Nullo
A spray of pine-needles,Dipped in western horizon gold,Fell onto a path.Dry moulds of cow-hoofs.In the forest.Rabbits knew not of their falling,Nor did the forest catch aflame.
Words in this poem
- onto prep.
- On the top of; upon; on. See On to, under On, prep. [On + to. Cf. Into.]
- aflame adv.
- Inflames; glowing with light or passion; ablaze. G. Eliot. [Pref. a- + flame.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Nullo is in the public domain. This text is taken from Cane, Project Gutenberg ebook #60093; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jean Toomer, Nullo, in Cane (1923), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #60093, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/toomer-cane/nullo.html, id L01566.
Form and metre
Nullo is 7 lines in a single verse paragraph. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The lines average 6.4 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending.
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.
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. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| A spray of pine-needles, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Dipped in western horizon gold, | 9 | ·˘·/˘˘/˘· |
| Fell onto a path. | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Dry moulds of cow-hoofs. | 5 | ····· |
| In the forest. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Rabbits knew not of their falling, | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| Nor did the forest catch aflame. | 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.