THE WEATHER-BEATEN TREE.

The woaken tree, a-beät at night

By stormy winds wi' all their spite,

Mid toss his lim's, an' ply, an' mwoan,

Wi' unknown struggles all alwone;

An' when the day do show his head,

A-stripp'd by winds at last a-laid,

How vew mid think that didden zee,

How night-time had a-tried thik tree.

An' happy vo'k do seldom know

How hard our unknown storms do blow,

The while our heads do slowly bend

Below the trials God do zend,

Like shiv'rèn bennets, beäre to all

The drevèn winds o' dark'nèn fall.

An' zoo in tryèn hardships we

Be lik' the weather beäten tree.

But He will never meäke our sheäre

O' sorrow mwore than we can bear,

But meäke us zee, if 'tis His will,

That He can bring us good vrom ill;

As after winter He do bring,

In His good time, the zunny spring,

An' leaves, an' young vo'k vull o' glee

A-dancèn roun' the woaken tree.

True love's the ivy that do twine

Unwith'rèn roun' his mossy rine,

When winter's zickly zun do sheen

Upon its leaves o' glossy green,

So patiently a-holdèn vast

Till storms an' cwold be all a-past,

An' only livèn vor to be

A-meäted to the woaken tree.

Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect · 第 143 / 587 题