Eh, but 'e'd fight wi' a will when 'e fowt; 'e could howd1 'is oan, An' Roä was the dog as knaw'd when an' wheere to bury his boane. An' 'e kep' his head hoop like a king, an' 'e'd niver not down wi' 'is taäil, Fur 'e'd niver done nowt to be shaämed on, when we was i' Howlaby Daäle. An' 'e sarved me sa well when 'e lived, that, Dick, when 'e cooms to be dead, I thinks as I'd like fur to hev soom soort of a sarvice reäd. Fur 'e's moor good sense na the Parlia ment man 'at stans fur us 'ere, An' I'd voät fur 'im, my oän sen, if 'e could but stan' fur the Shere. 'Faäithful an' True' them words be i' Scriptur-an' Faäithful an' True 'Ull be fun' 2 upo' four short legs ten times fur one upo' two. An' maäybe they'll walk upo' two but I knaws they runs upo' four,3Bedtime, Dicky! but waäit till tha 'eärs it be strikin' the hour. Fur I wants to tell tha o' Roä when we lived i' Howlaby Daäle, Ten year sin'- Naäy-naäy! tha mun nobbut hev' one glass of aäle. Straänge an' owd-farran'd the 'ouse, an' belt long afoor my daäy Wi' haäfe o' the chimleys a-twizzen'd an' twined like a band o' haäy. The fellers as maäkes them picturs, 'ud coom at the fall o' the year, An' sattle their ends upo' stools to pictur the door-poorch theere, An' the Heagle 'as hed two heads stannin' theere o' the brokken stick; 7 An' they niver 'ed seed sich.ivin' as graw'd hall ower the brick; 1 Hold. 2 Found. 3 Ou' as in 'house.' 4'Owd-farran'd,' old-fashioned. 5 Built. 6 Twizzen'd,' twisted. 7 On a staff ragulé. 8 " Ivy. An' theere i' the 'ouse one night-t it's down, an' all on it now Goän into mangles an' tonups, raäved slick thruf by the plow Theere, when the 'ouse wur a house, night I wur sittin' aloän, Wi' Roäver athurt my feeät, an' slee3⁄4 ̧still as a stoän, Of a Christmas Eäve, an' as cowd this, an' the midders 2 as white An' the fences all on 'em bolster'd wi' the windle3 that night; An' the cat wur a-sleeäpin alongs Fur the men ater supper 'ed sung songs an' 'ed 'ed their beer, An' 'ed goän their waäys; ther was but three, an' noän on 'em theert They was all on 'em fear'd o' the Ghis an' dussn't not sleeäp i' the But Dicky, the Ghoäst moästlins nobbut a rat or a mouse. An' I looökt out wonst5 at the n an' the daäle was all of a thaw, Fur I seed the beck coomin' down like long black snaäke i' the snaw, An' I heard great heaps o' the s slushin' down fro' the bank to beck, An' then as I stood i' the doorwa feeäld it drip o' my neck. Saw I turn'd in ageän, an' I thowt the good owd times 'at was gat An' the munney they maäde by the an' the times 'at was coomin Fur I thowt if the Staäte was a-gar to let in furriners' wheät, Howiver was British farmers to st ageän o' their feeät. An' I kep' a-callin' o' Roä till 'e waggle 'is taäil fur a bit, But the cocks kep' a-crawin' an' cravi all night, an' I 'ears 'em yit; An' the dogs was a-yowlin' all round, and thou was a-squeälin' thysen, An' Moother was naggin' an' groanin' a moänin' an' naggin' ageän; An' I 'eärd the bricks an' the baulks rummle down when the roof ge waäy, Fur the fire was a-raägin' an' raävin' a roarin' like judgment daäy. Warm enew theere sewer-ly, but the bar was as cowd as owt, An' we cuddled and huddled togither, a happt 2 wersens oop as we most An' I browt Roä round, but Moother 'e beän sa soäk'd wi' the thaw 'At she cotch'd 'er death o'cowd the night, poor soul, i' the straw. Haäfe o' the parish runn'd oop when the rigtree was tummlin' inToo laäte-but it's all ower now-ba hower-an' ten year sin'; Too laäte, tha mun git tha to bed, b I'll coom an' I'll squench the light Fur we moänt 'ev naw moor fires-and soä little Dick, good-night. VASTNESS. I. MANY a hearth upon our dark globe sigh after many a vanish'd face, Many a planet by many a sun may rol with the dust of a vanish'd race. II. Raving politics, never at rest - as the poor earth's pale history runsWhat is it all but a trouble of ants in the gleam of a million million of suns? 1 Beams. 2 Wrapt ourselves. The beam that runs along the roof of the house just beneath the ridge. |