Page:Fugitive Poetry 1600-1878.djvu/460
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
442
.
Cross Purposes.
"Child!" said the bard, "dost thou wander now
To gather fresh flowers for thy sunny brow?
Or twin'st thou a garland pure and fair
To fix in thy sleeping brother's hair?
That when he wakes he may smile to see
The nodding roses all plucked by thee?
Tell me, thou child!"
"No," said the child, with accent clear,
I comes just now wi' ma feyther's beer!"
To gather fresh flowers for thy sunny brow?
Or twin'st thou a garland pure and fair
To fix in thy sleeping brother's hair?
That when he wakes he may smile to see
The nodding roses all plucked by thee?
Tell me, thou child!"
"No," said the child, with accent clear,
I comes just now wi' ma feyther's beer!"
"Thy father's bier? has he left thee, child.
To the world's cold blasts and its tempests wild?
Has he left thee beside a deserted hearth
With no one to guard thee on all the earth?
Has he sunk in his pride 'neath the hand of Fate,
And left thee, thou lone one, desolate?
Tell me, thou child!"
"No" said the child with that sunny brow,
"He's been all this mornin' arter the plough!"
To the world's cold blasts and its tempests wild?
Has he left thee beside a deserted hearth
With no one to guard thee on all the earth?
Has he sunk in his pride 'neath the hand of Fate,
And left thee, thou lone one, desolate?
Tell me, thou child!"
"No" said the child with that sunny brow,
"He's been all this mornin' arter the plough!"
All's Well that Ends Well.
A friend of mine was married to a scold,
To me he came, and all his troubles told.
Said he, "She's like a woman raving mad."
"Alas! my friend," said I," that's very bad!"
"No. not so bad," said he; "for, with her, true,
I had both house and laud, and money too."
"That was well," said I;
"No, not so well," said he;
"For I and her own brother
Went to law with one another;
I was cast, the suit was lost,
And every penny went to pay the cost."
"That was bad," said I:
"No, not so bad," said he:
"For we agreed that he the house should keep,
And give to me four score of Yorkshire sheep;
All fat, and fair, and fine, they were to be."
" Well, then," said I. "sure that was well for thee?
To me he came, and all his troubles told.
Said he, "She's like a woman raving mad."
"Alas! my friend," said I," that's very bad!"
"No. not so bad," said he; "for, with her, true,
I had both house and laud, and money too."
"That was well," said I;
"No, not so well," said he;
"For I and her own brother
Went to law with one another;
I was cast, the suit was lost,
And every penny went to pay the cost."
"That was bad," said I:
"No, not so bad," said he:
"For we agreed that he the house should keep,
And give to me four score of Yorkshire sheep;
All fat, and fair, and fine, they were to be."
" Well, then," said I. "sure that was well for thee?