William Barnes

Aye, aye, vull rathe the zun mus’ rise
To meäke us tired o’ zunny skies,
A-sheenèn on the whole day drough,
From mornèn’s dawn till evenèn’s dew.…

EclogueRobert an’ Thomas.ROBERT.You’ll lose your meäster soon, then, I do vind;
He’s gwaïn to leäve his farm, as I do larn,
At Miëlmas; an’ I be zorry vor’n.
What, is he then a little bit behind?THOMAS.O no! at Miëlmas his time is up,…

O jaÿ betide the dear wold mill,
My naïghbour plaÿmeätes’ happy hwome,
Wi’ rollèn wheel, an’ leäpèn foam,
Below the overhangèn hill,…

When Pentridge House wer still the nest
O’ souls that now ha’ better rest,
Avore the viër burnt to ground
His beams an’ walls, that then wer sound,…

Zoo then the leädy an’ the squier,
At Chris’mas, gather’d girt an’ small,
Vor me’th, avore their roarèn vier,
An’ roun’ their bwoard, ’ithin the hall;…

Ah! Jeäne, my maïd, I stood to you,
When you wer christen’d, small an’ light,
Wi’ tiny eärms o’ red an’ blue,
A-hangèn in your robe o’ white.…

Ah! sad wer we as we did peäce
The wold church road, wi’ downcast feäce,
The while the bells, that mwoan’d so deep
Above our child a-left asleep,…

The dock-leaves that do spread so wide
Up yonder zunny bank’s green zide,
Do bring to mind what we did do
At plaÿ wi’ dock-leaves years agoo:…

A happy day at Whitsuntide,
As soon’s the zun begun to vall,
We all stroll’d up the steep hill-zide
To Meldon, girt an’ small;…

Gramfer’s Feäble.(How the steam engine come about.)Vier, Aïr, E’th, Water, wer a-meäde
Good workers, each o’m in his treäde,
An’ Aïr an’ Water, wer a-match
Vor woone another in a mill;…

Good Meäster Collins heärd woone day
A man a-talkèn, that did zay
It woulden answer to be kind,
He thought, to vo’k o’ grov’lèn mind,…

O! Meäry, when the zun went down,
Woone night in Spring, wi’ vi’ry rim,
Behind thik nap wi’ woody crown,
An’ left your smilèn feäce so dim;…

Ah! naïghbour John, since I an’ you
Wer youngsters, ev’ry thing is new.
My father’s vires wer all o’ logs
O’ cleft-wood, down upon the dogs…

While now upon the win’ do zwell
The church-bells’ evenèn peal, O,
Along the bottom, who can tell
How touch’d my heart do veel, O.…

When our downcast looks be smileless,
Under others’ wrongs an’ slightèns,
When our daily deeds be guileless,
An’ do meet unkind requitèns,…

And oh! the jaÿ our rest did yield,
At evenèn by the mossy wall,
When we’d a-work’d all day a-vield,
While zummer zuns did rise an’ vall,…

Ov all the roads that ever bridge
Did bear athirt a river’s feäce,
Or ho’ses up an’ down the ridge
Did wear to doust at ev’ry peäce,…

Come, bring a log o’ cleft wood, Jack,
An’ fling en on ageän the back,
An’ zee the outside door is vast,—
The win’ do blow a cwoldish blast.…

Oh! no, I quite injaÿ’d the ride
Behind wold Dobbin’s heavy heels,
Wi’ Jeäne a-prattlèn at my zide,
Above our peäir o’ spinnèn wheels,…

Ah! good Meäster Gwillet, that you mid ha’ know’d,
War a-bred up at Coomb, an’ went little abroad;
An’ if he got in among strangers, he velt
His poor heart in a twitter, an’ ready to melt;…

Ees: now mahogany’s the goo.
An’ good wold English woak won’t do.
I wish vo’k always mid avvword
Hot meals upon a woakèn bwoard.…

Ah! ev’ry day mid bring a while
O’ eäse vrom all woone’s ceäre an’ tweil,
The welcome evenèn, when ’tis sweet
Vor tired friends wi’ weary veet,…

Come, run up hwome wi’ us to night,
Athirt the vield a-vroze so white,
Where vrosty sheädes do lie below
The winter ricks a-tipp’d wi’ snow,…

The sky wer clear, the zunsheen glow’d
On droopèn flowers drough the day,
As I did beät the dousty road
Vrom hinder hills, a-feädèn gray;…