'The Shooting Of Dan McGrew' by Robert Service
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The Spell of the Yukon and Other VersesA bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune;
Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew,
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Lou.When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he called for drinks for the house.
There was none could place the stranger's face, though we searched ourselves for a clue;
But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew.There's men that somehow just grip your eyes, and hold them hard like a spell;
And such was he, and he looked to me like a man who had lived in hell;
With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of a dog whose day is done,
As he watered the green stuff in his glass, and the drops fell one by one.
Then I got to figgering who he was, and wondering what he'd do,
And I turned my head -- and there watching him was the lady that's known as Lou.His eyes went rubbering round the room, and he seemed in a kind of daze,
Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his wandering gaze.
The rag-time kid was having a drink; there was no one else on the stool,
So the stranger stumbles across the room, and flops down there like a fool.
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands -- my God! but that man could play.Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,
And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could HEAR;
With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,
A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;
While high overhead, green, yellow and red, the North Lights swept in bars? --
Then you've a haunch what the music meant . . . hunger and night and the stars.And hunger not of the belly kind, that's banished with bacon and beans,
But the gnawing hunger of lonely men for a home and all that it means;
For a fireside far from the cares that are, four walls and a roof above;
But oh! so cramful of cosy joy, and crowned with a woman's love --
A woman dearer than all the world, and true as Heaven is true --
(God! how ghastly she looks through her rouge, -- the lady that's known as Lou.)Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft that you scarce could hear;
But you felt that your life had been looted clean of all that it once held dear;
That someone had stolen the woman you loved; that her love was a devil's lie;
That your guts were gone, and the best for you was to crawl away and die.
'Twas the crowning cry of a heart's despair, and it thrilled you through and through --
"I guess I'll make it a spread misere," said Dangerous Dan McGrew.The music almost died away . . . then it burst like a pent-up flood;
And it seemed to say, "Repay, repay," and my eyes were blind with blood.
The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash,
And the lust awoke to kill, to kill . . . then the music stopped with a crash,
And the stranger turned, and his eyes they burned in a most peculiar way;In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then his lips went in in a kind of grin, and he spoke, and his voice was calm,
And "Boys," says he, "you don't know me, and none of you care a damn;
But I want to state, and my words are straight, and I'll bet my poke they're true,
That one of you is a hound of hell . . . and that one is Dan McGrew."Then I ducked my head, and the lights went out, and two guns blazed in the dark,
And a woman screamed, and the lights went up, and two men lay stiff and stark.
Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew,
While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast of the lady that's known as Lou.These are the simple facts of the case, and I guess I ought to know.
They say that the stranger was crazed with "hooch", and I'm not denying it's so.
I'm not so wise as the lawyer guys, but strictly between us two --
The woman that kissed him and -- pinched his poke -- was the lady that's known as Lou.
Editor 1 Interpretation
A Wild Ride through the Poetic Landscape of Robert Service's "The Shooting of Dan McGrew"
Oh, what a wild ride it is to venture into the world of Robert Service's "The Shooting of Dan McGrew"! This classic piece of poetry has been captivating readers for over a century with its haunting, melancholic tone, vivid imagery, and masterful use of rhyme and meter. In this 4000-word literary criticism and interpretation, we will explore the nuances and deeper meanings behind this iconic work of literature, and try to unravel the mysteries that have made it endure for so long.
An Overview of the Poem
First published in 1907, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" is a narrative poem that tells the story of a deadly shootout in a Yukon saloon, where the titular character, along with his lover, the "lady that's known as Lou," confronts a mysterious stranger, who proceeds to shoot Dan dead. The poem is narrated by a nameless observer, who watches the events unfold with a mix of horror and fascination, and who also happens to be a participant in the deadly game. The poem is composed in regular meter and rhyme, with a consistent AABBCC rhyme scheme, which gives it a song-like quality and makes it easy to memorize and recite.
The Power of Imagery
One of the most striking features of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" is the power of its imagery. From the very first lines, the reader is transported into a dark, smoky saloon, where the mood is tense and foreboding:
"A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon; The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune; Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew, And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Lou."
Here, we see a vivid picture of the saloon, with its rowdy patrons, the music-box playing, and Dan McGrew and Lou in a corner, locked in their own private world. Service's use of sensory details, such as the sound of the music-box, the aroma of tobacco smoke, and the sight of the characters' clothing and demeanor, create a rich, immersive experience for the reader, and make it feel as if they are right there in the room with the characters.
Another example of Service's powerful use of imagery can be found in the following lines, which describe the stranger's entrance into the saloon:
"He looked like a man with a foot in the grave and scarcely the strength of a louse, Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he called for drinks for the house. There was none could place the stranger's face, though we searched ourselves for a clue; But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew."
Here, we see a mysterious and enigmatic figure, who appears to be frail and weak, but who also commands respect and attention. The image of the "poke of dust" being tilted onto the bar, which implies a considerable amount of gold dust or nuggets, is a potent symbol of the stranger's wealth and power, and sets the stage for the deadly confrontation that will follow.
