Enoch Arden, etc/Northern Farmer

by Alfred Tennyson

NORTHERN FARMER.

OLD STYLE.

i.

Wheer 'asta beän saw long and meä liggin' 'ere aloän?

Noorse? thoort nowt o' a noorse: whoy, Doctor's abeän an' agoän:
Says that I moänt 'a naw moor yaäle: but I beänt a fool:
Git ma my yaäle, for I beänt a-gooin' to breäk my rule.

ii.

Doctors, they knaws nowt, for a says what's nawways true:

Naw soort o' koind o' use to saäy the things that a do.
I've 'ed my point o' yaäle ivry noight sin' I beän 'ere,
An' I've 'ed my quart ivry market-noight for foorty year.

iii.

Parson's a beän loikewoise, an' a sittin 'ere o' my bed.

'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 my duty by 'um, as I 'a done by the lond.

iv.

Larn'd a ma' beä. I reckons I 'annot sa mooch to larn.

But a cost oop, thot a did, 'boot Bessy Marris's barn.
Thof a knaws I hallus voäted wi' Squoire an' choorch an' staäte,
An' i' the woost o' toimes I wur niver agin the raäte.

v.

An' I hallus comed to 's choorch afoor moy Sally wur deäd,

An' 'eerd un a bummin' awaäy loike a buzzard-clock^[1] ower my yeäd,
An' I niver knaw'd whot a meän'd but I thowt a 'ad summut to saäy,
An I thowt a said what a owt to 'a said an' I comed awaäy.

vi.

Bessy Marris's barn! tha knaws she laäid it to meä.

Mowt a beän, mayhap, for she wur a bad un, sheä.
'Siver, I kep un, I kep un, my lass, tha mun understond;
I done my duty by un as I 'a done by the lond.

vii.

But Parson a comes an' a goos, an' a says it eäsy an' freeä

'The amoighty's taäkin' o' you to 'issén, my friend,' says 'eä.
I weänt saäy men be loiars, thof summun said it in 'aäste:
But a reäds wonn sarmin a weeäk, an' I 'a stubb'd Thornaby waäste.

viii.

D'ya moind the waäste, my lass? naw, naw, tha was not born then;

Theer wur a boggle in it, I often 'eerd un mysén;
Moäst loike a butter-bump^[2], for I 'eerd un aboot an' aboot,
But I stubb'd un oop wi' the lot, an' raäved an' rembled un oot.

ix.

Keäper's it wur; fo' they fun un theer a-laäid on 'is faäce

Doon i' the woild 'enemies^[3] afoor I comed to the plaäce.
Noäks or Thimbleby—toner 'ed shot un as deäd as a naäil.
Noäks wur 'ang'd for it opp at 'soize—but git ma my yaäle.

x.

Dubbut looäk at the waäste: theer warn't not feäd for a cow:

Nowt at all but bracken an' fuzz, an' looäk at it now—
Warn't worth nowt a haäcre, an' now theer's lots o' feäd,
Fourscore yows upon it an' some on it doon in seäd.

xi.

Nobbut a bit on it's left, an' I meän'd to 'a stubb'd it at fall,

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 oonderd haäcre o' Squoire's, an' lond o' my oän.

xii.

Do godamoighty knaw what a's doing a-taäkin' o' meä?

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 monaged for Squoire come Michaelmas thirty year.

xiii.

A mowt 'a taäken Joänes, as 'ant a 'aäpoth o' sense,

Or a mowt a' taäken young Robins—a niver mended a fence:
But godamoighty a moost taäke meä an' taäke ma now
Wi 'auf the cows to cauve an' Thornaby holms to plow!

xiv.

Looäk 'ow quoloty smoiles when they sees ma a passin' by,

Says to thessén naw doot 'what a mon a beä sewer-ly!'
For they knaws what I beän to Squoire sin fust a comed to the 'All;
I done my duty by Squoire an' I done my duty by all.

xv.

Squoire's in Lunnon, an' summun I reckons 'ull 'a to wroite,

For who's to howd the lond ater meä thot muddles ma quoit;
Sartin-sewer I beä, thot a weänt niver give it to Joänes,
Noither a moänt to Robins—a niver rembles the stoäns.

xvi.

But summun 'ull come ater meä mayhap wi' 'is kittle o' steäm

Huzzin' an' maäzin' the blessed feälds wi' the Divil's oän teäm.
Gin I mun doy I mun doy, an' loife they says is sweet,
But gin I mun doy I mun doy, for I couldn abear to see it.

xvii.

What atta stannin' theer for, an' doesn bring ma the yaäle?

Doctor's a 'tottler, lass, an a's hallus i' the owd taäle;
I weänt breäk rules for Doctor, a knaws naw moor nor a floy;
Git ma my yaäle I tell tha, an' gin I mun doy I mun doy.

1. Cockchafer.
2. Bittern.
3. Anemones.