Portrait of a Woman in Bed
There’s my thingsdrying in the corner:that blue skirtjoined to the grey shirt--
I’m sick of trouble!Lift the coversif you want meand you’ll seethe rest of my clothes--though it would be coldlying with nothing on!
I won’t workand I’ve got no cash.What are you going to doabout it?
But I’ve my two eyesand a smooth faceand here’s this! look!it’s high!There’s brains and bloodin there--my name’s Robitza!Corsetscan go to the devil--and drawers along with them!What do I care!
My two boys?--they’re keen!Let the rich ladycare for them--they’ll beat the schoolorlet them go to the gutter--that ends trouble.
This house is emptyisn’t it?Then it’s minebecause I need it.
Try to help meif you want troubleor leave me alone--that ends trouble.
The county physicianis a damned fooland youcan go to hell!
You could have closed the doorwhen you came in;do it when you go out.I’m tired.
Words in this poem
- county n.
- An earldom; the domain of a count or earl. [F. comt, fr. LL. comitatus. See Count.]
- damned a.
- Sentenced to punishment in a future state; condemned; consigned to perdition.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Portrait of a Woman in Bed is in the public domain. This text is taken from A Book of Poems, Al Que Quiere!, Project Gutenberg ebook #51997; 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 Carlos Williams, Portrait of a Woman in Bed, in Al Que Quiere! (1917), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #51997, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/williams-al-que-quiere/portrait-of-a-woman-in-bed.html, id L01117.
Form and metre
Portrait of a Woman in Bed is 50 lines in 9 stanzas. The metre is iambic dimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 81%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 4.2 syllables. 13 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 46% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic dimeter.
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 --AA things · corner · skirtA · shirtA
- 2 --AA--- trouble · covers · meA · seeA · clothes · cold · on
- 4 -----A----A eyes · face · look · high · blood · thereA · robitza · corsets · devil · them · careA
- 5 ----A--A boys · keen · lady · them · schoolA · or · gutter · troubleA
- 6 -A-A empty · itA · mine · itA
- 7 -A-A me · troubleA · alone · troubleA
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 dimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| There’s my things | 3 | ··· |
| drying in the corner: | 6 | /˘··/˘ |
| that blue skirt | 3 | ··· |
| joined to the grey shirt-- | 5 | ····· |
| I’m sick of trouble! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Lift the covers | 4 | ··/˘ |
| if you want me | 4 | ···· |
| and you’ll see | 3 | ··· |
| the rest of my clothes-- | 5 | ····· |
| though it would be cold | 5 | ····· |
| lying with nothing on! | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| I won’t work | 3 | ··· |
| and I’ve got no cash. | 5 | ····· |
| What are you going to do | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| about it? | 3 | ··· |
| But I’ve my two eyes | 5 | ····· |
| and a smooth face | 4 | ···· |
| and here’s this! look! | 4 | ···· |
| it’s high! | 2 | ·· |
| There’s brains and blood | 4 | ···· |
| in there-- | 2 | ·· |
| my name’s Robitza! | 5 | ····· |
| Corsets | 2 | /˘ |
| can go to the devil-- | 6 | ····/˘ |
| and drawers along with them! | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| What do I care! | 4 | ···· |
| My two boys? | 3 | ··· |
| --they’re keen! | 2 | ·· |
| Let the rich lady | 5 | ···/˘ |
| care for them-- | 3 | ··· |
| they’ll beat the school | 4 | ···· |
| or | 1 | · |
| let them go to the gutter-- | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| that ends trouble. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| This house is empty | 5 | ···/˘ |
| isn’t it? | 3 | /˘· |
| Then it’s mine | 3 | ··· |
| because I need it. | 5 | ····· |
| Try to help me | 4 | ···· |
| if you want trouble | 5 | ···/˘ |
| or leave me alone-- | 5 | ···˘/ |
| that ends trouble. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| The county physician | 6 | ·/˘˘/˘ |
| is a damned fool | 4 | ···· |
| and you | 2 | ·· |
| can go to hell! | 4 | ···· |
| You could have closed the door | 6 | ······ |
| when you came in; | 4 | ···· |
| do it when you go out. | 6 | ······ |
| I’m tired. | 3 | ·/˘ |
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.