Yorkshire Dialect Poems Part 11

1. Late. 2. Dressed. 3. Without. 4. Picked.

5. Small piece. 6. Starved 7. Dressed 8. Than

Rollickin' Jack

John Hartley

I know a workin' lad, His hands are hard an' rough, His cheeks are red an' braan, But I like him weel enough.

His ee's as breet 's a bell, An' his curly hair is black, An' he stands six foot in his stockin' feet, An' his name is Rollickin' Jack.

At morn, if we should meet, He awlus has a smile, An' his heart is gay an' leet, When trudgin' to his toil.

He whistles, or he sings, Or he stops a joke to crack; An' monny a la.s.s at he happens to pa.s.s Looks shyly at Rollickin' Jack.

His mother's old an' gray; His father's deead an' gooan; He'll niver move away An' leave her all alooan.

Choose who(1) should be his wife, Shoo'll mak a sad mistak, For he's ivery inch a mother's lad, Is this rough an' rollickin' Jack.

An' still I think sometimes Th' old woman wants a nurse; An' as for weddin' Jack, Why, there's monny a la.s.s done worse.

Of coorse it's not for me To tell him who to tak, But there's one I could name, if I could but for shame, Just the la.s.s to suit Rollickin' Jack.

1. Whoever.

Jim's Letter

James Burnley (Born 1842)

Whats this? A letter thro'(1) Jim?

G.o.d bless him! What has he to say?

Here, Lizzie, my een's gettin' dim, Just read it, la.s.s, reight straight away.

Tha trem'les, Liz. What is there up?

Abaat thy awn cousin tha surely can read; His ways varry oft has made bitter my cup, But theer--I forgive him--read on, niver heed

That's it--"as it leaves me at present "-- His father's expression to nowt!

Go on, la.s.s, t' beginnin's so pleasant It couldn't be mended wi' owt.

What's that? He has "sent a surprise"?

What is 't, la.s.s? Go on! a new gaan, I'll be bun', Or happen a nugget o' famous girt size; Whativer it is it's t' best thing under t' sun.

Ay, lad, I dare say, "life is rough,"

For t' best on 't is nut varry smooth; I' England it's hilly enough, Niver name wi' them diggers uncouth.

But theer, Liz, be sharp an' let's have his surprise.

I'm capt(2) wheer tha's gotten that stammerin' cough, Tha reads a deal better nor that when tha tries.

Good gracious! What's t' matter? Shoo's fainted reight off!

Hey! Lizzie, tha flays(3) me; coom here, An' sit wheer tha'll get some fresh air: Tha'rt lookin' so bad at I fear Tha's much war(4) nor I were aware.

That's reight, la.s.s, get tul it once more, Just read reight to t' end on 't, an' then We'll just tak a walk for a bit aat o' t' door, Whol tha feels rayther more like thisen.

What! Bless us! Aar Jim gotten wed!

It is a surprise, on my word.

Who is she? That's all at he's said?

I wish then I niver had heard.

At one time I thowt happen thee he'd admire, An' that's haa we all sud have liked it to be.

Bud, sithee! What's that, Liz, at's burnin' on t' fire?

It's t' ribbin Jim bowt thee! Ay, ay, la.s.s, I see.

1. From. 2. Puzzled. 3. Frightenest. 4. Worse.

A Yorks.h.i.+re Farmer's Address to a Schoolmaster

George Lancaster (Born 1846)

Good day to you, Misther skealmaisther, the evenin' is desperate fine, I thowt I wad gie ye a call aboot that young sonnie o' mine.

I couldn't persuade him to come, sea I left him behont(1) me at yam,(2) Bud somehoo it's waintly(3) possess'd me to mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.

He's a kind of a slack-back, ye knaw, I niver could get him to work, He scarcelins wad addle(4) his saut wiv a ploo, or a shovel, or fork.

I've tried him agean an' agean, bud I finnd that he's nea use at yam, Sea me an' my missus agreed to mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.

If I sends him to wark, why, he'll chunther(5) an' gie me the a awfullest leaks, He'd a deal rayther lig upo' d' sofy wi' novels an' them soort o' beaks.

Sea I thowt a skealmaisther wad suit him, a lowse soort o' job, do ye see, Just to keep a few bairns oot o' mischief, as easy as easy can be.

Of coorse you've to larn 'em to c.o.o.nt, an' to figure a bit, an' to read, An' to sharpen 'em up if they're numskulls, wiv a lalldabber(6) ower their heead, Bud it's as easy as easy, ye knaw, an' I think it wad just suit oor Sam, An' my missus, she's just o' my mind, for she says that he's nea use at yam.

It was n.o.bbut this mornin' I sent him to gan an' to harrow some land, He was boamin'(7) asleep upo' d' fauf,(8) wiva rubbishly beak iv his hand; I gav him a bunch(9) wi' my feat, an' rattled him yarmin'(10) off yam.

Sea I think that I'll send him to you, you mun mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.

He's a stiff an' a runty(1) young fellow, I think that' he'll grow up a whopper, He'd wallop the best lad you've got, an' I think he wad wallop him proper; Bud still he's a slack-back, ye knaw, an' seein' he's nea use at yam, I think I shall send him to you, you mun mak a skealmaisther o' Sam.

1. Behind. 2. Home. 3 Strangely. 4.Earn.

5. Grumble. 6. Cuff. 7. Trailing along.

8. Fallow. 9. Kick. 10. Whining.

The Window on the Cliff Top (1888)

W. H. Oxley

"What! Margery, still at your window In this blinding storm and sleet!

Why, you can't see your hand before you, And I scarce could keep my feet.

"Why, even the coast-guards tell me That they cannot see the sand; And we know, thank G.o.d, that the cobles And yawls have got to land.

"There's five are safe at Scarbro', And one has reach'd the Tyne, And two are in the Humber, And one at Quay,(2) makes nine."