I.
DOSNT thou ear my erses legs, as they canters awaäy?
Proputty, proputty, proputtythats what I ears em saäy.
Proputty, proputty, proputtySam, thous an ass for thy paaïns:
Theers moor sense i one o is legs nor in all thy braäins.
II.
Woätheers a craw to pluck wi tha, Sam: yons parsons ouse
Dosnt thou knaw that a man mun be eäther a man or a mouse?
Time to think on it then; for thoull be twenty to weeäk.
Proputty, proputtywoä then, woälet ma ear mysén speäk.
III.
Me an thy muther, Sammy, as beän a-talkin o thee;
Thous beän talkin to muther, an she beän a tellin it me.
Thoull not marry for munnythous sweet upo parsons lass
Noäthoull marry fur luvvan we boäth on us thinks tha an ass.
IV.
Seeäd her todaäy goä bySaäints-daäythey was ringing the bells.
Shes a beauty thou thinksan soä is scoors o gells,
Them as as munny an allwots a beauty?the flower as blaws.
But proputty, proputty sticks, an proputty, proputty graws.
V.
Doant be stunt: taäk time: I knaws what maäkes tha sa mad.
Warnt I craäzed fur the lasses mysén when I wur a lad?
But I knawed a Quaäker feller as often as towd ma this:
Doänt thou marry for munny, but goä wheer munny is!
VI.
An I went wheer munny war: an thy muther coom to and,
Wi lots o munny laaïd by, an a nicetish bit o land.
Maäybe she warnt a beauty:I niver giv it a thowt
But warnt she as good to cuddle an kiss as a lass as ant nowt?
VII.
Parsons lass ant nowt, an she weänt a nowt when es deäd,
Mun be a guvness, lad, or summut, and addle her breäd:
Why? fur es nobbut a curate, an weänt niver git hissen clear,
An e maäde the bed as e ligs on afoor e coomed to the shere.
VIII.
An thin e coomd to the parish wi lots o Varsity debt,
Stook to his taaïl they did, an e ant got shut on em yet.
An e ligs on is back i the grip, wi noän to lend im a shovv,
Woorse nor a far-welterd yowe: fur, Sammy, e married fur luvv.
IX.
Luvv? whats luvv? thou can luvv thy lass an er munny too,
Maäkin em goaä togither as theyve good right to do.
Couldn I luvv thy muther by cause o er munny laaïd by?
Naäyfur I luvvd er a vast sight moor fur it: reäson why.
X.
Ay an thy muther says thou wants to marry the lass,
Cooms of a gentleman burn: an we boäth on us thinks tha an ass.
Woä then, proputty, wiltha?an ass as near as mays nowt
Woä then, wiltha? dangtha!the bees is as fell as owt.
XI.
Breäk me a bit o the esh for his eäd, lad, out o the fence!
Gentleman burn! whats gentleman burn? is it shillins an pence?
Proputty, proputtys ivrything ere, an, Sammy, Im blest
If it isnt the saäme oop yonder, fur them as as its the best.
XII.
Tisn them as as munny as breaks into ouses an steäls,
Them as as coäts to their backs an taäkes their regular meäls.
Noä, but its them as niver knaws wheer a meäls to be ad.
Taäke my word for it, Sammy, the poor in a loomp is bad.
XIII.
Them or thir feythers, tha sees, mun a beän a laäzy lot,
Fur work mun a gone to the gittin whiniver munny was got.
Feyther ad ammost nowt; leästways is munny was id.
But e tued an moild issén deäd, an e died a good un, e did.
XIV.
Loook thou theer wheer Wrigglesby beck cooms out by the ill!
Feyther run oop to the farm, an I runs oop to the mill;
An Ill run oop to the brig, an that thoull live to see;
And if thou marries a good un Ill leäve the land to thee.
XV.
Thims my noätions, Sammy, wheerby I means to stick;
But if thou marries a bad un, Ill leäve the land to Dick.
Coom oop, proputty, proputtythats what I ears im saäy
Proputty, proputty, proputtycanter an canter awaäy.
Northern Farmer (New Style)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
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