Whoe’er despise thee, let them know
The time may come when they may go
To some fish wife, and beg to know
If they can buy
The friendship o’ their vanquished foe,
Wi’ weeping eye.
To me naught could be better fun,
Than see a duke or noble don,
Or lord, or peer, or gentleman,
In search o’ thee:
And they were bidden to move on,
Or go to t’sea.
Yet we’ll sing thy praise, wee fish;
To me thou art a dainty dish;
For thee, ’tis true, I often wish.
My little bloater;
Either salted, cured, or shining fresh
Fra yon great water.
If through thy pedigree we peep,
Philosophy from thee can keep,
An’ I need not study deep,
There’s nothing foreign;
For I, like thee, am sold too cheap,
My little herring.
The World’s Wheels.
How steady an’ easy t’owd world’s wheels wod go,
If t’folk wod be honest an’ try to keep so;
An’ at steead o’ bein’ hasty at ivvery whim,
Let us inquire before we condemn.
A man may do wrong an’ scarce be to blame,
Or a woman be bad i’ nowt bud her name;
Bud which on us owt ta say owt unto them,
Unless we inquire before we condemn.
If a Rose she sud flourish her sisters among,
It isn’t to say her poor sister is wrong;
That blighted one there may be nipp’d in the stem,
So let us inquire before we condemn.
Yond vessel that tussels the ocean to plough,
While waves they are dashing and winds they do blow,
May be shatter’d asunder from stern unto stem,
So let us inquire before we condemn.