Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

NORTHERN FARMER

OLD STYLE

WHEER 'asta bean saw long and mea liggin' 'ere aloan?

Noorse? thoort nowt o' a noorse; whoy,
Doctor 's abean an' agoan;
Says that I moant 'a naw moor aale, but
I beant a fool;

Git ma my aale, fur I beant a-gawin' to break my rule.

Doctors, they knaws nowt, fur a says what's nawways true;

Naw soort o' koind o' use to saay the things that a do.

I've 'ed my point o' aale ivry noight sin' I bean 'ere.

An' I've ed my quart ivry marketnoight for foorty year.

Parson's a bean loikewoise, an' a sittin' ere o' my bed.

"The Amoighty 's a taakin o' you1 to 'issén, my friend," a said,

An' a towd ma my sins, an' 's toithe were due, an' I gied it in hond; I done moy duty boy 'um, as I 'a done boy the lond.

Larn'd a ma' bea. I reckons I 'annot sa mooch to larn.

But a cast oop, thot a did, 'bout Bessy Marris's barne.

Thaw a knaws I hallus voated wi'

Squoire an' choorch an' staate, An'i' the woost o' toimes I wur niver agin the raate.

An' I hallus coom'd to 's choorch afoor moy Sally wur dead,

An' 'eard 'um a bummin' awaay loike a buzzard-clock 2 ower my 'ead, An' I niver knaw'd whot a mean'd but I thowt a 'ad summut to saay, An' I thowt a said whot a owt to 'a said, an' I coom'd awaay.

Bessy Marris's barne! tha knaws she laaid it to mea.

Mowt a bean, mayhap, for she wur a bad un, shea.

'Siver, I kep 'um, I kep 'um, my lass, tha mun understond;

I done moy duty boy 'um, as I 'a done boy the lond.

[blocks in formation]

But Parson a cooms an' a goas, an' a says it easy an' freea :

"The Amoighty 's a taakin o' you to 'issen, my friend," says 'ea.

I weant saay men be loiars, thaw summun said it in 'aaste ;

But 'e reads wonn sarmin a weeak, an' I 'a stubb'd Thurnaby waaste.

D' ya moind the waaste, my lass? naw, naw, tha was not born then ; Theer wur a boggle in it, I often 'eard 'um mysén;

Moast loike a butter-bump,1 fur I 'eard 'um about an' about,

But I stubb'd 'um oop wi' the lot, an' raaved an' rembled 'um out.

Keaper's it wur; fo' they fun 'um theer a-laaid of 'is faace

Down the woild 'enemies 2 afoor I coom'd to the plaace.

Noaks or Thimbleby-toaner3 'ed shot 'um as dead as a naail. Noaks wur'ang'd for it oop at 'soizebut git ma my aale.

Dubbut looök at the waaste; theer warn't not feead for a cow; Nowt at all but bracken an' fuzz, an' loook at it now

Warn't worth nowt a haacre, an' now theer 's lots o' feead, Fourscoor yows upon it, an' some on it down i' seead.5

Nobbut a bit on it 's left, an' I mean'd to 'a stubb'd it at fall,

Done it ta-year I mean'd, an' runn'd plow thruff it an' all,

If Godamoighty an' parson 'ud nobbut let ma aloan,

Mea, wi' haate hoonderd haacre o' Squoire's, an lond o' my oan.

Do Godamoighty knaw what a's doing a-taakin' o' mea?

I beant wonn as saws 'ere a bean an yonder a pea

An' Squoire 'ull be sa mad an' all-a' dear, a' dear!

And I a managed for Squoire coom Michaelmas thutty year.

A mowt 'a taaen owd Joanes, as 'ant not a 'aapoth o' sense,

Or a mowt a' taaen young Robins-a niver mended a fence;

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

IN THE VALLEY OF CAUTERETZ

ALL along the valley, stream that flashest white,

Deepening thy voice with the deepening of the night,

All along the valley, where thy waters flow,

I walk'd with one I loved two and thirty years ago.

All along the valley, while I walk'd today,

The two and thirty years were a mist that rolls away;

For all along the valley, down thy rocky bed,

Thy living voice to me was as the voice of the dead,

And all along the valley, by rock and cave and tree,

The voice of the dead was a living voice to me. 1861. 1864.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Strike for the King and live! his knights have heard

That God hath told the King a secret word.

Fall battle-axe, and flash brand! Let the King reign!

Blow trumpet! he will lift us from the dust.

Blow trumpet! live the strength, and die the lust!

Clang battle-axe, and clash brand! Let the King reign!

Strike for the King and die! and if thou diest,

The King is king, and ever wills the highest.

Clang battle-axe, and clash brand! Let the King reign!

Blow, for our Sun is mighty in his May! Blow, for our Sun is mightier day by day!

Clang battle-axe, and clash brand! Let the King reign!

The King will follow Christ, and we the King,

In whom high God hath breathed a secret thing.

