Wet-Weather Talk
It hain't no use to grumble and complane;It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice.--When God sorts out the weather and sends rain,W'y, rain's my choice.
Men ginerly, to all intents--Although they're apt to grumble some--Puts most theyr trust in Providence,And takes things as they come--That is, the commonalityOf men that's lived as long as meHas watched the world enugh to learnThey're not the boss of this concern.
With SOME, of course, it's different--I've saw YOUNG men that knowed it all,And didn't like the way things wentOn this terrestchul ball;--But all the same, the rain, some way,Rained jest as hard on picnic day;Er, when they railly WANTED it,It mayby wouldn't rain a bit!
In this existunce, dry and wetWill overtake the best of men--Some little skift o' clouds'll shetThe sun off now and then.--And mayby, whilse you're wundern whoYou've fool-like lent your umbrell' to,And WANT it--out'll pop the sun,And you'll be glad you hain't got none!
It aggervates the farmers, too--They's too much wet, er too much sun,Er work, er waitin' round to doBefore the plowin' 's done:And mayby, like as not, the wheat,Jest as it's lookin' hard to beat,Will ketch the storm--and jest aboutThe time the corn's a-jintin' out.
These-here CY-CLONES a-foolin' round--And back'ard crops!--and wind and rain!--And yit the corn that's wallerd downMay elbow up again!--They hain't no sense, as I can see,Fer mortuls, sich as us, to beA-faultin' Natchur's wise intents,And lockin' horns with Providence!
It hain't no use to grumble and complane;It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice.--When God sorts out the weather and sends rain,W'y, rain's my choice.
Words in this poem
- grumble v. i.
- To murmur or mutter with discontent; to make ill-natured complaints in a low voice and a surly manner. [Cf. LG. grummeln, grumman, D. grommelen, grommen, and F. grommeler, of German origin; cf. W. grwm, murmur, grumble, surly. sq. root35. Cf. Grum, Grim.]
- jest n.
- A deed; an action; a gest. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perfor]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- ketch n.
- An almost obsolete form of vessel, with a mainmast and a mizzenmast, -- usually from one hundred to two hundred and fifty tons burden. Bomb ketch. See under Bomb. [Prob. corrupted fr. Turk. qaiq : cf. F. caiche. Cf. Caïque.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Wet-Weather Talk is in the public domain. This text is taken from Riley Farm-Rhymes, Project Gutenberg ebook #4783; 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 Whitcomb Riley, Wet-Weather Talk, in Riley Farm-Rhymes (1883–1901), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #4783, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/riley-farm-rhymes/wet-weather-talk.html, id L01950.
Form and metre
Wet-Weather Talk is 48 lines in 7 stanzas. The commonest rhyme scheme is ABABCCDD, in 3 of the 7 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.8 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 23% 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 ABAB complaneA · rejoiceB · rainA · choiceB
- 2 -A-A--BB intents · someA · providence · comeA · commonality · me · learnB · concernB
- 3 ABABCCDD differentA · allB · wentA · ballB · wayC · dayC · itD · bitD
- 4 ABABCCDD wetA · menB · shetA · thenB · whoC · toC · sunD · noneD
- 5 ABABCCDD tooA · sunB · doA · doneB · wheatC · beatC · aboutD · outD
- 6 -A-ABB-- round · rainA · down · againA · seeB · beB · intents · providence
- 7 ABAB complaneA · rejoiceB · rainA · choiceB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| It hain't no use to grumble and complane; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice.-- | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| When God sorts out the weather and sends rain, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| W'y, rain's my choice. | 4 | ···· |
| Men ginerly, to all intents-- | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Although they're apt to grumble some-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Puts most theyr trust in Providence, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| And takes things as they come-- | 6 | ······ |
| That is, the commonality | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| Of men that's lived as long as me | 8 | ········ |
| Has watched the world enugh to learn | 8 | ········ |
| They're not the boss of this concern. | 8 | ······˘/ |
| With SOME, of course, it's different-- | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| I've saw YOUNG men that knowed it all, | 8 | ········ |
| And didn't like the way things went | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| On this terrestchul ball;-- | 6 | ······ |
| But all the same, the rain, some way, | 8 | ········ |
| Rained jest as hard on picnic day; | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Er, when they railly WANTED it, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| It mayby wouldn't rain a bit! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In this existunce, dry and wet | 8 | ········ |
| Will overtake the best of men-- | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Some little skift o' clouds'll shet | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| The sun off now and then.-- | 6 | ······ |
| And mayby, whilse you're wundern who | 8 | ········ |
| You've fool-like lent your umbrell' to, | 8 | ········ |
| And WANT it--out'll pop the sun, | 7 | ······· |
| And you'll be glad you hain't got none! | 8 | ········ |
| It aggervates the farmers, too-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| They's too much wet, er too much sun, | 8 | ········ |
| Er work, er waitin' round to do | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Before the plowin' 's done: | 7 | ······· |
| And mayby, like as not, the wheat, | 8 | ········ |
| Jest as it's lookin' hard to beat, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Will ketch the storm--and jest about | 8 | ········ |
| The time the corn's a-jintin' out. | 8 | ········ |
| These-here CY-CLONES a-foolin' round-- | 8 | ········ |
| And back'ard crops!--and wind and rain!-- | 8 | ········ |
| And yit the corn that's wallerd down | 8 | ········ |
| May elbow up again!-- | 6 | ·/··˘/ |
| They hain't no sense, as I can see, | 8 | ········ |
| Fer mortuls, sich as us, to be | 8 | ········ |
| A-faultin' Natchur's wise intents, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And lockin' horns with Providence! | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| It hain't no use to grumble and complane; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice.-- | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| When God sorts out the weather and sends rain, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| W'y, rain's my choice. | 4 | ···· |
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