Owd Ro(1)

By Alfred Lord Tennyson

NAY, no mander (2) o use to be callin im Ro, Ro, Ro, Fur the dogs ston-deaf, an es blind, e can naither Stan nor go. But I means fur to make is owd age as appy as iver I can, Fur I ows owd Rover moor nor I iver owd 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 on, An Ro 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 tail, Fur ed niver done nowt to be shamed on, when we was i Howlaby Dale. An e sarved me sa well when e lived, that, Dick, when e cooms to be ded, I thinks as Id like fur to hev soom soort of a sarvice red. Fur es moor good sense na the Parliament man at stans fur us ere, An Id vot fur im, my on sen, if e could but stan fur the Shere. Faithful an Truethem words be i Scripturan Faithful an True Ull be fun (4) upo four short legs ten times fur one upo two. An maybe theyll walk upo two but I knaws they runs upo four, (5) Bedtime, Dicky! but wait till tha ers it be strikin the hour. Fur I wants to tell tha o Ro when we lived i Howlaby Dale, Ten year sinNaynay! tha mun nobbut hev one glass of ale. Strange an owd-farrand (6) the ouse, an belt (7) long afoor my day Wi hafe o the chimleys a-twizzend (8) an twined like a band o hay. The fellers as makes 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 heds 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 Gon into mangles an tonups, (11) an raved slick thruf by the plow Theere, when the ouse wur a house, one night I wur sittin alon, Wi Rover athurt my feet, an sleepin still as a ston, Of a Christmas Eve, 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-sleepin alongside Rover, but I wur awake, An smokin an thinkin o thingsDont make thysen sick wi the cake. Fur the men ater supper ed sung their songs an ed ed their beer, An ed gon their ways; ther was nobbut three, an non on em theere. They was all on em feard o the Ghost an dussnt not sleep i the ouse, But Dicky, the Ghost mostlins (14) was nobbut a rat or a mouse. An I lookt out wonst (15) at the night, an the dale was all of a thaw, Fur I seed the beck coomin down like a long black snake i the snaw, An I herd gret heps o the snaw slushin down fro the bank to the beck, An then as I stood i the doorway, I feeld it drip o my neck. Saw I turnd in agen, an I thowt o the good owd times at was goan, An the munney they made by the war, an the times at was coomin on; Fur I thowt if the State was a gawin to let in furriners wheat, Howiver was British farmers to stan agen o their feet. Howiver was I fur to find my rent an to pay 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 cradle an all; Fur the gell o the farm at slep wi tha then ed gotten wer leve, Fur to go that night to er folk by cause o the Christmas Eve; But I clen forgot tha, my lad, when Moother ell gotten to bed, An I slep i my chair hup-on-end, an the Free Trade runnd i my ead, Till I dremd at Squire walkt in, an I says to him Squire, yare late, Then I seed at is face wur as red as the Yule-block theer i the grate. An e says can ya pay me the rent to-night? an I says to im No, An e cotchd howd hard o my hairm, (17) Then hout to-night tha shall go. Thall niver, says I, be a-turnin ma hout upo Christmas Eve? Then I waked an I fun it was Rover a-tuggin an tearin my slieve. An I thowt as ed gon clen-wud, (18) fur I noways knawd is intent; An I says Git away, ya best, an I fetcht im a kick an e went. Then e tummled up stairs, fur I erd im, as if ed a brokken is neck, An Id cler forgot, little Dicky, thy chaumber door wouldnt sneck; (19) An I slep i my chair agen wi my hairm hingin down to the floor, An I thowt it was Rover a-tuggin an tearin me wuss nor afoor, An I thowt at I kickd im agen, but I kickd thy Moother istead. What arta snorin theere fur? the house is afire, she said. Thy Moother ed ben 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 men I wur gawin that way to the bad, Fur the gell (20) a was as howry a trollope as iver trapesd 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 onyways let ma be good, But she skelpt ma hafe ower i the chair, an screed like a Howl gone wud (21) Ya mun run fur the lether. (22) Git oop, if yare onyways good for owt. And I says If I bent nowaysnot nowadaysgood fur nowt Yit I bent 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 beld Ya mun save little Dick, an be sharp about it an all, Sa I runs to the yard fur a lether, an sets im agen 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 feld mysen ready to drop. Thy Moother was howdin the lether, an tellin me not to be skerd, An I wasnt aferd, or I thinks lest-ways as I wasnt aferd; But I couldnt see fur the smoke wheere thou was a-liggin, my lad, An Rover was theere i the chaumber a-yowlin an yaupin like mad; An thou was a-belin likewise, an a-squelin, 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 Ro, Ro, Ro, thaw I didnt hafe 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 name, Or like tother Hangel i Scriptur at summun seed i the flame, When summun ed haxd fur a son, an e promised a son to she, An Ro was as good as the Hangel i savin a son fur me. Sa I browt tha down, an I says I mun gaw up agean fur Ro. Gaw up agen fur the varmint? I telld er Yes I mun go. An I claumbd up agen to the winder, an clemmd (25) owd Ro by the ed, An is air coomd off i my ands an I taked im at fust fur dead; Fur e smelld like a herse a-singein, an seemd as blind as a poop, An hafe 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 way, an the wind wasnt like to turn. An I kep a-callin o Ro till e waggled is tail 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-squelin thysen, An Moother was naggin an gronin an monin an naggin agen; An I erd the bricks an the baulks (27) rummle down when the roof gev way, Fur the fire was a-ragin an ravin an rorin like judgment day. 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 Ro round, but Moother ed ben sa sokd wi the thaw At she cotchd er death o cowd that night, poor soul, i the straw. Hafe o the parish runnd oop when the rigtree (29) was tummlin in Too latebut its all ower nowhall howeran ten year sin; Too late, tha mun git tha to bed, but Ill coom an Ill squench the light, Fur we mont ev naw moor firesand soa little Dick, good-night.