 | Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect |  |
THE GIANTS IN TREADES.
Gramfer's Feable.
(How the steam engine come about.)
Vire, aïr, ea'th, water, were a-meädeGood workers, each o'm in his treäde,
An' aïr an' water wer a match
Vor woone another in a mill;
The giant water at a hatch,
An' aïr on the windmill hill,
Zoo then when water had a-meäde
Zome money, aïr begrudg'd his treäde,
An' come by, unaweäres woone night,
An' vound en at his own mill head,
An' cast upon en, iron-tight,
An icy cwoat so stiff as lead.
An' there he wer as good as dead
Vor grindèn any corn vor bread.
Then Water cried to Vire, “Alack!
Look, here be I, so stiff's a log,
Thik fellor Aïr do keep me back
Vrom grindèn. I can't wag a cog.
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Your nimble body on a house,
When you wer on your merry pranks,
Wi' thatch or refters, beams or planks,
Vorgi'e me, do, in pity's neäme,
Vor 'twerden I that wer to bleäme,
I never wagg'd, though I be'nt cringèn,
Till men did dreve me wi' their engine.
Do zet me free vrom theäse cwold jacket,
Vor I myzelf shall never crack it.”
“Well come,” cried Vire, “My vo'k ha' meäde
An engine that 'ill work your treäde.
If Ea'th is only in the mood,
While I do work, to gi'e me food,
I'll help ye, an' I'll meäke your skill
A match vor Mister Aïr's wold mill.”
“What food,” cried Ea'th, “'ill suit your bwoard?”
“Oh! trust me, I ben't over nice,”
Cried Vire, “an' I can eat a slice
Ov any thing you can avword.”
“I've lots,” cried Ea'th, “ov coal an' wood.”
“Ah! that's the stuff,” cried Vire, “that's good.”
Zoo Vire at woonce to Water cried,
“Here, Water, here, you get inside
O' theäse girt bwoiler, then I'll show
How I can help ye down below,
An' when my work shall woonce begin
You'll be a thousand times so strong,
An' be a thousand times so long
An' big as when you vu'st got in.
An' I wull meäke, as sure as death,
Thik fellor Aïr to vind me breath,
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An' zaw, an' drash, an' pump, an' heave,
An' get vrom Aïr, in time, I'll lay
A pound, the drevèn ships at sea.”
An' zoo 'tis good to zee that might
Wull help a man a-wrong'd, to right.
| Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect | |