Analysis of To the Town Clock
Joseph Howe 1804 (Halifax, Nova Scotia) – 1873 (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Thou grave old Time Piece, many a time and oft
I've been your debtor for the time of day;
And every time I cast my eyes aloft,
And swell the debt--I think 'tis time to pay.
Thou, like a sentinel upon a tower,
Hast thou still announced "the enemy's" retreat,
And now that I have got a leisure hour,
Thy praise, thou old Repeater, I'll repeat.
A very striking object, all must own,
For years you've been, and may for years remain,
And though fierce storms around your head have blown,
Your form erect, and clear and mellow tone,
Despite their violence, you still retain.
A "double face," some foolishly believe,
Of gross deception is a certain sign;
But thy four faces may their fears relieve,
For who can boast so frank a life as thine.
You ne'er disguised your thoughts for purpose mean,
You ne'er conceal'd your knowledge from the crowd,
Like knaves and asses that I've sometimes seen,
But what you knew with fearlessness avow'd.
Time, with his scythe, could never mow you down,
Though you could cut him up in fragments small--
Showing his halves and quarters to the town,
Old Quarter Master General for us all.
Though unambitious, still the highest place
All ranks and classes cheerfully resign,
And "looking up to thee," feel no disgrace
If to "look down on them" thou dost incline.
While some the Graces seek,
And others love the Muse's rosy bowers--
Thou art content from week to week,
To revel with the ever fleeting Hours.
How many curious scenes and odd displays
You've gazed upon, since first you took your stand;
How many sad, how many brilliant days,
You've had a hand in--Oh! that you could hand
Your knowledge down--
Your Log--your Album--all your observations,
Jokes and remarks, on what you've heard and seen;
If besides "note of time," your cogitations
On all the doings that in time have been
You had recorded,
No book would sell so well
About the town,
Nor any author be so well rewarded.
What various feelings, in the human heart,
Thy tones have stirred;--
How hast the Lover curs'd thee, when he heard
Thy voice proclaiming it was time to part.
With what a start
Of quick delight, about to be set free,
The schoolboy heard you say that it was three;
But then, next morning, how he'd sigh and whine
When you as frankly told him it was nine;
Oh! cruel Clock! thus carelessly to shout it,
If e'er you'd play'd
At Ball, or By the Way, on the Parade,
You never would have said one word about it.
To wretch, condemn'd for flagrant crimes to swing,
What horrid anguish would thy clear tones bring,
Telling his hour!
But, to the pilloried scoundrel, placed on high,
Round whom stale fish and rotten eggs did fly--
A fearful shower!
Whose dodging shoulders, and averted eye,
Half uttered prayer, or sharp and piercing cry,
Betray'd his fears;
Who thought "his hour" would surely last all day,
Sweet was thy welcome voice, when it did say
The storm about his ears
Should cease and die away.
How oft hast thou observ'd the hapless wight,
Who'd toil'd, and raked, and scraped, from morning light,
Till nearly three;
And yet had not enough his Note to pay,
Turn round to thee;
While throbbing brow, and nervous gait did say,
Hold--hold--good Clock, another quarter stay--
For if I cannot raise, or beg or borrow,
My credit will have died before tomorrow,
For this I do assure you's, my "last day."
The Sun stood still, at Joshua's command,
Oh! be as kind, or I can never stand;
Ah! do--if you of pity have one drop,
If you "go on," by Heaven I'll have "to stop."
How many dashing blades have gone to pot,
Who sought on Folly's files the first to be;
But never one, of all the precious lot,
Could live, old friend, so long "on tick" as thee.
The cunning fellows, too, thou put'st to shame,
Who scheme, and plot, and plan from morn till eve;
Thy "wheels within wheels" always go the same,
While they, some "screw loose" failing to perceive,
On ev'ry side their wreck'd machinery leave.
A good example
To all the idle chaps about the town,
Who trample
On precepts by economists set down,
You always gave;
Scheme ABABCDCDEFEEF GHGHIJIJ KLKLMHMHNONO PQPQKXIMXXXKX RSSRRTTHHUVVU WWCXXCXXYBBYB ZZTBTBB1 1 BQQ2 2 3 T3 T4 G4 GG 5 K5 KC Poetic Form Tetractys (24%)
Etheree (20%)Metre 11111100101 1111010111 01001111101 0101111111 11010001010 11101010001 01111101010 1111010101 0101010111 1111011101 0111011111 1101010101 0111001101 0101110001 1101010101 1111011101 1111110111 1101111101 1101110101 1101011011 11111101 1111110111 1111110101 1011010101 11010100111 1110101 1101010001 0101111101 1111111101 110101 0101011010 11101111 11010101010 11010010101 1101111111 1101110101 1101011111 1101 1111011010 1001111101 10111111 1101010111 11010 111111 0101 11010111010 11001000101 1111 1101011111 1101011111 1101 1101011111 011111111 1111011101 1111011111 11011100111 11011 1111011001 11011111011 1101110111 1101011111 10110 11010010111 1111010111 01010 1101000101 1101110101 0111 11110110111 1111011111 010111 110101 1111010101 1101011101 1101 0111011111 1111 1101010111 1111010101 1111011111 1101110101 1111011111 01111101 1111111101 1111110111 11111101111 1101011111 111110111 1101110101 1111111111 01010111111 1101011111 110111101 1111110101 1111101001 01010 1101010101 110 111010011 1111 Closest metre Iambic pentameter Characters 4,238 Words 731 Sentences 24 Stanzas 9 Stanza Lengths 13, 8, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 9, 5 Lines Amount 100 Letters per line (avg) 31 Words per line (avg) 7 Letters per stanza (avg) 342 Words per stanza (avg) 80 Font size:Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
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"To the Town Clock" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24542/to-the-town-clock>.
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