On the Same Picture
Whilst you three merry poets trafficTo give us a description graphicOf Dan's large nose in modern sapphic;
I spend my time in making sermons,Or writing libels on the Germans,Or murmuring at Whigs' preferments.
But when I would find rhyme for Rochfort,And look in English, French, and Scotch for't,At last I'm fairly forced to botch for't.
Bid Lady Betty recollect her,And tell, who was it could direct herTo draw the face of such a spectre?
I must confess, that as to me, sirs,Though I ne'er saw her hold the scissars,I now could safely swear it is hers.
'Tis true, no nose could come in better;'Tis a vast subject stuff'd with matter,Which all may handle, none can flatter.
Take courage, Dan; this plainly shows,That not the wisest mortal knowsWhat fortune may befall his nose.
Show me the brightest Irish toast,Who from her lover e'er could boastAbove a song or two at most:
For thee three poets now are drudging all,To praise the cheeks, chin, nose, the bridge and all,Both of the picture and original.
Thy nose's length and fame extendSo far, dear Dan, that every friendTries who shall have it by the end.
And future poets, as they rise,Shall read with envy and surpriseThy nose outshining Celia's eyes.
Words in this poem
- sapphic a.
- Of or pertaining to Sappho, the Grecian poetess; as, Sapphic odes; Sapphic verse.
- fairly adv.
- In a fairmanner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.
- betty n.
- Etym: [Supposed to be a cant word, from Betty, for Elizabeth, as such an instrument is also called Bess (i. e., Elizabeth) in the Canting Dictionary of 1725, and Jenny (i. e., Jane).]
- recollect v. t.
- To recover or recall the knowledge of; to bring back to the mind or memory; to remember. [Pref. re- + collect: cf. L. recolligere, recollectum, to collect. Cf. Recollet.]
- spectre n.
- Something preternaturally visible; an apparition; a ghost; a phantom. [F. spectre, fr. L. spectrum an appearance, image, specter, fr. specere to look. See Spy, and cf. Spectrum.]
- 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,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On the Same Picture 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 Same Picture, in Cadenus and Vanessa, and Other Poems (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/on-the-same-picture-2.html, id L26345.
Form and metre
On the Same Picture is 33 lines in 11 stanzas of 3 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 61% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
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 AAA trafficA · graphicA · sapphicA
- 2 AAA sermonsA · germansA · prefermentsA
- 3 AAA rochfortA · for'tA · for'tA
- 4 AAA herA · herA · spectreA
- 6 AAA betterA · matterA · flatterA
- 7 AAA showsA · knowsA · noseA
- 8 AAA toastA · boastA · mostA
- 9 AAA allA · allA · originalA
- 10 AAA extendA · friendA · endA
- 11 AAA riseA · surpriseA · eyesA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Whilst you three merry poets traffic | 9 | ···/˘/˘/˘ |
| To give us a description graphic | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| Of Dan's large nose in modern sapphic; | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| I spend my time in making sermons, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Or writing libels on the Germans, | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| Or murmuring at Whigs' preferments. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| But when I would find rhyme for Rochfort, | 9 | ········· |
| And look in English, French, and Scotch for't, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| At last I'm fairly forced to botch for't. | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Bid Lady Betty recollect her, | 9 | ·/˘/˘·˘/· |
| And tell, who was it could direct her | 9 | ······˘/· |
| To draw the face of such a spectre? | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I must confess, that as to me, sirs, | 9 | ··˘/····· |
| Though I ne'er saw her hold the scissars, | 9 | ········· |
| I now could safely swear it is hers. | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| 'Tis true, no nose could come in better; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| 'Tis a vast subject stuff'd with matter, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| Which all may handle, none can flatter. | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| Take courage, Dan; this plainly shows, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That not the wisest mortal knows | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| What fortune may befall his nose. | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Show me the brightest Irish toast, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Who from her lover e'er could boast | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Above a song or two at most: | 8 | ········ |
| For thee three poets now are drudging all, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To praise the cheeks, chin, nose, the bridge and all, | 10 | ·········· |
| Both of the picture and original. | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| Thy nose's length and fame extend | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| So far, dear Dan, that every friend | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Tries who shall have it by the end. | 8 | ········ |
| And future poets, as they rise, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Shall read with envy and surprise | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Thy nose outshining Celia's eyes. | 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.