Owd Roä(1) Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AA BB CC DD EF CC AA AA AA FF AA GG DD DD CC GG AA HH ID GG DD CC DD JJ CC CC C CC CC GG AA CC KK CC DD C C C J LL CC CC CC AA CC CC CC MM DD CC DD CC II DD CC

NA Y no mander o' use to be callin' 'im Ro Ro RoA
Fur the dog's sto n deaf an' e's blind 'e can naither Stan' nor goA
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But I means fur to ma ke 'is owd a ge as 'appy as iver I canB
Fur I ow s owd Ro ver moor nor I iver ow d mottal manB
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Thou's rode of 'is back when a babby afoor thou was gotten too owdC
Fur 'e'd fetch an' carry like owt 'e was allus as good as gowdC
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Eh but 'e'd fight wi' a will when 'e fowt 'e could howd 'is o nD
An' Ro as the dog as knaw'd when an' wheere to bury his boaneD
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An' 'e kep his head hoop like a king an' 'e'd niver not down wi' 'is ta ilE
Fur 'e'd niver done nowt to be sha med on when we was i' Howlaby Da leF
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An' 'e sarved me sa well when 'e lived that Dick when 'e cooms to be de dC
I thinks as I'd like fur to hev soom soort of a sarvice re dC
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Fur 'e's moor good sense na the Parliament man 'at stans fur us 'ereA
An' I'd vo t fur 'im my o n sen if 'e could but stan fur the ShereA
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'Fa ithful an' True' them words be i' Scriptur an' Fa ithful an' TrueA
Ull be fun' upo' four short legs ten times fur one upo' twoA
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An' ma ybe they'll walk upo' two but I knaws they runs upo' fourA
Bedtime Dicky but wa it till tha 'e rs it be strikin' the hourA
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Fur I wants to tell tha o' Ro when we lived i' Howlaby Da leF
Ten year sin Na y na y tha mun nobbut hev' one glass of a leF
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Stra nge an' owd farran'd the 'ouse an' belt long afoor my da y-
Wi' ha fe o' the chimleys a twizzen'd an' twined like a band o' ha y-
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The fellers as ma kes them picturs 'ud coom at the fall o' the yearA
An' cattle their ends upo stools to pictur the door poorch theereA
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An' the Heagle 'as hed two he ds stannin' theere o' the brokken stickG
An' they niver 'ed seed sich ivin's as graw'd hall ower the brickG
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An' theere i' the 'ouse one night but it's down an' all on it nowD
Go n into mangles an' tonups an' ra ved slick thruf by the plowD
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Theere when the 'ouse wur a house one night I wur sittin' alo nD
Wi' Ro ver athurt my fee t an' slee pin still as a sto nD
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Of a Christmas E ve an' as cowd as this an' the midders as whiteC
An the fences all on 'em bolster 'd oop wi' the windle that nightC
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An' the cat wur a slee pin alongside Ro ver but I wur awa keG
An' smo kin' an' thinkin' o' things Do nt ma ke thysen sick wi' the ca keG
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Fur the men ater supper 'ed sung their songs an' 'ed 'ed their beerA
An' 'ed go n their wa ys ther was nobbut three an' no n on 'em theereA
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They was all on 'em fear'd o' the Gho st an' dussn't not slee p i' the 'ouseH
But Dicky the Gho st mo stlins was nobbut a rat or a mouseH
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An' I loo kt out wonst at the night an' the da le was all of a thawI
Fur I seed the beck coomin' down like a long black sna ke i' the snawD
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An' I he rd gre t he ps o' the snaw slushin' down fro' the bank to the beckG
An' then as I stood i' the doorwa y I fee ld it drip o' my neckG
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Saw I turn'd in age n an' I thowt o' the good owd times 'at was goanD
An' the munney they ma de by the war an' the times 'at was coomin' onD
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Fur I thowt if the Sta te was a gawin' to let in furriners' wheatC
Howiver was British farmers to stan' age n o' their fee tC
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Howiver was I fur to find my rent an' to pa y my menD
An' all along o' the feller as turn'd 'is back of hissenD
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Thou slep i' the chaumber above us we couldn't ha' 'eard tha callJ
Sa Moother 'ed tell'd ma to bring tha down an' thy cra dle an' allJ
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Fur the gell o' the farm 'at slep wi' tha then 'ed gotten wer le veC
Fur to go that night to 'er fo lk by cause o' the Christmas E veC
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But I cle n forgot tha my lad when Moother 'ell gotten to bedC
An' I slep i' my chair hup on end an' the Free Tra de runn'd 'i my 'eadC
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Till I dre m'd 'at Squire walkt in an' I says to him 'Squire ya're la te '-
Then I seed at 'is fa ce wur as red as the Yule block theer i' the gra teC
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An' 'e says 'can ya pa y me the rent to night ' an' I says to 'im 'No '-
An' 'e cotch'd howd hard o' my hairm 'Then hout to night tha shall go '-
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'Tha'll niver ' says I 'be a turnin ma hout upo' Christmas E ve'C
