Analysis of Tale XII
George Crabbe 1754 (Aldborough) – 1832 (Trowbridge)
'SQUIRE THOMAS; OR THE PRECIPITATE CHOICE.
'Squire Thomas flatter'd long a wealthy Aunt,
Who left him all that she could give or grant;
Ten years he tried, with all his craft and skill,
To fix the sovereign lady's varying will;
Ten years enduring at her board to sit,
He meekly listen'd to her tales and wit:
He took the meanest office man can take,
And his aunt's vices for her money's sake:
By many a threat'ning hint she waked his fear,
And he was pain'd to see a rival near:
Yet all the taunts of her contemptuous pride
He bore, nor found his grov'ling spirit tried:
Nay, when she wish'd his parents to traduce,
Fawning he smiled, and justice call'd th' abuse:
'They taught you nothing: are you not at best,'
Said the proud Dame, 'a trifler, and a jest?
Confess you are a fool!'--he bow'd and he
confess'd.
This vex'd him much, but could not always last:
The dame is buried, and the trial past.
There was a female, who had courted long
Her cousin's gifts, and deeply felt the wrong;
By a vain boy forbidden to attend
The private councils of her wealthy friend,
She vow'd revenge, nor should that crafty boy
In triumph undisturb'd his spoils enjoy:
He heard, he smiled, and when the Will was read,
Kindly dismiss'd the Kindred of the dead;
'The dear deceased' he call'd her, and the crowd
Moved off with curses deep and threat'nings loud.
The youth retired, and, with a mind at ease,
Found he was rich, and fancied he must please:
He might have pleased, and to his comfort found
The wife he wish'd, if he had sought around,
For there were lasses of his own degree,
With no more hatred to the state than he;
But he had courted spleen and age so long,
His heart refused to woo the fair and young;
So long attended on caprice and whim,
He thought attention now was due to him;
And as his flattery pleased the wealthy Dame,
Heir to the wealth, he might the flattery claim:
But this the fair, with one accord, denied,
Nor waived for man's caprice the sex's pride.
There is a season when to them is due
Worship and awe, and they will claim it too:
'Fathers,' they cry, 'long hold us in their chain,
Nay, tyrant brothers claim a right to reign:
Uncles and guardians we in turn obey,
And husbands rule with ever-during sway;
Short is the time when lovers at the feet
Of beauty kneel, and own the slavery sweet;
And shall we thus our triumph, this the aim
And boast of female power, forbear to claim?
No! we demand that homage, that respect,
Or the proud rebel punish and reject.'
Our Hero, still too indolent, too nice,
To pay for beauty the accustom'd price,
No less forbore t'address the humbler maid,
Who might have yielded with the price unpaid;
But lived, himself to humour and to please,
To count his money, and enjoy his ease.
It pleased a neighbouring 'squire to recommend
A faithful youth as servant to his friend;
Nay, more than servant, whom he praised for parts
Ductile yet strong, and for the best of hearts:
One who might ease him in his small affairs,
With tenants, tradesmen, taxes, and repairs;
Answer his letters, look to all his dues,
And entertain him with discourse and news.
The 'Squire believed, and found the trusted
youth
A very pattern for his care and truth;
Not for his virtues to be praised alone,
But for a modest mien and humble tone;
Assenting always, but as if he meant
Only to strength of reasons to assent:
For was he stubborn, and retain'd his doubt,
Till the more subtle 'Squire had forced it out;
Nay, still was right, but he perceived that strong
And powerful minds could make the right the wrong.
When the 'Squire's thoughts on some fair damsel
dwelt,
The faithful Friend his apprehensions felt;
It would rejoice his faithful heart to find
A lady suited to his master's mind;
But who deserved that master? who would prove
That hers was pure, uninterested love?
Although a servant, he would scorn to take
A countess, till she suffer'd for his sake;
Some tender spirit, humble, faithful, true,
Such, my dear master! must be sought for you.
Six months had pass'd, and not a lady seen,
With just this love, 'twixt fifty and fifteen;
All seem'd his doctrine or his pride to shun,
All would be woo'd before they would be won;
When the chance naming of a race and fair
Our 'Squire disposed to take his pleasure there,
The Friend profess'd, 'although he first began
To hint the thing, it seem'd a thoughtless plan;
The roads, he fear'd, were foul, the days were
short,
The village far, and yet there might be sport.'
'W
Scheme | Text too long |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110100101 1101010101 1111111111 1111111101 11010101001 1101010111 1101010101 1101010111 0111010101 11001111111 0111110101 11011001001 111111101 111111011 101101011101 1111011111 101101001 0111011101 01 111111111 0111000101 110111101 0101010101 1011100101 0101010101 1101111101 010011101 1111010111 1001010101 0101110001 111101011 0101010111 1111010111 1111011101 0111111101 110111101 1111010111 1111010111 1101110101 1101010101 1101011111 01110010101 11011101001 1101110101 111101011 1101011111 1001011111 1011111011 1101010111 10010010101 0101110101 1101110101 11010101001 01111010101 011110111 1101110101 1011010001 10101110011 1111000101 1111101001 1111010101 110111011 1111000111 11011101 0101110111 1111011111 1011010111 1111101101 1101010001 1011011111 001111001 010101010 1 0101011101 1111011101 1101010101 1111111 1011110101 1111000111 1011011111 1111110111 01001110101 101111110 1 010110101 1101110111 0101011101 1101110111 101101001 101011111 0101110111 1101010101 1111011111 1111010101 1111110001 1111011111 1111011111 1011010101 10101111101 010111101 1101110101 011101010 1 0101011111 100 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 4,346 |
Words | 816 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 17, 54, 11, 19, 3 |
Lines Amount | 105 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 572 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 135 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 4:14 min read
- 122 Views
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"Tale XII" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14865/tale-xii>.
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