Analysis of Scamp
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
AIN'T it nice to have a mammy
W'en you kin' o' tiahed out
Wid a-playin' in de meddah,
An' a-runnin' roun' about
Till hit's made you mighty hongry,
An' yo' nose hit gits to know
What de smell means dat's a-comin'
F'om de open cabin do'?
She wash yo' face,
An' mek yo' place,
You's hongry as a tramp;
Den hit's eat you suppah right away,
You sta'vin' little scamp.
W'en you's full o' braid an' bacon,
An' dey ain't no mo' to eat,
An' de lasses dat's a-stickin'
On yo' face ta'se kin' o' sweet,
Don' you t'ink hit's kin' o' pleasin'
Fu' to have som'body neah
Dat'll wipe yo' han's an' kiss you
Fo' dey lif' you f'ore yo cheah?
To smile so sweet,
An' wash yo' feet,
An' leave 'em co'l an' damp;
Den hit's come let me undress you, now
You lazy little scamp.
Don' yo' eyes git awful heavy,
An' yo' lip git awful slack,
Ain't dey som'p'n' kin' o' weaknin'
In de backbone of yo' back?
Don' yo' knees feel kin' o' trimbly,
An' yo' head go bobbin' roun',
W'en you says yo' 'Now I lay me,'
An' is sno'in' on de 'down '?
She kiss yo' nose,
She kiss yo' toes,
An' den tu'n out de lamp,
Den hit's creep into yo' trunnel baid,
You sleepy little scamp.
Scheme | ABBBCDDEFFGHGIJDJDDEKJJGLGMNDNODAPQQGBG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111101 100111111 101011 101101 1111101 1111111 1111101 1110101 1111 1111 11101 11111101 111101 10011111110 1111111 111101 11111111 11111111 1111101 1111111 11111111 1111 1111 1111111 111110111 110101 11111010 1111101 11111111 011111 1111111 1111101 10011111111 111111 1111 1111 1111111 11101111 110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,107 |
Words | 228 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 39 |
Lines Amount | 39 |
Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 786 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 225 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 07, 2023
- 1:16 min read
- 144 Views
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"Scamp" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28854/scamp>.
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