[ { "title": "The Young that Died in Beauty", "author": "William Barnes", "lines": [ "If souls should only sheen so bright", "In heaven as in e’thly light,", "An’ nothen better wer the cease,", "How comely still, in sheape an’ feace,", "Would many reach thik happy pleace, -", "The hopevul souls that in their prime", "Ha’ seem’d a-took avore their time, -", "The young that died in beauty.", "", "But when woone’s lim’s ha’ lost their strangth", "A-tweilen drough a lifetime’s langth,", "An’ over cheaks a-growen wold", "The slowly-weasten years ha’ roll’d", "The deep’nen wrinkle’s hollow vwold;", "When life is ripe, then death do call", "Vor less ov thought, than when do vall", "On young vo’ks in their beauty.", "", "But pinen souls, wi’ heads a-hung", "In heavy sorrow vor the young,", "The sister ov the brother dead,", "The father wi’ a child a-vled,", "The husband when his bride ha’ laid", "Her head at rest, noo mwore to turn,", "Have all a-vound the time to murn", "Vor youth that died in beauty.", "", "An’ yeet the church, where prayer do rise", "Vrom thoughtvul souls, wi’ downcast eyes,", "An’ village greens, a-beat half beare", "By dancers that do meet, an’ wear", "Such merry looks at feast an’ feair,", "Do gather under leatest skies,", "Their bloomen cheaks an’ sparklen eyes,", "Though young ha’ died in beauty.", "", "But still the dead shall mwore than keep", "The beauty ov their early sleep;", "Where comely looks shall never wear", "Uncomely, under tweil an' ceare.", "The feair at death be always feair,", "Still feair to livers’ thought an’ love,", "An’ feairer still to God above,", "Than when they died in beauty." ], "linecount": "40" }, { "title": "The Wife a-Lost", "author": "William Barnes", "lines": [ "Since I noo mwore do zee your feace,", "Up steairs or down below,", "I’ll zit me in the lwonesome pleace,", "Where flat-bough’d beech do grow;", "Below the beeches’ bough, my love,", "Where you did never come,", "An’ I don’t look to meet ye now,", "As I do look at hwome.", "", "Since you noo mwore be at my zide,", "In walks in zummer het,", "I’ll goo alwone where mist do ride,", "Drough trees a-drippen wet;", "Below the rain-wet bough, my love,", "Where you did never come,", "An’ I don’t grieve to miss ye now,", "As I do grieve at hwome.", "", "Since now bezide my dinner-bwoard", "Your vaice do never sound,", "I’ll eat the bit I can avword,", "A-vield upon the ground;", "Below the darksome bough, my love,", "Where you did never dine,", "An’ I don’t grieve to miss ye now,", "As I at hwome do pine.", "", "Since I do miss your vaice an’ feace", "In prayer at eventide,", "I’ll pray wi’ woone sad vaice vor greace", "To goo where you do bide;", "Above the tree an’ bough, my love,", "Where you be gone avore,", "An’ be a-waiten vor me now,", "To come vor evermwore." ], "linecount": "32" }, { "title": "Easter Zunday", "author": "William Barnes", "lines": [ "Last Easter Jim put on his blue", "Frock cwoat, the vu'st time-vier new;", "Wi' yollow buttons all o' brass,", "That glitter'd in the zun lik' glass;", "An' pok'd 'ithin the button-hole", "A tutty he'd a-begg'd or stole.", "A span-new wes-co't, too, he wore,", "Wi' yellow stripes all down avore;", "An' tied his breeches' lags below", "The knee, wi' ribbon in a bow;", "An' drow'd his kitty-boots azide,", "An' put his laggens on, an' tied", "His shoes wi' strings two vingers wide,", "Because 'twer Easter Zunday.", "", "An' after mornen church wer out", "He come back hwome, an' stroll'd about", "All down the vields, an' drough the leane,", "Wi' sister Kit an' cousin Jeane,", "A-turnen proudly to their view", "His yollow breast an' back o' blue.", "The lambs did play, the grounds wer green,", "The trees did bud, the zun did sheen;", "The lark did zing below the sky,", "An' roads wer all a-blown so dry,", "As if the zummer wer begun;", "An' he had sich a bit o' fun!", "He meade the maidens squeal an' run,", "Because 'twer Easter Zunday." ], "linecount": "28" }, { "title": "The Girt Woak Tree", "author": "William Barnes", "lines": [ "The girt woak tree that's in the dell !", "There's noo tree I do love so well;", "Vor times an' times when I wer young", "I there've a-climb'd, an' there've a-zwung,", "An' pick'd the eacorns green, a-shed", "In wrestlen storms from his broad head,", "An' down below's the cloty brook", "Where I did vish with line an' hook,", "An' beat, in playsome dips and zwims,", "The foamy stream, wi' white-skinn'd lim's.", "An' there my mother nimbly shot", "Her knitten-needles, as she zot", "At evenen down below the wide", "Woak's head, wi' father at her zide.", "An' I've a-played wi' many a bwoy,", "That's now a man an' gone awoy;", "Zoo I do like noo tree so well", "'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell.", "", "An' there, in leater years, I roved", "Wi' thik poor maid I fondly lov'd,-", "The maid too feair to die so soon,-", "When evenen twilight, or the moon,", "Cast light enough 'ithin the pleace", "To show the smiles upon her feace,", "Wi' eyes so clear's the glassy pool,", "An' lips an' cheaks so soft as wool.", "There han' in han', wi' bosoms warm", "Wi' love that burned but thought noo harm,", "Below the wide-bough's tree we past", "The happy hours that went too vast;", "An' though she'll never be my wife,", "She's still my leaden star o' life.", "She's gone: an' she've a-left to me", "Her token in the girt woak tree;", "Zoo I do love noo tree so well", "'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell.", "", "An' oh ! mid never ax nor hook", "Be brought to spweil his steately look;", "Nor ever roun' his ribby zides", "Mid cattle rub ther heairy hides;", "Nor pigs rout up his turf, but keep", "His lwonesome sheade vor harmless sheep;", "An' let en grow, an' let en spread,", "An' let en live when I be dead.", "But oh! if men should come an' vell", "The girt woak tree that's in the dell,", "An' build his planks 'ithin the zide", "O' zome girt ship to plough the tide,", "Then, life or death ! I'd goo to sea,", "A-sailen wi' the girt woak tree", "An' I upon his planks would stand,", "An' die a-fighten vor the land,-", "The land so dear,-the land so free,-", "The land that bore the girt woak tree;", "Vor I do love noo tree so well", "'S the girt woak tree that's in the dell." ], "linecount": "56" }, { "title": "Zummer An' Winter", "author": "William Barnes", "lines": [ "When I led by zummer streams", "The pride o' Lea, as naighbours thought her,", "While the zun, wi' evenen beams,", "Did cast our sheades athirt the water;", "Winds a-blowen,", "Streams a-flowen,", "Skies a-glowen,", "Tokens ov my jay zoo fleeten,", "Heightened it, that happy meeten.", "", "Then, when maid an' man took pleaces,", "Gay in winter's Chris'mas dances,", "Showen in their merry feaces", "Kindly smiles an' glisnen glances;", "Stars a-winken,", "Day a-shrinken,", "Sheades a-zinken,", "Brought anew the happy meeten,", "That did meake the night too fleeten." ], "linecount": "18" } ]