Page:Barnes (1879) Poems of rural life in the Dorset dialect (combined).djvu/170

154 An’ when the childern used to catch A glimpse o’ Poll avore the hatch, The little things did run to meet Their friend wi’ skippèn tott’rèn veet. An’ thought noo other kiss so sweet &emsp;As hers; an’ nwone could vind em out &emsp;Such geämes to meäke em jump an’ shout, &emsp;&emsp;As Poll they cluster’d round.

An’ now, since she’ve a-left em, all The pleäce do miss her, girt an’ small. In vaïn vor them the zun do sheen Upon the lwonesome rwoad an’ green; Their zwing do hang vorgot between &emsp;The leänen trees, vor they’ve a-lost &emsp;The best o’ maïdens, to their cost, &emsp;&emsp;The maïd they cluster’d round.

zome, a-gwaïn from pleäce to pleäce, Do daily meet wi’ zome new feäce, When my day’s work is at an end, Let me zit down at hwome, an’ spend A happy hour wi’ zome wold friend, &emsp;An’ by my own vire-zide rejaïce &emsp;In zome wold naïghbour’s welcome vaïce, &emsp;&emsp;An’ looks I know’d avore, John.

Why is it, friends that we’ve a-met By zuns that now ha’ long a-zet, Or winter vires that bleäzed for wold An’ young vo’k, now vor ever cwold, Be met wi’ jaÿ that can’t be twold? &emsp;Why, ’tis because they friends have all &emsp;Our youthvul spring ha’ left our fall,— &emsp;&emsp;The looks we know’d avore, John.