A Simpler Lesson in Prosody -- Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”

Theodore Roethke -- "My Papa's Waltz"

The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf
My mother’s countenance
Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle:
At every step you missed
My right ear scrapped a buckle.

You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.

“My Papa’s Waltz” is written in iambic trimeter with sporadic variations; the poem’s structure evokes the sound of a waltz. A waltz is written in 3/4 time and has three steps; “Papa” is drunk – so this waltz is sloppy with its feet. The poem utilizes spondees, anapests, pyrrhics, and extra unstressed feminine syllables. These variations are misplaced steps in the waltz – a pun, because they are metrically deviant feet.

Scansion:

the WHISK | ey ON | your BREATH
could MAKE | a SMALL | BOY DIZzy; ||
but I | hung ON | like DEATH: ||
such WALTZ | ing was | NOT EASY. ||

we ROM | ped UN | til the PANS
slid FROM | the KITCH | en SHELF; ||
my mo | THER'S COUNT | eNANCE
could NOT | unFROWN | itSELF. ||

the HAND | that HELD | my WRIST
was BATT | ered on | one KNUCKle; ||
AT every | STEP you | MISSed
my RIGHT | EAR SCRAP | ped a BUCKle. ||

you BEAT | time ON | my HEAD
with a PALM | CAKED HARD | by DIRT, ||
then WALTZ| ed ME | off to BED
still CLING | ing TO | your SHIRT. ||