Page:Barnes (1879) Poems of rural life in the Dorset dialect (combined).djvu/45

Rh An’, faïth, he had enough o’ teäkers Vor that, an’ twice so much ageän. Zoo I took zome here, near my hovel, To exercise my speäde an’ shovel; An’ what wi’ dungèn, diggèn up, an’ zeedèn, A-thinnèn, cleänèn, howèn up an’ weedèn, I, an’ the biggest o’ the childern too, Do always vind some useful jobs to do.

Aye, wi’ a bit o’ ground, if woone got any, Woone’s bwoys can soon get out an’ eärn a penny; An’ then, by workèn, they do learn the vaster The way to do things when they have a meäster; Vor woone must know a deäl about the land Bevore woone’s fit to lend a useful hand, In geärden or a-vield upon a farm.

An’ then the work do keep em out o’ harm; Vor vo’ks that don’t do nothèn wull be vound Soon doèn woorse than nothèn, I’ll be bound. But as vor me, d’ye zee, with theäse here bit O’ land, why I have ev’ry thing a’mwost: Vor I can fatten vowels for the spit, Or zell a good fat goose or two to rwoast; An’ have my beäns or cabbage, greens or grass, Or bit o’ wheat, or, sich my happy feäte is, That I can keep a little cow, or ass. An’ a vew pigs to eat the little teäties.

An’ when your pig’s a-fatted pretty well Wi’ teäties, or wi’ barley an’ some bran, Why you’ve a-got zome vlitches vor to zell, Or hang in chimney-corner, if you can.