Then I wa ked an' I fun it was Ro ver a tuggin' an' tearin' my slie veC
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An' I thowt as 'e'd go n cle n wud fur I no wa ys knaw'd 'is intentC
An' I says 'Git awa y ya be st ' an' I fetcht 'im a kick an' 'e wentC
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Then 'e tummled up stairs fur I 'e rd 'im as if 'e'd 'a brokken 'is neckG
An' I'd cle r forgot little Dicky thy chaumber door wouldn't sneckG
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An' I slep' i' my chair age n wi' my hairm hingin' down to the floorA
An' I thowt it was Ro ver a tuggin' an' tearin' me wuss nor afoorA
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An' I thowt 'at I kick'd 'im age n but I kick'd thy Moother isteadC
'What arta snorin' theere fur the house is afire ' she saidC
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Thy Moother 'ed be n a naggin' about the gell o' the farmK
She offens 'ud spy summut wrong when there warn't not a mossel o' harmK
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An' she didn't not solidly me n I wur gawin' that wa y to the badC
Fur the gell a was as howry a trollope as iver tra pes'd i' the squadC
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But Moother was free of 'er tongue as I offens 'ev tell'd 'er mysenD
Sa I kep i' my chair fur I thowt she was nobbut a rilin' ma thenD
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An' I says ' I'd be good to tha Bess if tha'd onywa ys let ma be good '-
But she skelpt ma ha fe ower i' the chair an' scree d like a Howl gone wudC
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'Ya mun run fur the lether Git oop if ya're onywa ys good for owt '-
And I says 'If I be nt no wa ys not nowada ys good fur nowtC
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Yit I be nt sich a Nowt of all Nowts as 'ull hallus do as 'e's bid '-
'But the stairs is afire ' she said then I seed 'er a cryin' I didC
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An' she be ld 'Ya mun sa ve little Dick an' be sharp about it an' all '-
Sa I runs to the yard fur a lether an' sets 'im age n the wallJ
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An' I claums an' I mashes the winder hin when I gits to the topL
But the heat druv hout i' my heyes till I fe ld mysen ready to dropL
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Thy Moother was howdin' the lether an' tellin' me not to be ske rdC
An' I wasn't afe rd or I thinks le st wa ys as I wasn't afe rdC
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But I couldn't see fur the smo ke wheere thou was a liggin my ladC
An' Ro ver was theere i' the chaumber a yowlin' an' yaupin' like madC
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An' thou was a be lin' likewise an' a sque lin' as if tha was bitC
An' it wasn't a bite but a burn fur the merk's o' thy shou'der yitC
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Then I call'd out Ro Ro Ro thaw I didn't ha fe think as 'e'd 'earA
But 'e coom'd thruf the fire wi my bairn i' 'is mouth to the winder theereA
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He coom'd like a Hangel o' marcy as soon as 'e 'eard 'is na meC
Or like tother Hangel i' Scriptur 'at summun seed i' the fla meC
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When summun 'ed hax'd fur a son an' 'e promised a son to sheC
An' Ro was as good as the Hangel i' sa vin' a son fur meC
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Sa I browt tha down an' I says 'I mun gaw up agean fur Ro '-
'Gaw up age n fur the varmint ' I tell'd 'er 'Ye s I mun go '-
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An' I claumb'd up age n to the winder an' clemm'd owd Ro by the 'e dC
An' 'is 'air coom'd off i' my 'ands an' I ta ked 'im at fust fur deadC
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Fur 'e smell'd like a herse a singein' an' see m'd as blind as a poopM
An' ha fe on 'im bare as a bublin' I couldn't wakken 'im oopM
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But I browt 'im down an' we got to the barn fur the barn wouldn't burnD
Wi' the wind blawin' hard tother wa y an' the wind wasn't like to turnD
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An' I kep a callin' o' Ro till 'e waggled 'is ta il fur a bitC
But the cocks kep a crawin' an' crawin' all night an' I 'ears 'em yitC
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An' the dogs was a yowlin' all round and thou was a sque lin' thysenD
An' Moother was naggin' an' gro nin' an mo nin' an' naggin' age nD
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An' I 'e rd the bricks an' the baulks rummle down when the roof gev wa y-
Fur the fire was a ra gin' an' ra vin' an' ro rin' like judgment da y-
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Warm enew theere sewer ly but the barn was as cowd as owtC
An' we cuddled and huddled togither an' happt wersens oop as we mowtC
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An' I browt Ro round but Moother 'ed be n sa so k'd wi' the thawI
'At she cotch'd 'er death o' cowd that night poor soul i' the strawI
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Ha fe o' the parish runn'd oop when the rigtree was tummlin' inD
Too la te but it's all ower now hall hower an' ten year sinD
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Too la te tha mun git tha to bed but I'll coom an' I'll squench the lightC
Fur we mo nt 'ev naw moor fires and soa little Dick good nightC

Alfred Lord Tennyson



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