The Last Irish Grievance
As I think of the insult that's done to this nation,Red tears of rivinge from me fatures I wash,And uphold in this pome, to the world's daytistation,The sleeves that appointed PROFESSOR M'COSH.
I look round me counthree, renowned by exparience,And see midst her childthren, the witty, the wise,--Whole hayps of logicians, potes, schollars, grammarians,All ayger for pleeces, all panting to rise;
I gaze round the world in its utmost diminsion;LARD JAHN and his minions in Council I ask;Was there ever a Government-pleece (with a pinsion)But children of Erin were fit for that task?
What, Erin beloved, is thy fetal condition?What shame in aych boosom must rankle and burrun,To think that our countree has ne'er a logicianIn the hour of her deenger will surrev her turrun!
On the logic of Saxons there's little reliance,And, rather from Saxons than gather its rules,I'd stamp under feet the base book of his science,And spit on his chair as he taught in the schools!
O false SIR JOHN KANE! is it thus that you praych me?I think all your Queen's Universitees Bosh;And if you've no neetive Professor to taych me,I scawurn to be learned by the Saxon M'COSH.
There's WISEMAN and CHUME, and His Grace the Lord Primate,That sinds round the box, and the world will subscribe;'Tis they'll build a College that's fit for our climate,And taych me the saycrets I burn to imboibe!
'Tis there as a Student of Science I'll enther,Fair Fountain of Knowledge, of Joy, and Contint!SAINT PATHRICK'S sweet Statue shall stand in the centher,And wink his dear oi every day during Lint.
And good Doctor NEWMAN, that praycher unwary,'Tis he shall preside the Academee School,And quit the gay robe of ST. PHILIP of Neri,To wield the soft rod of ST. LAWRENCE O'TOOLE!
Words in this poem
- pome v. i.
- To grow to a head, or form a head in growing. [Cf. F. pommer. See Pome, n.]
- witty a.
- Possessed of wit; knowing; wise; skillful; judicious; clever; cunning. [AS. witig, wittig. See Wit, n.]
- erin n.
- An early, and now a poetic, name of Ireland. [Ir. Cf. Aryan.]
- rankle v. i.
- To become, or be, rank; to grow rank or strong; to be inflamed; to fester; -- used literally and figuratively. [From Rank, a.]
- logician n.
- A person skilled in logic. [Cf. F. logicien.]
- bosh n.
- Figure; outline; show. [Cf. G. posse joke, trifle; It. bozzo a rough stone, bozzetto a rough sketch, s-bozzo a rough draught, sketch.]
- subscribe v. t.
- To write underneath, as one's name; to sign (one's name) to a document. [L. subscribere, subscriptum; sub under + scribere to write: cf. F. souscrire. See Scribe.]
- 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,]
- unwary a.
- Not vigilant against danger; not wary or cautious; unguarded; precipitate; heedless; careless. [Cf. Unware.]
- wield v. t.
- To govern; to rule; to keep, or have in charge; also, to possess. [OE. welden to govern, to have power over, to possess, AS. geweldan, gewyldan, from wealdan; akin to OS. waldan, OFries. walda, G. walten, OHG. waltan, Icel. val]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Last Irish Grievance is in the public domain. This text is taken from Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #2732; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Makepeace Thackeray, The Last Irish Grievance, in Ballads (1849–1855), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2732, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/thackeray-ballads/the-last-irish-grievance.html, id L10422.
Form and metre
The Last Irish Grievance is 36 lines in 9 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 8 of its 9 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%). 83% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 11.6 syllables. 8 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending.
See other poems in anapaestic 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 nationA · washB · daytistationA · m'coshB
- 2 -A-A exparience · wiseA · grammarians · riseA
- 3 ABAB diminsionA · askB · pinsionA · taskB
- 4 ABAB conditionA · burrunB · logicianA · turrunB
- 5 ABAB relianceA · rulesB · scienceA · schoolsB
- 6 ABAB meA · boshB · meA · m'coshB
- 7 ABAB primateA · subscribeB · climateA · imboibeB
- 8 ABAB entherA · contintB · centherA · lintB
- 9 ABAB unwaryA · schoolB · neriA · o'tooleB
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| As I think of the insult that's done to this nation, | 13 | ·····/·····/˘ |
| Red tears of rivinge from me fatures I wash, | 11 | ··········· |
| And uphold in this pome, to the world's daytistation, | 13 | ·˘/·········· |
| The sleeves that appointed PROFESSOR M'COSH. | 10 | ···˘/˘˘/˘· |
| I look round me counthree, renowned by exparience, | 12 | ······˘/···· |
| And see midst her childthren, the witty, the wise,-- | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| Whole hayps of logicians, potes, schollars, grammarians, | 12 | ···˘/˘······ |
| All ayger for pleeces, all panting to rise; | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| I gaze round the world in its utmost diminsion; | 12 | ·······/···· |
| LARD JAHN and his minions in Council I ask; | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| Was there ever a Government-pleece (with a pinsion) | 11 | ··/·/˘····· |
| But children of Erin were fit for that task? | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| What, Erin beloved, is thy fetal condition? | 12 | ·/˘˘/··/˘˘/˘ |
| What shame in aych boosom must rankle and burrun, | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| To think that our countree has ne'er a logician | 12 | ···/·····˘/˘ |
| In the hour of her deenger will surrev her turrun! | 13 | ··/·········· |
| On the logic of Saxons there's little reliance, | 13 | ··/˘·/˘·/˘˘/˘ |
| And, rather from Saxons than gather its rules, | 11 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘·· |
| I'd stamp under feet the base book of his science, | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| And spit on his chair as he taught in the schools! | 11 | ··········· |
| O false SIR JOHN KANE! is it thus that you praych me? | 12 | ············ |
| I think all your Queen's Universitees Bosh; | 10 | ·········· |
| And if you've no neetive Professor to taych me, | 12 | ······˘/˘··· |
| I scawurn to be learned by the Saxon M'COSH. | 11 | ········/˘· |
| There's WISEMAN and CHUME, and His Grace the Lord Primate, | 12 | ·/˘·······/· |
| That sinds round the box, and the world will subscribe; | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| 'Tis they'll build a College that's fit for our climate, | 12 | ····/˘···//˘ |
| And taych me the saycrets I burn to imboibe! | 11 | ··········· |
| 'Tis there as a Student of Science I'll enther, | 12 | ····/˘·/˘··· |
| Fair Fountain of Knowledge, of Joy, and Contint! | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| SAINT PATHRICK'S sweet Statue shall stand in the centher, | 12 | ····/······· |
| And wink his dear oi every day during Lint. | 11 | ·····/˘·/˘· |
| And good Doctor NEWMAN, that praycher unwary, | 12 | ··/˘/˘···˘/˘ |
| 'Tis he shall preside the Academee School, | 11 | ···˘/······ |
| And quit the gay robe of ST. PHILIP of Neri, | 12 | ·······/˘·/˘ |
| To wield the soft rod of ST. LAWRENCE O'TOOLE! | 11 | ·······/˘˘/ |
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