Analysis of Farmer Downs Changes His Opinion Of Nature



'No,' said old Farmer Downs to me,
'I ain't the facts denyin',
That all young folks in love must be,
As birds must be a-flyin'.
Don't go agin sech facts, because
I'm one as re-specks Natur's laws.

'No, sir! Old Natur knows a thing
Or two, I'm calculatin',
She don't make cat-fish dance and sing,
Or sparrow-hawks go skatin';
She knows her business ev'ry time,
You bet your last an' lonely dime!

'I guess, I'm posted pooty fair
On that old gal's capers;
She allers acts upon the square
Spite o' skyentific papers.
(I borrows one most ev'ry week
From Jonses down to 'Pincher's Creek.')

'It sorter freshens up a man
To read the newest notions,
Tho' I don't freeze much tew that thar plan,
About the crops ratotions;
You jest leave Natur do her work,
She'll do it! she ain't one tew shirk!

'I'm all fur lettin Natur go
The way she's sot on choosin'.
Ain't that the figger of a beau
That's talkin' thar tew Susan?
Down by the orchard snake-fence? Yes.
All right, it's Squire Sims, I guess.

'He's jest the one I want tew see
Come sparkin'; guess they're lyin',
That say that of old age he be
Most sartinly a-dyin'--
He's no sech thing! Good sakes alive,
The man is only seventy-five!

'An' she's sixteen. I'm not the man
Tew act sort of inhuman,
An' meanly spile old Natur's plan
To jine a man and woman
In wedlock's bonds. Sirree, she makes,
This grand old Natur, no mistakes.

'They're standin' pooty clus; the leaves
Is round 'em like a bower,
The Squire's like the yaller sheaves
An' she's the Corn Flower,
Natur's the binder, allus true,
Tew make one heart of them thar two.

'Yas--as I was a-sayin', friend,
I'm all for Natur's teachins;
_She_ ain't one in the bitter end
Tew practice over-reachins.
You trust her, and she'll treat you well,
Don't doubt her by the leastest spell.

'I'm not quite clar but subsoil looks
Jest kinder not quite pious;
I sorter think them farmin' books,
Will in the long run sky us,
Right in the mud; the way they balk
Old Natur with thar darn fool talk!

'When Susie marries Squire Sims,
I'll lease his upland farm;
I'll get it cheap enough from him--
Jest see his long right arm
About her waist--looks orful big!
Why, gosh! he's bought a new brown wig!

'Wal, that's the way old Natur acts
When bald folks go a-sparkin';
The skyentists can't alter facts
With all their hard work larkin',
A sparkin man _will_ look his best--
That's Natur--tain't no silly jest!

'Old Natur, you and me is twins;
I never will git snarly
With you, old gal. Why, darn my shins!
That's only Jonses Charlie.
She's cuddlin' right agin his vest!
Eh? What? 'Old Natur knows what's best!'

'Oh, does she? Wal, p'raps 'tis so;
Jest see the rascal's arm
About her waist! You've got tew go
Young man, right off this farm;
Old Natur knows a pile, no doubt,
But you an' her hed best get out!

'You, Susie, git right hum. I'm mad
Es enny bilin' crater!
In futur, sick or well or sad
I'll take no stock in Natur.
I'm that disgusted with her capers
I'll run the farm by skyence papers.'


Scheme ABABCC DBDBEE FGFGHH BXBCII JBJBKK ABABLL BBBBMM NONOPP QCQCRR STSTUU XVXVWW XBXBYY XRCAYY JVJVZZ 1 O1 FGG
Poetic Form Etheree  (36%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 11110111 11011 11110111 111101 11011101 1111111 1111101 1111 11111101 110111 1101011 11111101 1111011 111110 11010101 11110 1101111 111111 11010101 1101010 111111111 01011 1111101 11111111 111111 011111 1101101 1101110 11010111 1111111 11011111 11111 11111111 1101 11111101 011101001 11011101 1111010 111111 1101010 011111 1111101 111101 1111010 011011 110110 101011 11111111 1111011 11111 11100101 110101 11001111 1101011 1111111 1101110 1101111 1001111 10010111 1111111 1101011 111101 11110111 111111 0101111 11110111 1101111 111101 011101 1111110 0111111 1111101 1110111 110111 11111111 110110 1110111 1111111 11111111 11011 01011111 111111 1110111 11101111 11011111 11110 0111111 111101 110101010 11011110
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,894
Words 555
Sentences 41
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 90
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 147
Words per stanza (avg) 37
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

3:01 min read
62

Isabella Valancy Crawford

Isabella Valancy Crawford was an Irish-born Canadian writer and poet. more…

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    "Farmer Downs Changes His Opinion Of Nature" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19895/farmer-downs-changes-his-opinion-of-nature>.

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