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Poem
August 18, 1883
Wessington Springs Herald
Wessington Springs, Jerauld County, South Dakota
What is this article about?
A children's poem depicting young Tommy's failed attempt to reach ripe plums in the orchard on a summer morning. Frustrated, he jumps but can't succeed, imagines the plums and leaves mocking him, and angrily dismisses them as sour.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Our Young Folks.
TOMMY AND THE PLUMS.
It was a summer morning.
Said Tom: "I'll have some fun."
He started for the orchard
As fast as he could run.
He stood beneath the plum-tree,
And this is what he said:
"Those plums must be delicious,
They look so ripe and red.
"If I could only reach 'em
I'd have a splendid treat.
It's very tantalizing;
They must be very sweet."
Then Tommy jumped his highest,
But couldn't reach the limb
On which the plums were hanging,
And seemed to mock at him.
They nodded and they nodded.
And they really seemed to say:
We know you can not reach us,
And you'd better go and play.
The very leaves seemed laughing
As they rustled overhead,
Till Tom got tired and angry,
And this is what he said:
"I really wouldn't touch one
If it was in my power;
They can't be worth the trouble:
They must be green and sour."
—Harper's Young People.
TOMMY AND THE PLUMS.
It was a summer morning.
Said Tom: "I'll have some fun."
He started for the orchard
As fast as he could run.
He stood beneath the plum-tree,
And this is what he said:
"Those plums must be delicious,
They look so ripe and red.
"If I could only reach 'em
I'd have a splendid treat.
It's very tantalizing;
They must be very sweet."
Then Tommy jumped his highest,
But couldn't reach the limb
On which the plums were hanging,
And seemed to mock at him.
They nodded and they nodded.
And they really seemed to say:
We know you can not reach us,
And you'd better go and play.
The very leaves seemed laughing
As they rustled overhead,
Till Tom got tired and angry,
And this is what he said:
"I really wouldn't touch one
If it was in my power;
They can't be worth the trouble:
They must be green and sour."
—Harper's Young People.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Tommy
Plums
Orchard
Summer
Frustration
Childhood
Sour Grapes
What entities or persons were involved?
—Harper's Young People.
Poem Details
Title
Tommy And The Plums.
Author
—Harper's Young People.
Subject
Tommy's Attempt To Reach Plums In The Orchard
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
Those Plums Must Be Delicious,
They Look So Ripe And Red.
We Know You Can Not Reach Us,
And You'd Better Go And Play.
"I Really Wouldn't Touch One
If It Was In My Power;
They Can't Be Worth The Trouble:
They Must Be Green And Sour."