 | Poems of Rural Life in Common English |  |
102
THE PRIZE WINNERS
[_]
Speakers.—The Teller (T.) of the Cleveburn winners in games at another village. The Teller's Chorus (T. C.) of two or three young men come home with him. The Full Chorus (F. C.) of village hearers.
Old Cleveburn for ever! Go, ringers, and turn
The brown tower door on its greystonen durn,
And take every man in his uphanging hands
The ropes' twisted strands—
F. C.
What now, then? what now?
T.
And ring up a peal; for you ought to be proud
Of your brothers, and sons. Come and cheer them aloud;
103
Three prizes at least.
T. C.
Now guess for the three.
T.
'Tis spryfooted Jim, and 'tis broadshoulder'd Joe,
And young Willy that jumps like a winglifted crow,
By the tall ashen tree.
F. C.
Here's a clap for each chap, then; hurrah!
T.
There Jim, with five others, went off with a bound
From the line, on the grass; like a hare-hunting hound,
With outreaching breast; and with looks that no face
Could turn from the race.
F. C.
Well done, Jim! well done!
104
And they shot through the tree-shades, like birds on the wing,
And could hear but one gush of the rock-leaping spring;
And a rook they outstripp'd, with their flight on the ground,
Turned hopeless around.
T. C.
And spryfooted Jim
Came in quickly-panting, with red-blooming face,
The first by a nose—ay a head—ay a pace,
The sleekest of limb.
F. C.
Here's a cheer, he should hear, then; hurrah!
T.
Then on came the light-footed jumpers, to bound,
For height in the air, and for length on the ground;
And they sprang with their legs to their thighs gather'd back,
Till they pitch'd, falling slack.
F. C.
Well done, then! well done!
105
And they mark'd a long air-track, and settled as tight
As a rook in a field, from a few yards of flight;
Though one would pitch backward, and one pitch ahead,
And one with firm head.
T. C.
But, in jumping, young Bill
Outstripped all the crew; and his heel smothered low
The head of a flow'r that had no other blow,
From a foot by the hill.
F. C.
Good strokes, merry folks, then; hurrah!
T.
Then on came the boats, up the river's broad face,
Each ploughing a furrow of foam, in its race,
While the oarsmen fell back, and their two oars would turn
To sweep back astern,
106
Well done, then! well done!
T.
Or else as the down-leaning rowers would bow,
Their oars flew ahead for new water to plough;
As they floated by willow, or ivy-hung rock,
Or by herd, or by flock.
T. C.
But broadshoulder'd Joe,
With the heat on his brow, and an oar in each fist,
Rush'd in with the first of the crews on the list
That did row.
F. C.
Well done, every son! then, hurrah!
T.
So let Will leap the brook, where no bridge may be placed,
And not stay to climb over bars in his haste,
But over them bound, ay, and over them fly,
In his shoes ankle high.
F. C.
Well done, Will! well done!
107
And Jim run the fields of old Cleveburn, a match;
For a hound in full run, or the hare he would catch,
And Joe row his boat up the stream, with a weight
Of the girls for a freight.
T. C.
Ay; jump, run, and row;
For who among us is ashamed to belong
To Cleveburn, with men that are spry and are strong
As Bill, Jim, and Joe?
F. C.
It is done; they have won; then, hurrah!
| Poems of Rural Life in Common English | |