Poetry Analysis

Back to poet Translate into other languages

I have a lurking suspicion

Original Poetry

Translation

I have a lurking suspicion

I have a feeling

That this man is a myth

That this man might not be real

And should I ever ask about him

And if I ever ask about him

Wheeler may recollect old man Jim

Wheeler might remember old Jim

Regardless

Anyway

I let him go his own way

I let him do his own thing

And never interrupted him

And never stopped him

Once

Sure enough he starts on about old Jim Smiley

Sure enough, he starts talking about old Jim Smiley

I do not find buttonholing beguiling

I don't find being cornered interesting

I heard all about how

He’d bet if he could get anyone to bet on the other side

He’d bet if he could get someone to bet against him

And if he couldn’t

He’d change sides

He’d switch sides

Dog fight?

Bet on it.

Cat fight?

Bet on it.

CHICKEN fight?

Bet on it.

He’d foller a doggone straddle bug to Mexico

He’d follow a bug to Mexico

If he could bet on

Where he was bound for and how long

Where it was going and how long

He’d be on the road

It would take

Thish-yer Smiley had a Mare

This Smiley had a horse

And thish-yer Smiley had a cow

And this Smiley had a cow

And thish-yer Smiley had a little bull pup

And this Smiley had a little bull dog

And thish-yer Smiley had rat terriers

And this Smiley had rat terriers

And Chicken cocks, and Tomcats

And roosters, and Tomcats

And E-I-E-I-O he had the whole darn Farm

And E-I-E-I-O he had the whole farm

To bet on.

The bull pup would freeze to the hind legs

The bull dog would hold onto the back legs

Of the other fighting dog

Till he harnessed a dog that didn’t have no hind legs

Until he faced a dog without back legs

…

Then he looked sort of discouraged like

Then he looked kind of discouraged

He didn’t try no more to win the fight

He didn’t try to win the fight anymore

He limped off a piece

He limped away

And laid down

And died.

And thish-yer Smiley had a frog

And this Smiley had a frog

Dan’l Webster was the name of the frog

Dan’l Webster was the frog’s name

And Smiley was dead set on learning that frog to jump

And Smiley was determined to teach that frog to jump

He’d sit him down and give him a little punch on the rump

He’d sit him down and give him a little push on the backside

And up goes Dan’l “flies, Dan’l, Flies”

If you were to ask old man Smiley

If you asked old man Smiley

“What might it be that you've got in the box?”

“What do you have in the box?”

He’d respond

He’d say

“It might be a canary, maybe, but it ain’t, it’s only just a frog

“It might be a canary, maybe, but it’s not, it’s just a frog

…

Well Thish-yer Smiley had a yaller one-eyed cow-”

Well, this Smiley had a yellow one-eyed cow-”

I did not wait to hear about the afflicted cow.

I didn’t wait to hear about the sick cow.

Explanation

This poem is a humorous narrative that reflects the storytelling style of Mark Twain. It centers around a character named Jim Smiley, who is known for his compulsive gambling on anything and everything. The narrator expresses skepticism about Smiley's existence, suggesting he might be a myth. The poem humorously recounts Smiley's betting habits, including his willingness to bet on animal fights and even on a bug's journey. Smiley's collection of animals, including a mare, cow, bull pup, and frog named Dan'l Webster, serves as subjects for his bets. The poem captures the eccentricity and humor of Smiley's character, as well as the absurdity of his gambling obsession. Twain's use of dialect and colloquial language adds to the authenticity and charm of the narrative, making it a classic example of American humor and local color writing.

Word Dictionary10

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
lurking	hidden	a hidden or sneaky presence	lur-king
suspicion	doubt	a feeling that something might be true	sus-pi-cion
myth	legend	a widely held but false belief	mith
recollect	remember	to bring back to mind	re-col-lect
beguiling	charming	pleasantly attractive	be-guil-ing
buttonholing	cornering	to stop someone and engage them in conversation	but-ton-hol-ing
foller	follow	to go after someone or something	fol-ler
straddle bug	a type of bug	a bug that straddles or spreads its legs	strad-dle bug
yaller	yellow	the color yellow	yal-ler
afflicted	suffering	suffering or affected by something	af-flict-ed

Poet & Context

PoetMark Twain

Era19th Century

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was an American writer and humorist known for his novels 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'. He is celebrated for his wit and social commentary.

View on Wikipedia

When1865

WhyThe poem is part of Mark Twain's short story 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County', which was written to capture the local color and humor of the American frontier. It reflects Twain's interest in the eccentricities of human nature and the culture of gambling.

FormNarrative Poem

Themes & More

Themes

GamblingHumorEccentricityAmerican Frontier

Literary devices

Dialect: Use of regional dialect to add authenticity.Repetition: Repeated phrases like 'Bet on it' emphasize Smiley's obsession.Hyperbole: Exaggerated descriptions of Smiley's betting habits.Irony: The absurdity of Smiley's gambling is highlighted humorously.