 | The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley |  |
609
LOVE'S AS BROAD AS LONG
Looky here!—you fellers—you
Poets I'm a-talkin' to,—
Allus rhymin', right er wrong,
'Bout your “little” love, and “long”—
'Pears to me 'at nary one
Of you fellers gits much fun
Out o' lovin'—tryin' to fit
Out some fool-receet fer it!—
Love's as broad as long!
Poets I'm a-talkin' to,—
Allus rhymin', right er wrong,
'Bout your “little” love, and “long”—
'Pears to me 'at nary one
Of you fellers gits much fun
Out o' lovin'—tryin' to fit
Out some fool-receet fer it!—
Love's as broad as long!
Now, I 'low 'at love's a thing
You cain't jes' set down and sing
Out your order fer, and say
You'll hev yourn a certain way;
And how “long” a slice you'll take,
Er how short—'cause love don't make
No distinctions, and you'll find,
When it comes, it's all one kind—
Jes' as broad as long!
You cain't jes' set down and sing
Out your order fer, and say
You'll hev yourn a certain way;
And how “long” a slice you'll take,
Er how short—'cause love don't make
No distinctions, and you'll find,
When it comes, it's all one kind—
Jes' as broad as long!
Fust, one of you'll p'tend
“Love's no idle song,” and send
Up his voice in jes' the song
He's th'owed up on—“Love me long!”
Now, they hain't no womern needs
No sich talk as that!—er heeds
Sich advice as would infer
You hed any doubts o' her!
Love's as broad as long.
“Love's no idle song,” and send
Up his voice in jes' the song
He's th'owed up on—“Love me long!”
610
No sich talk as that!—er heeds
Sich advice as would infer
You hed any doubts o' her!
Love's as broad as long.
Ner I don't see any use,
Er occasion, er excuse
Fer some other chap to say,
In his passioneter way,
“Love me madly, as of yore!”—
'Cause I've seed sich love afore,
'At got fellers down, and jes'
Wooled 'em round till they confessed
Love was broad as long.
Er occasion, er excuse
Fer some other chap to say,
In his passioneter way,
“Love me madly, as of yore!”—
'Cause I've seed sich love afore,
'At got fellers down, and jes'
Wooled 'em round till they confessed
Love was broad as long.
No; I'll tell you: You jes' let
Love alone, and you kin bet,
When the time comes, Love'll be
Right on hands as punctchully
As he was the day Eve sot
Waitin', in the gyarden-spot,
Fer ole Adam jes' to go
On ahead and tell her so!
Love's as broad as long!
Love alone, and you kin bet,
When the time comes, Love'll be
Right on hands as punctchully
As he was the day Eve sot
Waitin', in the gyarden-spot,
Fer ole Adam jes' to go
On ahead and tell her so!
Love's as broad as long!
| The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley | |