A Miscellany of Poems consisting of Original Poems, Translations, Pastorals in the Cumberland Dialect, Familiar Epistles, Fables, Songs, and Epigrams, by the late Reverend Josiah Relph ... With a Preface and a Glossary |
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HAY TIME;
OR THE
CONSTANT LOVERS.
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 | A Miscellany of Poems |  |
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HAY TIME; OR THE CONSTANT LOVERS.
A PASTORAL.
Cursty and Peggy.Warm shone the Sun, the wind as warmly blew,
No longer cool'd by draughts of morning-dew;
When in the field a faithfull pair appeared,
A faithfull pair full happily endeared:
Hasty in rows they raked the meadow's pride,
Then sank amid the softness side by side,
To wait the withering force of wind and sun;
And thus their artless tale of love begun.
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A finer hay-day seer was never seen;
The greenish sops already luik less green;
As weel the greenish sops will suin be dry'd
As Sawney's bacco spred by th'ingle side.
The greenish sops already luik less green;
As weel the greenish sops will suin be dry'd
As Sawney's bacco spred by th'ingle side.
Peggy.
And see how finely stripd the fields appear,
Stripd like the gown 'at I on sundays wear;
White shows the rye, the big of blaker hue,
The bluimen pezz green ment wi' reed and blue.
Stripd like the gown 'at I on sundays wear;
White shows the rye, the big of blaker hue,
The bluimen pezz green ment wi' reed and blue.
Cursty.
Let other lads to spworts and pastimes run,
And spoil their sunday clease and clash their shoon;
If Peggy in the field my partner be,
To work at hay is better spwort to me.
And spoil their sunday clease and clash their shoon;
If Peggy in the field my partner be,
To work at hay is better spwort to me.
Peggy.
Let other lasses ride to Rosely-fair;
And mazle up and down the market there,
I envy not their happy treats and them,
Happier my sell, if Roger bides at heame.
And mazle up and down the market there,
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Happier my sell, if Roger bides at heame.
Cursty.
It's hard aw day the heavy scy' to swing;
But if my lass a holesome breakfast bring,
Even mowing-time is better far I swear,
Then Cursenmas and aw it's dainty chear.
But if my lass a holesome breakfast bring,
Even mowing-time is better far I swear,
Then Cursenmas and aw it's dainty chear.
Peggy.
Far is the Gursin off, top full the kits,
But if my Cursty bears the milk by fits,
For gallopin to wakes I ne'er gang wood,
For ev'ry night's a wake, or full as good.
But if my Cursty bears the milk by fits,
For gallopin to wakes I ne'er gang wood,
For ev'ry night's a wake, or full as good.
Cursty.
Can thou remember, I remember't weel,
Sin call wee things we claver'd owr yon steel;
Lang willy-wands for hoops I yust to bay,
To meake my canny lass a leady gay.
Sin call wee things we claver'd owr yon steel;
Lang willy-wands for hoops I yust to bay,
To meake my canny lass a leady gay.
15
Then dadged we to the bog owr meadows dree,
To plet a sword and seevy cap for thee;
Set off with seevy cap and seevy sword
My Cursty luikd as great as anny lword.
To plet a sword and seevy cap for thee;
Set off with seevy cap and seevy sword
My Cursty luikd as great as anny lword.
Cursty.
Beneath a dyke full menny a langsome day,
We sat and beelded houses fine o'clay;
For dishes acorn cups stuid dessed in rows,
And broken pots for dublers mens'd the waws.
We sat and beelded houses fine o'clay;
For dishes acorn cups stuid dessed in rows,
And broken pots for dublers mens'd the waws.
Peggy.
O may we better houses get than thar,
Far larger dishes, dublers brighter far;
And ever mair delighted may we be,
I to meake Cursty fine, and Cursty me.
Far larger dishes, dublers brighter far;
And ever mair delighted may we be,
I to meake Cursty fine, and Cursty me.
Cursty.
Right oft at schuil I've spelder'd owr thy rows,
Full manny a time I've foughten in thy cause;
And when in winter miry ways let in,
I bear thee on my back thro' thick and thin.
Full manny a time I've foughten in thy cause;
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I bear thee on my back thro' thick and thin.
Peggy.
As suin as ee'r I learned to kest a loup,
Warm mittens wap'd thy fingers warmly up;
And when at heels I spyed thy stockings out,
I darned them suin, or suin set on a clout.
Warm mittens wap'd thy fingers warmly up;
And when at heels I spyed thy stockings out,
I darned them suin, or suin set on a clout.
Cursty.
O how I lik'd to see thee on the fleer;
At spworts, if I was trier to be seer,
I reached the fancy ruddily to thee
For nin danced hawf sae weel in Cursty's eye.
At spworts, if I was trier to be seer,
I reached the fancy ruddily to thee
For nin danced hawf sae weel in Cursty's eye.
Peggy.
O how I swet, when for the costly prize,
Thou grup'd some lusty lad of greater size;
But when I saw him scrawlen on the plain,
My heart aw flacker'd for't I was sae fain.
Thou grup'd some lusty lad of greater size;
But when I saw him scrawlen on the plain,
My heart aw flacker'd for't I was sae fain.
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See! owr the field the whurlin sunshine whiews,
The shadow fast the sunshine fair pursues;
From Cursty thus oft Peggy seemed to hast,
As fair she fled, he after her as fast.
The shadow fast the sunshine fair pursues;
From Cursty thus oft Peggy seemed to hast,
As fair she fled, he after her as fast.
Peggy.
Ay, laddy, seemed indeed for truth to tell,
Oft wittingly I stummerd, oft I fell,
Pretendin some unlucky wramp or strean
For Cursty's kind guid-natured heart to mean.
Oft wittingly I stummerd, oft I fell,
Pretendin some unlucky wramp or strean
For Cursty's kind guid-natured heart to mean.
Cursty.
Sweet is this kiss as smell of dwallowed hay,
Or the fresh prumrose on the furst of may;
Sweet to the teaste as pears or apples moam,
Nay, sweeter than the sweetest honey comb.
Or the fresh prumrose on the furst of may;
Sweet to the teaste as pears or apples moam,
Nay, sweeter than the sweetest honey comb.
Peggy.
But let us rise—the sun's owr Carrack fell,
And luik—whae's yon 'ats walking to the well?
Up, Cursty, up; for God's sake let me gang,
For fear the maister put us in a sang.
And luik—whae's yon 'ats walking to the well?
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For fear the maister put us in a sang.
| A Miscellany of Poems | |