Note (Return) — Chapter IV
Reading edition
THE OLDHAM WEAVER.
I.
Oi'm a poor cotton-weyver, as mony a one knoowas, Oi've nowt for t' yeat, an' oi've woorn eawt my clooas, Yo'ad hardly gi' tuppence for aw as oi've on, My clogs are boath brosten, an' stuckins oi've none, Yo'd think it wur hard, To be browt into th' warld, To be—clemmed, [5] an' do th' best as yo con.
II.
Owd Dicky o' Billy's kept telling me lung, Wee s'd ha' better toimes if I'd but howd my tung, Oi've howden my tung, till oi've near stopped my breath, Oi think i' my heeart oi'se soon clem to deeath, Owd Dicky's weel crammed, He never wur clemmed, An' he ne'er picked ower i' his loife. [6]
III.
We tow'rt on six week—thinking aitch day wur th' last, We shifted, an' shifted, till neaw we're quoite fast; We lived upo' nettles, whoile nettles wur good, An' Waterloo porridge the best o' eawr food, Oi'm tellin' yo' true, Oi can find folk enow, As wur livin' na better nor me.
IV.
Owd Billy o' Dans sent th' baileys one day, Fur a shop deebt oi eawd him, as oi could na pay, But he wur too lat, fur owd Billy o' th' Bent, Had sowd th' tit an' cart, an' ta'en goods fur th' rent, We'd neawt left bo' th' owd stoo', That wur seeats fur two, An' on it ceawred Marget an' me.
V.
Then t' baileys leuked reawnd as sloy as a meawse, When they seed as aw t' goods were ta'en eawt o' t' heawse, Says one chap to th' tother, "Aws gone, theaw may see;" Says oi, "Ne'er freet, mon, yeaur welcome ta' me." They made no moor ado But whopped up th' eawd stoo', An' we booath leet, whack—upo' t' flags!
VI.
Then oi said to eawr Marget, as we lay upo' t' floor, "We's never be lower i' this warld, oi'm sure, If ever things awtern, oi'm sure they mun mend, For oi think i' my heart we're booath at t' far eend; For meeat we ha' none; Nor looms t' weyve on,— Edad! they're as good lost as fund."
VII.
Eawr Marget declares had hoo cloo'as to put on, Hoo'd goo up to Lunnon an' talk to th' greet mon; An' if things were na awtered when there hoo had been, Hoo's fully resolved t' sew up meawth an' eend; Hoo's neawt to say again t' king, But hoo loikes a fair thing, An' hoo says hoo can tell when hoo's hurt.