Analysis of The straw parlor

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



Way up at the top of a big stack of straw
Was the cunningest parlor that ever you saw!
And there could you lie when aweary of play
And gossip or laze in the coziest way;
No matter how careworn or sorry one's mood
No worldly distraction presumed to intrude.
As a refuge from onerous mundane ado
I think I approve of straw parlors, don't you?

A swallow with jewels aflame on her breast
On that straw parlor's ceiling had builded her nest;
And she flew in and out all the happy day long,
And twittered the soothingest lullaby song.
Now some might suppose that that beautiful bird
Performed for her babies the music they heard;
I reckon she twittered her répertoire through
For the folk in the little straw parlor, don't you?

And down from a rafter a spider had hung
Some swings upon which he incessantly swung.
He cut up such didoes--such antics he played
Way up in the air, and was never afraid!
He never made use of his horrid old sting,
But was just upon earth for the fun of the thing!
I deeply regret to observe that so few
Of these good-natured insects are met with, don't you?

And, down in the strawstack, a wee little mite
Of a cricket went chirping by day and by night;
And further down, still, a cunning blue mouse
In a snug little nook of that strawstack kept house!
When the cricket went "chirp," Miss Mousie would squeak
"Come in," and a blush would enkindle her cheek!
She thought--silly girl! 't was a beau come to woo,
But I guess it was only the cricket, don't you?

So the cricket, the mouse, and the motherly bird
Made as soothingsome music as ever you heard
And, meanwhile, that spider by means of his swings
Achieved most astounding gyrations and things!
No wonder the little folk liked what they saw
And loved what they heard in that parlor of straw!
With the mercury up to 102
In the shade, I opine they just sizzled, don't you?

But once there invaded that Eden of straw
The evilest Feline that ever you saw!
She pounced on that cricket with rare promptitude
And she tucked him away where he'd do the most good;
And then, reaching down to the nethermost house,
She deftly expiscated little Miss Mouse!
And, as for the Swallow, she shrieked and withdrew--
I rather admire her discretion, don't you?

Now listen: That evening a cyclone obtained,
And the mortgage was all on that farm that remained!
Barn, strawstack and spider--they all blew away,
And nobody knows where they're at to this day!
And, as for the little straw parlor, I fear
It was wafted clean off this sublunary sphere!
I really incline to a hearty "boo-hoo"
When I think of this tragical ending, don't you?


Scheme AABBCCDD EEFFGGDD HHIIJJDD KKLLMMDD GGNNAADD AACXLLDD OOBBPPDD
Poetic Form
Metre 11101101111 1011011011 011111111 010110011 1101111011 11001001101 101011000101 11101111011 01011001101 1111101101 011001101011 0101101 11101111001 01101001011 110110111 101001011011 01101001011 11011101001 1111111011 11001011001 11011111011 111011101101 11001101111 11110111111 0100101101 101011011011 0101101011 00110111111 1010111111 100011101 111011101111 111111001011 101001001001 1111011011 0111011111 01101001001 11001011111 01111011011 1010011 001101111011 11101011011 01111011 111110111 011101111011 011011011 11011011 01101011001 11001001011 11011000101 001011111101 1101011101 011111111 01101011011 111011111 11001101011 1111111011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 2,543
Words 479
Sentences 24
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 56
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 289
Words per stanza (avg) 68
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

2:26 min read
38

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

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