Analysis of Sweet Meat Has Sour Sauce; Or, The Slave-Trader In The Dumps
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
A trader I am to the African shore,
But since that my trading is like to be o'er,
I'll sing you a song that you ne'er heard before,
Which nobody can deny, deny,
Which nobody can deny.
When I first heard the news it gave me a shock,
Much like what they call an electrical knock,
And now I am going to sell off my stock,
Which nobody, &c.
Tis a curious assortment of dainty regales,
To tickle the Negroes with when the ship sails,
Fine chains for the neck, and a cat with nine tails,
Which nobody, &c.
Here's supple-jack plenty and store of rat-tan,
That will wind itself round the sides of a man,
As close as a hoop round a bucket or can,
Which nobody, &c.
Here's padlocks and bolts, and screws for the thumbs,
That squeeze them so lovingly till the blood comes,
They sweeten the temper like comfits or plums,
Which nobody, &c.
When a Negro his head from his victuals withdraws,
And clenches his teeth and thrusts out his paws,
Here's a notable engine to open his jaws,
Which nobody, &c.
Thus going to market, we kindly prepare
A pretty black cargo of African ware,
For what they must meet with when they get there,
Which nobody, &c.
'Twould do your heart good to see 'em below,
Lie flat on their backs all the way as we go,
Like sprats on a gridiron, scores in a row,
Which nobody, &c.
But ah! if in vain I have studied an art
So gainful to me, all boasting apart,
I think it will break my compassionate heart,
Which nobody, &c.
For oh! how it enters my soul like an awl!
This pity, which some people self-pity call,
Is sure the most heart-piercing pity of all,
Which nobody, &c.
So this is my song, as I told you before;
Come, buy off my stock, for I must no more
Carry Caesars and Pompeys to Sugar-cane shore,
Which nobody can deny, deny,
Which nobody can deny.
Scheme | axaBBcccD eeeD fffD gggD hhhD iiiD jjjD kkkD jllD aaaBB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01011101001 111110111110 11101111101 1110101 11101 11110111101 11111101001 01111011111 111 1010001011001 11001011011 11101001111 111 11011001111 11101101101 11101101011 111 110101101 11111001011 1100101111 111 10101111101 0101101111 101001011011 111 11011011001 0101111001 1111111111 111 1111111101 11111101111 1110101001 111 11101111011 1101111001 11111101001 111 11111011111 11011101101 11011101011 111 11111111101 1111111111 10100111011 1110101 11101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,758 |
Words | 340 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5 |
Lines Amount | 46 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 134 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 34 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 1:43 min read
- 103 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Sweet Meat Has Sour Sauce; Or, The Slave-Trader In The Dumps" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40118/sweet-meat-has-sour-sauce%3B-or%2C-the-slave-trader-in-the-dumps>.
Discuss this William Cowper poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In