Mitcheldean

by Edward Barry of Mitcheldean (before 1890)

Twer zumwer about a vyow minnits past nine
By my wetch, as is vamous vor kippin ‘is time,
An twer zumwer about a last Tuesda wick,
As all vokes in Dane wer zar’d zuch a trick.

I ad zupped up my peg tha peg wer a veädin
An zat down a perpus ta ha ma zum readin,
When all on a zudden, about nine at night
I wer clane dun a readin, vur out went tha light.

I zed to our ooman, “Why what’s come ta pass ?
I’m blowed if there’s zummut an’t blowed out the gas ! “
So er tried to light it and couldn’t, then zed,
” I an’t got no candle, so let’s go to bed.”

Zes I, ” Noa, I wunt. I’ll look out in the sdrit
An zee if tha nighbers a got any lit.”
Ther wer Dawson, an Little, an Legg in the dark ;
I zed ta our ooman, ” Oh yunt this a lark ! “

Wun couldn’t zee up ta tha Crâss as yun’t vor
Tha sdrit looked as black as a borrel o’ tor;
Tha vrunts o’ tha housen zeemed pleaster’d wi’ pitch;
I’m bothered if I could tell tother vram wich !

I wer zavage ; I stomped an turned tha gas handle ;
Then roared, ” Bring a light or a yuppenny candle ! “
But neither we had ; so to zoften our ire,
We zat ourzelves down right in vrunt o tha vire.

And aater we’d zat vor tha coorse -of a nour,
By tha vire-light a-lookin tarnashunly zour,
When just as our clauk wer a strikin out TEN,
We wer able ta ha tha gas lighted agyen.

These lines are taken from:

A glossary of dialect & archaic words used in the County of Gloucester
Collected and compiled by J. Drummond Robertson, M.A.
Edited by Lord Moreton
Published for the English Dialect Society
by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, & Co. (1890)

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