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 CCNA Y no mander o' use to be callin' 'im Ro Ro Ro | A |
Fur the dog's sto n deaf an' e's blind 'e can naither Stan' nor go | A |
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But I means fur to ma ke 'is owd a ge as 'appy as iver I can | B |
Fur I ow s owd Ro ver moor nor I iver ow d mottal man | B |
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Thou's rode of 'is back when a babby afoor thou was gotten too owd | C |
Fur 'e'd fetch an' carry like owt 'e was allus as good as gowd | C |
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Eh but 'e'd fight wi' a will when 'e fowt 'e could howd 'is o n | D |
An' Ro as the dog as knaw'd when an' wheere to bury his boane | D |
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An' 'e kep his head hoop like a king an' 'e'd niver not down wi' 'is ta il | E |
Fur 'e'd niver done nowt to be sha med on when we was i' Howlaby Da le | F |
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An' 'e sarved me sa well when 'e lived that Dick when 'e cooms to be de d | C |
I thinks as I'd like fur to hev soom soort of a sarvice re d | C |
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Fur 'e's moor good sense na the Parliament man 'at stans fur us 'ere | A |
An' I'd vo t fur 'im my o n sen if 'e could but stan fur the Shere | A |
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'Fa ithful an' True' them words be i' Scriptur an' Fa ithful an' True | A |
Ull be fun' upo' four short legs ten times fur one upo' two | A |
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An' ma ybe they'll walk upo' two but I knaws they runs upo' four | A |
Bedtime Dicky but wa it till tha 'e rs it be strikin' the hour | A |
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Fur I wants to tell tha o' Ro when we lived i' Howlaby Da le | F |
Ten year sin Na y na y tha mun nobbut hev' one glass of a le | F |
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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 year | A |
An' cattle their ends upo stools to pictur the door poorch theere | A |
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An' the Heagle 'as hed two he ds stannin' theere o' the brokken stick | G |
An' they niver 'ed seed sich ivin's as graw'd hall ower the brick | G |
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An' theere i' the 'ouse one night but it's down an' all on it now | D |
Go n into mangles an' tonups an' ra ved slick thruf by the plow | D |
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Theere when the 'ouse wur a house one night I wur sittin' alo n | D |
Wi' Ro ver athurt my fee t an' slee pin still as a sto n | D |
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Of a Christmas E ve an' as cowd as this an' the midders as white | C |
An the fences all on 'em bolster 'd oop wi' the windle that night | C |
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An' the cat wur a slee pin alongside Ro ver but I wur awa ke | G |
An' smo kin' an' thinkin' o' things Do nt ma ke thysen sick wi' the ca ke | G |
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Fur the men ater supper 'ed sung their songs an' 'ed 'ed their beer | A |
An' 'ed go n their wa ys ther was nobbut three an' no n on 'em theere | A |
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They was all on 'em fear'd o' the Gho st an' dussn't not slee p i' the 'ouse | H |
But Dicky the Gho st mo stlins was nobbut a rat or a mouse | H |
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An' I loo kt out wonst at the night an' the da le was all of a thaw | I |
Fur I seed the beck coomin' down like a long black sna ke i' the snaw | D |
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An' I he rd gre t he ps o' the snaw slushin' down fro' the bank to the beck | G |
An' then as I stood i' the doorwa y I fee ld it drip o' my neck | G |
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Saw I turn'd in age n an' I thowt o' the good owd times 'at was goan | D |
An' the munney they ma de by the war an' the times 'at was coomin' on | D |
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Fur I thowt if the Sta te was a gawin' to let in furriners' wheat | C |
Howiver was British farmers to stan' age n o' their fee t | C |
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Howiver was I fur to find my rent an' to pa y my men | D |
An' all along o' the feller as turn'd 'is back of hissen | D |
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Thou slep i' the chaumber above us we couldn't ha' 'eard tha call | J |
Sa Moother 'ed tell'd ma to bring tha down an' thy cra dle an' all | J |
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Fur the gell o' the farm 'at slep wi' tha then 'ed gotten wer le ve | C |
Fur to go that night to 'er fo lk by cause o' the Christmas E ve | C |
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But I cle n forgot tha my lad when Moother 'ell gotten to bed | C |
An' I slep i' my chair hup on end an' the Free Tra de runn'd 'i my 'ead | C |
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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 te | C |
