice; of uncertain origin. Cf. Toll to ring a bell.]
curious a.: Difficult to please or satisfy; solicitous to be correct; careful; scrupulous; nice; exact. [OF. curios, curius, F. curieux, L. curiosus careful, inquisitive, fr. cura care. See Cure.]
anna n.: An East Indian money of account, the sixteenth of a rupee, or about 2 [Hindi ana.]
liza n.: The American white mullet (Mugil curema).
county n.: An earldom; the domain of a count or earl. [F. comt, fr. LL. comitatus. See Count.]
sorter n.: One who, or that which, sorts.
folks n.: In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
sermon n.: A discourse or address; a talk; a writing; as, the sermens of Chaucer. [OE. sermoun, sermun, F. sermon, fr. L. sermo, - onis, a speaking, discourse, probably fr. serer, sertum, to join, connect; hence, a connected speech. See Series]
ahead adv.: In or to the front; in advance; onward. [Pref. a- + head.]
backs n.: Among leather dealers, the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.
grin n.: A snare; a gin. [AS. grin.]
rode n.: Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
slam v. t.: To shut with force and a loud noise; to bang; as, he slammed the door. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. slamra, slambra, sl, Norw. slemba, slemma, dial. Sw. slämma.]
nobody n.: No person; no one; not anybody. [No, a. + body.]
homespun a.: Spun or wrought at home; of domestic manufacture; coarse; plain.
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
fust v. i.: To become moldy; to smell ill.
darky n.: A negro. [Sleng]
backwoods n.: The forests or partly cleared grounds on the frontiers. [Back, a. + woods.]
homely a.: Belonging to, or having the characteristics of, home; domestic; familiar; intimate. [From Home, n.]
jingle v. i.: To sound with a fine, sharp, rattling, clinking, or tinkling sound; as, sleigh bells jingle. [OE. gingelen, ginglen; prob. akin to E. chink; cf. also E. jangle.]
croon v. i.: To make a continuous hollow moan, as cattle do when in pain.

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

About this text

The Rivals is in the public domain. This text is taken from Fifty Years, & Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #17884; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: James Weldon Johnson, The Rivals, in Fifty Years and Other Poems (1917), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #17884, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/johnson-fifty-years/the-rivals.html, id L08349.

Form and metre

The Rivals is 112 lines in 52 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 82% of the lines. The metre is trochaic octameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 14.5 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 7% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in trochaic octameter.

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 AA won^A · done^A
2 AA ago^A · so^A
3 AA lam^A · sam^A
4 AA place^A · race^A
5 AA snickering^A · thing^A
6 AA side^A · bride^A
7 AA fence^A · sense^A
8 AA day^A · way^A
11 AA hair^A · fair^A
12 AA low'd^A · crowd^A
13 AA bull^A · full^A
14 AA creek^A · week^A
15 AA red^A · ahead^A
17 AA backs^A · tacks^A
18 AA heat^A · feet^A
20 AA came^A · lame^A
21 AA begin^A · sin^A
24 AA cloud^A · crowd^A
25 AA bref^A · def^A
27 AA hat^A · dat^A
28 AA see^A · me^A
29 AA means^A · jeans^A
30 AA inside^A · hide^A
31 AA trees^A · knees^A
32 AA see^A · me^A
33 AA fool^A · mule^A
35 AA roun^A · groun^A
36 AA saddle^A · straddle^A
37 AA done^A · fun^A
39 AA lead^A · dead^A
40 AA side^A · wide^A
41 AA size^A · lize^A
42 AA school^A · mule^A
43 AA wrong^A · along^A
44 AA ear^A · rear^A
45 AA pitch^A · ditch^A
46 AA him^A · rim^A
47 AA neck^A · speck^A
48 AA bus^A · cuss^A
49 AA lize^A · eyes^A
50 AA said^A · head^A
51 AA clo'es^A · knows^A
52 AABBCC--DD tune^A · croon^A · inspire^B · lyre^B · wrong^C · song^C · words · chords · dark^D · mark^D

