  BE A YORKSHUR LIKENASS TAKER. NOA daht ye'll all ev eard abaht T' Appolloa Belvidere, A statty, thowt be sum ta be Fro' ivvery failin tlear. All reyt an streyt i' mak and shap, A mould for t'race o' men, A dahnreyt, upreyt, beng-up chap, Nut mitch unlike mesen. Nah, thaw ye knaw he's nowt bud stoan, He lewks sa grand an big, That little durst ya pool his noas, Ur lug his twisted wig. Pratly, reyt pratly, ovver t'floor, A tep e toas ye walk, An hod yur breeath for varry awe, An whisper when ya tauk. There's that abaht him, bud I knaw'nt Nut reytly hah ta say't, That maks ya feel as small as thieves Anent a magistrate. Yee've seen that dolt o'mucky tlay, O't face o' Pudsa Doas, T'owd madlin 's worn it all his life, An fancied it a noas. Yond props is like a pair o' tengs O' Sykes's, yet by t' megs, When he wur souber as a judge, A've eard him call em legs. So Heaven be praised for self-consate, Withaht it ah sud say Wee'se hate wursen we all wur meet For ivver an a day. When sitch like lewks at t' marble God Egoy! ha wide they gape, An wunder which they favver t'moast, A boggard or an ape. An sum we envy and we spite Get filled ta that degree, They'd knock his noas off if they durst, Or give him a black ee. He sumhah kests a leet on things 'At fowk noan wants ta see, Thear's few likes tellin what they are Or what they owt ta be. Wah, wah, purfecshun nivver did To Adam's bairns beleng, An lewk at mortals as we will We fynd a summat wreng. For Adam gate so mesht wi't fall, That all o't human race Grow sadly aht o' shap it mind, I't karkiss an it' face. There's noan sa blynd bud tha can see Sum fawts i' other men; A've sumtimes met we fowk 'at thowt They saw sum i' thersen. An t'best o' chaps al fynd thersen At times i' t' fawty dlass, A've doubled t'neiv, afoar ta day, At t' fooil i't seemin dlass. Bud twarst o' fawts at a've seen yet, I' woman ur i' man, Is t'weary naagin nengin turn, 'At plagued poor Natterin Nan. A' went one summer afternoin Ta see hur poar owd man, An aadly bed I darkened t'door, When t'worrit thus began: "A-wah did ivver! wot a treat, Ta see thy father's sun, Come forrad lad an sit ta dahn, An al set t' kettle on." "Nay, nay," says ah, "ah'm noan o' them 'At calls at t'time by t'clock;" An bumps em dahn it corner chair, An gloares reyt hard at t'jock. "Tha nontkate witta hod thee tung, He'll sooin be hear I'ce think, Soa if thall sit an leet thee pipe, Ah'll fotch a sope o' drink." "Owd lass," says ah, "thart hey i' bone An rayther low i' beef;" "Ah barn," says shoo, "this year or two, 'Av hed a deal o' grief. "Ah'm nut a wuman 'at oft speyks, Or sings fowk doleful sengs, Bud ah can tell me mind ta thee, Tha knaws wot things belengs. "Tha noaticed ah noan lewked sa staat, An ah can trewly say, Fro t'last back end o' t'year ta nah, A've nut been weel a day. "An wot we sickness, wot we grief, Ah'm doin tha may depend; It's been a weary moild an tew, Bud nah it gets near t'end. "A've bowt all t'sister 'at ah hev A black merina gaan; Fowk thinks ah'm rarely off, but, lad, A'm thenkful 'at ah'm baan. "We' t'world an ivvery thing at's in't, Ah'm crost to that degree, That mony a time i't day ah've pra'd To lig ma doan an dee. "What ah've ta tak fro t'least i't haase Is moar nur flesh can beear, It is'nt just a time be chonce Bud ivvery day i't year. "Noa livin sowl a'top o' t'earth, Wor tried as ah've been tried; There's noabdy bud the Lord an me, 'At knaws what ah've ta bide. "Fro t'wind at t'stomach, t'rewmatism, An tengin pains it goom; Fro coffs an cowds, an t'spine it back, Ah suffer martyrdom. "Bud noabdy pities ma, or thinks Ah'm ailin owt at all; T'poor slave mun tug an tew we t'wark Wolivver shoo can crawl. "An Johnny's t' moast unfeelin brewt 'At ivver ware a heead; He woddunt weg a hand ur fooit If ah wur all bud deead. "It mid'st o' all ah've hed ta dew, That roag wur nivver t'man