Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
No Buyers
1 A Load of brushes and baskets and cradles and chairs
2 Labours along the street in the rain:
3With it a man, a woman, a pony with whiteybrown hairs. --
4 The man foots in front of the horse with a shambling sway
5 At a slower tread than a funeral train,
6 While to a dirge-like tune he chants his wares,
7Swinging a Turk's-head brush (in a drum-major's way
8 When the bandsmen march and play).
9A yard from the back of the man is the whiteybrown pony's nose:
10He mirrors his master in every item of pace and pose:
11 He stops when the man stops, without being told,
12 And seems to be eased by a pause; too plainly he's old,
13 Indeed, not strength enough shows
14 To steer the disjointed waggon straight,
15 Which wriggles left and right in a rambling line,
16 Deflected thus by its own warp and weight,
17 And pushing the pony with it in each incline.
18 The woman walks on the pavement verge,
19 Parallel to the man:
20 She wears an apron white and wide in span,
21And carries a like Turk's-head, but more in nursing-wise:
22 Now and then she joins in his dirge,
23 But as if her thoughts were on distant things,
24 The rain clams her apron till it clings. --
25So, step by step, they move with their merchandize,
26 And nobody buys.
Notes
7] Turk's-head brush: round, long-handled brush.
16] warp: twist.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Collected Poems of Thomas Hardy (London: Macmillan and Co., 1932): 699-700. PR 4741 F32 Robarts Library.
First publication date:
1925
Publication date note: Human Shows Far Phantasies Songs and Trifles (London: Macmillan, 1925): 81-82. PR 4750 H7 1925A
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1998.
Recent editing: 2:2002/2/13
Rhyme: abbcaddcc
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