The Village Wife Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABB CDDEEFFGGHI CEEJ KLLIIMN KOOMM KKKLL JKKIILLKKIIPPMMIIIIO O KMMKKLLMM LOOLLO LIJO LMMJJ LKKJJ LMMOOKKQQ KLLOO KOOOOOO KOOI LLRSL OO K OOKK KJJLLKK LIIOO

'Ouse keeper sent tha my lass fur New Squire coom'd last nightA
Butter an' heggs yis yis I'll go wi' tha back all rightA
Butter I warrants be prime an' I warrants the heggs be as wellB
Hafe a pint o' milk runs out when ya bre ks the shellB
-
IIC
Sit thysen down fur a bit hev a glass o' cowslip wineD
I liked the owd Squire an' 'is gells as thaw they was gells o' mineD
Fur then we was all es one the Squire an' 'is darters an' meE
Hall but Miss Annie the heldest I niver not took to sheE
But Nelly the last of the cletch I liked 'er the fust on 'em allF
Fur hoffens we talkt o' my darter es died o' the fever at fallF
An' I thowt 'twur the will o' the Lord but Miss Annie she said it wur dra insG
Fur she hedn't naw coomfut in 'er an' arn'd naw thanks fur 'er pa insG
Eh thebbe all wi' the Lord my childer I han't gotten noneH
Sa new squire's coom'd wi' 'is ta il in 'is 'and an' owd Squire's goneI
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IIIC
Fur 'sta te be i' ta il my lass tha dosn' knaw what that beE
But I knaws the law I does for the lawyer ha towd it meE
'When theer's naw 'ead to a 'Ouse by the fault o' that ere ma leJ
The gells they counts fur nowt and the next un he ta kes the ta il '-
-
IVK
What be the next un like can tha tell ony harm on 'im lassL
Na y sit down naw 'urry sa cowd hev another glassL
Stra nge an' cowd fur the time we may happen a fall o' snawI
Not es I cares fur to hear ony harm but I likes to knawI
An' I 'o ps es 'e be nt boo klarn'd but 'e dosn' not coom fro' the shereM
We'd anew o' that wi' the Squire an' we ha tes boo klarnin' ereN
-
VK
Fur Squire wur a Varsity scholard an' niver lookt arter the landO
Who ts or tonups or ta tes 'e 'ed hallus a boo k i' 'is 'andO
Hallus alo n wi' 'is boo ks thaw nigh upo' seventy yearM
An' boo ks what's boo ks thou knaws thebbe naither 'ere nor theerM
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VIK
An' the gells they hedn't naw ta ils an' the lawyer he towd it meK
That 'is ta il were so tied up es he couldn't cut down a treeK
'Drat the trees ' says I to be sewer I ha tes 'em my lassL
Fur we puts the muck o' the land an' they sucks the muck fro' the grassL
-
VllJ
An' Squire wur hallus a smilin' an' gied to the tramps goin' byK
An' all o' the wust i' the parish wi' hoffens a drop in 'is eyeK
An' ivry darter o' Squire's hed her awn ridin erse to 'ersenI
An' they rampaged about wi' their grooms an' was 'unten' arter the menI
An' hallus a dallackt an' dizen'd out an' a buyin' new clo thesL
While 'e sit like a gre t glimmer gowk wi' 'is glasses athurt 'is no seL
An' 'is no se sa grufted wi' snuff es it couldn't be scroob'd awa yK
Fur atween 'is re din' an' writin' 'e sniff up a box in a da yK
An' 'e niver runn'd arter the fox nor arter the birds wi' 'is gunI
An' 'e niver not shot one 'are but 'e le ved it to Charlie 'is sonI
An' 'e niver not fish'd 'is awn ponds but Charlie 'e cotch'd the pikeP
For 'e warn't not burn to the land an' 'e didn't take kind to it likeP
But I e rs es 'e'd gie fur a howry owd book thutty pound an' moorM
An' 'e'd wrote an owd book his awn sen sa I knaw'd es'e'd coom to be poorM
An' 'e gied I be fear'd fur to tell tha 'ow much fur an owd scratted sto nI
An' 'e digg'd up a loomp i' the land an' 'e got a brown pot an' a bo nI
An' 'e bowt owd money es wouldn't go wi' good gowd o' the QueenI
An' 'e bowt little statutes all na kt an' which was a sha me to be seenI
But 'e niver loo kt ower a bill nor 'e niver not seed to owtO
An' 'e niver knawd nowt but boo ks an' boo ks as thou knaws be nt nowtO
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VIIIK
But owd Squire's la dy es long es she lived she kep 'em all clearM
Thaw es long es she lived I niver hed none of 'er darters 'ereM
Burt arter she died we was all es one the childer an' meK
An' sarvints runn'd in an' out an' offens we hed 'em to teaK
Lawk 'ow I laugh'd when the lasses 'ud talk o' their Missis's wa ysL
An' the Missisis talk'd o' the lasses I'll tell tha some o' these da ysL
Ho nly Miss Annie were saw stuck oop like 'er mother afoorM
'Er an' 'er blessed darter they niver derken'd my doorM
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IXL
An' Squire 'e smiled an' 'e smiled till 'e'd gotten a fright at lastO
An' 'e calls fur 'is son fur the 'turney's letters they foller'd sa fastO
