Stella at Wood Park, a House of Charles Ford, Esq., near Dublin
Don Carlos, in a merry spight,Did Stella to his house invite:He entertain'd her half a yearWith generous wines and costly cheer.Don Carlos made her chief director,That she might o'er the servants hector.In half a week the dame grew nice,Got all things at the highest price:Now at the table head she sits,Presented with the nicest bits:She look'd on partridges with scorn,Except they tasted of the corn:A haunch of ven'son made her sweat,Unless it had the right fumette.Don Carlos earnestly would beg,"Dear Madam, try this pigeon's leg;"Was happy, when he could prevailTo make her only touch a quail.Through candle-light she view'd the wine,To see that ev'ry glass was fine.At last, grown prouder than the devilWith feeding high, and treatment civil,Don Carlos now began to findHis malice work as he design'd.The winter sky began to frown:Poor Stella must pack off to town;From purling streams and fountains bubbling,To Liffey's stinking tide in Dublin:From wholesome exercise and airTo sossing in an easy-chair:From stomach sharp, and hearty feeding,To piddle like a lady breeding:From ruling there the household singly.To be directed here by Dingley:From every day a lordly banquet,To half a joint, and God be thank it:From every meal Pontac in plenty,To half a pint one day in twenty:From Ford attending at her call,To visits of Archdeacon Wall:From Ford, who thinks of nothing mean,To the poor doings of the Dean:From growing richer with good cheer,To running out by starving here.But now arrives the dismal day;She must return to Ormond Quay.The coachman stopt; she look'd, and sworeThe rascal had mistook the door:At coming in, you saw her stoop;The entry brush'd against her hoop:Each moment rising in her airs,She curst the narrow winding stairs:Began a thousand faults to spy;The ceiling hardly six feet high;The smutty wainscot full of cracks:And half the chairs with broken backs:Her quarter's out at Lady-day;She vows she will no longer stayIn lodgings like a poor Grisette,While there are houses to be let.Howe'er, to keep her spirits up,She sent for company to sup:When all the while you might remark,She strove in vain to ape Wood Park.Two bottles call'd for, (half her store,The cupboard could contain but four:)A supper worthy of herself,Five nothings in five plates of delf.Thus for a week the farce went on;When, all her country savings gone,She fell into her former scene,Small beer, a herring, and the Dean.Thus far in jest: though now, I fear,You think my jesting too severe;But poets, when a hint is new,Regard not whether false or true:Yet raillery gives no offence,Where truth has not the least pretence;Nor can be more securely placedThan on a nymph of Stella's taste.I must confess your wine and vittleI was too hard upon a little:Your table neat, your linen fine;And, though in miniature, you shine:Yet, when you sigh to leave Wood Park,The scene, the welcome, and the spark,To languish in this odious town,And pull your haughty stomach down,We think you quite mistake the case,The virtue lies not in the place:For though my raillery were true,A cottage is Wood Park with you.
"With entremets to piddle with at hand."
Words in this poem 25
- spight n.
- A woodpecker. See Speight.
- generous a.
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
- dame n.
- A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
- haunch n.
- The hip; the projecting region of the lateral parts of the pelvis and the hip joint; the hind part. [F. hanche, of German origin; cf. OD. hancke, hencke, and also OHG. ancha; prob. not akin to E. ankle.]
- fumette n.
- The stench or high flavor of game or other meat when kept long. [F. fumet odor, fume of wine or meat, fr. L. fumus smoke. See Fume, n.]
- purling n.
- The motion of a small stream running among obstructions; also, the murmur it makes in so doing. [See 3d Purl.]
- piddle v. i.
- To deal in trifles; to concern one's self with trivial matters rather than with those that are important. Ascham. [Cf. dial. Sw. pittla to keep picking at, Sw. peta to pick.]
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- dismal a.
- Fatal; ill-omened; unlucky. [Formerly a noun; e. g., "I trow it was in the dismalle." Chaucer. Of uncertain origin; but perh. (as suggested by Skeat) from OF. disme, F. dîme, tithe, the phr]
- quay n.
- A mole, bank, or wharf, formed toward the sea, or at the side of a harbor, river, or other navigable water, for convenience in loading and unloading vessels. [F. quai. See Key quay.]
- coachman n.
- A man whose business is to drive a coach or carriage.
- curst a.
- Froward; malignant; mischievous; malicious; snarling. [SeeCurse.]
- smutty a.
- Soiled with smut; smutted.
- 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]
- backs n.
- Among leather dealers, the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.
- grisette n.
- A French girl or young married woman of the lower class; more frequently, a young working woman who is fond of gallantry. Sterne. [F., fr. grisette a gray woolen cloth, fr. gris gray. Grisettes were so called because they wore gray gowns made of this stuff. See Gars.]
- delf n.
- A mine; a quarry; a pit dug; a ditch. [AS. delf a delving, digging. See Delve.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- 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]
- 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.]
- pretence n.
- The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption; pretension. [LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf. Tension.]
- miniature n.
- Originally, a painting in colors such as those in mediæval manuscripts; in modern times, any very small painting, especially a portrait. [It. miniatura, fr. L. miniare. See Miniate, v.,Minium.]
- languish v. i.
- To cause to dr Shak.
- haughty a.
- High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
- entremets n.