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 trochaic octameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Look heah! Is I evah tole you 'bout de curious way I won	15	··········/˘···
Anna Liza? Say, I nevah? Well heah's how de thing wuz done.	15	/˘/˘···········
Lize, you know, wuz mighty purty--dat's been forty yeahs ago--	15	····/˘····/˘·˘/
'N 'cos to look at her dis minit, you might'n spose dat it wuz so.	16	·······/˘·······
She wuz jes de greates' 'traction in de county, 'n bless de lam'!	15	·····/˘··/˘····
Eveh darkey wuz a-co'tin, but it lay 'twix me an' Sam.	15	···············
You know Sam. We both wuz wukin' on de ole John Tompkin's place.	15	············/˘·
'N evehbody wuz a-watchin' t'see who's gwine to win de race.	16	·······/˘·······
Hee! hee! hee! Now you mus' raley 'scuse me fu' dis snickering,	15	······/˘····/˘˘
But I jes can't he'p f'om laffin' eveh time I tells dis thing.	15	······/˘·······
Ez I wuz a-sayin', me an' Sam wuked daily side by side,	15	····/˘····/˘···
He a-studyin', me a-studyin', how to win Lize fu' a bride.	15	···············
Well, de race was kinder equal, Lize wuz sorter on de fence;	15	····/˘/˘··/˘···
Sam he had de mostes dollars, an' I had de mostes sense.	13	·····/˘······
Things dey run along 'bout eben tel der come Big Meetin' day;	15	···˘/·/˘·······
Sam den thought, to win Miss Liza, he had foun' de shoest way.	14	······/˘······
An' you talk about big meetin's! None been like it 'fore nor sence;	15	···············
Der wuz sich a crowd o' people dat we had to put up tents.	15	······/˘·······
Der wuz preachers f'om de Eas', an' 'der wuz preachers f'om de Wes';	15	··/˘······/˘···
Folks had kilt mos' eveh chicken, an' wuz fattenin' up de res'.	16	······/˘········
Gals had all got new w'ite dresses, an' bought ribbens fu' der hair,	15	······/˘·······
Fixin' fu' de openin' Sunday, prayin' dat de day'd be fair.	15	·······/·······
Dat de Reveren' Jasper Jones of Mount Moriah, it wuz 'low'd,	15	·····/˘········
Wuz to preach de openin' sermon; so you know der wuz a crowd.	16	·······/˘·······
Fu' dat man wuz sho a preacher; had a voice jes like a bull;	15	······/˘·······
So der ain't no use in sayin' dat de meetin' house wuz full.	15	······/˘·······
Folks wuz der f'om Big Pine Hollow, some come 'way f'om Muddy Creek,	15	······/˘····/˘·
Some come jes to stay fu' Sunday, but de crowd stay'd thoo de week.	15	······/········
Some come ridin' in top-buggies wid de w'eels all painted red,	15	······/˘····/˘·
Pulled by mules dat run like rabbits, each one tryin' to git ahead.	16	······/˘··/˘··˘/
Othah po'rer folks come drivin' mules dat leaned up 'ginst de shaf',	15	··/˘···········
Hitched to broke-down, creaky wagons dat looked like dey'd drap in half.	15	····/˘/˘·······
But de bigges' crowd come walkin', wid der new shoes on der backs;	15	······/˘·······
'Scuse wuz dat dey couldn't weah em 'cause de heels wuz full o' tacks.	15	····/˘·········
Fact is, it's a job for Job, a-trudgin' in de sun an' heat,	15	···············
Down a long an' dusty clay road wid yo' shoes packed full o' feet.	15	····/˘·········
'Cose dey stopt an' put dem shoes on w'en dey got mos' to de do';	15	···············
Den dey had to grin an' bear it; dat tuk good religion sho.	15	···········˘/˘·
But I mos' forgot ma story,--well at las' dat Sunday came	15	···˘/·/˘····/··
And it seemed dat evehbody, blin' an' deef, an' halt an' lame,	15	···············
Wuz out in de grove a-waitin' fu' de meetin' to begin;	15	······/˘·····˘/
Ef dat crowd had got converted 'twould a been de end o' sin.	15	·····˘/˘·······
Lize wuz der in all her glory, purty ez a big sunflowah,	16	······/˘········
I kin 'member how she looked jes same ez 'twuz dis ve'y houah.	15	··/˘···˘·······
But to make ma story shorter, w'ile we wuz a-waitin' der,	15	····/˘/˘····/˘·
Down de road we spied a cloud o' dus' dat filled up all de air.	15	···············
An' ez we kep' on a-lookin', out f'om 'mongst dat ve'y cloud,	14	······/˘······
Sam, on Marse John's big mule, Caesar, rode right slam up in de crowd.	15	······/˘·······
You jes oughtah seed dat darkey, 'clar I like tah loss ma bref;	15	···············
Fu' to use a common 'spression, he wuz 'bout nigh dressed to def.	15	····/˘·········
He had slipped to town dat Sat'day, didn't let nobody know,	15	········/˘·/···
An' had car'yd all his cash an' lef it in de dry goods sto'.	15	···············
He had on a bran' new suit o' sto'-bought clo'es, a high plug hat;	15	···············
He looked 'zactly like a gen'man, tain't no use d'nyin' dat.	14	··˘···········
W'en he got down off dat mule an' bowed to Liza I could see	15	··········/˘···
