NOO, mak' a lile cross
Wi' sticks 'at 'll bend,
Then four pebbles take
An' place at each end;
On seein' a cross,
Them rainbows will flee
Away to ther bairns,
An' leave thee an' me.
* * * *
COMMON ENGLISH VERSION
First you make a little cross
With sticks that will bend.
Then four pebbles you must take
One to place at each stick end.
On seeing such a cross
Those rainbows then will flee
Back to their children,
Leaving just you and me.
Notes
This was taken from “Under T’Hawthorn” by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe published by Frederick Muller 1946 page 75
This was in a section called "T’ Finnish".sic
D.U.R. used a very similar poem entitled A West Riding Charm against Rainbows in her book Lapwings and Laverocks [Country Life, 1934]
The more uncommon dialect words can be found in a glossary at http://allpoetry.com/column/show/2344003
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