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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 ve | C |
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An' I thowt as 'e'd go n cle n wud fur I no wa ys knaw'd 'is intent | C |
An' I says 'Git awa y ya be st ' an' I fetcht 'im a kick an' 'e went | C |
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Then 'e tummled up stairs fur I 'e rd 'im as if 'e'd 'a brokken 'is neck | G |
An' I'd cle r forgot little Dicky thy chaumber door wouldn't sneck | G |
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An' I slep' i' my chair age n wi' my hairm hingin' down to the floor | A |
An' I thowt it was Ro ver a tuggin' an' tearin' me wuss nor afoor | A |
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An' I thowt 'at I kick'd 'im age n but I kick'd thy Moother istead | C |
'What arta snorin' theere fur the house is afire ' she said | C |
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Thy Moother 'ed be n a naggin' about the gell o' the farm | K |
She offens 'ud spy summut wrong when there warn't not a mossel o' harm | K |
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An' she didn't not solidly me n I wur gawin' that wa y to the bad | C |
Fur the gell a was as howry a trollope as iver tra pes'd i' the squad | C |
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But Moother was free of 'er tongue as I offens 'ev tell'd 'er mysen | D |
Sa I kep i' my chair fur I thowt she was nobbut a rilin' ma then | D |
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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 wud | C |
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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 nowt | C |
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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 did | C |
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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 wall | J |
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An' I claums an' I mashes the winder hin when I gits to the top | L |
But the heat druv hout i' my heyes till I fe ld mysen ready to drop | L |
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Thy Moother was howdin' the lether an' tellin' me not to be ske rd | C |
An' I wasn't afe rd or I thinks le st wa ys as I wasn't afe rd | C |
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But I couldn't see fur the smo ke wheere thou was a liggin my lad | C |
An' Ro ver was theere i' the chaumber a yowlin' an' yaupin' like mad | C |
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An' thou was a be lin' likewise an' a sque lin' as if tha was bit | C |
An' it wasn't a bite but a burn fur the merk's o' thy shou'der yit | C |
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Then I call'd out Ro Ro Ro thaw I didn't ha fe think as 'e'd 'ear | A |
But 'e coom'd thruf the fire wi my bairn i' 'is mouth to the winder theere | A |
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He coom'd like a Hangel o' marcy as soon as 'e 'eard 'is na me | C |
Or like tother Hangel i' Scriptur 'at summun seed i' the fla me | C |
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When summun 'ed hax'd fur a son an' 'e promised a son to she | C |
An' Ro was as good as the Hangel i' sa vin' a son fur me | C |
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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 d | C |
An' 'is 'air coom'd off i' my 'ands an' I ta ked 'im at fust fur dead | C |
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Fur 'e smell'd like a herse a singein' an' see m'd as blind as a poop | M |
An' ha fe on 'im bare as a bublin' I couldn't wakken 'im oop | M |
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But I browt 'im down an' we got to the barn fur the barn wouldn't burn | D |
Wi' the wind blawin' hard tother wa y an' the wind wasn't like to turn | D |
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An' I kep a callin' o' Ro till 'e waggled 'is ta il fur a bit | C |
But the cocks kep a crawin' an' crawin' all night an' I 'ears 'em yit | C |
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An' the dogs was a yowlin' all round and thou was a sque lin' thysen | D |
An' Moother was naggin' an' gro nin' an mo nin' an' naggin' age n | D |
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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 owt | C |
An' we cuddled and huddled togither an' happt wersens oop as we mowt | C |
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An' I browt Ro round but Moother 'ed be n sa so k'd wi' the thaw | I |
'At she cotch'd 'er death o' cowd that night poor soul i' the straw | I |
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Ha fe o' the parish runn'd oop when the rigtree was tummlin' in | D |
Too la te but it's all ower now hall hower an' ten year sin | D |
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Too la te tha mun git tha to bed but I'll coom an' I'll squench the light | C |
Fur we mo nt 'ev naw moor fires and soa little Dick good night | C |
Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1)
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