Air a-gittin' cool an' coolah,
Frost a-comin' in de night,
Hicka' nuts an' wa'nuts fallin',
Possum keepin' out o' sight.
Tu'key struttin' in de ba'nya'd,
Nary a step so proud ez his;
Keep on struttin', Mistah Tu'key,
Yo' do' know whut time it is.
Cidah press commence a-squeakin'
Eatin' apples sto'ed away,
Chillun swa'min' 'roun' lak ho'nets,
Huntin' aigs ermung de hay.
Mistah Tu'key keep on gobblin'
At de geese a-flyin' souf,
Oomph! dat bird do' know whut's comin';
Ef he did he'd shet his mouf.
Pumpkin gittin' good an' yallah
Mek me open up my eyes;
Seems lak it's a-lookin' at me
Jes' a-la'in' dah sayin' "Pies."
Tu'key gobbler gwine 'roun' blowin',
Gwine 'roun' gibbin' sass an' slack;
Keep on talkin', Mistah Tu'key,
You ain't seed no almanac.
Fa'mer walkin' th'oo de ba'nya'd
Seein' how things is comin' on,
Sees ef all de fowls is fatt'nin' —
Good times comin' sho's you bo'n.
Hyeahs dat tu'key gobbler braggin',
Den his face break in a smile —
Nebbah min', you sassy rascal,
He's gwine nab you atter while.
Choppin' suet in de kitchen,
Stonin' raisins in de hall,
Beef a-cookin' fu' de mince meat,
Spices groun' — I smell 'em all.
Look hyeah, Tu'key, stop dat gobblin',
You ain' luned de sense ob feah,
You ol' fool, yo' naik's in dangah,
Do' you know Thanksgibbin's hyeah?
Notes
Composition date is unknown - the above date represents the first publication date.
The lyrical form of this poem is abcbdefe.
3.Hicka': Hickory.
6.Nary: Not
11-12.Children swarming around like hornets
Hunting eggs among the hay.
20-21.Just a laying there saying "Pies."
Turkey gobbler going around blowing
28.sho's you bo'n: (as) sure as you're born
31.Nebbah min': Never mind
32.He's going (to) catch you in a while
34.Stonin' raisins: Taking the seeds out of raisins
37.You ain't learned the sense of fear
38.Thanksgibbin's: November 27, a national holiday for
Americans.
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Comments
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I love this. Dunbar is using the common speech of African Americans to drive home the differences between whites and blacks while also using this extended metaphor representing whites as smug, gobbling turkeys who don't realize their time is almost up, which I take to mean slavery isn't going to last forever.
Its also a religious poem in the sense that he is justifying God's lack of intervention as Him waiting until the right time, ie Thanksgiving. God is the farmer basically.
Truly creative and powerful.
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