Addressed (During Illness) to a Lady
Dear Fanny, I mean, now I'm laid on the shelf,To give you a sketch--ay, a sketch of myself.'Tis a pitiful subject, I frankly confess,And one it would puzzle a painter to dress;But, however, here goes, and as sure as a gun,I'll tell all my faults like a penitent nun;For I know, for my Fanny, before I address her,She wont be a cynical father confessor.
Come, come, 'twill not do! put that curling brow down;You can't, for the soul of you, learn how to frown.Well, first I premise, it's my honest conviction,That my breast is a chaos of all contradiction;Religious--deistic--now loyal and warm;Then a dagger-drawn democrat hot for reform:This moment a fop, that, sententious as Titus;Democritus now, and anon Heraclitus;Now laughing and pleased, like a child with a rattle;Then vex'd to the soul with impertinent tattle;Now moody and sad, now unthinking and gay,To all points of the compass I veer in a day.
I'm proud and disdainful to Fortune's gay child,But to Poverty's offspring submissive and mild;As rude as a boor, and as rough in dispute;Then as for politeness--oh! dear--I'm a brute!I show no respect where I never can feel it;And as for contempt, take no pains to conceal it.And so in the suite, by these laudable ends,I've a great many foes, and a very few friends.
And yet, my dear Fanny, there are who can feelThat this proud heart of mine is not fashion'd of steel.It can love (can it not?)--it can hate, I am sure;And it's friendly enough, though in friends it be poor.For itself though it bleed not, for others it bleeds;If it have not ripe virtues, I'm sure it's the seeds;And though far from faultless, or even so-so,I think it may pass as our worldly things go.
Well, I've told you my frailties without any gloss;Then as to my virtues, I'm quite at a loss!I think I'm devout, and yet I can't say,But in process of time I may get the wrong way.I'm a general lover, if that's commendation,And yet can't withstand you know whose fascination.But I find that amidst all my tricks and devices,In fishing for virtues, I'm pulling up vices;So as for the good, why, if I possess it,I am not yet learned enough to express it.
You yourself must examine the lovelier side,And after your every art you have tried,Whatever my faults, I may venture to say,Hypocrisy never will come in your way.I am upright, I hope; I'm downright, I'm clear!And I think my worst foe must allow I'm sincere;And if ever sincerity glow'd in my breast,'Tis now when I swear----.
Words in this poem
- frankly adv.
- In a frank manner; freely.
- cynical a.
- Having the qualities of a surly dog; snarling; captious; currish. [L. cynicus of the sect of Cynics, fr. Gr. Hound.]
- chaos n.
- An empty, immeasurable space; a yawning chasm. [L. chaos chaos (in senses 1 & 2), Gr. Chasm.]
- democrat n.
- One who is an adherent or advocate of democracy, or government by the people. [Cf. F. démocrate.]
- anon adv.
- Straightway; at once. [OE. anoon, anon, anan, lit., in one (moment), fr. AS. on in + an one. See On and One.]
- tattle v. i.
- To prate; to talk idly; to use many words with little meaning; to chat. [Akin to OE. tateren, LG. tateln, D. tateren to stammer, and perhaps to E. titter.]
- unthinking a.
- Not thinking; not heedful; thoughtless; inconsiderate; as, unthinking youth.
- suite n.
- A retinue or company of attendants, as of a distinguished personage; as, the suite of an ambassador. See Suit, n., 5. [F. See Suit, n.]
- faultless a.
- Without fault; not defective or imperfect; free from blemish; free from incorrectness, vice, or offense; perfect; as, a faultless poem.
- fascination n.
- The act of fascinating, bewhiching, or enchanting; enchantment; witchcraft; the exercise of a powerful or irresistible influence on the affections or passions; unseen, inexplicable influence. [L. fascinatio; cf. F. fascination.]
- amidst prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- downright adv.
- Straight down; perpendicularly.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Addressed (During Illness) to a Lady is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Henry Kirk White : With a Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas, Project Gutenberg ebook #7149; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Henry Kirke White, Addressed (During Illness) to a Lady, in The Poetical Works of Henry Kirke White (1803–1806), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7149, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kirke-white-poems/addressed-during-illness-to-a-lady.html, id L10082.
Form and metre
Addressed (During Illness) to a Lady is 54 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 93% of the lines. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 86% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 11.2 syllables. 10 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending.
See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in anapaestic tetrameter.
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 AABBCC-- shelfA · myselfA · confessB · dressB · gunC · nunC · her · confessor
- 2 AABBCCDDEEFF downA · frownA · convictionB · contradictionB · warmC · reformC · titusD · heraclitusD · rattleE · tattleE · gayF · dayF
- 3 AABBCCDD childA · mildA · disputeB · bruteB · itC · itC · endsD · friendsD
- 4 AABBCCDD feelA · steelA · sureB · poorB · bleedsC · seedsC · soD · goD
- 5 AABBCCDDEE glossA · lossA · sayB · wayB · commendationC · fascinationC · devicesD · vicesD · itE · itE
- 6 AABBCC-C sideA · triedA · sayB · wayB · clearC · sincereC · breast · swearC
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 anapaestic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Dear Fanny, I mean, now I'm laid on the shelf, | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| To give you a sketch--ay, a sketch of myself. | 11 | ··········/ |
| 'Tis a pitiful subject, I frankly confess, | 11 | ··/˘/˘·/˘˘/ |
| And one it would puzzle a painter to dress; | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| But, however, here goes, and as sure as a gun, | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| I'll tell all my faults like a penitent nun; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| For I know, for my Fanny, before I address her, | 13 | ·····/˘···˘/· |
| She wont be a cynical father confessor. | 11 | ····/˘/˘˘/˘ |
| Come, come, 'twill not do! put that curling brow down; | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| You can't, for the soul of you, learn how to frown. | 11 | ··········· |
| Well, first I premise, it's my honest conviction, | 12 | ···/˘··/˘˘/˘ |
| That my breast is a chaos of all contradiction; | 13 | ·····/˘···˘/˘ |
| Religious--deistic--now loyal and warm; | 10 | ˘/˘···/˘·· |
| Then a dagger-drawn democrat hot for reform: | 12 | ··/˘·/˘···˘/ |
| This moment a fop, that, sententious as Titus; | 12 | ·/˘···˘/˘·/˘ |
| Democritus now, and anon Heraclitus; | 12 | ······˘/···· |
| Now laughing and pleased, like a child with a rattle; | 12 | ·/˘·······/˘ |
| Then vex'd to the soul with impertinent tattle; | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| Now moody and sad, now unthinking and gay, | 11 | ·/˘···˘/˘·· |
| To all points of the compass I veer in a day. | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| I'm proud and disdainful to Fortune's gay child, | 11 | ···˘/˘·/˘·· |
| But to Poverty's offspring submissive and mild; | 11 | ··/˘/·˘/˘·· |
| As rude as a boor, and as rough in dispute; | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| Then as for politeness--oh! dear--I'm a brute! | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| I show no respect where I never can feel it; | 11 | ···˘/··/··· |
| And as for contempt, take no pains to conceal it. | 12 | ···˘/····˘/· |
| And so in the suite, by these laudable ends, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| I've a great many foes, and a very few friends. | 11 | ···/···/˘·· |
| And yet, my dear Fanny, there are who can feel | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| That this proud heart of mine is not fashion'd of steel. | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| It can love (can it not?)--it can hate, I am sure; | 12 | ············ |
| And it's friendly enough, though in friends it be poor. | 12 | ··/˘˘/······ |
| For itself though it bleed not, for others it bleeds; | 12 | ·˘/·····/˘·· |
| If it have not ripe virtues, I'm sure it's the seeds; | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| And though far from faultless, or even so-so, | 10 | ····/˘·/·· |
| I think it may pass as our worldly things go. | 11 | ······//˘·· |
| Well, I've told you my frailties without any gloss; | 12 | ·····/˘··/˘· |
| Then as to my virtues, I'm quite at a loss! | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| I think I'm devout, and yet I can't say, | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| But in process of time I may get the wrong way. | 12 | ··/········· |
| I'm a general lover, if that's commendation, | 12 | ··/˘/˘···˘/˘ |
| And yet can't withstand you know whose fascination. | 12 | ···˘/····˘/˘ |
| But I find that amidst all my tricks and devices, | 13 | ····˘/····˘/˘ |
| In fishing for virtues, I'm pulling up vices; | 12 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| So as for the good, why, if I possess it, | 11 | ········˘/· |
| I am not yet learned enough to express it. | 11 | ·····˘/·˘/· |
| You yourself must examine the lovelier side, | 12 | ·/˘·˘/˘····· |
| And after your every art you have tried, | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| Whatever my faults, I may venture to say, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| Hypocrisy never will come in your way. | 10 | ˘/˘˘/····· |
| I am upright, I hope; I'm downright, I'm clear! | 11 | ··˘/···/··· |
| And I think my worst foe must allow I'm sincere; | 12 | ·······˘/·˘/ |
| And if ever sincerity glow'd in my breast, | 10 | ··/˘/˘···· |
| 'Tis now when I swear----. | 5 | ····· |
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