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Lancashire Dialect
THE DULE ’S i’ this bonnet o’ mine: | |
| My ribbins ’ll never be reet; | |
| Here, Mally, aw ’m like to be fine, | |
| For Jamie ’ll be comin’ to-neet; | |
| He met me i’ th’ lone t’ other day | 5 |
| (Aw war gooin’ for wayter to th’ well), | |
| An’ he begged that aw ’d wed him i’ May, | |
| Bi th’ mass, if he ’ll let me, aw will! | |
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| When he took my two honds into his, | |
| Good Lord, heaw they trembled between! | 10 |
| An’ aw durstn’t look up in his face, | |
| Becose on him seein’ my een. | |
| My cheek went as red as a rose; | |
| There ’s never a mortal con tell | |
| Heaw happy aw felt,—for, thae knows, | 15 |
| One couldn’t ha’ axed him theirsel’. | |
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| But th’ tale wur at th’ end o’ my tung: | |
| To let it eawt wouldn’t be reet, | |
| For aw thought to seem forrud wur wrung; | |
| So aw towd him aw ’d tell him to-neet. | 20 |
| But, Mally, thae knows very weel, | |
| Though it isn’t a thing one should own, | |
| Iv aw ’d th’ pikein’ o’ the world to mysel’, | |
| Aw ’d oather ha Jamie or noan. | |
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| Neaw, Mally, aw ’ve towd thae my mind; | 25 |
| What would to do iv it wur thee? | |
| “Aw ’d tak him just while he ’se inclined, | |
| An’ a farrantly bargain he ’ll be; | |
| For Jamie’s as greadly a lad | |
| As ever stept eawt into th’ sun. | 30 |
| Go, jump at thy chance, an’ get wed; | |
| An’ mak th’ best o’ th’ job when it ’s done!” | |
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| Eh, dear! but it ’s time to be gwon: | |
| Aw shouldn’t like Jamie to wait; | |
| Aw connut for shame be too soon, | 35 |
| An’ aw wouldn’t for th’ wuld be too late. | |
| Aw ’m o’ ov a tremble to th’ heel: | |
| Dost think ’at my bonnet ’ll do? | |
| “Be off, lass,—thaw looks very weel; | |
| He want noan o’ th’ bonnet, thae foo!” | 40 |
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