Evening, And Maidens
By William Barnes
Now the shiades o the elems da stratch muore an muore,
Vrom the low-zinkn zun in the west o the sky;
An the midens da stan out in clusters avore
The doors, var to chatty an zee voke goo by.
An ther cuombs be a-zet in ther bunches o hiair,
An ther curdles1 da hang roun ther necks lily-white,
An ther cheaks tha be ruosy, ther shoulders be biare,
Ther looks tha be merry, ther lims tha be light.
An the times have a been but tha cant be noo muore
When I, too, had my jy under evemens dim sky,
When my Fanny did stan out wi others avore
Her door, var to chatty an zee voke goo by.
An up there, in the green, is her own honey-zuck,
That her brother trind up roun her winder; an there
Is the ruose an the jessamy, where she did pluck
A flowr var her buzom ar bud var her hiair.
An zoo smile, happy midens! var every fiace,
As the zummers da come an the years da roll by,
Wull soon sadden, ar goo vur awoy vrom the pliace,
Ar else, lik my Fanny, wull wither an die.
But when you be a-lost vrom the parish, some muore
Wull come on in yur pliazen to bloom an to die;
An zoo zummer wull always have midens avore
Ther doors, var to chatty an zee voke goo by.
Var daters ha marnen when mothers ha night,
An theres beauty alive when the fiairest is dead;
As when oon sparkln wiave da zink down vrom the light,
Another da come up an catch it instead.
Zoo smile on, happy midens! but I shall noo muore
Zee the mid I da miss under evemens dim sky;
An my heart is a-touchd to zee you out avore
The doors, var to chatty and zee voke goo by.