from Third-Collection Poems with phonemic transcripts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 March 2018
“COME on. Be sprack, a-laggèn back.” hurry up
“Oh! be there any cows to hook?” gore
“ Lauk she's afraïd, a silly maïd.” Lord
“Cows? No, the cows be down by brook.”
“O here then, oh! here is a lot.”
“A lot o’ what? what is it? what?”
“Why blackberries, as thick
As ever they can stick.”
“ I've dewberries, oh! twice low-growing blackberries
As good as they; so nice.”
“Look here. Theäse boughs be all but blue these
Wi’ snags.” sloes
“Oh! gi'e me down a vew.” give
“Come here, oh! do but look.”
“What's that? what is it now?”
“Why nuts a-slippèn shell.”
“Hee! hee! pull down the bough.”
“I wish I had a crook.”
“ There zome o'm be a-vell.” of them, fallen
(One sings)
“I wish I was on Bimport Hill
I would zit down and cry my vill.”
“ Hee! hee! there's Jenny zomewhere nigh,
A-zingèn that she'd like to cry.”
(Jenny sings)
“I would zit down and cry my vill
Until my tears would dreve a mill.” drive
“ Oh! here's an ugly crawlèn thing,
A sneäke.” “A slooworm; he wont sting.” slow-worm (snake-like lizard)
“ Hee! hee! how she did squal an’ hop,
A-spinnèn roun’ so quick's a top.”
“Look here, oh! quick, be quick.”
“What is it? what then? where?”
“A rabbit.” “No, a heäre.”
“Ooh! ooh! the thorns do prick.”
“How he did scote along the ground race
As if he wer avore a hound.”
“Now mind the thistles.” “Hee, hee, hee,
Why they be knapweeds.” “No.” “They be.”
“I've zome'hat in my shoe.”
“Zit down, an’ sheäke it out.”
“Oh! emmets, oh! ooh, ooh, ants
A-crawlèn all about.”
“What bird is that, O harken, hush.
How sweetly he do zing.”
“A nightingeäle.” “La! no, a drush.” thrush
“Oh! here's a funny thing.”
“Oh! how the bull do hook,
An’ bleäre, an’ fling the dirt.” bellow
“Oh! wont he come athirt?” across
“No, he's beyond the brook.”
“O lauk! a hornet rose Lord
Up clwose avore my nose.”
“Oh! what wer that so white
Rush'd out o’ thik tree's top?” that
“An owl.” “How I did hop,
How I do sheäke wi’ fright.”
“A musheroom.” “O lau!
A twoadstool! Pwoison! Augh.”
“What's that, a mouse?”
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.