- A side dish; a dainty or relishing dish usually eaten after the joints or principal dish; also, a sweetmeat, served with a dinner. [F., fr. entre between + mets a dish, mess.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Stella at Wood Park, a House of Charles Ford, Esq., near Dublin 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, Stella at Wood Park, a House of Charles Ford, Esq., near Dublin, in Cadenus and Vanessa, and Other Poems (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/stella-at-wood-park-a-house-of-charles-ford-esq-near-dublin.html, id L20666.
Form and metre
Stella at Wood Park, a House of Charles Ford, Esq., near Dublin is 93 lines in 2 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 92% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%).
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 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJIIKKLL-LMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTT--UUVVWWXXYYZZaabbccddee--ffgghhiijjkkllmmnnoopp spightA · inviteA · yearB · cheerB · directorC · hectorC · niceD · priceD · sitsE · bitsE · scornF · cornF · sweatG · fumetteG · begH · legH · prevailI · quailI · wineJ · fineJ · devilI · civilI · findK · design'dK · frownL · townL · bubbling · dublinL · airM · chairM · feedingN · breedingN · singlyO · dingleyO · banquetP · itP · plentyQ · twentyQ · callR · wallR · meanS · deanS · cheerT · hereT · day · quay · sworeU · doorU · stoopV · hoopV · airsW · stairsW · spyX · highX · cracksY · backsY · dayZ · stayZ · grisettea · leta · upb · supb · remarkc · parkc · stored · fourd · herselfe · delfe · on · gone · scenef · deanf · fearg · severeg · newh · trueh · offencei · pretencei · placedj · tastej · vittlek · littlek · finel · shinel · parkm · sparkm · townn · downn · caseo · placeo · truep · youp
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Don Carlos, in a merry spight, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Did Stella to his house invite: | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| He entertain'd her half a year | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| With generous wines and costly cheer. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Don Carlos made her chief director, | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
| That she might o'er the servants hector. | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| In half a week the dame grew nice, | 8 | ········ |
| Got all things at the highest price: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Now at the table head she sits, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Presented with the nicest bits: | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| She look'd on partridges with scorn, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Except they tasted of the corn: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A haunch of ven'son made her sweat, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Unless it had the right fumette. | 8 | ········ |
| Don Carlos earnestly would beg, | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| "Dear Madam, try this pigeon's leg;" | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Was happy, when he could prevail | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| To make her only touch a quail. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Through candle-light she view'd the wine, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| To see that ev'ry glass was fine. | 8 | ········ |
| At last, grown prouder than the devil | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| With feeding high, and treatment civil, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Don Carlos now began to find | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| His malice work as he design'd. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| The winter sky began to frown: | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Poor Stella must pack off to town; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| From purling streams and fountains bubbling, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| To Liffey's stinking tide in Dublin: | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| From wholesome exercise and air | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| To sossing in an easy-chair: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| From stomach sharp, and hearty feeding, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| To piddle like a lady breeding: | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| From ruling there the household singly. | 9 | ·/˘··/·/˘ |
| To be directed here by Dingley: | 9 | ··˘/˘··/˘ |
| From every day a lordly banquet, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| To half a joint, and God be thank it: | 9 | ········· |
| From every meal Pontac in plenty, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| To half a pint one day in twenty: | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| From Ford attending at her call, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| To visits of Archdeacon Wall: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| From Ford, who thinks of nothing mean, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To the poor doings of the Dean: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| From growing richer with good cheer, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| To running out by starving here. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| But now arrives the dismal day; | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| She must return to Ormond Quay. | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| The coachman stopt; she look'd, and swore | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The rascal had mistook the door: | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| At coming in, you saw her stoop; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The entry brush'd against her hoop: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Each moment rising in her airs, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| She curst the narrow winding stairs: | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Began a thousand faults to spy; | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| The ceiling hardly six feet high; | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| The smutty wainscot full of cracks: | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And half the chairs with broken backs: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Her quarter's out at Lady-day; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| She vows she will no longer stay | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| In lodgings like a poor Grisette, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| While there are houses to be let. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Howe'er, to keep her spirits up, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| She sent for company to sup: | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| When all the while you might remark, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| She strove in vain to ape Wood Park. | 8 | ········ |
| Two bottles call'd for, (half her store, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The cupboard could contain but four:) | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| A supper worthy of herself, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Five nothings in five plates of delf. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Thus for a week the farce went on; | 8 | ········ |
| When, all her country savings gone, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| She fell into her former scene, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Small beer, a herring, and the Dean. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Thus far in jest: though now, I fear, | 8 | ········ |
| You think my jesting too severe; | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| But poets, when a hint is new, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Regard not whether false or true: | 8 | ˘/······ |
| Yet raillery gives no offence, | 8 | ·/˘˘··˘/ |
| Where truth has not the least pretence; | 8 | ········ |
| Nor can be more securely placed | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Than on a nymph of Stella's taste. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I must confess your wine and vittle | 9 | ··˘/···/˘ |
| I was too hard upon a little: | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Your table neat, your linen fine; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And, though in miniature, you shine: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Yet, when you sigh to leave Wood Park, | 8 | ········ |
| The scene, the welcome, and the spark, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| To languish in this odious town, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And pull your haughty stomach down, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| We think you quite mistake the case, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| The virtue lies not in the place: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For though my raillery were true, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| A cottage is Wood Park with you. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "With entremets to piddle with at hand." | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
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