Fall battle-axe, and flash brand! Let the King reign! 1874.

THE HIGHER PANTHEISM

THE sun, the moon, the stars, the seas, the hills and the plains,

Are not these, O Soul, the Vision of Him who reigns?

Is not the Vision He, tho' He be not that which He seems?

Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?

Earth, these solid stars, this weight of body and limb,

Are they not sign and symbol of thy division from Him?

Dark is the world to thee; thyself art

the reason why,

For is He not all but thou, that hast power to feel "I am I"?

Glory about thee, without thee; and thou fulfillest thy doom, Making Him broken gleams and a stifled splendor and gloom.

Speak to Him, thou, for He hears, and Spirit with Spirit can meetCloser is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.

God is law, say the wise; O soul, and let us rejoice,

For if He thunder by law the thunder is yet His voice.

Law is God, say some; no God at all, says the fool,

For all we have power to see is a straight staff bent in a pool;

And the ear of man cannot hear, and the eye of man cannot see;

But if we could see and hear, this Vision-were it not He? 1869.

[blocks in formation]

Noa-thou 'll marry for luvv--an' we boath on us thinks tha an ass.

Seea'd her to-daay goa by-Saaint's-daay -they was ringing the bells. She's a beauty, thou thinks--an' soa is scoors o' gells,

Them as 'as munny an' all-wot's a beauty?-the flower as blaws. But proputty, proputty sticks, an' proputty, proputty grows.

Do'ant be stunt ;1 taake time. I knaws what maakes tha sa mad.

Warn't I craazed fur the lasses mysén when I wur a lad?

But I knaw'd a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this:

"Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!"

An' I went wheer munny war; an' thy muther coom to 'and,

Wi' lots o' munny laaïd by, an' a nicetish bit o' land.

Maaybe she warn't a beauty-I niver giv it a thowt

But warn't she as good to cuddle an' kiss as a lass as 'ant nowt?

Parson's lass 'ant nowt, an' she weant 'a nowt when 'e 's dead,

Mun be a guvness, lad, or summut, and addle 2 her bread.

Why? fur 'e 's nobbut a curate, an' weant niver get hissén clear, An' 'e maade the bed as 'e ligs on afoor 'e coom'd to the shere.

An' thin 'e coom'd to the parish wi' lots o' Varsity debt,

Stook to his taaïl they did, an' 'e 'ant got shut on 'em yet.

An' 'e ligs on 'is back i' the grip, wi'
noan to lend 'im a shove,
Woorse nor a far-welter'd yowe; fur,
Sammy, 'e married fur luvv.

Luvv? what's luvv? thou can luvv thy lass an' 'er munny too,

Maakin' 'em goa togither, as they've good right to do.

Couldn I luvv thy muther by cause 'o 'er munny laaïd by?

Naay-fur I luvv'd 'er a vast sight moor fur it; reason why.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Them or thir feythers, tha sees, mun 'a bean a laazy lot,

Fur work mun 'a gone to the gittin' whiniver munny was got.

Feyther 'ad ammost nowt; leastways 'is munny was 'id.

But 'e tued an' moil'd issén dead, an' 'e died a good un, 'e did.

Loook thou theer wheer Wrigglesby beck cooms out by the 'ill!

Feyther run oop to the farm, an' I runs oop to the mill;

An' I'll run oop to the brig, an' that thou 'll live to see;

And if thou marries a good un I'll leave the land to thee.

Thim's my noations, Sammy, wheerby I means to stick ;

But if thou marries a bad un, I'll leave the land to Dick.

Coom oop, proputty, proputty-that's what I'ears 'im saay-

Proputty, proputty, proputty-canter an' canter awaay.

1870.

ENGLAND AND AMERICA IN 1782

O THOU that sendest out the man
To rule by land and sea,

1 Makes nothing.

2 The flies are as fierce as anything.

Strong mother of a lion-line,

Be proud of those strong sons of thine Who wrench'd their rights from thee! What wonder if in noble heat

Those men thine arms withstood, Retaught the lesson thou hadst taught, And in thy spirit with thee foughtWho sprang from English blood!

But thou rejoice with liberal joy,
Lift up thy rocky face,
And shatter, when the storms are black.
In many a streaming torrent back,
The seas that shock thy base!

Whatever harmonies of law
The growing world assume,
Thy work is thine-the single note
From that deep chord which Hampden
smote

Will vibrate to the doom.

1872.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Hast thou no voice, O Peak.
That standest high above all?
"I am the voice of the Peak,
I roar and rave, for I fall.

"A thousand voices go

To North, South, East, and West: They leave the heights and are troubled, And moan and sink to their rest.

"The fields are fair beside them,

The chestnut towers in his bloom; But they they feel the desire of the deep

Fall, and follow their doom.

"The deep has power on the height, And the height has power on the deep; They are raised for ever and ever,

And sink again into sleep."

Not raised for ever and ever,

But when their cycle is o'er,

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »