Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


BY ANY OTHER NAME by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

Poet Analysis

First Line: FIRST THE TEACHER CALLED THE ROLL
Last Line: NEARLY KILLED HER DADDY!
Subject(s): SCHOOLS; STRANGERS; TEACHING & TEACHERS; STUDENTS;

FIRST the teacher called the roll,
Clos't to the beginnin',
"Addeliney Bowersox!"
Set the school a-grinnin'.
Winter-time, and stingin' cold
When the session took up --
Cold as @3we@1 all looked at @3her@1,
Though @3she@1 couldn't look up!

Total stranger to us, too --
Country folks ain't allus
Nigh so shameful unpolite
As some people call us! --
But the honest facts is, @3then@1,
Addeliney Bower-
Sox's feelin's was so hurt
She cried half an hour!

My dest was acrost from hern:
Set and watched her tryin'
To p'tend she didn't keer,
And a kind o' dryin'
Up her tears with smiles -- tel I
Thought, "Well, '@3Addeliney
Bowersox'@1 is plain, but @3she's@1
Purty as a piney!"

. . . . . . .

It's be'n many of a year
Sence that most oncommon
Cur'ous name o' @3Bowersox@1
Struck me so abomin-
Nubble and outlandish-like! --
I changed it to Adde-
Liney @3Daubenspeck@1 -- and @3that@1
Nearly killed her Daddy!



Home: PoetryExplorer.net