NAÄY, noä mander (2) o use to be callin im Roä, Roä, Roä,
Fur the dogs stoän-deaf, an es blind, e can naither Stan nor goä.
But I means fur to maäke is owd aäge as appy as iver I can,
Fur I owäs owd Roäver moor nor I iver owäd mottal man.
Thous rode of is back when a babby, afoor thou was gotten too owd,
Fur ed fetch an carry like owt, e was allus as good as gowd.
Eh, but ed fight wi a will when e fowt; e could howd (3) is oän,
An Roä as the dog as knawd when an wheere to bury his boane.
An e kep his head hoop like a king, an ed niver not down wi is taäil,
Fur ed niver done nowt to be shaämed on, when we was i Howlaby Daäle.
An e sarved me sa well when e lived, that, Dick, when e cooms to be deäd,
I thinks as Id like fur to hev soom soort of a sarvice reäd.
Fur es moor good sense na the Parliament man at stans fur us ere,
An Id voät fur im, my oän sen, if e could but stan fur the Shere.
Faäithful an Truethem words be i Scripturan Faäithful an True
Ull be fun (4) upo four short legs ten times fur one upo two.
An maäybe theyll walk upo two but I knaws they runs upo four, (5)
Bedtime, Dicky! but waäit till tha eärs it be strikin the hour.
Fur I wants to tell tha o Roä when we lived i Howlaby Daäle,
Ten year sinNaäynaäy! tha mun nobbut hev one glass of aäle.
Straänge an owd-farrand (6) the ouse, an belt (7) long afoor my daäy
Wi haäfe o the chimleys a-twizzend (8) an twined like a band o haäy.
The fellers as maäkes them picturs, ud coom at the fall o the year,
An cattle their ends upo stools to pictur the door-poorch theere,
An the Heagle as hed two heäds stannin theere o the brokken stick; (9)
An they niver ed seed sich ivins (10) as grawd hall ower the brick;
An theere i the ouse one nightbut its down, an all on it now
Goän into mangles an tonups, (11) an raäved slick thruf by the plow
Theere, when the ouse wur a house, one night I wur sittin aloän,
Wi Roäver athurt my feeät, an sleeäpin still as a stoän,
Of a Christmas Eäve, an as cowd as this, an the midders (12) as white,
An the fences all on em bolster d oop wi the windle (13) that night;
An the cat wur a-sleeäpin alongside Roäver, but I wur awaäke,
An smoäkin an thinkin o thingsDoänt maäke thysen sick wi the caäke.
Fur the men ater supper ed sung their songs an ed ed their beer,
An ed goän their waäys; ther was nobbut three, an noän on em theere.
They was all on em feard o the Ghoäst an dussnt not sleeäp i the ouse,
But Dicky, the Ghoäst moästlins (14) was nobbut a rat or a mouse.
An I looökt out wonst (15) at the night, an the daäle was all of a thaw,
Fur I seed the beck coomin down like a long black snaäke i the snaw,
An I heärd greät heäps o the snaw slushin down fro the bank to the beck,
An then as I stood i the doorwaäy, I feeäld it drip o my neck.
Saw I turnd in ageän, an I thowt o the good owd times at was goan,
An the munney they maäde by the war, an the times at was coomin on;
Fur I thowt if the Staäte was a gawin to let in furriners wheat,
Howiver was British farmers to stan ageän o their feeät.
Howiver was I fur to find my rent an to paäy my men?
An all along o the feller (16) as turnd is back of hissen.
Thou slep i the chaumber above us, we couldnt ha eard tha call,
Sa Moother ed telld ma to bring tha down, an thy craädle an all;
Fur the gell o the farm at slep wi tha then ed gotten wer leäve,
Fur to goä that night to er foälk by cause o the Christmas Eäve;
But I cleän forgot tha, my lad, when Moother ell gotten to bed,
An I slep i my chair hup-on-end, an the Freeä Traäde runnd i my ead,
Till I dreämd at Squire walkt in, an I says to him Squire, yare laäte,
Then I seed at is faäce wur as red as the Yule-block theer i the graäte.
An e says can ya paäy me the rent to-night? an I says to im Noä,
An e cotchd howd hard o my hairm, (17) Then hout to-night tha shall goä.
Thall niver, says I, be a-turnin ma hout upo Christmas Eäve?
Then I waäked an I fun it was Roäver a-tuggin an tearin my slieäve.
