Analysis of The Wolfe New Ballad Of Jane Roney And Mary Brown
William Makepeace Thackeray 1811 – 1863
An igstrawnary tail I vill tell you this veek—
I stood in the Court of A'Beckett the Beak,
Vere Mrs. Jane Roney, a vidow, I see,
Who charged Mary Brown with a robbin of she.
This Mary was pore and in misery once,
And she came to Mrs. Roney it's more than twelve monce.
She adn't got no bed, nor no dinner nor no tea,
And kind Mrs. Roney gave Mary all three.
Mrs. Roney kep Mary for ever so many veeks,
(Her conduct disgusted the best of all Beax,)
She kep her for nothink, as kind as could be,
Never thinkin that this Mary was a traitor to she.
'Mrs. Roney, O Mrs. Roney, I feel very ill;
Will you just step to the Doctor's for to fetch me a pill?'
'That I will, my pore Mary,' Mrs. Roney says she;
And she goes off to the Doctor's as quickly as may be.
No sooner on this message Mrs. Roney was sped,
Than hup gits vicked Mary, and jumps out a bed;
She hopens all the trunks without never a key—
She bustes all the boxes, and vith them makes free.
Mrs. Roney's best linning, gownds, petticoats, and close,
Her children's little coats and things, her boots, and her hose,
She packed them, and she stole 'em, and avay vith them did flee.
Mrs. Roney's situation—you may think vat it vould be!
Of Mary, ungrateful, who had served her this vay,
Mrs. Roney heard nothink for a long year and a day.
Till last Thursday, in Lambeth, ven whom should she see
But this Mary, as had acted so ungrateful to she?
She was leaning on the helbo of a worthy young man,
They were going to be married, and were walkin hand in hand;
And the Church bells was a ringing for Mary and he,
And the parson was ready, and a waitin for his fee.
When up comes Mrs. Roney, and faces Mary Brown,
Who trembles, and castes her eyes upon the ground.
She calls a jolly pleaseman, it happens to be me;
I charge this yonng woman, Mr. Pleaseman, says she.
'Mrs. Roney, O, Mrs. Roney, O, do let me go,
I acted most ungrateful I own, and I know,
But the marriage bell is a ringin, and the ring you may see,
And this young man is a waitin,' says Mary says she.
'I don't care three fardens for the parson and clark,
And the bell may keep ringin from noon day to dark.
Mary Brown, Mary Brown, you must come along with me;
And I think this young man is lucky to be free.'
So, in spite of the tears which bejew'd Mary's cheek,
I took that young gurl to A'Beckett the Beak;
That exlent Justice demanded her plea—
But never a sullable said Mary said she.
On account of her conduck so base and so vile,
That wicked young gurl is committed for trile,
And if she's transpawted beyond the salt sea,
It's a proper reward for such willians as she.
Now you young gurls of Southwark for Mary who veep,
From pickin and stealin your ands you must keep,
Or it may be my dooty, as it was Thursday veek,
To pull you all hup to A'Beckett the Beak.
Scheme | AABB XBBB BBBB CCBB DDAB XXBB XXBB XXBB XXBB AXBB AABB AABB XCBB EEAA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (71%) |
Metre | 111111111 11001101001 1101100111 11101101011 11011001001 0111101011111 111111110111 01101011011 10101101101101 00101001111 1101111111 10101110101011 10101101011101 11111010111101 1111110101011 01111010110111 1101110101011 11111001101 11101011001 11101001111 1011111001 0101010101001 1110111011111 1010101111111 110010111011 1010111011001 11101011111 11101110101011 1110101101011 10101110001101 0011101011001 0010110001111 1111010010101 1101010101 110101110111 11111010111 10101101011111 110101011011 10101101001111 011110111011 11111101001 00111111111 1011011110111 011111110111 10110111101 11111101001 111001001 1100111011 10110111011 11011101011 011101011 10100111111 11111111011 110111111 11111111111 11111101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 2,745 |
Words | 554 |
Sentences | 36 |
Stanzas | 14 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 56 |
Letters per line (avg) | 38 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 150 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:49 min read
- 38 Views
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"The Wolfe New Ballad Of Jane Roney And Mary Brown" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41072/the-wolfe-new-ballad-of-jane-roney-and-mary-brown>.
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