Ballads in the Cumberland dialect by R. Anderson, with notes and a glossary, and a biographical sketch of the author |
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CURSENMESS EVE. |
 | Ballads in the Cumberland dialect |  |
CURSENMESS EVE.
“What, Jwosep! how go?”—“Wey, bluitert and baizt,
We've hed a meast tarrible rig, ye tnow;
I's thin as a lat, greypt, tharsty, and seeck,
For ye, ye're as fat as a pig, ye tnow:
I thowt to mysel, this mworn, as I ruse,
It's a monstrous warl this were in, ye tnow;
For nine out o' ten, beath women and men,
Er peer silly taistrels, we fin, ye tnow!
We've hed a meast tarrible rig, ye tnow;
I's thin as a lat, greypt, tharsty, and seeck,
For ye, ye're as fat as a pig, ye tnow:
I thowt to mysel, this mworn, as I ruse,
It's a monstrous warl this were in, ye tnow;
For nine out o' ten, beath women and men,
Er peer silly taistrels, we fin, ye tnow!
158
“Last neet, efter dark'nin, 'twas Cursenmess Eve,
I walkt up towerts Naig's Head, ye tnow;
Theer whee sud I see, but sweyne Sam, an ruff Rob,
Treype Tom, smiddy Dick, an deef Reid, ye tnow:
Ther was limpin Lanty, and bottlenwost Jack,
Mug Matthew, and Kursty Cumcatch, ye tnow;
Aul wry-gobb'd Seymie, an turn-cwoat Jemmy—
Thowt I, we mun suin hev a fratch, ye tnow.
I walkt up towerts Naig's Head, ye tnow;
Theer whee sud I see, but sweyne Sam, an ruff Rob,
Treype Tom, smiddy Dick, an deef Reid, ye tnow:
Ther was limpin Lanty, and bottlenwost Jack,
Mug Matthew, and Kursty Cumcatch, ye tnow;
Aul wry-gobb'd Seymie, an turn-cwoat Jemmy—
Thowt I, we mun suin hev a fratch, ye tnow.
“What they'd laik at lanter, the cairds were brong in,
They drew up, drank, laught, an jwokt, ye tnow;
It's best to sit whiet, thinks I to mysel,
Sae I crap nar the chimley, and smuikt, ye tnow:”
“Come! down wi' yer lanters! ruff Robin wan last”—
“Whee deals?”—“Prod, shiffle, and cut, ye tnow”—
“Tnock roun”—“I've nowt”—Here's a deuce an twee trays”—
“Wey that's nobbet a han fer Put, ye tnow!’
They drew up, drank, laught, an jwokt, ye tnow;
It's best to sit whiet, thinks I to mysel,
Sae I crap nar the chimley, and smuikt, ye tnow:”
“Come! down wi' yer lanters! ruff Robin wan last”—
“Whee deals?”—“Prod, shiffle, and cut, ye tnow”—
“Tnock roun”—“I've nowt”—Here's a deuce an twee trays”—
“Wey that's nobbet a han fer Put, ye tnow!’
“Mug Matthew just yen and threehopens lost,
For turn-cwoat was ay a big cheat, ye tnow;
What, he hid king and queen anunder his tnee—
Sec gamlin can niver be reet, ye tnow!
“Buck up!”—“What's trumps?”—“That's meyne”—“Nay meyne!”
Cries turn-cwoat, “Ye beath tell a lee ye tnow!”
They seed him lug out the king and the queen—
Mug Matthew suin bleakent his ee, ye tnow.
For turn-cwoat was ay a big cheat, ye tnow;
What, he hid king and queen anunder his tnee—
Sec gamlin can niver be reet, ye tnow!
“Buck up!”—“What's trumps?”—“That's meyne”—“Nay meyne!”
Cries turn-cwoat, “Ye beath tell a lee ye tnow!”
159
Mug Matthew suin bleakent his ee, ye tnow.
“Sec cleekin at brass! what, the teable they splat,
An kickt up a row in a crack, ye tnow;
Sweyne Sam tnockt out peer Treype Tom' teeth,
Ruff Rob felt bottlenwost Jack, ye tnow;
Deef Reid and Lanty, leyke twee bull dogs,
They splattert about, here an theer, ye tnow;
Cumcatch kickt roun in his snout-ban clogs,
'Till Smiddy laid him on the fleer, ye tnow!
An kickt up a row in a crack, ye tnow;
Sweyne Sam tnockt out peer Treype Tom' teeth,
Ruff Rob felt bottlenwost Jack, ye tnow;
Deef Reid and Lanty, leyke twee bull dogs,
They splattert about, here an theer, ye tnow;
Cumcatch kickt roun in his snout-ban clogs,
'Till Smiddy laid him on the fleer, ye tnow!
“Now weyves an dowters com bouncin in;
Bett bottlenwose brong in a cruteh, ye tnow;
She aimt at Ruff Rob, but the lanleady hat;
Peer Meable was leamt varra much, ye tnow:
The lanlword sawt, an he cleekt up t'por,
His silly aul deame to seave, ye tnow;
An swore, if onie yen clincht a fist,
“Od rot him! he's lig in his greave, ye tnow!”
Bett bottlenwose brong in a cruteh, ye tnow;
She aimt at Ruff Rob, but the lanleady hat;
Peer Meable was leamt varra much, ye tnow:
The lanlword sawt, an he cleekt up t'por,
His silly aul deame to seave, ye tnow;
An swore, if onie yen clincht a fist,
“Od rot him! he's lig in his greave, ye tnow!”
“Aul wry-gobb'd Seymie neist meade a lang speech,
Bad tem drop aw their fratchin and speyte, ye tnow;
“What, neybors!” says he, “ye'd far better gree,
Nor for lawyers and doctors thus feight, ye tnow!
It's best to sit whiet, and laugh at ilk riot—
Let's whop better teymes 'll suin come, ye tnow!”
The hay-bay now ceast, what, he spak leyke a priest,
An cawt fer a bottle ov rum, ye tnow.
Bad tem drop aw their fratchin and speyte, ye tnow;
“What, neybors!” says he, “ye'd far better gree,
Nor for lawyers and doctors thus feight, ye tnow!
It's best to sit whiet, and laugh at ilk riot—
Let's whop better teymes 'll suin come, ye tnow!”
The hay-bay now ceast, what, he spak leyke a priest,
An cawt fer a bottle ov rum, ye tnow.
160
“They swattet tem down, tuikt' weyves on the tnee—
Treype Tom gev a Cummerlan sang, ye tnow;
Some crackt an jwokt, some chowt and smuikt,
And some thowt it teyme for to gang, ye tnow:
The clock strack yen er ae hawf wer geane,
What, udders the house waddent leave, ye tnow
They drank, they rwoart, they sleept, they snwoart—
Sae muckle fer Cursenmess Eve, ye tnow!”
Treype Tom gev a Cummerlan sang, ye tnow;
Some crackt an jwokt, some chowt and smuikt,
And some thowt it teyme for to gang, ye tnow:
The clock strack yen er ae hawf wer geane,
What, udders the house waddent leave, ye tnow
They drank, they rwoart, they sleept, they snwoart—
Sae muckle fer Cursenmess Eve, ye tnow!”
END OF THE BALLADS.
| Ballads in the Cumberland dialect | |