Because!
Sweet Nea!--for your lovely sakeI weave these rambling numbers,Because I’ve lain an hour awake,And can’t compose my slumbers;Because your beauty’s gentle lightIs round my pillow beaming,And flings, I know not why, to-night,Some witchery o’er my dreaming!
Because we’ve passed some joyous days,And danced some merry dances;Because you love old Beaumont’s plays,And old Froissart’s romances!Because, whene’er I hear your words,Some pleasant feeling lingers;Because I think your heart has chordsThat vibrate to my fingers!
Because you’ve got those long, soft curlsI’ve sworn should deck my goddess;Because you’re not, like other girls,All bustle, blush, and bodice!Because your eyes are deep and blue,Your fingers long and rosy;Because a little child and youWould make one’s home so cosy!
Because your little tiny noseTurns up so pert and funny;Because I know you choose your beauxMore for their mirth than money;Because I think you’d rather twirlA waltz, with me to guide you,Than talk small nonsense with an Earl,And a coronet beside you!
Because you don’t object to walk,And are not given to fainting;Because you have not learned to talkOf flowers and Poonah-painting;Because I think you’d scarce refuseTo sew one on a button;Because I know you’d sometimes chooseTo dine on simple mutton!
Because I think I’m just so weakAs, some of those fine morrows,To ask you if you’ll let me speakMy story--and my sorrows:Because the rest’s a simple thing,A matter quickly over,A church--a priest--a sigh--a ring--And a chaise-and-four for Dover!
Words in this poem
- witchery
- Sorcery; enchantment; witchcraft.
- bodice n.
- A kind of under waist stiffened with whalebone, etc., worn esp. by women; a corset; stays. [This is properly the plural of body, Oe. bodise a pair of bodies, equiv. to a bodice. Cf. Corset, and see Body.]
- funny a.
- Droll; comical; amusing; laughable. Funny bone. See crazy bone, under Crazy. [From Fun.]
- twirl v. t.
- To move or turn round rapidly; to whirl round; to move and turn rapidly with the fingers. [Cf. AS. þwiril a churn staff, a stirrer, flail, þweran, aþweran, to agitate, twirl, G. zwirlen, quirlen, to twirl, to turn round or about, quirl a twirling stic]
- waltz n.
- A dance performed by two persons in circular figures with a whirling motion; also, a piece of music composed in triple measure for this kind of dance. [G. walzer, from walzen to roll, revolve, dance, OHG. walzan to roll; akin to AS. wealtan. See Welter.]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- dine v. i.
- To eat the principal regular meal of the day; to take dinner. [F. dîner, OF. disner, LL. disnare, contr. fr. an assumed disjunare; dis- + an assumed junare (OF. juner) to fast, for L. jejunare, fr. jejunus fasting. See Jeju]
- mutton n.
- A sheep. Chapman. [OE. motoun, OF. moton, molton, a sheep, wether, F. mouton, LL. multo, by transposition of l fr. L. mutilus mutilated. See Mutilate.]
- chaise n.
- A two-wheeled carriage for two persons, with a calash top, and the body hung on leather straps, or thoroughbraces. It is usually drawn by one horse. [F. chaise seat, or chair, chaise or carriage, for chaire, from a peculiar Parisian pronunciation. See Chair.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Because! is in the public domain. This text is taken from The poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed. [selected], Project Gutenberg ebook #71008; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Winthrop Mackworth Praed, Because!, in Poems (1820–1839), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #71008, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/praed-poems/because.html, id L10193.
Form and metre
Because! is 48 lines in 6 stanzas of 8 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 3 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.6 syllables. 21 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 27% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic 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 ABABCDCD sakeA · numbersB · awakeA · slumbersB · lightC · beamingD · nightC · dreamingD
- 2 ABAB-C-C daysA · dancesB · playsA · romancesB · words · lingersC · chords · fingersC
- 3 A-A-BCBC curlsA · goddess · girlsA · bodice · blueB · rosyC · youB · cosyC
- 4 -A-ABCBC nose · funnyA · beaux · moneyA · twirlB · youC · earlB · youC
- 5 ABABCDCD walkA · faintingB · talkA · paintingB · refuseC · buttonD · chooseC · muttonD
- 6 ABABCDCD weakA · morrowsB · speakA · sorrowsB · thingC · overD · ringC · doverD
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet Nea!--for your lovely sake | 7 | ····/˘· |
| I weave these rambling numbers, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Because I’ve lain an hour awake, | 8 | ·····/˘/ |
| And can’t compose my slumbers; | 7 | ··˘/·/˘ |
| Because your beauty’s gentle light | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Is round my pillow beaming, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| And flings, I know not why, to-night, | 8 | ········ |
| Some witchery o’er my dreaming! | 8 | ·/˘˘··/˘ |
| Because we’ve passed some joyous days, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And danced some merry dances; | 8 | ··˘·/˘/˘ |
| Because you love old Beaumont’s plays, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And old Froissart’s romances! | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Because, whene’er I hear your words, | 9 | ········· |
| Some pleasant feeling lingers; | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Because I think your heart has chords | 8 | ········ |
| That vibrate to my fingers! | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Because you’ve got those long, soft curls | 8 | ········ |
| I’ve sworn should deck my goddess; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Because you’re not, like other girls, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| All bustle, blush, and bodice! | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Because your eyes are deep and blue, | 8 | ········ |
| Your fingers long and rosy; | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Because a little child and you | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Would make one’s home so cosy! | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Because your little tiny nose | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Turns up so pert and funny; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Because I know you choose your beaux | 8 | ········ |
| More for their mirth than money; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Because I think you’d rather twirl | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A waltz, with me to guide you, | 7 | ······· |
| Than talk small nonsense with an Earl, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And a coronet beside you! | 8 | ··/˘/˘/· |
| Because you don’t object to walk, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| And are not given to fainting; | 8 | ···/˘·/˘ |
| Because you have not learned to talk | 8 | ········ |
| Of flowers and Poonah-painting; | 8 | ·/˘···/˘ |
| Because I think you’d scarce refuse | 8 | ······˘/ |
| To sew one on a button; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Because I know you’d sometimes choose | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| To dine on simple mutton! | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Because I think I’m just so weak | 8 | ········ |
| As, some of those fine morrows, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| To ask you if you’ll let me speak | 8 | ········ |
| My story--and my sorrows: | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Because the rest’s a simple thing, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A matter quickly over, | 7 | ·/˘/˘·· |
| A church--a priest--a sigh--a ring-- | 8 | ········ |
| And a chaise-and-four for Dover! | 8 | ······/˘ |
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.