How she looked at him so 'dmirin', an' jes kinder glanced at me.	15	··········/˘···
Den I know'd to win dat gal, I sho would need some othah means	15	···············
'Sides a-hangin' 'round big meetin' in a suit o' homespun jeans.	15	··/˘········/··
W'en dey blow'd de ho'n fu' preachin', an' de crowd all went inside,	15	·············˘/
I jes felt ez doh I'd like tah go off in de woods an' hide.	15	···············
So I stay'd outside de meetin', set'n underneat' de trees,	14	···//·········
Seemed to me I sot der ages, wid ma elbows on ma knees.	15	······/˘··/····
W'en dey sung dat hymn, "Nobody knows de trouble dat I see,"	15	·····/····/˘···
Seem'd to me dat dey wuz singin' eveh word o' it fu' me.	15	······/˘·······
Jes how long I might ha' sot der, actin' like a cussed fool,	15	········/˘···˘·
I don't know, but it jes happen'd dat I look'd an' saw Sam's mule.	15	······/˘·······
An' de thought come slowly tricklin' thoo ma brain right der an' den,	15	····/˘·········
Dat, perhaps, wid some persuasion, I could make dat mule ma fren'.	15	·˘/··˘/˘·······
An' I jes kep' on a-thinkin', an' I kep' a-lookin' 'roun',	15	······/˘····/˘·
Tel I spied two great big san' spurs right close by me on de groun'.	15	···············
Well, I took dem spurs an' put em underneat' o' Caesar's saddle,	16	············/˘/˘
So dey'd press down in his backbone soon ez Sam had got a-straddle.	16	······/·······/˘
'Twuz a pretty ticklish job, an' jes ez soon ez it wuz done,	15	··/˘/˘·········
I went back w'ere I wuz set'n fu' to wait an' see de fun.	14	··············
Purty soon heah come de people, jes a-swa'min' out de do',	15	······/˘·······
Talkin' 'bout de "pow'ful sermon"--"nevah heah'd de likes befo'."	15	/˘····/˘·······
How de "monahs fell convicted" jes de same ez lumps o' lead,	15	·····˘/˘·······
How dat some wuz still a-layin' same es if dey'd been struck dead.	14	··············
An' to rectly heah come Liza, Sam a-strollin' by her side,	15	······/˘·······
An' it seem'd to me dat darky's smile wuz 'bout twelve inches wide.	15	············/˘·
Look to me like he had swelled up to 'bout twice his natchul size,	15	···············
An' I heah'd him say, "I'd like to be yo' 'scort to-night, Miss Lize."	15	···············
Den he made a bow jes like he's gwine to make a speech in school,	15	···············
An' walk'd jes ez proud ez Marse John over to untie his mule,	15	···········˘/··
W'en Sam's foot fust touched de stirrup he know'd der wuz sump'n wrong;	15	·····˘·/˘······
'Cuz de mule begin to tremble an' to sorter side along.	15	···˘/·/˘··/˘·˘/
Wen Sam raised his weight to mount him, Caesar bristled up his ear,	15	········/˘/˘···
W'en Sam sot down in de saddle, den dat mule cummenced to rear.	15	······/˘·······
An' he reared an' pitched an' caper'd, only ez a mule kin pitch,	15	········/˘·····
Tel he flung Sam clean f'om off him, landed him squar' in a ditch.	15	········/˘·····
Wen dat darky riz, well raly, I felt kinder bad fu' him;	15	··/˘······/˘···
He had bust dem cheap sto' britches f'om de center to de rim.	15	······/˘··/˘···
All de plug hat dat wuz lef' him wuz de brim aroun' his neck,	15	···············
Smear'd wid mud f'om top to bottom, well, he wuz a sight, I 'speck.	15	······/˘·······
Wuz de folks a-laffin'? Well, su', I jes sholy thought dey'd bus';	15	····/˘·········
Wuz Sam laffin'? 'Twuz de fus' time dat I evah heah'd him cuss.	15	··/˘···········
W'ile Sam slink'd off thoo de backwoods I walk'd slowly home wid Lize,	15	······//··/˘···
W'en I axed her jes one question der wuz sump'n in her eyes	14	······/˘······
Made me know der wuz no need o' any answer bein' said,	15	········/˘/˘/˘·
An' I felt jes like de whole world wuz a-spinnin' 'roun' ma head.	15	···············
So I said, "Lize, w'en we marry, mus' I weah some sto'-bought clo'es?"	15	······/˘·······
She says, "Jeans is good enough fu' any po' folks, heaben knows!"	15	·····˘/·/˘·····
If homely virtues draw from me a tune	10	·/˘/˘·····
In happy jingle or a half-sad croon;	10	·/˘/˘·····
Or if the smoldering future should inspire	11	···/˘˘/˘·˘/
My hand to strike the seer's prophetic lyre;	10	······˘/˘·
Or if injustice, brutishness and wrong	10	··˘/˘·····
Should make a blasting trumpet of my song;	10	···/˘/˘···
O God, give beauty and strength--truth to my words,	11	···/˘······
Oh, may they fall like sweetly cadenced chords,	10	·····/˘/˘·
Or burn like beacon fires from out the dark,	11	···/˘/˘····
Or speed like arrows, swift and sure, to the mark.	11	···/˘······

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More by James Weldon Johnson

Fifty Years and Other Poems