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Poem
January 24, 1839
Kentucky Gazette
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
What is this article about?
A narrative poem about a habitual drunkard (toper) who tearfully bids farewell to the familiar bar-room and its inhabitants, slinks away unredeemed, yet evokes sympathy for the emotional depth of even the sturdiest vagrant.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
MISCELLANY.
"THE TOPER'S TEAR."
Upon the street he turned
To take a last hard look
Of the Bar-room and the Landlord's phiz!
Of the waiters and the cook!
He listened to the sounds
So familiar to his ear,
And the Toper raised his old coat sleeve
And brushed away a tear!
Beside that Bar-room fire
His old chum sips his punch,
He sports a lighted principle,
While the cook prepares his lunch!
The landlord laughs with him,
But their jibes he cannot hear;
So the Toper turns and slinks away,
And wipes away a tear!
He reeled and left the steps—
O! do not deem him smashed—
For bronzed was the Toper's face
Tho' his scores were all uncash'd.
Go watch the vagrant train,
And mark their mad career—
Be sure the sturdiest loafer there
Has brush'd away a tear!
"THE TOPER'S TEAR."
Upon the street he turned
To take a last hard look
Of the Bar-room and the Landlord's phiz!
Of the waiters and the cook!
He listened to the sounds
So familiar to his ear,
And the Toper raised his old coat sleeve
And brushed away a tear!
Beside that Bar-room fire
His old chum sips his punch,
He sports a lighted principle,
While the cook prepares his lunch!
The landlord laughs with him,
But their jibes he cannot hear;
So the Toper turns and slinks away,
And wipes away a tear!
He reeled and left the steps—
O! do not deem him smashed—
For bronzed was the Toper's face
Tho' his scores were all uncash'd.
Go watch the vagrant train,
And mark their mad career—
Be sure the sturdiest loafer there
Has brush'd away a tear!
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Temperance Moderation
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
Toper
Tear
Bar Room
Vagrant
Loafer
Drinking
Sympathy
Poem Details
Title
The Toper's Tear.
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
And The Toper Raised His Old Coat Sleeve
And Brushed Away A Tear!
So The Toper Turns And Slinks Away,
And Wipes Away A Tear!
Be Sure The Sturdiest Loafer There
Has Brush'd Away A Tear!