Page:Barnes (1879) Poems of rural life in the Dorset dialect (combined).djvu/34

18 An’ never let the comers goo &emsp;Back hwome alwone, but always took &emsp;A stroll down wi’ em to the brook &emsp;&emsp;To bring em gwain o’ Zundays.

How we did scote all down the groun’, A-pushèn woone another down! Or challengèn o’ zides in jumps Down over bars, an’ vuzz, an’ humps; An’ peärt at last wi’ slaps an’ thumps, &emsp;An’ run back up the hill to zee &emsp;Who’d get hwome soonest, you or we. &emsp;&emsp;That brought ye gwain o’ Zundays.

O’ leäter years, John, you’ve a-stood My friend, an’ I’ve a-done you good; But tidden, John, vor all that you Be now, that I do like ye zoo, But what you war vor years agoo: &emsp;Zoo if you’d stir my heart-blood now. &emsp;Tell how we used to plaÿ, an’ how &emsp;&emsp;You brought us gwaïn o’ Zundays.

! they vew zummers brought us round The happiest days that we’ve a-vound. When in the orcha’d, that did stratch To westward out avore the patch Ov high-bough’d wood, an’ shelve to catch &emsp;The western zun-light, we did meet &emsp;Wi’ merry tongues an’ skippèn veet &emsp;&emsp;At evenèn in the twilight.

The evenèn aïr did fan, in turn, The cheäks the midday zun did burn.