Analysis of When De Folks Is Gone
James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)
What dat scratchin' at de kitchin do'?
Done heah'n dat foh an hour er mo'!
Tell you Mr. Niggah, das sho's yo' bo'n,
Hit's mighty lonesome waitin' when de folks is gone!
Blame my trap! How de wind do blow!
An' dis is das de night foh de witches, sho'!
Dey's trouble gon' to waste when de old slut whine,
An' you heah de cat a-spittin' when de moon don't shine!
Chune my fiddle, an' de bridge go 'bang!'
An' I lef' 'er right back whah she allus hang,
An' de tribble snap short an' de apern split
When dey no mortal man wah a-tetchin' hit!
Dah! Now, what? How de ole j'ice cracks!
'Spec' dis house, ef hit tell plain fac's,
'Ud talk about de ha'nts wid dey long tails on
What das'n't on'y come when de folks is gone!
What I tuk an' done ef a sho'-nuff ghos'
Pop right up by de ole bed-pos'?
What dat shinin' fru de front do' crack...?
God bress de Lo'd! Hit's de folks got back!
Scheme | XAXB AXCC DDEE FFXB FXGG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (40%) Etheree (25%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11111101 111111001 1110111111 11010111111 11111111 11111111101 11011111111 111110111111 111011111 1111111111 1110111111 1111011011 111111111 11111111 11011111111 111111111111 1111110111 11111111 11111111 111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 864 |
Words | 177 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 125 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 35 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 95 Views
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"When De Folks Is Gone" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21178/when-de-folks-is-gone>.
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