Ta fotch a coil, or scar a fleg, Ur wesh a pot ur pan. "Fowk says 'ar Sal 'al sooin be wed. Bud t'thowt on't turns ma sick, 'Ah'd rayther hing hur up by t'neck, Ur see her berrid wick. "An if ah new a barn o' mine, Wur born ta lead my life, Ah suddent think it wor a sin Ta stick hur wi' a knife. "Ah've ax'd ar Johnny twenty times Ta bring a sweep ta t' doar, Bud nah, afoar a'll speyk agean, Ah'll sit it t'haase an smoar. "An then, gooid grashus, what a wind Comes whewin throo t'doar sneck, Ah felt it all t'last winter like A whittle at my neck. "That sink-pipe tu gate stopt wi' muck, Aboon a fortnit sin; So ivvery aar it day wi' t'slops, Am treshin aht an in. "Aw! when ah think hah ah've been tret, An hah ah tew an strive, Ta tell thee t'honest trewth, ah'm capped Ta fynd mesen alive. "When he's been rakin aht a't neet At market ur a't fair; Sitch thowts hes coom inta me heead As lifted up me air. "Ah've thowt, ay lad, when tha cums hoam, Tha'll fynd ma hung by 't neck, Bud then ah've mebbe thowt agean At t' coord ud happen brek. "Or else ah've mutterd if i't wor'nt Sa dark, an cowd, an weet, Ah'd go ta't navvy, or ta't dam, An draand mesen ta neet. "It's greef, lad, nowt at all bud greef, At wastes me day be day; So Sattan temps ma cos ah'm wake Ta put mesen away." Towd chap heerd pairt o'what shoo sed, As he cam clompin in, An shauted in a red-fac'd rage, "Od rot it, hod the din." Then Nan began to froth an fume, An fiz like botteld drink, "Wat then, tha's enterd t'haase agean, Tha offald lewkin slink. "Tha nivver cums theas doars within Bud tha mun curse an sweear, An try ta bring ma ta me grave We breedin hurries hear. "At thee an thine sin wed we wor Ah've taen no end o' greef, An nah tha stamps ma under t'fooit, Tha murderin roag an theef. "Tha villan gimma wat ah browt, 'At day at we wur wed, An nivver moar wi' one like thee Will ah set fooit e' bed." Here t' dowdy lifted tull her een A yard a gooid lin check, An sob'd, an roar'd, an rock'd hersen, As if her art ud breck. An then shoo rave reit up be't rooits A andful of her air, An fitterd like a deein duk An shutturd aht a't chair. "Aw! Jonny! run for't doctur, lad, Ah feel ah can tel hah." Sais Jonny, "Leet thee pipe agean, Shoo'l coom abaht enah." Sais ah, "Ah nivver saw a chap Sa eeasyful and fat, Tha'll suarly lend a elpin and Ta lift hur of a't plat." Bud better hed it been for him If he'd neer sturr'd a peg; My garturs! what a pawse he gat Fra Nan rumatic leg. Sooin, varry sooin, sho coom abaht An flang, an tare, an rave, E sich a way as fu cud dew We' one fooit i' ther grave. An at it went hur tongue ageean, That minnit shoo fan eease, "Tha villan tha, tha knaws thee ways Brings on sitch girds as theeas. "Aw if tha'd strike ma stiff at once, Ur stab ma ta me hart, I then cud dee content, for fowk Ud naw reyt what ta art. "Unfeelin brewt, unfeelin brewt, Ah neer wur weel an strong; There's nobbut one thing cheers ma nah, Ah cannut last sa long. "Ta stand up in a thing at's reyt, It isant i' me natur, There is at knaws I awlus wur A poor, soft, quiat cratur. "One thing ah can say if me life Ta neet sud end it leease; Ah've doin my dewty an tha knaws Ah awlus strave for peease. "Ah knaw, ah knaw at ah'm it gate, Tha's other oats ta thresh; So when ah's dun for tha ma wed You gooid for nowt young tresh." Then Nan pool'd summat aht o't drawer White as a summer claad; Ses I ta Jonny, "What's that thear?" Ses Jonny, "It's a shraad. "An t'coffin coom tu, bud ah sware I woddunt ha't it haase, So, when shoo's muled, shoo sews at that, As quiat as a maase." Then Nan lewkt at me we a lewk, So yonderly an sad, "Tha'll coom ta t'berrin?" "Yus," says ah, "Ah sall be varry dlad." "An bid the Mother," Jonny cried, "An ax the Uncle Ben, Fur all hur prayers for suddan deeath, Sal hev my best 'Amen.'" |
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