button to main menu  Clarke's Survey of the Lakes, 1787

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Page 52:-
ranked with the first rate pastorals, and may at the same time serve as a specimen of the language.
☛ For the Explanation of this Song see the Appendix.

WARM shone the sun, the wind as warmly blew,
No longer cool'd by draughts of morning dew;
When in the field a faithful pair appear'd,
A faithful pair full happily endear'd:
Hasty in rows they rak'd the meadow's pride,
Then sank among the softness side by side,
To wait the withering force of wind and sun;
And thus their artless tale of love begun:
CURSTY.
A finer hay-day seer was never seen;
The greenist sops already luik less green;
As weel the greenist sops will suin be dry'd,
As Sawney's bacco spread by th'ingle side.
PEGGY.
And see how finley strip'd the fields appear,
Strip'd like the gow at I o' Sunday's wear;
White shows the rye, the bigg of blacker hue,
The bluimen pizz green mixt wi' reed and blue.
CURSTY.
Let other lads to spowarts and pastimes run,
And spoil their Sunday clease, and clash their sheun;
If Peggy in the field my partner be,
To work at hay is better spowart to me.
PEGGY.
Let other lasses ride to Rosley Fair,
And mazzle up and down the market there;
I envy not their happy treats and them,
Happier mysell if Cursty bides at heame.
CURSTY.
Its hard aw day the heavy scy' to swing;
But if my lass a wholesome breakfast bring,
Even mowing then is better far I swear,
Then Cursenmas and aw' its dainty chear.
PEGGY.
Far is the gursin off, top-full the kitts;
But if my Cursty bears the milk by fitts,
For galloping to wakes I ne'er gang woud,
For every weet's a wake, or full as geud.
CURSTY.
Can t'ou remembert, I remembert weel,
Sen lile wee things we calvert ower yon steel;
Lang willy wands I yust to bay,
To meak my canny lass a leady gay.
PEGGY.
The dadg'd we to the bog, owr meadows dree,
To plet a seevy cap and sword for thee;
Sett off with seevy cap, and seevy sword,
My Cursty luik'd as great as any Lword.
CURSTY.
Beneath a dyke, full menny a langson day,
We sat and beelded houses fine o' clay;
For dishes acron cups stuid dess'd in raws,
And broken potts, for doublers menss'd the waws.
CURSTY.
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