The Themes of Love and Death
At its core, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" is a story about love and death, two themes that are intertwined and inseparable. The character of Lou, Dan McGrew's lover, is central to the poem's emotional core, and her presence is felt in every line:
"Her eyes went wide and her lips went white, and she scarce dared to draw her breath; She whispered, 'I'll bid you goodbye, ' and fell in the arms of Death."
Here, we see the tragic fate of Lou, who is caught in the crossfire of the shoot-out, and who dies in the arms of her lover. The image of her falling "in the arms of Death" is a powerful one, and underscores the poem's central theme of mortality and the inevitability of death.
At the same time, however, the poem also celebrates the power of love, and the way in which it can transcend death and endure even in the face of tragedy:
"And so on a Christmas Day in the morning Dan McGrew himself was sleeping in his cabin, His dog-team lying outside in the snow-drift, Frozen and stiff and stark. But Dan McGrew, he dreamt of the 'mornin', Of the lady that's known as Lou. And for forty below when the others turned back Who just keep on with the dog-teams."
Here, we see the image of Dan McGrew, frozen and dead, but still dreaming of Lou and the love they shared. The last lines, which describe the other dog-teams turning back but Dan McGrew continuing on, are a powerful symbol of the power of love to transcend death and endure even in the harshest of circumstances.
The Use of Rhyme and Meter
No discussion of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" would be complete without a closer look at the poem's use of rhyme and meter. Service's choice of a regular AABBCC rhyme scheme, combined with a consistent iambic tetrameter meter, gives the poem a song-like quality that makes it easy to remember and recite. At the same time, however, Service also uses a variety of poetic devices, such as alliteration, assonance, and internal rhyme, to break up the monotony and add interest and variety to the lines:
"The music almost died away ... then it burst like a pent-up flood; And it seemed to say, 'Repay, repay,' and my eyes were blind with blood. The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash, And the lust awoke to kill, to kill ... then the music stopped with a crash,"
Here, we see a variety of poetic devices at work, such as the repetition of "repay" and "music," the alliteration of "almost died away," "pent-up flood," and "frozen lash," and the internal rhymes of "awoke" and "kill." These devices add interest and depth to the lines, and help to create a sense of momentum and urgency that propels the narrative forward.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" is a powerful and enduring work of literature that continues to captivate readers over a century after its initial publication. Through its vivid imagery, powerful themes, and masterful use of rhyme and meter, Service's poem creates a haunting, melancholic portrait of love and death in the wilds of the Yukon. As we journey through the poem's dark, smoky saloon, and witness the deadly game of roulette that unfolds before our eyes, we are reminded of the fragility of life, and the power of love to transcend even the darkest of circumstances. So, let us raise a glass to Robert Service, and to his timeless masterpiece, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew"!
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Shooting of Dan McGrew: A Classic Poem of the Wild West
The Wild West was a time of adventure, danger, and excitement. It was a time when men were men, and women were few and far between. It was a time when life was cheap, and death was always just around the corner. It was a time when legends were made, and heroes were born. And it was in this world that Robert Service wrote his classic poem, The Shooting of Dan McGrew.
The poem tells the story of a rough and tumble town in the Yukon Territory, where the men are tough and the women are tougher. It is a place where the only law is the law of the gun, and where the only justice is the justice of the bullet. And it is in this town that Dan McGrew, a notorious gambler and womanizer, meets his untimely end.
The poem begins with a description of the town itself, a place of rough-hewn buildings and rougher-hewn men. The narrator sets the scene with vivid imagery, describing the saloon where Dan McGrew is playing cards as a "crazy quilt of death and laughter." The atmosphere is tense and foreboding, as if something terrible is about to happen.
And then Dan McGrew walks in. He is described as a "lusty brute" with a "face that was hard and cold." He is a man who has lived hard and played hard, and who has made many enemies along the way. But he is also a man who is confident in his own abilities, and who believes that he can handle anything that comes his way.
As Dan McGrew sits down to play cards, the tension in the room grows even more palpable. The other players are described as "hard-faced men" who are "grim to the bone." They are all sizing each other up, trying to figure out who will come out on top.
And then a woman walks in. She is described as "a girl that didn't fit in," with a "face that was pale and thin." She is clearly out of place in this rough and tumble world, and the men in the saloon take notice of her immediately.
But it is not the woman who is the focus of the poem. It is Dan McGrew, and the events that lead up to his death. As the game of cards progresses, the tension in the room grows even more intense. The other players are all trying to outdo each other, and Dan McGrew is at the center of it all.
And then it happens. A shot rings out, and Dan McGrew falls to the ground. The other players scatter, and the woman is left alone with the dead man. The poem ends with the narrator describing the scene in vivid detail, as if he were there himself.
The Shooting of Dan McGrew is a classic poem of the Wild West, a time when life was cheap and death was always just around the corner. It is a poem that captures the spirit of that time and place, with its vivid imagery and tense atmosphere. It is a poem that tells a story of adventure, danger, and excitement, and that has captured the imaginations of readers for generations.
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