William Barnes

Second Collection. Dobbin Dead

      Thomas (1) an’ John (2) a-ta’èn o’t.

2. I do veel vor ye, Thomas, vor I be a-feär’d
 You’ve a-lost your wold meäre then, by what I’ve a-heärd.

1. Ees, my meäre is a-gone, an’ the cart’s in the shed
 Wi’ his wheelbonds a-rustèn, an’ I’m out o’ bread;
 Vor what be my han’s vor to eärn me a croust,
 Wi’ noo meäre’s vower legs vor to trample the doust.

2. Well, how did it happen? He veil vrom the brim
 Ov a cliff, as the teäle is, an’ broke ev’ry lim’.

1. Why, I gi’ed en his run, an’ he shook his wold meäne,
 An’ he rambled a-veedèn in Westergap Leäne;
 An’ there he must needs goo a-riggèn, an’ crope
 Vor a vew bleädes o’ grass up the wo’st o’ the slope;
 Though I should ha’ thought his wold head would ha’ know’d
 That vor stiff lags, lik’ his, the best pleäce wer the road.

2. An’ you hadden a-kept en so short, he must clim’,
 Lik’ a gwoat, vor a bleäde, at the risk ov a lim’.

1. Noo, but there, I’m a-twold, he did clim’ an’ did slide,
 An’ did screäpe, an’ did slip, on the shelvèn bank-zide,
 An’ at langth lost his vootèn, an’ roll’d vrom the top,
 Down, thump, kick, an’ higgledly, piggledly, flop.

2. Dear me, that is bad! I do veel vor your loss,
 Vor a vew years agoo, Thomas, I lost my ho’se.

1. How wer’t? If I heärd it, I now ha’ vorgot;
 Wer the poor thing bewitch’d or a-pweison’d, or what?

2. He wer out, an’ a-meäkèn his way to the brink
 O’ the stream at the end o’ Church Leäne, vor to drink;
 An’ he met wi’ zome yew-twigs the men had a-cast
 Vrom the yew-tree, in churchyard, the road that he past.
 He wer pweison’d. (1.) O dear, ’tis a hard loss to bear,
 Vor a tranter’s whole bread is a-lost wi’ his meäre;
 But ov all churches’ yew-trees, I never zet eyes
 On a tree that would come up to thik woone vor size.

2. Noo, ’tis long years agone, but do linger as clear
 In my mind though as if I’d a-heärd it to year.
 When King George wer in Do’set, an’ show’d us his feäce
 By our very own doors, at our very own pleäce,
 That he look’d at thik yew-tree, an’ nodded his head,
 An’ he zaid,—an’ I’ll tell ye the words that he zaid:—
 “I’ll be bound, if you’ll sarch my dominions all drough,
 That you woon’t vind the fellow to thik there wold yew.”