Thoo doesn't think I luve thee
Tho' I write thee every day
Wi' all t' larnin' 'at I have!
I'll finnd anuther way:
I'll borrow pens of sun an' rain
An' write in meadows, while
"I luve thee, Lad", is writ in flowers
Aboon high Dallow stile.
I'll teach them merry matin' birds,
Whin-chat, wag-tail, an' starlin'
An' throstle, linnet, lapwing, lark,
This lilt, "I luve thee, Darlin';"
Then if thoo still has ony doubt
Whether I luve thee, — why
I'll print "I LUV THEE" in lile stars
Reet across t' girt sky.
*******Or in more ordinary English********
LOVE
You don't think I love you!
Though I write you every day
With all the skills that I have!
I'll find another way:
I'll borrow pens of sun and rain
And write upon the meadows, until
"I love you, Lad," is written in flowers,
Almost as high as the Dallow stile sill.
I'll teach them merry mating birds,
Whin-chat, wagtail, and starling
And throstle, linnet, lapwing, lark,
This tune, — “I love you. Darling";
Then, if you still have any doubt
Whether I love you — why
I'll print "I LOVE YOU" in little stars
Right across the great blue sky.
Notes
Taken from "Dale Courtin' " By Dorothy Una Ratcliffe
Published by John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd, London 1931
Page 35
Thoo, the Yorkshire equivalent of the French Tu, is only palely represented by the modern 'you'. In reality it means sweetheart or darling and would not be used in casual conversation except between two lovers. Thee or Thou were for friends and acquaintances but Thoo was special.
Translation by Jim Saville
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Comments
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PREVIOUSLY POSTED BY YEMASSEE but on a different poem!
Is both the vernacular and the regular one written by her? Just asking because if it's a "translation" then it would be clearer to the reader to explain where the poem ends.
It's an interesting poem, I wonder of the vernacular, I mean, it's more really just bad spelling than attempting to copy a type of speech. More of a parody of the uneducated it seems. True some is to mimic, like "reet" or "thoo" but words like "luv/luve" and "finnd anuther" those aren't about sounds but about pointing a finger at a type of poorly educated person.
And yes, the poem reads much better in proper English.
Great find, not only for the topic/quality of the poem but for the whole idea of what might really have been her intention. -
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This is not an exercise in bad grammar but a real poem in a real language. The Yorkshire dialects, like most dialects, are related to modern English but predate it quite significantly.
D.U.R. is simply writing phonetically in order to accurately and truthfully depict the spoken language common in the area at that time.
The second half is my poor effort to translate from that language into convential English.
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Thanks for translating it Jim. Words like aboon and reet are completely strange to me, or were till few minutes ago
The poem is indeed a passionate one. Still I think that now, very few women would be so anxious to make a man believe that their love is true.
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I opened a new, second hand
book this morning and this poem greeted me. Such a passionate shout of a lover for her lad, who could not fail to be moved.
DUR moved in the highest society and spoke the King's English well but she was also at home in the vernacular of the northern Yorkshire Dales and new the way they thought.
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