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 night | A |
| Butter an' heggs yis yis I'll go wi' tha back all right | A |
| Butter I warrants be prime an' I warrants the heggs be as well | B |
| Hafe a pint o' milk runs out when ya bre ks the shell | B |
| - | |
| II | C |
| Sit thysen down fur a bit hev a glass o' cowslip wine | D |
| I liked the owd Squire an' 'is gells as thaw they was gells o' mine | D |
| Fur then we was all es one the Squire an' 'is darters an' me | E |
| Hall but Miss Annie the heldest I niver not took to she | E |
| But Nelly the last of the cletch I liked 'er the fust on 'em all | F |
| Fur hoffens we talkt o' my darter es died o' the fever at fall | F |
| An' I thowt 'twur the will o' the Lord but Miss Annie she said it wur dra ins | G |
| Fur she hedn't naw coomfut in 'er an' arn'd naw thanks fur 'er pa ins | G |
| Eh thebbe all wi' the Lord my childer I han't gotten none | H |
| Sa new squire's coom'd wi' 'is ta il in 'is 'and an' owd Squire's gone | I |
| - | |
| III | C |
| Fur 'sta te be i' ta il my lass tha dosn' knaw what that be | E |
| But I knaws the law I does for the lawyer ha towd it me | E |
| 'When theer's naw 'ead to a 'Ouse by the fault o' that ere ma le | J |
| The gells they counts fur nowt and the next un he ta kes the ta il ' | - |
| - | |
| IV | K |
| What be the next un like can tha tell ony harm on 'im lass | L |
| Na y sit down naw 'urry sa cowd hev another glass | L |
| Stra nge an' cowd fur the time we may happen a fall o' snaw | I |
| Not es I cares fur to hear ony harm but I likes to knaw | I |
| An' I 'o ps es 'e be nt boo klarn'd but 'e dosn' not coom fro' the shere | M |
| We'd anew o' that wi' the Squire an' we ha tes boo klarnin' ere | N |
| - | |
| V | K |
| Fur Squire wur a Varsity scholard an' niver lookt arter the land | O |
| Who ts or tonups or ta tes 'e 'ed hallus a boo k i' 'is 'and | O |
| Hallus alo n wi' 'is boo ks thaw nigh upo' seventy year | M |
| An' boo ks what's boo ks thou knaws thebbe naither 'ere nor theer | M |
| - | |
| VI | K |
| An' the gells they hedn't naw ta ils an' the lawyer he towd it me | K |
| That 'is ta il were so tied up es he couldn't cut down a tree | K |
| 'Drat the trees ' says I to be sewer I ha tes 'em my lass | L |
| Fur we puts the muck o' the land an' they sucks the muck fro' the grass | L |
| - | |
| Vll | J |
| An' Squire wur hallus a smilin' an' gied to the tramps goin' by | K |
| An' all o' the wust i' the parish wi' hoffens a drop in 'is eye | K |
| An' ivry darter o' Squire's hed her awn ridin erse to 'ersen | I |
| An' they rampaged about wi' their grooms an' was 'unten' arter the men | I |
| An' hallus a dallackt an' dizen'd out an' a buyin' new clo thes | L |
| While 'e sit like a gre t glimmer gowk wi' 'is glasses athurt 'is no se | L |
| An' 'is no se sa grufted wi' snuff es it couldn't be scroob'd awa y | K |
| Fur atween 'is re din' an' writin' 'e sniff up a box in a da y | K |
| An' 'e niver runn'd arter the fox nor arter the birds wi' 'is gun | I |
| An' 'e niver not shot one 'are but 'e le ved it to Charlie 'is son | I |
| An' 'e niver not fish'd 'is awn ponds but Charlie 'e cotch'd the pike | P |
| For 'e warn't not burn to the land an' 'e didn't take kind to it like | P |
| But I e rs es 'e'd gie fur a howry owd book thutty pound an' moor | M |
| An' 'e'd wrote an owd book his awn sen sa I knaw'd es'e'd coom to be poor | M |
| An' 'e gied I be fear'd fur to tell tha 'ow much fur an owd scratted sto n | I |
| An' 'e digg'd up a loomp i' the land an' 'e got a brown pot an' a bo n | I |
| An' 'e bowt owd money es wouldn't go wi' good gowd o' the Queen | I |
| An' 'e bowt little statutes all na kt an' which was a sha me to be seen | I |
| But 'e niver loo kt ower a bill nor 'e niver not seed to owt | O |
| An' 'e niver knawd nowt but boo ks an' boo ks as thou knaws be nt nowt | O |
| - | |
| VIII | K |
| But owd Squire's la dy es long es she lived she kep 'em all clear | M |
| Thaw es long es she lived I niver hed none of 'er darters 'ere | M |
| Burt arter she died we was all es one the childer an' me | K |
| An' sarvints runn'd in an' out an' offens we hed 'em to tea | K |
| Lawk 'ow I laugh'd when the lasses 'ud talk o' their Missis's wa ys | L |
| An' the Missisis talk'd o' the lasses I'll tell tha some o' these da ys | L |
| Ho nly Miss Annie were saw stuck oop like 'er mother afoor | M |
| 'Er an' 'er blessed darter they niver derken'd my door | M |
| - | |
| IX | L |
| An' Squire 'e smiled an' 'e smiled till 'e'd gotten a fright at last | O |
| An' 'e calls fur 'is son fur the 'turney's letters they foller'd sa fast | O |
