Analysis of Northern Farmer: New Style

Alfred Lord Tennyson 1809 – 1892



Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaäy?
    Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saäy.
    Proputty, proputty, proputty--Sam, thou's an ass for thy paaïns:
    Theer's moor sense i' one o' 'is legs, nor in all thy braaïns.
     Woä--theer's a craw to pluck wi' tha, Sam; yon 's parson's 'ouse--
    Dosn't thou knaw that a man mun be eäther a man or a mouse?
    Time to think on it then; for thou'll be twenty to weeäk.
    Proputty, proputty--woä then, woä--let ma 'ear mysén speäk.
     Me an' thy muther, Sammy, 'as been a'talkin' o' thee;
   Thou's beän talkin' to muther, an' she beän a tellin' it me.
   Thou'll not marry for munny--thou's sweet upo' parson's lass--
   Noä--thou 'll marry for luvv--an' we boäth of us thinks tha an ass.

Seeä'd her todaäy goä by--Saäint's-daäy--they was ringing the bells.
   She's a beauty, thou thinks--an' soä is scoors o' gells,
   Them as 'as munny an' all--wot's a beauty?--the flower as blaws.
   But proputty, proputty sticks, an' proputty, proputty graws.

Do'ant be stunt; taäke time. I knaws what maäkes tha sa mad.
   Warn't I craäzed fur the lasses mysén when I wur a lad?
   But I knaw'd a Quaäker feller as often 'as towd ma this:
   "Doänt thou marry for munny, but goä wheer munny is!"

An' I went wheer munny war; an' thy muther coom to 'and,
   Wi' lots o' munny laaïd by, an' a nicetish bit o' land.
   Maäybe she warn't a beauty--I niver giv it a thowt--
   But warn't she as good to cuddle an' kiss as a lass as 'ant nowt?

Parson's lass 'ant nowt, an' she weänt 'a nowt when 'e 's deäd,
   Mun be a guvness, lad, or summut, and addle her breäd.
   Why? for 'e 's nobbut a curate, an' weänt niver get hissén clear,
   An' 'e maäde the bed as 'e ligs on afoor 'e coom'd to the shere.

An' thin 'e coom'd to the parish wi' lots o' Varsity debt,
   Stook to his taäil thy did, an' 'e 'ant got shut on 'em yet.
   An' 'e ligs on 'is back i' the grip, wi' noän to lend 'im a shuvv,
   Woorse nor a far-welter'd yowe: fur, Sammy, 'e married for luvv.

Luvv? what's luvv? thou can luvv thy lass an' 'er munny too,
   Maäkin' 'em goä togither, as they've good right to do.
   Couldn I luvv thy muther by cause 'o 'er munny laaïd by?
   Naäy--fur I luvv'd 'er a vast sight moor fur it: reäson why.

Ay, an' thy muther says thou wants to marry the lass,
   Cooms of a gentleman burn: an' we boäth on us thinks tha an ass.
   Woä then, proputty, wiltha?--an ass as near as mays nowt--
   Woä then, wiltha? dangtha!--the bees is as fell as owt.

Breäk me a bit o' the esh for his 'eäd, lad, out o' the fence!
   Gentleman burn! what's gentleman burn? is it shillins an' pence?
   Proputty, proputty's ivrything 'ere, an', Sammy, I'm blest
   If it isn't the saäme oop yonder, fur them as 'as it 's the best.

Tis'n them as 'as munny as breaks into 'ouses an' steäls,
   Them as 'as coats to their backs an' taäkes their regular meäls,
   Noä, but it 's them as niver knaws wheer a meäl's to be 'ad.
   Taäke my word for it Sammy, the poor in a loomp is bad.

Them or thir feythers, tha sees, mun 'a beän a laäzy lot,
   Fur work mun 'a gone to the gittin' whiniver munny was got.
   Feyther 'ad ammost nowt; leastways 'is munny was 'id.
   But 'e tued an' moil'd issén dead, an' 'e died a good un, 'e did.

Looök thou theer wheer Wrigglesby beck cooms out by the 'ill!
   Feyther run oop to the farm, an' I runs oop to the mill;
   An' I 'll run oop to the brig, an' that thou 'll live to see;
   And if thou marries a good un I 'll leäve the land to thee.

Thim's my noätions, Sammy, wheerby I means to stick;
   But if thou marries a bad un, I 'll leäve the land to Dick.--
   Coom oop, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'im saäy--
   Proputty, proputty, proputty--canter an' canter awaäy.


Scheme AABBBBCCDDBB BBBB EEBB XXEE DDFF GGHH IIAA BBEE BBJJ BBEE KKLL MMBD NNAA
Poetic Form
Metre 11111111111 1111111111 11111111111 11111111101111 1101111111111 111101111101101 11111111110111 111111111111 1111101101011 111101111110111 11101111111 111101111111111111 110101111111111001 101011111111 111111101001011 11111111 111111111111111 111111011111101 111011101101111 111101111111 111111111110 1111111101111 111110101101101 11111111011101111 111111110111111 1101111010011 11111010111101111 1111011111111101 111110101111001 111111111111111 11111110111111101 11011111011011 111111111111 11011111111 1111111101111 111110011111111 111111111001 110100111111111111 11111111111 11110111111 11101101111111101 10011100111111 111111011 111001111011111101 111111110111111 11111111111100111 1111111011011111 111111100100111 11111110110111 111011011111 111111111 1111111111101111 111111111101 1111011111101 111111011111111 0111001111010111 11111011111 1111001111010111 11111111111 1111011011
Closest metre Iambic octameter
Characters 3,836
Words 704
Sentences 48
Stanzas 13
Stanza Lengths 12, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 60
Letters per line (avg) 42
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 195
Words per stanza (avg) 54
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 27, 2023

3:42 min read
143

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular British poets.  more…

All Alfred Lord Tennyson poems | Alfred Lord Tennyson Books

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