Poem by William Barnes

First Collection. Winter. Chris’mas Invitation

Come down to-morrow night; an’ mind,
Don’t leäve thy fiddle-bag behind;
We’ll sheäke a lag, an’ drink a cup
O’ eäle, to keep wold Chris’mas up.

An’ let thy sister teäke thy eärm,
The walk won’t do her any harm;
There’s noo dirt now to spweil her frock,
The ground’s a-vroze so hard’s a rock.

You won’t meet any stranger’s feäce,
But only naïghbours o’ the pleäce,
An’ Stowe, an’ Combe; an’ two or dree
Vrom uncle’s up at Rookery.

An’ thou wu’lt vind a rwosy feäce,
An’ peäir ov eyes so black as sloos,
The prettiest woones in all the pleäce,—
I’m sure I needen tell thee whose.

We got a back-bran’, dree girt logs
So much as dree ov us can car;
We’ll put em up athirt the dogs,
An’ meäke a vier to the bar.

An’ ev’ry woone shall tell his teäle,
An’ ev’ry woone shall zing his zong,
An’ ev’ry woone wull drink his eäle
To love an’ frien’ship all night long.

We’ll snap the tongs, we’ll have a ball,
We’ll sheäke the house, we’ll lift the ruf,
We’ll romp an’ meäke the maidens squall,
A catchèn o’m at blind-man’s buff.

Zoo come to-morrow night; an’ mind,
Don’t leäve thy fiddle-bag behind;
We’ll sheäke a lag, an’ drink a cup
O’ eäle, to keep wold Chris’mas up.

1. Second Collection. The Linden on the Lawn
2. Second Collection. When Birds be Still
3. First Collection. Summer. Week’s End in Zummer, in the Wold Vo’k’s Time
4. Second Collection. The Lydlinch Bells
5. Third Collection. The Wheel Routs

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