Dean Swift at Sir Arthur Acheson's in the North of Ireland
The Dean would visit Market-Hill,Our invitation was but slight;I said--"Why let him, if he will:"And so I bade Sir Arthur write.
His manners would not let him wait,Lest we should think ourselves neglected,And so we see him at our gateThree days before he was expected,
After a week, a month, a quarter,And day succeeding after day,Says not a word of his departure,Though not a soul would have him stay.
I've said enough to make him blush,Methinks, or else the devil's in't;But he cares not for it a rush,Nor for my life will take the hint.
But you, my dear, may let him know,In civil language, if he stays,How deep and foul the roads may grow,And that he may command the chaise.
Or you may say--"My wife intends,Though I should be exceeding proud,This winter to invite some friends,And, sir, I know you hate a crowd."
Or, "Mr. Dean--I should with joyBeg you would here continue still,But we must go to Aghnecloy;Or Mr. Moore will take it ill."
The house accounts are daily rising;So much his stay doth swell the bills:My dearest life, it is surprising,How much he eats, how much he swills.
His brace of puppies how they stuff!And they must have three meals a-day,Yet never think they get enough;His horses too eat all our hay.
O! if I could, how I would maulHis tallow face and wainscot paws,His beetle brows, and eyes of wall,And make him soon give up the cause!
Must I be every moment chidWith Skinnybonia, Snipe, and Lean?O! that I could but once be ridOf this insulting tyrant Dean!
Words in this poem
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- departure n.
- Division; separation; putting away. [From Depart.]
- methinks v.
- It seems to me; I think. See Me. [AS. þyncan to seem, me þynceedh, me þuhte, OE. me thinketh, me thoughte; akin to G. dünken to seem, denken to think, and E. think. See Me, and Think.]
- 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.]
- wainscot n.
- Oaken timber or boarding. [OD. waeghe-schot, D. wagen-schot, a clapboard, fr. OD. waeg, weeg, a wall (akin to AS. wah; cf. Icel. veggr) + schot a covering of boards (akin to E. shot, shoo]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Dean Swift at Sir Arthur Acheson's in the North of Ireland 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, Dean Swift at Sir Arthur Acheson's in the North of Ireland, in Poems, Volume II (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/dean-swift-at-sir-arthur-acheson-s-in-the-north-of-ireland.html, id L09282.
Form and metre
Dean Swift at Sir Arthur Acheson's in the North of Ireland is 44 lines in 11 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 9 of its 11 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.1 syllables. 6 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 11% 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 hillA · slightB · willA · writeB
- 2 ABAB waitA · neglectedB · gateA · expectedB
- 3 -A-A quarter · dayA · departure · stayA
- 4 ABAB blushA · in'tB · rushA · hintB
- 5 ABAB knowA · staysB · growA · chaiseB
- 6 ABAB intendsA · proudB · friendsA · crowdB
- 7 ABAB joyA · stillB · aghnecloyA · illB
- 8 ABAB risingA · billsB · surprisingA · swillsB
- 9 ABAB stuffA · dayB · enoughA · hayB
- 10 ABAB maulA · pawsB · wallA · causeB
- 11 -A-A chid · leanA · rid · deanA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Dean would visit Market-Hill, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Our invitation was but slight; | 8 | /·˘/˘··· |
| I said--"Why let him, if he will:" | 8 | ········ |
| And so I bade Sir Arthur write. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| His manners would not let him wait, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Lest we should think ourselves neglected, | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| And so we see him at our gate | 8 | ······/· |
| Three days before he was expected, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| After a week, a month, a quarter, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And day succeeding after day, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Says not a word of his departure, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Though not a soul would have him stay. | 8 | ········ |
| I've said enough to make him blush, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Methinks, or else the devil's in't; | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| But he cares not for it a rush, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor for my life will take the hint. | 8 | ········ |
| But you, my dear, may let him know, | 8 | ········ |
| In civil language, if he stays, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| How deep and foul the roads may grow, | 8 | ········ |
| And that he may command the chaise. | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Or you may say--"My wife intends, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Though I should be exceeding proud, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| This winter to invite some friends, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| And, sir, I know you hate a crowd." | 8 | ········ |
| Or, "Mr. Dean--I should with joy | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Beg you would here continue still, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| But we must go to Aghnecloy; | 8 | ········ |
| Or Mr. Moore will take it ill." | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The house accounts are daily rising; | 9 | ··˘/·/˘/˘ |
| So much his stay doth swell the bills: | 8 | ········ |
| My dearest life, it is surprising, | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
| How much he eats, how much he swills. | 8 | ········ |
| His brace of puppies how they stuff! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And they must have three meals a-day, | 8 | ········ |
| Yet never think they get enough; | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| His horses too eat all our hay. | 8 | ·/˘···/· |
| O! if I could, how I would maul | 8 | ········ |
| His tallow face and wainscot paws, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| His beetle brows, and eyes of wall, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And make him soon give up the cause! | 8 | ········ |
| Must I be every moment chid | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| With Skinnybonia, Snipe, and Lean? | 8 | ········ |
| O! that I could but once be rid | 8 | ········ |
| Of this insulting tyrant Dean! | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
Notes from the edition 2
The notes to the Poems of Jonathan Swift, Volume II (Project Gutenberg #13621).
- Stanza 7, line 3 The seat of Acheson Moore, Esq., in the county of Tyrone.
- Stanza 11, line 2 The Dean used to call Lady Acheson by those names. See "My Lady's Lamentation," next page.--W. E. B.
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