Written in August, 1702
Once on a time, as old stories rehearse,A friar would need show his talent in Latin;But was sorely put to 't in the midst of a verse,Because he could find no word to come pat in;Then all in the placeHe left a void space,And so went to bed in a desperate case:When behold the next morning a wonderful riddle!He found it was strangely fill'd up in the middle.CHO. Let censuring critics then think what they list on't;Who would not write verses with such an assistant?
This put me the friar into an amazement;For he wisely consider'd it must be a sprite;That he came through the keyhole, or in at the casement;And it needs must be one that could both read and write;Yet he did not know,If it were friend or foe,Or whether it came from above or below;Howe'er, it was civil, in angel or elf,For he ne'er could have fill'd it so well of himself.CHO. Let censuring, &c.
Even so Master Doctor had puzzled his brainsIn making a ballad, but was at a stand;He had mixt little wit with a great deal of pains,When he found a new help from invisible hand.Then, good Doctor SwiftPay thanks for the gift,For you freely must own you were at a dead lift;And, though some malicious young spirit did do't,You may know by the hand it had no cloven foot.CHO. Let censuring, &c.
The Cut-Purse is a ballad sung by Nightingale, the ballad-singer, inBen Jonson's "Bartholomew Fair," Act III, Sc. I. The burthen of theballad is:"Youth, youth, thou had'st better been starv'd by thy nurse
Words in this poem
- sorely adv.
- In a sore manner; grievously; painfully; as, to be sorely afflicted.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- desperate a.
- Without hope; given to despair; hopeless. [L. desperatus, p. p. of desperare. See Despair, and cf. Desperado.]
- strangely adv.
- As something foreign, or not one's own; in a manner adapted to something foreign and strange.
- amazement n.
- The condition of being amazed; bewilderment ; overwhelming wonder, as from surprise, sudden fear, horror, or admiration.
- sprite n.
- A spirit; a soul; a shade; also, an apparition. See Spright. [OE. sprit, F. esprit, fr. L. spiritus. See Spirit, and cf. Sprightly.]
- keyhole n.
- A hole or apertupe in a door or lock, for receiving a key.
- casement n.
- A window sash opening on hinges affixed to the upright side of the frame into which it is fitted. (Poetically) A window. [Shortened fr. encasement. See Incase 1st Case, and cf. Incasement.]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Written in August, 1702 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, Written in August, 1702, in On Poetry: A Rhapsody, and Other Poems (1727), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14353, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems-vol1/written-in-august-1702.html, id L24482.
Form and metre
Written in August, 1702 is 35 lines in 4 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%).
See 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 A-A-BBBCCDD rehearseA · latin · verseA · in · placeB · spaceB · caseB · riddleC · middleC · on'tD · assistantD
- 2 ABABCCCDD- amazementA · spriteB · casementA · writeB · knowC · foeC · belowC · elfD · himselfD · —
- 3 ABABCCC--- brainsA · standB · painsA · handB · swiftC · giftC · liftC · do't · foot · —
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Once on a time, as old stories rehearse, | 10 | ······/˘˘/ |
| A friar would need show his talent in Latin; | 11 | ·/····/˘·/˘ |
| But was sorely put to 't in the midst of a verse, | 13 | ··/˘········· |
| Because he could find no word to come pat in; | 11 | ··········· |
| Then all in the place | 5 | ····· |
| He left a void space, | 5 | ····· |
| And so went to bed in a desperate case: | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| When behold the next morning a wonderful riddle! | 12 | ·˘/··/˘·/˘/˘ |
| He found it was strangely fill'd up in the middle. | 12 | ····/˘····/˘ |
| CHO. Let censuring critics then think what they list on't; | 12 | ··/˘/˘······ |
| Who would not write verses with such an assistant? | 12 | ····/˘···˘/˘ |
| This put me the friar into an amazement; | 11 | ····/···˘/˘ |
| For he wisely consider'd it must be a sprite; | 12 | ··/˘˘/˘····· |
| That he came through the keyhole, or in at the casement; | 13 | ·····/·····/˘ |
| And it needs must be one that could both read and write; | 12 | ············ |
| Yet he did not know, | 5 | ····· |
| If it were friend or foe, | 6 | ······ |
| Or whether it came from above or below; | 11 | ··········· |
| Howe'er, it was civil, in angel or elf, | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| For he ne'er could have fill'd it so well of himself. | 12 | ··········˘/ |
| CHO. Let censuring, &c. | 6 | ··/˘˘· |
| Even so Master Doctor had puzzled his brains | 11 | /·/˘/˘·/˘·· |
| In making a ballad, but was at a stand; | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| He had mixt little wit with a great deal of pains, | 12 | ···/˘······· |
| When he found a new help from invisible hand. | 11 | ·······˘/˘· |
| Then, good Doctor Swift | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Pay thanks for the gift, | 5 | ····· |
| For you freely must own you were at a dead lift; | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| And, though some malicious young spirit did do't, | 10 | ···˘/˘·/·· |
| You may know by the hand it had no cloven foot. | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| CHO. Let censuring, &c. | 6 | ··/˘˘· |
| The Cut-Purse is a ballad sung by Nightingale, the ballad-singer, in | 17 | ·····/˘··/˘·/˘/˘· |
| Ben Jonson's "Bartholomew Fair," Act III, Sc. I. The burthen of the | 17 | ·/˘˘/˘·······/˘·· |
| ballad is: | 3 | /˘· |
| "Youth, youth, thou had'st better been starv'd by thy nurse | 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.