Analysis of A Tenant of Mrs. Van Kleeck

Major Henry Livingston Jr. 1748 (Poughkeepsie, Province of New York) – 1828 (Poughkeepsie, New York)



Translation of a letter from a tenant of Mrs. Van Kleeck to that lady, dated January 9, 1787

My very good landlady, Mistress Van Kleeck,
(For the tears that o'erwhelm me I scarcely can speak)
I know that I promis'd you hogs two or three
(But who knows his destiny? Certain not me!)
That I promis'd three hogs I don't mean to deny
(I can prove that I had five or six upon sty.)
Three hogs did I say? Three sows I say then
'Pon honour I ne'er had a male upon pen.  

Well Madam, the long and the short of the clatter
For mumbling & mincing will not better the matter;
And murder and truth, my dear mammy wd say
By some means or other forever saw day;
And Daddy himself, as we chop'd in the wood,
Would often observe that lying wasn't good.
Tell truth, my sweet fellow, no matter who feels it,
It ne'er can do hurt to the man who reveals it.
But stop! While my Daddy and Mammy's the subject
I am running aside the original object --
The sows, my sweet madam, the sows I repeat,
Which you and your household expected to eat,
Instead of attending their corn and their swill
Gave way to an ugly he-sow's wicked will.
When 'twill end your good ladyship need not be told,
For Nature is still as she hath been of old,
And when he cries YES mortal may not cry NO -
So Madam, farewell, with my holliday bow.


Scheme A BBAACCDD EEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLXX
Poetic Form
Metre 0101010101011011111010100 1101101011 10111111011 11111011111 11111001011 111011111101 111111111011 1111111111 1111101011 110010011010 1100101110010 0100111111 11111001011 01001111001 11001110101 111110110111 111111011011 11111001001 1110010010010 01111001101 1101101011 01101011011 11111011101 1111111111 11011111111 01111101111 110111101
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,279
Words 258
Sentences 12
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 1, 8, 18
Lines Amount 27
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 328
Words per stanza (avg) 85
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:20 min read
42

Major Henry Livingston Jr.

Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. has been proposed as being the uncredited author of the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, more popularly known (after its first line) as The Night Before Christmas. more…

All Major Henry Livingston Jr. poems | Major Henry Livingston Jr. Books

0 fans

Discuss this Major Henry Livingston Jr. poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Tenant of Mrs. Van Kleeck" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26318/a-tenant-of-mrs.-van-kleeck>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    6
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "If ever two were one, then surely we."
    A Sylvia Plath
    B Anne Bradstreet
    C Anne Sexton
    D Hilda Doolittle