WHEN wind wer keen,

Where ivy-green

Did clwosely wind

Roun’ woak-tree rind, oak-tree bark

An’ ice shone bright,

An’ meäds wer white, wi’ thin-spread snow

Then on the pond, a-spreadèn wide,

We bwoys did zweep along the slide,

A-strikèn on in merry row.

There ruddÿ-feäced,

In busy heäste,

We all did wag move

A spankèn lag,

To win good speed,

When we, straïght-knee'd, wi’ foreright tooes, pointing straight forward

Should shoot along the slipp'ry track,

Wi’ grindèn sound, a-gettèn slack,

The slower went our clumpèn shoes.

Vor zome slow chap,

Did teäke mishap,

As he did veel

His hinder heel

A-het a thump, hit

Wi’ zome big lump, o’ voot an’ shoe.

Down vell the voremost wi’ a squall,

An’ down the next went wi’ a sprawl,

An’ down went all the laughèn crew.

As to an’ fro,

In merry row,

We all went round

On ice, on ground

The maïdens nigh

A-stannèn shy, did zee us slide,

An’ in their eäprons small, did vwold fold

Their little hands, a-got red-cwold,

Or slide on ice o’ two veet wide.

By leafless copse,

An’ beäre tree-tops, bare

An’ zun's low beams,

An’ ice-boun’ streams,

An’ vrost-boun’ mill,

A-stannèn still, come wind, blow on,

An’ gi'e the bwoys, this Chris'mas tide, give

The glitt'rèn ice to meäke a slide,

As we had our slide, years agone.