| But Squire wur afear'd o' 'is son an' 'e says to 'im meek as a mouse | L |
| 'Lad thou mun cut off thy ta il or the gells 'ull go to the 'Ouse | L |
| Fur I finds es I be that i' debt es I 'oaps es thou'll 'elp me a bit | O |
| An' if thou'll 'gree to cut off thy ta il I may sa ve mysen yit ' | - |
| - | |
| X | L |
| But Charlie 'e sets back 'is ears an' 'e swears an' 'e says to 'im 'Noa | I |
| I've gotten the 'sta te by the ta il an' be dang'd if I iver let goa | J |
| Coom coom feyther ' 'e says 'why shouldn't thy boo ks be sowd | O |
| I hears es soom o' thy boo ks mebbe worth their weight i' gowd ' | - |
| - | |
| XI | L |
| He ps an' he ps o' boo ks I ha' see'd 'em belong'd to the Squire | M |
| But the lasses 'ed te rd out le ves i' the middle to kindle the fire | M |
| Sa mo st on 'is owd big boo ks fetch'd nigh to nowt at the sa le | J |
| And Squire were at Charlie agean to git 'im to cut off 'is ta il | J |
| - | |
| XII | L |
| Ya wouldn't find Charlie's likes 'e were that outdacious at 'oam | K |
| Not thaw ya went fur to ra ke out Hell wi' a small tooth coamb | K |
| Droonk wi' the Quoloty's wine an' droonk wi' the farmer's a le | J |
| Mad wi' the lasses an' all an' 'e wouldn't cut off the ta il | J |
| - | |
| XIII | L |
| Thou's coom'd oop by the beck and a thurn be a grawin' theer | M |
| I niver ha seed it sa white wi' the Ma y es I see'd it to year | M |
| Theerabouts Charlie joompt and it gied me a scare tother night | O |
| Fur I thowt it wur Charlie's gho st i' the derk fur it loo kt sa white | O |
| 'Billy ' says 'e 'hev a joomp ' thaw the banks o' the beck be sa high | K |
| Fur he ca'd 'is 'erse Billy rough un thaw niver a hair wur awry | K |
| But Billy fell bakkuds o' Charlie an' Charlie 'e brok 'is neck | Q |
| Sa theer wur a hend o' the ta il fur 'e lost 'is ta il i' the beck | Q |
| - | |
| XIV | K |
| Sa 'is ta il wur lost an' 'is boo ks wur gone an' 'is boy wur de d | L |
| An' Squire 'e smiled an' 'e smiled but 'e niver not lift oop 'is 'e d | L |
| Hallus a soft un Squire an' 'e smiled fur 'e hedn't naw friend | O |
| Sa feyther an' son was buried togither an' this wur the hend | O |
| - | |
| XV | K |
| An' Parson as hesn't the call nor the mooney but hes the pride | O |
| 'E reads of a sewer an' sartan 'o p o' the tother side | O |
| But I be nt that sewer es the Lord how siver they pra y'd an' pra y'd | O |
| Lets them inter 'eaven e sy es le ves their debts to be pa id | O |
| Siver the mou'ds rattled down upo' poor owd Squire i' the wood | O |
| An' I cried along wi' the gells fur they we nt niver coons to naw good | O |
| - | |
| XVI | K |
| Fur Molly the long un she walkt awa y wi' a hofficer lad | O |
| An' nawbody 'e rd on 'er sin sa o' coorse she be gone to the bad | O |
| An' Lucy wur la me o' one leg sweet 'arts she niver 'ed none | I |
| 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 legs | L |
| An' the fever 'ed ba ked Jinny's 'e d as bald as one o' them heggs | L |
| An' Nelly wur up fro' the cra dle as big i' the mouth as a cow | R |
| An' saw she mun hammergrate lass of she we nt git a ma te onyhow | S |
| An' es for Miss Annie es call'd me afoor my awn fo lks to my fa ce | L |
| '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 howd | O |
| I knaws that mooch o' she es it be nt not fit to be towd | O |
| - | |
| XVII | K |
| 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 'and | O |
| Fur I'd ha done owt for the Squire an' 'is gells es belong'd to the land | O |
| Boo ks es I said afoor thebbe neyther 'ere nor theer | K |
| But I sarved 'em wi' butter an' heggs fur huppuds o' twenty year | K |
| - | |
| XVIII | K |
| An' they hallus pa id what I hax'd sa I hallus deal'd wi' the Hall | J |
| An' they knaw'd what butter wur an' they knaw'd what a hegg wur an' all | J |
| Hugger mugger they lived but they wasn't that e sy to ple se | L |
| Till I gied 'em Hinjian curn an' they la id big heggs es tha seeas | L |
| An' I niver puts sa me i' my butter they does it at Willis's farm | K |
| Ta ste another drop o' the wine twe nt do tha naw harm | K |
| - | |
| XIX | L |
| Sa new Squire's coom'd wi' 'is ta il in 'is 'and an' owd Squire's gone | I |
| I heard 'im a roomlin' by but arter my nightcap wur on | I |
| Sa I han't clapt eyes on 'im yit fur he coom'd last night sa la te | O |
| Pluksh the hens i' the pe s why didn't tha hesp the ga te | O |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1)
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About The Village Wife
The Village Wife is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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