On the Posteriors
Because I am by nature blind,I wisely choose to walk behind;However, to avoid disgrace,I let no creature see my face.My words are few, but spoke with sense;And yet my speaking gives offence:Or, if to whisper I presume,The company will fly the room.By all the world I am opprest:And my oppression gives them rest.Through me, though sore against my will,Instructors every art instil.By thousands I am sold and bought,Who neither get nor lose a groat;For none, alas! by me can gain,But those who give me greatest pain.Shall man presume to be my master,Who's but my caterer and taster?Yet, though I always have my will,I'm but a mere depender still:An humble hanger-on at best;Of whom all people make a jest.In me detractors seek to findTwo vices of a different kind;I'm too profuse, some censurers cry,And all I get, I let it fly;While others give me many a curse,Because too close I hold my purse.But this I know, in either case,They dare not charge me to my face.'Tis true, indeed, sometimes I save,Sometimes run out of all I have;But, when the year is at an end,Computing what I get and spend,My goings-out, and comings-in,I cannot find I lose or win;And therefore all that know me say,I justly keep the middle way.I'm always by my betters led;I last get up, and first a-bed;Though, if I rise before my time,The learn'd in sciences sublimeConsult the stars, and thence foretellGood luck to those with whom I dwell.
Words in this poem
- avoid v. t.
- To empty. Wyclif. [OF. esvuidier, es (L. ex) + vuidier, voidier, to empty. See Void, a.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- offence n.
- The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend.]
- presume v. t.
- To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained. [F. présumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See Assume, Redeem.]
- groat n.
- An old English silver coin, equal to four pence. [LG. grote, orig., great, that is, a great piece of coin, larger than other coins in former use. See Great.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- caterer n.
- One who caters.
- taster n.
- One who tastes; especially, one who first tastes food or drink to ascertain its quality.
- depender n.
- One who depends; a dependent.
- 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]
- consult n.
- The act of consulting or deliberating; consultation; also, the result of consulation; determination; decision.
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On the Posteriors 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, On the Posteriors, in Cadenus and Vanessa, and Other Poems (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/on-the-posteriors.html, id L09253.
Form and metre
On the Posteriors is 44 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.1 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 7% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, 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 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTUUVV blindA · behindA · disgraceB · faceB · senseC · offenceC · presumeD · roomD · opprestE · restE · willF · instilF · boughtG · groatG · gainH · painH · masterI · tasterI · willJ · stillJ · bestK · jestK · findL · kindL · cryM · flyM · curseN · purseN · caseO · faceO · saveP · haveP · endQ · spendQ · inR · winR · sayS · wayS · ledT · bedT · timeU · sublimeU · foretellV · dwellV
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Because I am by nature blind, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I wisely choose to walk behind; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| However, to avoid disgrace, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘/ |
| I let no creature see my face. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| My words are few, but spoke with sense; | 8 | ········ |
| And yet my speaking gives offence: | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Or, if to whisper I presume, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| The company will fly the room. | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| By all the world I am opprest: | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| And my oppression gives them rest. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Through me, though sore against my will, | 8 | ········ |
| Instructors every art instil. | 8 | ˘/˘/˘··· |
| By thousands I am sold and bought, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Who neither get nor lose a groat; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For none, alas! by me can gain, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| But those who give me greatest pain. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Shall man presume to be my master, | 9 | ··˘/···/˘ |
| Who's but my caterer and taster? | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| Yet, though I always have my will, | 8 | ···/···· |
| I'm but a mere depender still: | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| An humble hanger-on at best; | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Of whom all people make a jest. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In me detractors seek to find | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Two vices of a different kind; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| I'm too profuse, some censurers cry, | 9 | ··˘/····· |
| And all I get, I let it fly; | 8 | ········ |
| While others give me many a curse, | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| Because too close I hold my purse. | 8 | ········ |
| But this I know, in either case, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| They dare not charge me to my face. | 8 | ········ |
| 'Tis true, indeed, sometimes I save, | 8 | ··˘/˘/·· |
| Sometimes run out of all I have; | 8 | ˘/······ |
| But, when the year is at an end, | 8 | ········ |
| Computing what I get and spend, | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| My goings-out, and comings-in, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| I cannot find I lose or win; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And therefore all that know me say, | 8 | ········ |
| I justly keep the middle way. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| I'm always by my betters led; | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| I last get up, and first a-bed; | 8 | ········ |
| Though, if I rise before my time, | 8 | ········ |
| The learn'd in sciences sublime | 8 | ···/˘˘˘/ |
| Consult the stars, and thence foretell | 8 | ˘/····˘/ |
| Good luck to those with whom I dwell. | 8 | ········ |
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.