Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. V. Browning to Rupert Brooke
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (18091892)Northern Farmer, Old Style
Noorse? thourt nowt o’ a noorse: whoy, Doctor’s abeän an’ agoän:
Says that I moänt ’a naw moor aäle: but I beänt a fool:
Git ma my aäle, fur I beänt a-gawin’ to breäk my rule.
Naw soort o’ koind o’ use to saäy the things that a do.
I ’ve ’ed my point o’ aäle ivry noight sin’ I beän ’ere,
An’ I ’ve ’ed my quart ivry market-noight for foorty year.
“The amoighty ’s a taäkin o’ you 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.
But a cast oop, thot a did, ’bout Bessy Marris’s barne.
Thaw a knaws I hallus voäted wi’ Squoire an’ choorch an’ staäte,
An’ i’ the woost o’ toimes I wur niver agin the raäte.
An’ ’eärd ’um a bummin’ awaäy loike a buzzard-clock ower my ’eäd,
An’ I niver knaw’d whot a meän’d, but I thowt a’ad summut to saäy,
An’ I thowt a said whot a owt to ’a said an’ I coom’d awaäy.
Mowt a beän, mayhap, for she wur a bad un, sheä.
’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.
“The amoighty’s a taäkin o’ you to ’issén, my friend,” says ’eä.
I weänt saäy men be loiars, thaw summun said it in ’aäste:
But ’e reäds wonn sarmin a weeäk, an’ I ’a stubb’d Thurnaby waäste.
Theer wur a boggle in it, I often ’eärd ’um mysen;
Moäst loike a butter-bump, fur I ’eärd ’um about an’ about,
But I stubb’d ’um poo wi’ the lot, an’ raäved an’ rembled ’um out.
Down i’ the woild ’enemies afoor I coom’d to the plaäce.
Noäks or Thimbleby—toäner ’ed shot ’um as deäd as a naäil.
Noäks wur ’ang’d for it oop at ’soize—but git ma my aäle.
Nowt at all but bracken an’ fuzz, an’ looök at it now—
Warnt worth nowt a haäcre, an’ now theer ’s lots o’ feeäd,
Fourscoor yows upon it an’ some on it down i’ seeäd.
Done it ta-year I meän’d, an’ runn’d plow thruff it an’ all,
If godamoighty an’ parson ’ud nobbut let ma aloän,
Meä, wi’ haäte hoonderd haäcre o’ Squoire’s, an’ lond o’ my oän.
I beänt wonn as saws ’ere a beän an’ yonder a peä;
An’ Squoire ’ull be sa mad an’ all—a’ dear a’ dear!
And I ’a managed for Squoire coom Michaelmas thutty year.
Or a mowt ’a taäen young Robins—a niver mended a fence:
But godamoighty a moost taäke meä an’ taäke ma now
Wi’ aäf the cows to cauve an’ Thurnaby hoälms to plow!
Says to thessén, naw doubt, “what a man a beä sewer-loy!”
Fur they knaws what I beän to Squoire sin fust a coom’d to the ’All;
I done moy duty by Squoire an’ I done moy duty boy hall.
For whoä ’s to howd the lond ater meä thot muddles ma quoit;
Sartin-sewer I beä, thot a weänt niver give it to Joänes,
Naw, nor a moänt to Robins—a niver rembles the stoäns.
Huzzin’ an’ maäzin’ the blessed feälds wi’ the Divil’s oän teäm.
Sin’ I mun doy I mun doy, thaw loife they says is sweet,
But sin’ I mun doy I mun doy, for I couldn abeär to see it.
Doctor ’s a ’toättler, lass, an a ’s hallus i’ the owd taäle;
I weänt breäk rules fur Doctor, a knaws naw moor nor a floy;
Git ma my aäle I tell tha, an’ if I mun doy I mun doy.