An I thowt as ed goän cleän-wud, (18) fur I noäwaäys knawd is intent;
An I says Git awaäy, ya beäst, an I fetcht im a kick an e went.
Then e tummled up stairs, fur I eärd im, as if ed a brokken is neck,
An Id cleär forgot, little Dicky, thy chaumber door wouldnt sneck; (19)
An I slep i my chair ageän wi my hairm hingin down to the floor,
An I thowt it was Roäver a-tuggin an tearin me wuss nor afoor,
An I thowt at I kickd im ageän, but I kickd thy Moother istead.
What arta snorin theere fur? the house is afire, she said.
Thy Moother ed beän a-naggin about the gell o the farm,
She offens ud spy summut wrong when there warnt not a mossel o harm;
An she didnt not solidly meän I wur gawin that waäy to the bad,
Fur the gell (20) a was as howry a trollope as iver traäpesd i the squad.
But Moother was free of er tongue, as I offens ev telld er mysen,
Sa I kep i my chair, fur I thowt she was nobbut a-rilin ma then.
An I says Id be good to tha, Bess, if thad onywaäys let ma be good,
But she skelpt ma haäfe ower i the chair, an screeäd like a Howl gone wud (21)
Ya mun run fur the lether. (22) Git oop, if yare onywaäys good for owt.
And I says If I beänt noäwaäysnot nowadaäysgood fur nowt
Yit I beänt sich a Nowt (23) of all Nowts as ull hallus do as es bid.
But the stairs is afire, she said; then I seed er a-cryin, I did.
An she beäld Ya mun saäve little Dick, an be sharp about it an all,
Sa I runs to the yard fur a lether, an sets im ageän the wall,
An I claums an I mashes the winder hin, when I gits to the top,
But the heat druv hout i my heyes till I feäld mysen ready to drop.
Thy Moother was howdin the lether, an tellin me not to be skeärd,
An I wasnt afeärd, or I thinks leäst-waäys as I wasnt afeärd;
But I couldnt see fur the smoäke wheere thou was a-liggin, my lad,
An Roäver was theere i the chaumber a-yowlin an yaupin like mad;
An thou was a-beälin likewise, an a-squeälin, as if tha was bit,
An it wasnt a bite but a burn, fur the merks (24) o thy shouder yit;
Then I calld out Roä, Roä, Roä, thaw I didnt haäfe think as ed ear,
But e coomd thruf the fire wi my bairn i is mouth to the winder theere!
He coomd like a Hangel o marcy as soon as e eard is naäme,
Or like tother Hangel i Scriptur at summun seed i the flaäme,
When summun ed haxd fur a son, an e promised a son to she,
An Roä was as good as the Hangel i saävin a son fur me.
Sa I browt tha down, an I says I mun gaw up agean fur Roä.
Gaw up ageän fur the varmint? I telld er Yeäs I mun goä.
An I claumbd up ageän to the winder, an clemmd (25) owd Roä by the eäd,
An is air coomd off i my ands an I taäked im at fust fur dead;
Fur e smelld like a herse a-singein, an seeämd as blind as a poop,
An haäfe on im bare as a bublin. (26) I couldnt wakken im oop,
But I browt im down, an we got to the barn, fur the barn wouldnt burn
Wi the wind blawin hard tother waäy, an the wind wasnt like to turn.
An I kep a-callin o Roä till e waggled is taäil fur a bit,
But the cocks kep a-crawin an crawin all night, an I ears em yit;
An the dogs was a-yowlin all round, and thou was a-squeälin thysen,
An Moother was naggin an groänin an moänin an naggin ageän;
An I eärd the bricks an the baulks (27) rummle down when the roof gev waäy,
Fur the fire was a-raägin an raävin an roärin like judgment daäy.
Warm enew theere sewer-ly, but the barn was as cowd as owt,
An we cuddled and huddled togither, an happt (28) wersens oop as we mowt.
An I browt Roä round, but Moother ed beän sa soäkd wi the thaw
At she cotchd er death o cowd that night, poor soul, i the straw.
Haäfe o the parish runnd oop when the rigtree (29) was tummlin in
Too laätebut its all ower nowhall howeran ten year sin;
Too laäte, tha mun git tha to bed, but Ill coom an Ill squench the light,
Fur we moänt ev naw moor firesand soa little Dick, good-night.
Owd Roä(1)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
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