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Evening, And Maidens
by William BarnesNow the shiades o' the elems da stratch muore an muore,
Vrom the low-zink'n zun in the west o' the sky;
An' the m'idens da stan out in clusters avore
The doors, var to chatty an' zee vo'ke 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 che'aks 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 c'ant be noo muore
When I, too, had my j'y under evemen's dim sky,
When my Fanny did stan' out wi' others avore
Her door, var to chatty an' zee vo'ke goo by.
An' up there, in the green, is her own honey-zuck,
That her brother tr'in'd up roun' her winder; an' there
Is the ruose an' the jessamy, where she did pluck
A flow'r var her buzom ar bud var her hiair.
An' zoo smile, happy m'idens! 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 y'ur pliazen to bloom an' to die;
An' zoo zummer wull always have m'idens avore
Ther doors, var to chatty an' zee vo'ke goo by.
Var d'a'ters ha' marnen when mothers ha' night,
An' there's beauty alive when the fiairest is dead;
As when oon sparkl'n wiave da zink down vrom the light,
Another da come up an' catch it instead.
Zoo smile on, happy m'idens! but I shall noo muore
Zee the m'id I da miss under evemen's dim sky;
An' my heart is a-touch'd to zee you out avore
The doors, var to chatty and zee vo'ke goo by.