Poem by William Barnes

First Collection. Summer. Havèn Woones Fortune a-twold

In leäne the gipsies, as we went
A-milkèn, had a-pitch’d their tent,
Between the gravel-pit an’ clump
O’ trees, upon the little hump:
An’ while upon the grassy groun’
 Their smokèn vire did crack an’ bleäze,
 Their shaggy-cwoated hoss did greäze
Among the bushes vurder down.

An’ zoo, when we brought back our païls,
The woman met us at the raïls,
An’ zaid she’d tell us, if we’d show
Our han’s, what we should like to know.
Zoo Poll zaid she’d a mind to try
 Her skill a bit, if I would vu’st;
 Though, to be sure, she didden trust
To gipsies any mwore than I.

Well; I agreed, an’ off all dree
O’s went behind an elem tree,
An’ after she’d a-zeed ’ithin
My han’ the wrinkles o’ the skin,
She twold me—an’ she must a-know’d
 That Dicky met me in the leäne,—
 That I’d a-walk’d, an’ should ageän,
Wi’ zomebody along thik road.

An’ then she twold me to bewar
O’ what the letter M stood vor.
An’ as I walk’d, o’ Monday night,
Drough Meäd wi’ Dicky overright
The Mill, the Miller, at the stile,
 Did stan’ an’ watch us teäke our stroll,
 An’ then, a blabbèn dousty-poll!
Twold Mother o’t. Well wo’th his while!

An’ Poll too wer a-bid bewar
O’ what the letter F stood vor;
An’ then, because she took, at Feäir,
A bosom-pin o’ Jimmy Heäre,
Young Franky beät en black an’ blue.
 ’Tis F vor Feäir; an’ ’twer about
 A Fearèn Frank an’ Jimmy foüght,
Zoo I do think she twold us true.

In short, she twold us all about
What had a-vell, or would vall out;
An’ whether we should spend our lives
As maïdens, or as wedded wives;
But when we went to bundle on,
 The gipsies’ dog were at the raïls
 A-lappèn milk vrom ouer païls,—
A pretty deäl o’ Poll’s wer gone.

1. First Collection. Summer. Week’s End in Zummer, in the Wold Vo’k’s Time
2. Second Collection. The Linden on the Lawn
3. Second Collection. When Birds be Still
4. Third Collection. Went vrom Hwome
5. Third Collection. Changes

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