William Barnes

Third Collection. The Two Churches

A happy day, a happy year,
A zummer Zunday, dazzlèn clear,
I went athirt vrom Lea to Noke.
To goo to church wi’ Fanny’s vo’k:
The sky o’ blue did only show
A cloud or two, so white as snow,
An’ aïr did swaÿ, wi’ softest strokes,
The eltrot roun’ the dark-bough’d woaks.
O day o’ rest when bells do toll!
O day a-blest to ev’ry soul!
How sweet the zwells o’ Zunday bells.

An’ on the cowslip-knap at Creech,
Below the grove o’ steätely beech,
I heärd two tow’rs a-cheemèn clear,
Vrom woone I went, to woone drew near,
As they did call, by flow’ry ground,
The bright-shod veet vrom housen round,
A-drownèn wi’ their holy call,
The goocoo an’ the water-vall.
Die off, O bells o’ my dear pleäce,
Ring out, O bells avore my feäce,
Vull sweet your zwells, O ding-dong bells.

Ah! then vor things that time did bring
My kinsvo’k, Lea had bells to ring;
An’ then, ageän, vor what bevell
My wife’s, why Noke church had a bell;
But soon wi’ hopevul lives a-bound
In woone, we had woone tower’s sound,
Vor our high jaÿs all vive bells rung,
Our losses had woone iron tongue.
Oh! ring all round, an’ never mwoän
So deep an’ slow woone bell alwone,
Vor sweet your swells o’ vive clear bells.