 | Poems and Lancashire Songs |  |
252
FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER.
I
Come here, my bold cronies, I'll not keep yo' lung,—Come hither, an' hearken to me;
I'll chant yo a neighbourly snatch of a sung,—
An' th' end o' my ditty shall be,—
Let's forgive one another!
II
We're a wanderin' band, in a ticklesome land,Where never a mortal can stay,
253
An', oh,—as we're joggin' away,—
Let's forgive one another!
III
This will-o'-the-wisp in a poor body's breast,It flutters the life of a mon;
It plays him wild marlocks that rob him o' rest,—
A mortal may do what he con,—
Let's forgive one another!
IV
Like harp-strings, we're made of a different tone,An' th' minstrel, he sits up aboon;
To him, every note o' the gamut's weel known,—
Let's hope that he'll keep us i' tune,
To forgive one another!
254
V
At neet, when a mother's her childer undrest,They paddle'n up close to her knee,
To whisper a prayer afore gooin' to rest;
An', th' sweetest o' th' strain, unto me,
Is,—forgive one another!
VI
Some liken to wrangle o'er nought but a name,An' who wur their mams an' their dads;
But, gentle or simple, it ends up the same,—
“We're o' Johnny Butter'oth lads!”
Let's forgive one another!
VII
When thinkin' o' life, an' its troublesome way,We'n very leet need to be proud;
255
It's late, when yo're lapped in a shreawd,
To forgive one another!
VIII
An' neaw,—as we never may o' meet again,—For, th' futur' no mortal can see,—
I'll stick to my text, lads; an', as it began,
So th' end o' my ditty shall be,—
Let's forgive one another!
| Poems and Lancashire Songs | |