Slickens Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCBD E F F GAH I JDKLMNO P QQQR I Q R Q R QR R STURVWIC P RXC R R I R R RRC R DAYZA2B2C2C2 P BBBD2BBD2 I E2F2C2C2 P G2G2D R G2 R G2 I D R H2C2C2RC2I2 G2 RG2C R J2 I K2 G2 BG2E2G2G2CBC2C2RC2G2 C2BZL2BBRJ2G2 R C2C2 I M2RM2R R RR G2 G2G2G2G2C2C2BBN2N2 P CG2CG2BBO2O2G2G2G2 G2 P2G2C2C2BQ2C2R2S2G2 G2 N2 R G2B I C2G2G2 R C2G2BRBR2 G2 C2BG2A G2 RB G2 RDRAMATIS PERSONAE | A |
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HAYSEED a Granger | B |
NOZZLE a Miner | B |
RINGDIVVY a Statesman | C |
FEEGOBBLE a Lawyer | B |
JUNKET a Committee | D |
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Scene Yuba Dam | E |
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Feegobble Ringdivvy Nozzle | F |
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NOZZLE | F |
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My friends since ' I have pursued | G |
The evil tenor of my watery way | A |
Removing hills as by an act of faith | H |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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Just so the steadfast faith of those who hold | J |
In foreign lands beyond the Eastern sea | D |
The shares in your concern a simple blind | K |
Unreasoning belief in dividends | L |
Still stimulated by assessments which | M |
When the skies fall ensnaring all the larks | N |
Will bring no doubt a very great return | O |
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ALL singing | P |
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O the beautiful assessment | Q |
The exquisite assessment | Q |
The regular assessment | Q |
That makes the water flow | R |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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The rascally assessment | Q |
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FEEGOBBLE | R |
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The murderous assessment | Q |
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NOZZLE | R |
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The glorious assessment | Q |
That makes my mare to go | R |
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FEEGOBBLE | R |
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But Nozzle you I think were on the point | S |
Of making a remark about some rights | T |
Some certain vested rights you have acquired | U |
By long immunity for still the law | R |
Holds that if one do evil undisturbed | V |
His right to do so ripens with the years | W |
And one may be a villain long enough | I |
To make himself an honest gentleman | C |
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ALL singing | P |
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Hail holy law | R |
The soul with awe | X |
Bows to thy dispensation | C |
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NOZZLE | R |
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It breaks my jaw | R |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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It qualms my maw | R |
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FEEGOBBLE | R |
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It feeds my jaw | R |
It crams my maw | R |
It is my soul's salvation | C |
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NOZZLE | R |
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Why yes I've floated mountains to the sea | D |
For lo these many years though some they say | A |
Do strand themselves along the bottom lands | Y |
And cover up a village here and there | Z |
And here and there a ranch 'Tis said indeed | A2 |
The granger with his female and his young | B2 |
Do not infrequently go to the dickens | C2 |
By premature burial in slickens | C2 |
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ALL singing | P |
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Could slickens forever | B |
Choke up the river | B |
And slime's endeavor | B |
Be tried on grain | D2 |
How small the measure | B |
Of granger's treasure | B |
How keen his pain | D2 |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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'A consummation devoutly to be wished ' | - |
These rascal grangers would long since have been | E2 |
Submerged in slimes to the last man of them | F2 |
But for the fact that all their wicked tribes | C2 |
Affect our legislation with their bribes | C2 |
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ALL singing | P |
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O bribery's great | G2 |
'Tis a pillar of State | G2 |
And the people they are free | D |
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FEEGOBBLE | R |
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It smashes my slate | G2 |
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NOZZLE | R |
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It is thievery straight | G2 |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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But it's been the making of me | D |
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NOZZLE | R |
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I judge by certain shrewd sensations here | H2 |
In these callosities I call my thumbs | C2 |
thrilling sense as of ten thousand pins | C2 |
Red hot and penetrant transpiercing all | R |
The cuticle and tickling through the nerves | C2 |
That some malign and awful thing draws near | I2 |
