diff --git a/Lib/test/output/test_symtable b/Lib/test/output/test_symtable
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24b9cda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/test/output/test_symtable
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+test_symtable
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_symtable.py b/Lib/test/test_symtable.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c521439
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/test/test_symtable.py
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+from test_support import verify
+
+import _symtable
+
+symbols, scopes = _symtable.symtable("def f(x): return x", "?", "exec")
+
+verify(symbols.has_key(0))
+verify(scopes.has_key(0))
diff --git a/Modules/symtablemodule.c b/Modules/symtablemodule.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ccf4aba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Modules/symtablemodule.c
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#include "Python.h"
+
+#include "compile.h"
+#include "symtable.h"
+
+static PyObject *
+symtable_symtable(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
+{
+	struct symtable *st;
+	PyObject *t;
+
+	char *str;
+	char *filename;
+	char *startstr;
+	int start;
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "sss:symtable", &str, &filename, 
+			      &startstr))
+		return NULL;
+	if (strcmp(startstr, "exec") == 0)
+		start = Py_file_input;
+	else if (strcmp(startstr, "eval") == 0)
+		start = Py_eval_input;
+	else if (strcmp(startstr, "single") == 0)
+		start = Py_single_input;
+	else {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError,
+		   "symtable() arg 3 must be 'exec' or 'eval' or 'single'");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	st = Py_SymtableString(str, filename, start);
+	if (st == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+	t = Py_BuildValue("OO", st->st_symbols, st->st_scopes);
+	PySymtable_Free(st);
+	return t;
+}
+
+static PyMethodDef symtable_methods[] = {
+	{"symtable",	symtable_symtable,	METH_VARARGS,
+	 "Return symbol and scope dictionaries used internally by compiler."},
+	{NULL,		NULL}		/* sentinel */
+};
+
+DL_EXPORT(void)
+init_symtable(void)
+{
+	PyObject *m;
+
+	m = Py_InitModule("_symtable", symtable_methods);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "USE", USE);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_GLOBAL", DEF_GLOBAL);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_LOCAL", DEF_LOCAL);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_PARAM", DEF_PARAM);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_STAR", DEF_STAR);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_DOUBLESTAR", DEF_DOUBLESTAR);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_INTUPLE", DEF_INTUPLE);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_FREE", DEF_FREE);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_FREE_GLOBAL", DEF_FREE_GLOBAL);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_FREE_CLASS", DEF_FREE_CLASS);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "DEF_IMPORT", DEF_IMPORT);
+
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "TYPE_FUNCTION", TYPE_FUNCTION);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "TYPE_CLASS", TYPE_CLASS);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "TYPE_MODULE", TYPE_MODULE);
+
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "LOCAL", LOCAL);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "GLOBAL_EXPLICIT", GLOBAL_EXPLICIT);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "GLOBAL_IMPLICIT", GLOBAL_IMPLICIT);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "FREE", FREE);
+	PyModule_AddIntConstant(m, "CELL", CELL);
+}
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1c1ec13..bd74ab4 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@
         exts.append( Extension('pcre', ['pcremodule.c', 'pypcre.c']) )
 
         exts.append( Extension('_weakref', ['_weakref.c']) )
+        exts.append( Extension('_symtable', ['symtablemodule.c']) )
         exts.append( Extension('xreadlines', ['xreadlinesmodule.c']) )
 
         # array objects