I've worn my bits o' shoon away,
Wi' Rovin' up an' deawn,
To see yon moorlan' valleys, an'
Yon little country teawn:
The dule tak' shoon an' stockin's too!
My heart feels hutchin'-fain;
An', if I trudge it bar-fuut, lads,
I'll see yon teawn again!
It's what care I for cities grand,—
We never shall agree;
I'd rayther live where Th' layrock sings,—
A country teawn for me!
A country teawn, where one can meet
Wi' friends an' neighbours known;
Where one can lounge i'th market-place
An' see the meadows mown.
Yon moorlan' hills are bloomin' wild
At th' endin' o' July;
Yon woodlan' cloofs, an valleys green,—
The sweetest under th' sky;
Yon dainty rindles, dancin' deawn
Fro' th' meawntains into th' plain;—
As soon as th' new moon rises, lads,
I'm off to th' moors again!
There's hearty lads among yon hills,
An' in yon country teawn;
They'n far moor sense than prouder folk,—
I'll uphold it for a creawn;
They're wick an' warm at wark an' fun,
Wherever they may go,—
The primest breed o' Iads i'th world,—
Good luck attend 'em o'!
Last neet I laft the city thrung,
An' climbed yon hillock green;
An' turned my face to th' moorlan' hills,
Wi' th' wayter i' my e'en;
Wi' th' wayter wellin i' my e'en;—
I'll bundle up, an go,
An' I'll live an' dee i' my own countrie,
Where the moorlan' breezes blow!
Notes
Shoon --- Shoes
Bar-fut --- Bare-foot
Th' layrock --- The Sky-Lark
Dainty rindles --- Pretty rills of singing water
Moor sense than prouder folk --- More sense than prouder people
Wick an' warm at wark an' fun --- Lively and earnest at work and fun
Last neet I laft the city thrung --- Last night I left the city throng
Wi' th' water i' my e'een --- With the water in mine eyes
Waugh's love of the countryside is evident in this piece where he compares the countryside to the urban areas where he spent most of his life. In those days towns were noisy and dirty places with much of the industry coal fired and driven by heavy clanking machinery.
The repeated phrase ""th' water i' my e'een"" is both a reference to tears of anticipation at the prospect of living amongst his beloved countryside and also the effects of the sharp moorland wind blowing in his face and making his eyes water.
Two terms which Waugh didn't think worth translating which might confuse modern readers are
The dule --- The Devil
Cloofs --- Cloughs (a feature of peat moorland caused by water erosion producing deep gulleys.)
The Text and main Glossary were taken from Waugh's Poems and Songs published by John Heywood and edited by George Milner.
Jim Saville
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