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Enter Hayseed | G2 |
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Good Lord here are the ghosts and spooks of all | R |
The grangers I have decently interred | G2 |
Rolled into one | C |
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FEEGOBBLE | R |
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Plead phantom | J2 |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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You've the floor | K2 |
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HAYSEED | G2 |
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From the margin of the river | B |
Bitter Creek they sometimes call it | G2 |
Where I cherished once the pumpkin | E2 |
And the summer squash promoted | G2 |
Harvested the sweet potato | G2 |
Dallied with the fatal melon | C |
And subdued the fierce cucumber | B |
I've been driven by the slickens | C2 |
Driven by the slimes and tailings | C2 |
All my family my Polly | R |
Ann and all my sons and daughters | C2 |
Dog and baby both included | G2 |
All were swamped in seas of slickens | C2 |
Buried fifty fathoms under | B |
Where they lie prepared to play their | Z |
Gentle prank on geologic | L2 |
Gents that shall exhume them later | B |
In the dim and distant future | B |
Taking them for melancholy | R |
Relics antedating Adam | J2 |
I alone got up and dusted | G2 |
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NOZZLE | R |
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Avaunt you horrid and infernal cuss | C2 |
What dire distress have you prepared for us | C2 |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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Were I a buzzard stooping from the sky | M2 |
My craw with filth to fill | R |
Into your honorable body I | M2 |
Would introduce a bill | R |
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FEEGOBBLE | R |
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Defendant hence or by the gods I'll brain thee | R |
Unless you saved some turneps to retain me | R |
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HAYSEED | G2 |
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As I was saying I got up and dusted | G2 |
My ranch a graveyard and my business busted | G2 |
But hearing that a fellow from the City | G2 |
Who calls himself a Citizens' Committee | G2 |
Was coming up to play the very dickens | C2 |
With those who cover up our farms with slickens | C2 |
And make himself unless I am in error | B |
To all such miscreants a holy terror | B |
I thought if I would join the dialogue | N2 |
I maybe might get payment for my dog | N2 |
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ALL Singing | P |
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O the dog is the head of Creation | C |
Prime work of the Master's hand | G2 |
He hasn't a known occupation | C |
Yet lives on the fat of the land | G2 |
Adipose indolent sleek and orbicular | B |
Sun soaken door matted cross and particular | B |
Men women children all coddle and wait on him | O2 |
Then accidentally shutting the gate on him | O2 |
Miss from their calves ever after the rifted out | G2 |
Mouthful of tendons that doggy has lifted out | G2 |
Enter Junket | G2 |
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JUNKET | G2 |
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Well met my hearties I must trouble you | P2 |
Jointly and severally to provide | G2 |
A comfortable carriage with relays | C2 |
Of hardy horses This Committee means | C2 |
To move in state about the country here | B |
I shall expect at every place I stop | Q2 |
Good beds of course and everything that's nice | C2 |
With bountiful repast of meat and wine | R2 |
For this Committee comes to sea and mark | S2 |
And inwardly digest | G2 |
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HAYSEED | G2 |
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Digest my dog | N2 |
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NOZZLE | R |
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First square my claim for damages the gold | G2 |
Escaping with the slickens keeps me poor | B |
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RINGDIVVY | I |
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I merely would remark that if you'd grease | C2 |
My itching palm it would more glibly glide | G2 |
Into the public pocket | G2 |
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FEEGOBBLE | R |
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Sir the wheels | C2 |
Of justice move but slowly till they're oiled | G2 |
I have some certain writs and warrants here | B |
Prepared against your advent You recall | R |
The tale of Zaccheus who did climb a tree | B |
And Jesus said 'Come down' | R2 |
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JUNKET | G2 |
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Why bless your souls | C2 |
I've got no money I but came to see | B |
What all this noisy babble is about | G2 |
Make a report and file the same away | A |
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NOZZLE RINGDIVVY FEEGOBBLE HAYSEED | G2 |
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How'll that help us Reports are not our style | R |
Of provender | B |
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JUNKET | G2 |
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Well you can gnaw the file | R |
Ambrose Bierce
(1)
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