Happy the Lab'rer

Jane Austen 1775 (Steventon Rectory, Hampshire) – 1817 (Winchester, Hampshire)



Happy the lab'rer in his Sunday clothes!
In light-drab coat, smart waistcoat, well-darn'd hose,
Andhat upon his head, to church he goes;
As oft, with conscious pride, he downward throws
A glance upon the ample cabbage rose
That, stuck in button-hole, regales his nose,
He envies not the gayest London beaux.
In church he takes his seat among the rows,
Pays to the place the reverence he owes,
Likes best the prayers whose meaning least he knows,
Lists to the sermon in a softening doze,
And rouses joyous at the welcome close.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
142

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBBBBCBBBBD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 523
Words 94
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12

Jane Austen

Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. more…

All Jane Austen poems | Jane Austen Books

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