Ballad
A WONDERFUL ageIs now on the stage:I'll sing you a song, if I can,How modern Whigs,Dance forty-one jigs,But God bless our gracious Queen Anne.
The kirk with applauseIs established by lawsAs the orthodox church of the nation.The bishops do ownIt's as good as their own.And this, Sir, is call'd moderation.
It's no riddle nowTo let you see howA church by oppression may speed;Nor is't banter or jest,That the kirk faith is bestOn the other side of the Tweed.
For no soil can suitWith every fruit,Even so, Sir, it is with religion;The best church by farIs what grows where you are,Were it Mahomet's ass or his pigeon.
Another strange storyThat vexes the Tory,But sure there's no mystery in it,That a pension and placeGive communicants grace,Who design to turn tail the next minute.
For if it be not strange,That religion should change,As often as climates and fashions;Then sure there's no harm,That one should conform.To serve their own private occasions.
Another new dance,Which of late they advance,Is to cry up the birth of Pretender,And those that dare ownThe queen heir to the crown,Are traitors, not fit to defend her.
The subject's most loyalThat hates the blood royal,And they for employments have merit,Who swear queen and steepleWere made by the people,And neither have right to inherit.
The monarchy's fixt,By making on't mixt,And by non-resistance o'erthrown;And preaching obedienceDestroys our allegiance,And thus the Whigs prop up the throne.
That viceroy is best,That would take off the test,And made a sham speech to attempt it;But being true blue,When he found 'twould not do,Swore, damn him, if ever he meant it.
'Tis no news that Tom DoubleThe nation should bubble,Nor is't any wonder or riddle,That a parliament rumpShould play hop, step, and jump,And dance any jig to his fiddle.
But now, sir, they tell,How Sacheverell,By bringing old doctrines in fashion,Hath, like a damn'd rogue,Brought religion in vogue,And so open'd the eyes of the nation.
Then let's pray without spleen,May God bless the queen,And her fellow-monarchs the people;May they prosper and thrive,Whilst I am alive,And so may the church with the steeple.
Words in this poem
- kirk n.
- A church or the church, in the various senses of the word; esp., the Church of Scotland as distinguished from other reformed churches, or from the Roman Catholic Church. Jamieson. [Scot.; cf. Icel. kirkja, of Greek origin. See Church.]
- 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]
- tweed n.
- A soft and flexible fabric for men's wear, made wholly of wool except in some inferior kinds, the wool being dyed, usually in two colors, before weaving. [Probably a corruption of twills. See Twill.]
- damn v. t.
- To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censhure. [OE. damnen dap), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]
- parliament n.
- A parleying; a discussion; a conference. [OE. parlement, F. parlement, fr. parler to speak; cf. LL. parlamentum, parliamentum. See Parley.]
- vogue n.
- The way or fashion of people at any particular time; temporary mode, custom, or practice; popular reception for the time; -- used now generally in the phrase in vogue. [F. vogue a rowing, vogue, fashion, It. voga, fr. vogare to row, to sail; probably fr. OHG. wag to move, akin to E. way. Cf. Way.]
- prosper v. t.
- To favor; to render successful. [F. prospérer v. i., or L. prosperare, v. i., or L. prosperare, v. t., fr. prosper or prosperus. See Prosperous.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ballad is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #13621; 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, Ballad, in Poems, Volume II (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/ballad.html, id L09300.
Form and metre
Ballad is 78 lines in 13 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABCCB, complete in 9 of its 13 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic dimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%). 91% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.7 syllables. 26 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 22% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in anapaestic dimeter.
