Sundry Pieces: The Bells ov Alderburnham
While now upon the win’ do zwell
The church-bells’ evenen peal, O,
Along the bottom, who can tell
How touch’d my heart do veel, O.
To hear ageaen, as woonce they rung
In holidays when I wer young,
Wi’ merry sound
A-ringen round,
The bells ov Alderburnham.
Vor when they rung their gayest peals
O’ zome sweet day o’ rest, O,
We all did ramble drough the viels,
A-dress’d in all our best, O;
An’ at the bridge or roaren weir,
Or in the wood, or in the gleaere
Ov open ground,
Did hear ring round
The bells ov Alderburnham.
They bells, that now do ring above
The young brides at church-door, O,
Woonce rung to bless their mother’s love,
When they were brides avore, O.
An’ sons in tow’r do still ring on
The merry peals o’ fathers gone,
Noo mwore to sound,
Or hear ring round,
The bells ov Alderburnham.
Ov happy peaeirs, how soon be zome
A-wedded an’ a-peaerted!
Vor woone ov jay, what peals mid come
To zome o’s broken-hearted!
The stronger mid the sooner die,
The gayer mid the sooner sigh;
An’ who do know
What grief’s below
The bells ov Alderburnham!
But still ’tis happiness to know
That there’s a God above us;
An’ he, by day an’ night, do ho
Vor all ov us, an’ love us,
An’ call us to His house, to heal
Our hearts, by his own Zunday peal
Ov bells a-rung
Vor wold an’ young,
The bells ov Alderburnham.
Other works by William Barnes...