But Squire wur afear'd o' 'is son an' 'e says to 'im meek as a mouseL
'Lad thou mun cut off thy ta il or the gells 'ull go to the 'OuseL
Fur I finds es I be that i' debt es I 'oaps es thou'll 'elp me a bitO
An' if thou'll 'gree to cut off thy ta il I may sa ve mysen yit '-
-
XL
But Charlie 'e sets back 'is ears an' 'e swears an' 'e says to 'im 'NoaI
I've gotten the 'sta te by the ta il an' be dang'd if I iver let goaJ
Coom coom feyther ' 'e says 'why shouldn't thy boo ks be sowdO
I hears es soom o' thy boo ks mebbe worth their weight i' gowd '-
-
XIL
He ps an' he ps o' boo ks I ha' see'd 'em belong'd to the SquireM
But the lasses 'ed te rd out le ves i' the middle to kindle the fireM
Sa mo st on 'is owd big boo ks fetch'd nigh to nowt at the sa leJ
And Squire were at Charlie agean to git 'im to cut off 'is ta ilJ
-
XIIL
Ya wouldn't find Charlie's likes 'e were that outdacious at 'oamK
Not thaw ya went fur to ra ke out Hell wi' a small tooth coambK
Droonk wi' the Quoloty's wine an' droonk wi' the farmer's a leJ
Mad wi' the lasses an' all an' 'e wouldn't cut off the ta ilJ
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XIIIL
Thou's coom'd oop by the beck and a thurn be a grawin' theerM
I niver ha seed it sa white wi' the Ma y es I see'd it to yearM
Theerabouts Charlie joompt and it gied me a scare tother nightO
Fur I thowt it wur Charlie's gho st i' the derk fur it loo kt sa whiteO
'Billy ' says 'e 'hev a joomp ' thaw the banks o' the beck be sa highK
Fur he ca'd 'is 'erse Billy rough un thaw niver a hair wur awryK
But Billy fell bakkuds o' Charlie an' Charlie 'e brok 'is neckQ
Sa theer wur a hend o' the ta il fur 'e lost 'is ta il i' the beckQ
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XIVK
Sa 'is ta il wur lost an' 'is boo ks wur gone an' 'is boy wur de dL
An' Squire 'e smiled an' 'e smiled but 'e niver not lift oop 'is 'e dL
Hallus a soft un Squire an' 'e smiled fur 'e hedn't naw friendO
Sa feyther an' son was buried togither an' this wur the hendO
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XVK
An' Parson as hesn't the call nor the mooney but hes the prideO
'E reads of a sewer an' sartan 'o p o' the tother sideO
But I be nt that sewer es the Lord how siver they pra y'd an' pra y'dO
Lets them inter 'eaven e sy es le ves their debts to be pa idO
Siver the mou'ds rattled down upo' poor owd Squire i' the woodO
An' I cried along wi' the gells fur they we nt niver coons to naw goodO
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XVIK
Fur Molly the long un she walkt awa y wi' a hofficer ladO
An' nawbody 'e rd on 'er sin sa o' coorse she be gone to the badO
An' Lucy wur la me o' one leg sweet 'arts she niver 'ed noneI
Stra nge an' unheppen Miss Lucy we na med her ' Dot an' gaw one '-
An' Hetty wur weak i' the hattics wi'out ony harm i' the legsL
An' the fever 'ed ba ked Jinny's 'e d as bald as one o' them heggsL
An' Nelly wur up fro' the cra dle as big i' the mouth as a cowR
An' saw she mun hammergrate lass of she we nt git a ma te onyhowS
An' es for Miss Annie es call'd me afoor my awn fo lks to my fa ceL
'A hignorant village wife as 'ud hev to be larn'd her awn pla ce '-
Hes fur Miss Hannie the heldest hes now be a grawin' sa howdO
I knaws that mooch o' she es it be nt not fit to be towdO
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XVIIK
Sa I didn't not ta ke it kindly ov owd Miss Annie to sa y-
Es I should be talkin age n 'em es soon es they went awa y-
Fur lawks 'ow I cried when they went an' our Nelly she gied me 'er 'andO
Fur I'd ha done owt for the Squire an' 'is gells es belong'd to the landO
Boo ks es I said afoor thebbe neyther 'ere nor theerK
But I sarved 'em wi' butter an' heggs fur huppuds o' twenty yearK
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XVIIIK
An' they hallus pa id what I hax'd sa I hallus deal'd wi' the HallJ
An' they knaw'd what butter wur an' they knaw'd what a hegg wur an' allJ
Hugger mugger they lived but they wasn't that e sy to ple seL
Till I gied 'em Hinjian curn an' they la id big heggs es tha seeasL
An' I niver puts sa me i' my butter they does it at Willis's farmK
Ta ste another drop o' the wine twe nt do tha naw harmK
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XIXL
Sa new Squire's coom'd wi' 'is ta il in 'is 'and an' owd Squire's goneI
I heard 'im a roomlin' by but arter my nightcap wur onI
Sa I han't clapt eyes on 'im yit fur he coom'd last night sa la teO
Pluksh the hens i' the pe s why didn't tha hesp the ga teO

Alfred Lord Tennyson



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