On Psyche
At two afternoon for our Psyche inquire,Her tea-kettle's on, and her smock at the fire:So loitering, so active; so busy, so idle;Which has she most need of, a spur or a bridle?Thus a greyhound outruns the whole pack in a race,Yet would rather be hang'd than he'd leave a warm place.She gives you such plenty, it puts you in pain;But ever with prudence takes care of the main.To please you, she knows how to choose a nice bit;For her taste is almost as refined as her wit.To oblige a good friend, she will trace every market,It would do your heart good, to see how she will cark it.Yet beware of her arts; for, it plainly appears,She saves half her victuals, by feeding your ears.
Words in this poem
- afternoon n.
- The part of the day which follows noon, between noon and evening.
- psyche n.
- A lovely maiden, daughter of a king and mistress of Eros, or Cupid. She is regarded as the personification of the soul.
- oblige v. t.
- To attach, as by a bond. [OF. obligier, F.obliger, L. obligare; ob (see Ob-) + ligare to bind. See Ligament, and cf. Obligate.]
- cark n.
- A noxious or corroding care; solicitude; worry. [OE. cark, fr. a dialectic form of F. charge; cf. W. carc anxiety, care, Arm karg charge, burden. See Charge, and cf. Cargo.]
- beware v. t.
- To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On Psyche is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #14353; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jonathan Swift, On Psyche, in On Poetry: A Rhapsody, and Other Poems (1727), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14353, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems-vol1/on-psyche.html, id L24572.
Form and metre
On Psyche is 14 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%).
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 AABBCCDDEEEEFF inquireA · fireA · idleB · bridleB · raceC · placeC · painD · mainD · bitE · witE · marketE · itE · appearsF · earsF
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 |
|---|---|---|
| At two afternoon for our Psyche inquire, | 12 | ···˘/·/˘/˘˘/ |
| Her tea-kettle's on, and her smock at the fire: | 12 | ··/˘······/˘ |
| So loitering, so active; so busy, so idle; | 13 | ·/˘˘·/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| Which has she most need of, a spur or a bridle? | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| Thus a greyhound outruns the whole pack in a race, | 12 | ··/·˘/······ |
| Yet would rather be hang'd than he'd leave a warm place. | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| She gives you such plenty, it puts you in pain; | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| But ever with prudence takes care of the main. | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| To please you, she knows how to choose a nice bit; | 11 | ··········· |
| For her taste is almost as refined as her wit. | 12 | ····/··˘/··· |
| To oblige a good friend, she will trace every market, | 13 | ·˘/······/˘/˘ |
| It would do your heart good, to see how she will cark it. | 13 | ············· |
| Yet beware of her arts; for, it plainly appears, | 12 | ·˘/·····/˘˘/ |
| She saves half her victuals, by feeding your ears. | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
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.