by Richard Lant sometime in 1550 and presents what many would consider disgusting images of rural drinking and
drunkenness. For all it's gritty description, Skelton has modelled the poem on Church liturgy of that time.
The verse form itself closely resembles a liturgical chant.
Elynour is a character in the poem who runs a "public house", or pub, many pubs in England did have the look of a
home inside and out. In the early 16th century, the male or female owner of the pub not only sold the ale, but also
probably brewed it. Elynour easily acquires al her ingredients for quite acceptable ale from the local farmers in
southern England where her pub was apparently was located, nevertheless the kind of hard language which is
found in the poem, is not uncommon as "bar talk". Today much like in the 16th century, many brands of beer derisively
referred to as "pig piss" perhaps because of the beer's pale yellowish colour and its bland and very slightly bitter taste.
The poet says that chickens roost over Elynour's fermentation tank and drop their excrement into the froth.
The yeast will sometimes form a white cap on the fermenting beer, alcoholic beverages are also often associated
with flower and indeed will sometimes reduce the inhibitions of men and women.
Elynour advises her female customers that the ale will make them more desirable to their husbands, in part she has
the chickens excretment in the ale!
After the Sarasyns gyse,
With a Whym wham,
Knyt with a trym tram,
Vpon her brayne pan,
Like an Egyptian,
Capped about;
When she goeth out
Herselfe for to shewe,
She dryueth down the dewe
Wyth a payre of heles
As brode as two wheles;
She hobles as a gose
With her blanket hose
Ouer the falowe;
Her shone smered wyth talowe,
Gresed vpon dyrt
That baudeth her skyrt.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tun ... ur_Rummyng
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/genius.c ... -annotated
Tunning 3
Rummyng. 3
Whym. 6
Wham. 9