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 AABCCB ageA · stageA · canB · whigsC · jigsC · anneB
- 2 AABCCB applauseA · lawsA · nationB · ownC · ownC · moderationB
- 3 AABCCB nowA · howA · speedB · jestC · bestC · tweedB
- 4 AABCCB suitA · fruitA · religionB · farC · areC · pigeonB
- 5 AABCCB storyA · toryA · itB · placeC · graceC · minuteB
- 6 AA---- strangeA · changeA · fashions · harm · conform · occasions
- 7 AA---- danceA · advanceA · pretender · own · crown · her
- 8 AABCCB loyalA · royalA · meritB · steepleC · peopleC · inheritB
- 9 AAB--B fixtA · mixtA · o'erthrownB · obedience · allegiance · throneB
- 10 AABCCB bestA · testA · itB · blueC · doC · itB
- 11 AABCCB doubleA · bubbleA · riddleB · rumpC · jumpC · fiddleB
- 12 AA-BB- tellA · sacheverellA · fashion · rogueB · vogueB · nation
- 13 AABCCB spleenA · queenA · peopleB · thriveC · aliveC · steepleB
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 dimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| A WONDERFUL age | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Is now on the stage: | 5 | ····· |
| I'll sing you a song, if I can, | 8 | ········ |
| How modern Whigs, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Dance forty-one jigs, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| But God bless our gracious Queen Anne. | 8 | ···//˘·· |
| The kirk with applause | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Is established by laws | 7 | ·˘/˘˘·· |
| As the orthodox church of the nation. | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| The bishops do own | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| It's as good as their own. | 6 | ······ |
| And this, Sir, is call'd moderation. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| It's no riddle now | 5 | ··/˘· |
| To let you see how | 5 | ····· |
| A church by oppression may speed; | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| Nor is't banter or jest, | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| That the kirk faith is best | 6 | ······ |
| On the other side of the Tweed. | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| For no soil can suit | 5 | ····· |
| With every fruit, | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Even so, Sir, it is with religion; | 9 | /·····˘/˘ |
| The best church by far | 5 | ····· |
| Is what grows where you are, | 6 | ······ |
| Were it Mahomet's ass or his pigeon. | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Another strange story | 6 | ˘/˘·/˘ |
| That vexes the Tory, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| But sure there's no mystery in it, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| That a pension and place | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Give communicants grace, | 6 | ······ |
| Who design to turn tail the next minute. | 10 | ·˘/·····/˘ |
| For if it be not strange, | 6 | ······ |
| That religion should change, | 6 | ·˘/˘·· |
| As often as climates and fashions; | 9 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| Then sure there's no harm, | 5 | ····· |
| That one should conform. | 5 | ···˘/ |
| To serve their own private occasions. | 9 | ····/˘˘/˘ |
| Another new dance, | 5 | ˘/˘·· |
| Which of late they advance, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Is to cry up the birth of Pretender, | 10 | ·······˘/˘ |
| And those that dare own | 5 | ····· |
| The queen heir to the crown, | 6 | ······ |
| Are traitors, not fit to defend her. | 9 | ·/˘···˘/· |
| The subject's most loyal | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| That hates the blood royal, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| And they for employments have merit, | 9 | ···˘/˘·/˘ |
| Who swear queen and steeple | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Were made by the people, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| And neither have right to inherit. | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
| The monarchy's fixt, | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| By making on't mixt, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| And by non-resistance o'erthrown; | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| And preaching obedience | 7 | ·/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Destroys our allegiance, | 7 | ˘//˘˘/˘ |
| And thus the Whigs prop up the throne. | 8 | ········ |
| That viceroy is best, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| That would take off the test, | 6 | ······ |
| And made a sham speech to attempt it; | 9 | ······˘/· |
| But being true blue, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| When he found 'twould not do, | 6 | ······ |
| Swore, damn him, if ever he meant it. | 8 | ····/··· |
| 'Tis no news that Tom Double | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| The nation should bubble, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Nor is't any wonder or riddle, | 9 | ··/˘/˘·/˘ |
| That a parliament rump | 6 | ··/˘˘· |
| Should play hop, step, and jump, | 6 | ······ |
| And dance any jig to his fiddle. | 9 | ··/˘···/˘ |
| But now, sir, they tell, | 5 | ····· |
| How Sacheverell, | 5 | ····· |
| By bringing old doctrines in fashion, | 9 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| Hath, like a damn'd rogue, | 5 | ····· |
| Brought religion in vogue, | 6 | ·˘/˘·· |
| And so open'd the eyes of the nation. | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| Then let's pray without spleen, | 6 | ······ |
| May God bless the queen, | 5 | ····· |
| And her fellow-monarchs the people; | 9 | ··/˘/··/˘ |
| May they prosper and thrive, | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Whilst I am alive, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| And so may the church with the steeple. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
Notes from the edition 2
The notes to the Poems of Jonathan Swift, Volume II (Project Gutenberg #13621).
- Stanza 1, line 5 Alluding to the year 1641, when the great rebellion broke out. Scott.
- Stanza 10, line 1 Lord Wharton.
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.