Two-an'-six Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABB CCAAAADDEEFF GHHGDDHHHHAAII JJAA BBAAKLAAMMHHNNAADD BBOODDHHOOPBQQ OOAAOOBBHHDD AAA HHOOOODD BBCCQQAAAAAA DDRRSSDDOOOOH DDOOOOO AAOOMMOO CCDDMerry voices chatterin' | A |
Nimble feet dem patterin' | A |
Big an' little faces gay | B |
Happy day dis market day | B |
- | |
Sateday de marnin' break | C |
Soon soon market people wake | C |
An' de light shine from de moon | A |
While dem boy wid pantaloon | A |
Roll up ober dem knee pan | A |
'Tep across de buccra lan' | A |
To de pastur whe' de harse | D |
Feed along wid de jackass | D |
An' de mule cant' in de track | E |
Wid him tail up in him back | E |
All de ketchin' to defy | F |
No ca' how dem boy might try | F |
- | |
In de early marnin' tide | G |
When de cocks crow on de hill | H |
An' de stars are shinin' still | H |
Mirrie by de fireside | G |
Hots de coffee for de lads | D |
Comin' ridin' on de pads | D |
T'rown across dem animul | H |
Donkey harse too an' de mule | H |
Which at last had come do'n cool | H |
On de bit dem hol' dem full | H |
Racin' ober pastur' lan' | A |
See dem comin' ebery man | A |
Comin' fe de steamin' tea | I |
Ober hilly track an' lea | I |
- | |
Hard wuk'd donkey on de road | J |
Trottin' wid him ushal load | J |
Hamper pack' wi' yam an' grain | A |
Sour sop and Gub'nor cane | A |
- | |
Cous' Sun sits in hired dray | B |
Drivin' 'long de market way | B |
Whole week grindin' sugar cane | A |
T'rough de boilin' sun an' rain | A |
Now a'ter de toilin' hard | K |
He goes seekin' his reward | L |
While he's thinkin' in him min' | A |
Of de dear ones lef behin' | A |
Of de loved though ailin' wife | M |
Darlin' treasure of his life | M |
An' de picknies six in all | H |
Whose 'nuff burdens 'pon him fall | H |
Seben lovin' ones in need | N |
Seben hungry mouths fe feed | N |
On deir wants he thinks alone | A |
Neber dreamin' of his own | A |
But gwin' on wid joyful face | D |
Till him re'ch de market place | D |
- | |
Sugar bears no price to day | B |
Though it is de mont' o' May | B |
When de time is hellish hot | O |
An' de water cocoanut | O |
An' de cane bebridge is nice | D |
Mix' up wid a lilly ice | D |
Big an' little great an' small | H |
Afou yam is all de call | H |
Sugar tup an' gill a quart | O |
Yet de people hab de heart | O |
Wantin' brater top o' i' | P |
Want de sweatin' higgler fe | B |
Ram de pan an' pile i' up | Q |
Yet sell i' fe so so tup | Q |
- | |
Cousin Sun is lookin' sad | O |
As de market is so bad | O |
'Pon him han' him res' him chin | A |
Quietly sit do'n thinkin' | A |
Of de loved wife sick in bed | O |
An' de children to be fed | O |
What de laborers would say | B |
When dem know him couldn' pay | B |
Also what about de mill | H |
Whe' him hire from ole Bill | H |
So him think an' think on so | D |
Till him t'oughts no more could go | D |
- | |
Then he got up an' began | A |
Pickin' up him sugar pan | A |
In his ears rang t'rough de din | A |
'Only two an' six a tin' ' | - |
What a tale he'd got to tell | H |
How bad bad de sugar sell | H |
Tekin' out de lee amount | O |
Him set do'n an' begin count | O |
All de time him min' deh doubt | O |
How expenses would pay out | O |
Ah it gnawed him like de ticks | D |
Sugar sell fe two an' six | D |
- | |
So he journeys on de way | B |
Feelinl sad dis market day | B |
No e'en buy a little cake | C |
To gi'e baby when she wake | C |
Passin' 'long de candy shop | Q |
'Douten eben mek a stop | Q |
To buy drops fe las'y son | A |
For de lilly cash nea' done | A |
So him re'ch him own a groun' | A |
An' de children scamper roun' | A |
Each one stretchin' out him han' | A |
Lookin' to de poor sad man | A |
- | |
Oh how much he felt de blow | D |
As he watched dem face fall low | D |
When dem wait an' nuttin' came | R |
An' drew back deir han's wid shame | R |
But de sick wife kissed his brow | S |
'Sun don't get down hearted now | S |
Ef we only pay expense | D |
We mus' wuk we common sense | D |
Cut an' carve an' carve an' cut | O |
Mek gill sarbe fe quattiewut | O |
We mus' try mek two ends meet | O |
Neber mind how hard be it | O |
We won't mind de haul an' pull | H |
While dem pickny belly full ' | - |
- | |
An' de shadow lef' him face | D |
An' him felt an inward peace | D |
As he blessed his better part | O |
For her sweet an' gentle heart | O |
'Dear one o' my heart my breat' | O |
Won't I lub you to de deat' | O |
When my heart is weak an' sad | O |
Who but you can mek it glad ' | - |
- | |
So dey kissed an' kissed again | A |
An' deir t'oughts were not on pain | A |
But was 'way down in de sout' | O |
Where dey'd wedded in deir yout' | O |
In de marnin' of deir life | M |
Free from all de grief an' strife | M |
Happy in de marnin' light | O |
Never thinkin' of de night | O |
- | |
So dey k'lated eberyt'ing | C |
An' de profit it could bring | C |
A'ter all de business fix' | D |
Was a princely two an' six | D |
Claude Mckay
(1)
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