Come, Fanny, come! put on thy white,
’Tis Woodcom’ feaest, good now! to-night.
Come! think noo mwore, you silly maid,
O’ chicken drown’d, or ducks a-stray’d;
Nor mwope to vind thy new frock’s tail
A-tore by hitchen in a nail;
Nor grieve an’ hang thy head azide,
A-thinken o’ thy lam’ that died.
The flag’s a-vleen wide an’ high,
An’ ringen bells do sheaeke the sky;
The fifes do play, the horns do roar,
An’ boughs be up at ev’ry door:
They ‘ll be a-dancen soon,—the drum
’S a-rumblen now. Come, Fanny, come!
Why father’s gone, an’ mother too.
They went up leaene an hour agoo;
An’ at the green the young and wold
Do stan’ so thick as sheep in vwold:
The men do laugh, the bwoys do shout,—
Come out you mwopen wench, come out,
An’ go wi’ me, an’ show at leaest
Bright eyes an’ smiles at Woodcom’ feaest.
Come, let’s goo out, an’ fling our heels
About in jigs an’ vow’r-han’ reels;
While aell the stiff-lagg’d wolder vo’k,
A-zitten roun’, do talk an’ joke
An’ smile to zee their own wold rigs.
A-show’d by our wild geaemes an’ jigs.
Vor ever since the vwold church speer
Vu’st prick’d the clouds, vrom year to year,
When grass in meaed did reach woone’s knees,
An’ blooth did kern in apple-trees,
Zome merry day 'v’ a-broke to sheen
Above the dance at Woodcom’ green,
An’ all o’ they that now do lie
So low all roun’ the speer so high,
Woonce, vrom the biggest to the leaest,
Had merry hearts at Woodcom’ feaest.
Zoo keep it up, an’ gi’e it on
To other vo’k when we be gone.
Come otit; vor when the zetten zun
Do leaeve in sheaede our harmless fun,
The moon a-risen in the east
Do gi’e us light at Woodcom’ feaest.
Come, Fanny, come! put on thy white,
’Tis merry Woodcom’ feaest to night:
There’s nothen vor to mwope about,—
Come out, you leaezy jeaede, come out!
An’ thou wult be, to woone at leaest,
The prettiest maid at Woodcom’ feaest.
Other works by William Barnes...
