Tract
I will teach you my townspeoplehow to perform a funeral--for you have it over a troopof artists--unless one should scour the world--you have the ground sense necessary.
See! the hearse leads.I begin with a design for a hearse.For Christ’s sake not black--nor white either-- and not polished!Let it be weathered-- like a farm wagon--with gilt wheels (this could beapplied fresh at small expense)or no wheels at all:a rough dray to drag over the ground.
Knock the glass out!My God--glass, my townspeople!For what purpose? Is it for the deadto look out or for us to seehow well he is housed or to seethe flowers or the lack of them--or what?To keep the rain and snow from him?He will have a heavier rain soon:pebbles and dirt and what not.Let there be no glass--and no upholstery phew!and no little brass rollersand small easy wheels on the bottom--my townspeople what are you thinking of?
A rough plain hearse thenwith gilt wheels and no top at all.On this the coffin liesby its own weight.
No wreathes please--especially no hot house flowers.Some common memento is better,something he prized and is known by:his old clothes-- a few books perhaps--God knows what! You realizehow we are about these thingsmy townspeople--something will be found-- anythingeven flowers if he had come to that.
So much for the hearse.For heaven’s sake though see to the driver!
Take off the silk hat! In factthat’s no place at all for him--up there unceremoniouslydragging our friend out to his own dignity!Bring him down-- bring him down!Low and inconspicuous! I’d not have him rideon the wagon at all-- damn him--the undertaker’s understrapper!Let him hold the reinsand walk at the sideand inconspicuously too!
Then briefly as to yourselves:Walk behind-- as they do in France,seventh class, or if you rideHell take curtains! Go with some showof inconvenience; sit openly--to the weather as to grief.Or do you think you can shut grief in?What--from us? We who have perhapsnothing to lose? Share with usshare with us-- it will be moneyin your pockets.
Go nowI think you are ready.
Words in this poem
- townspeople n.
- The inhabitants of a town or city, especially in distinction from country people; townsfolk.
- weathered a.
- Made sloping, so as to throw off water; as, a weathered cornice or window sill.
- dray n.
- A squirrel's nest.
- upholstery n.
- The articles or goods supplied by upholsterers; the business or work of an upholsterer.
- memento n.
- A hint, suggestion, token, or memorial, to awaken memory; that which reminds or recalls to memory; a souvenir. [L., remember, be mindful, imper. of meminisse to remember. See Mention.]
- realize v. t.
- To make real; to convert from the imaginary or fictitious into the actual; to bring into concrete existence; to accomplish; as, to realize a scheme or project. [Cf. F. réaliser.]
- damn v. t.
- To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censhure. [OE. damnen dap), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]
- understrapper n.
- A petty fellow; an inferior agent; an underling.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Tract 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, Tract, in Al Que Quiere! (1917), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #51997, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/williams-al-que-quiere/tract.html, id L01102.
Form and metre
Tract is 70 lines in 9 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 74%). 88% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.1 syllables. 20 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 33% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See 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.
- 3 ---AA---------- out · townspeople · dead · seeA · seeA · them · what · him · soon · not · glass · phew · rollers · bottom · of
- 5 AA---A---- pleaseA · flowersA · better · by · perhaps · realizeA · things · townspeople · anything · that
- 7 -A---BA--B- fact · himA · unceremoniously · dignity · down · rideB · himA · understrapper · reins · sideB · too
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I will teach you my townspeople | 8 | ·····/·˘ |
| how to perform a funeral-- | 8 | ··˘/·/˘˘ |
| for you have it over a troop | 8 | ········ |
| of artists-- | 3 | ·/˘ |
| unless one should scour the world-- | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| you have the ground sense necessary. | 9 | ·····/˘·˘ |
| See! the hearse leads. | 4 | ···· |
| I begin with a design for a hearse. | 10 | ·˘/··˘/··· |
| For Christ’s sake not black-- | 5 | ····· |
| nor white either-- and not polished! | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Let it be weathered-- like a farm wagon-- | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| with gilt wheels (this could be | 6 | ······ |
| applied fresh at small expense) | 7 | ˘/···˘/ |
| or no wheels at all: | 5 | ····· |
| a rough dray to drag over the ground. | 9 | ········· |
| Knock the glass out! | 4 | ···· |
| My God--glass, my townspeople! | 7 | ····/·˘ |
| For what purpose? Is it for the dead | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| to look out or for us to see | 8 | ········ |
| how well he is housed or to see | 8 | ········ |
| the flowers or the lack of them-- | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| or what? | 2 | ·· |
| To keep the rain and snow from him? | 8 | ········ |
| He will have a heavier rain soon: | 9 | ····/˘˘·· |
| pebbles and dirt and what not. | 7 | /˘····· |
| Let there be no glass-- | 5 | ····· |
| and no upholstery phew! | 7 | ··˘/˘˘· |
| and no little brass rollers | 7 | ··/˘·/˘ |
| and small easy wheels on the bottom-- | 9 | ··/˘···/˘ |
| my townspeople what are you thinking of? | 10 | ·/·˘···/˘· |
| A rough plain hearse then | 5 | ····· |
| with gilt wheels and no top at all. | 8 | ········ |
| On this the coffin lies | 6 | ···/˘· |
| by its own weight. | 4 | ···· |
| No wreathes please-- | 3 | ··· |
| especially no hot house flowers. | 8 | ˘/˘···/˘ |
| Some common memento is better, | 9 | ·/˘˘/˘·/˘ |
| something he prized and is known by: | 8 | /˘······ |
| his old clothes-- a few books perhaps-- | 8 | ······˘/ |
| God knows what! You realize | 6 | ····/· |
| how we are about these things | 7 | ······· |
| my townspeople-- | 4 | ·/·˘ |
| something will be found-- anything | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| even flowers if he had come to that. | 10 | /˘/˘······ |
| So much for the hearse. | 5 | ····· |
| For heaven’s sake though see to the driver! | 10 | ·/˘·····/˘ |
| Take off the silk hat! In fact | 7 | ······· |
| that’s no place at all for him-- | 7 | ······· |
| up there unceremoniously | 9 | ····˘/˘˘˘ |
| dragging our friend out to his own dignity! | 12 | /˘/˘·····/˘˘ |
| Bring him down-- bring him down! | 6 | ······ |
| Low and inconspicuous! I’d not have him ride | 11 | ··˘/˘˘····· |
| on the wagon at all-- damn him-- | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| the undertaker’s understrapper! | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Let him hold the reins | 5 | ····· |
| and walk at the side | 5 | ····· |
| and inconspicuously too! | 7 | ······· |
| Then briefly as to yourselves: | 7 | ·/˘··˘/ |
| Walk behind-- as they do in France, | 8 | ········ |
| seventh class, or if you ride | 7 | /˘····· |
| Hell take curtains! Go with some show | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| of inconvenience; sit openly-- | 9 | ··˘/˘·/˘˘ |
| to the weather as to grief. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Or do you think you can shut grief in? | 9 | ········· |
| What--from us? We who have perhaps | 8 | ······˘/ |
| nothing to lose? Share with us | 7 | /˘····· |
| share with us-- it will be money | 8 | ······/˘ |
| in your pockets. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Go now | 2 | ·· |
| I think you are ready. | 6 | ····/˘ |
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.