 | Enoch Arden & c. |  |
NORTHERN FARMER.
OLD STYLE.
I.
WHEER 'asta beän saw long and meä liggin' 'ere aloän?Noorse? thoort nowt o' a noorse: whoy, doctor's abeän an' agoän:
Says that I moänt 'a naw moor yaäle: but I beänt a fool:
Git ma my yaäle, fur I beänt a-gooin' to breäk my rule.
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II.
Doctors, they knaws nowt, for a says what's nawways true:Naw soort o' koind o' use to saäy the things that a do.
I've 'ed my point o' yaäle ivry noight sin' I beän
An' I've 'ed my quart ivry market-noight for foorty year.
III.
Parson's a beän loikewoise, an' a sittin' ere o' my bed.`The amoighty's a taäkin o' you to 'issen, my friend,' 'a said,
An' a towd ma my sins, an's toithe were due, an' I gied it in hond;
I done my duty by un, as I 'a done by the lond.
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IV.
Larn'd a ma' beä. I reckons I 'annot sa mooch to larn.But a cost oop, thot a did, 'boot Bessy Marris's barn.
Thof a knaws I hallus voäted wi' Squoire an' choorch an staäte,
An' i' the woost o' toimes I wur niver agin the raäte.
V.
An' I hallus comed to 's choorch afoor moy Sally wur deäd,An' 'eerd un a bummin' awaäy loike a buzzard-clock* ower my yeäd,
An' I niver knaw'd whot a meän'd but I thowt a 'ad summut to saäy,
An I thowt a said whot a owt to 'a said an' I comed awaäy.
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VI.
Bessy Marris's barn! tha knaws she laäid it to meä.Mowt 'a beän, mayhap, for she wur a bad un, sheä.
'Siver, I kep un, I kep un, my lass, tha mun understond;
I done my duty by un as I 'a done by the lond.
VII.
But Parson a comes an' a goos, an' a says it eäsy an' freeä`The amoighty's a taäkin o' you to 'issen, my friend,' says 'eä.
I weänt saäy men be loiars, thof summun said it in 'aäste:
But a reäds wonn sarmin a weeäk, an' I 'a stubb'd Thornaby waäste.
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VIII.
D'ya moind the waäste, my lass? naw, naw, tha was not born then;Theer wur a boggle in it, I often 'eerd un mysen;
Moäst loike a butter-bump,* for I 'eerd un aboot an aboot,
But I stubb'd un oop wi' the lot, an' raäved an rembled un oot.
IX.
Keäper's it wur; fo' they fun un theer a laäid on 'is faäceDoon i' the woild 'enemies* afoor I comed to the plaäce.
Noäks or Thimbleby — toner 'ed shot un as deäd as a naäil.
Noäks wur 'ang'd for it oop at 'soize — but git ma my yaäle.
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X.
Dubbut looäk at the waäste: theer warn't not feäd for a cow:Nowt at all but bracken an' fuzz, an' looäk at it now —
Warn't worth nowt a haäcre, an' now theer's lots o' feäd,
Fourscore yows upon it an' some on it doon in seäd.
XI.
Nobbut a bit on it's left, an' I meän'd to 'a stubb'd it at fall,Done it ta-year I meän'd, an' runn'd plow thruff it an' all,
If godamoighty an' parson 'ud nobbut let ma aloän,
Meä, wi' haäte oonderd haäcre o' Squoire's an' lond o' my oän.
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XII.
Do godamoighty knaw what a's doing a-taäkin' o' meä?I beänt wonn as saws 'ere a beän an' yonder a peä;
An' Squoire 'ull be sa mad an' all — a' dear a' dear!
And I 'a monaged for Squoire come Michaelmas thirty year.
XIII.
A mowt 'a taäken Joänes, as 'ant a 'aäpoth o' sense,Or a mowt a' taäken Robins — a niver mended a fence:
But godamoighty a moost taäke meä an' taäke ma now
Wi 'auf the cows to cauve an' Thornaby holms to plow!
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XIV.
Looäk 'ow quoloty smoiles when they sees ma a passin' by,Says to thessen naw doot `what a mon a be sewer-ly!'
For they knaws what I beän to Squoire sin fust a comed to the 'All;
I done my duty by Squoire an' I done my duty by all.
XV.
Squoire's in Lunnon, an' summun I reckons 'ull 'a to wroite,For who's to howd the lond ater meä thot muddles ma quoit;
Sartin-sewer I beä, thot a weänt niver give it to Joänes,
Noither a moänt to Robins — a niver rembles the stoäns.
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XVI.
But summun 'ull come ater meä mayhap wi' 'is kittle o' steämHuzzin' an' maäzin' the blessed feälds wi' the Divil's oän teäm.
Gin I mun doy I mun doy, an' loife they says is sweet,
But gin I mun doy I mun doy, for I couldn abear to see it.
XVII.
What atta stannin' theer for, an' doesn bring ma the yaäle?Doctor's a 'tottler, lass, an a's hallus i' the owd taäle;
I weänt breäk rules for Doctor, a knaws naw moor nor a floy;
Git ma my yaäle, I tell tha, an' gin I mun doy I mun doy.
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