His teeal tho’ simple, it wur grand,
An’ varry gud te understand,—
His stick steead up aboon his hand,
T’awd fashion’d way;
His cooat an’ hat wur wether tann’d,
A duffil gray.
“Ah think,” sez Ah, “’at Scriptur sez,
Gray hairs is honorable dress,
If they be fund i’reeghteousness,
By faith obtain’d;
An’ think, by what yer leeaks express,
That praaze yoo’ve gain’d.
Wi’ age it izzen’t gud te jooak,
An’ts ommost ower warm te woak,
Sit doon, an’ hev a bit o’ tawk,
O’ things ’at’s past;
Awd men like yoo, hez seeaf beeath heeard
An’ seen a vast.”
“A vast Ah hev beeath heeard an’ seen,
An’ felt misfotten’s arrows keen,
As yoo remark, whahl Ah hev beean
On this life’s stage;
It’s sike a varry changin scene,
Fra’ yooth te age.
Hoo great, an’ yet hoo feeble’s man,
His life at langest’s bud a span;”
His history be thus began,
Wi’ teears te tell;
An’ if yer ears be owght like maane,
’Twill pleease ye weel.
“Lang sin’ Ah lost mah wife,” sez he,
“Which wur a heavy cross te me;
An’ then mah sun teeak off tot’ sea,
A fine young man,
An’ Ah neea mare his feeace mun see,
It’s ten te yan.
Ah happen’d te be off yah day,
A kind ov sweetheart, as they say,
Com in an’ teeak mah lass away,
Wi’ hoosin stuff;
An’ noo, poor thing, she’s deead, they say,
A lang way off.
It’s noo neen yeear, an’ gaain i’ten,
Sin’ Ah at t’bark wood joined sum men,
’Twur theer Ah fell an’ leeam’d me-sen,
I’ spite o’ care;
Ah wur foorc’d te gie up theer an’ then,
An’ woark ne mare.
Bud t’neeaburs hez beean varry gud,
Or else lang sin’ Ah’d stuck i’t’ mud,
An’ seea throo them an’ t’help o’ God,
Ah gits mah breead;
An’ whooap they’ll be rewarded for’t,
When Ah’s law leead.
Bud seein all mah cumforts gooan,
Ah didden’t knaw what way te ton,
Then Ah began te sigh an’ mooan,
Beeath neeght an’ day;
Ah bowght a Baable, an’ began
Te reead an’ pray.