Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I like poetry. And I like James Whitcomb Riley's writing. A lot of his thousand-plus poems are written in a dialect-style. It may seem difficult to read such style, but if you read it out loud, it flows quite nicely. Try it:

Knee-Deep in June, by James Whitcomb Riley


       'Long about knee-deep in June,
    'Bout the time strawberries melts
 On the vine, -- some afternoon
Like to jes' git out and rest,
     And not work at nothin' else!
Orchard's where I'd ruther be --
Needn't fence it in fer me! --
 Jes' the whole sky overhead,
And the whole airth underneath --
Sort o' so's a man kin breathe
 Like he ort, and kind o' has
Elbow-room to keerlessly
 Sprawl out len'thways on the grass
    Where the shadders thick and soft
As the kivvers on the bed
    Mother fixes in the loft
Allus, when they's company!
Jes' a-sort o' lazin there -
 S'lazy, 'at you peek and peer
    Through the wavin' leaves above,
    Like a feller 'ats in love
 And don't know it, ner don't keer!
 Ever'thing you hear and see
    Got some sort o' interest -
    Maybe find a bluebird's nest
 Tucked up there conveenently
 Fer the boy 'at's ap' to be
 Up some other apple tree!
Watch the swallers skootin' past
Bout as peert as you could ast;
 Er the Bob-white raise and whiz
 Where some other's whistle is.
Ketch a shadder down below,
And look up to find the crow --
Er a hawk, - away up there,
'Pearantly froze in the air! --
 Hear the old hen squawk, and squat
 Over ever' chick she's got,
Suddent-like! - and she knows where
 That-air hawk is, well as you! --
 You jes' bet yer life she do! --
    Eyes a-glitterin' like glass,
    Waitin' till he makes a pass!
Pee-wees wingin', to express
 My opinion, 's second-class,
Yit you'll hear 'em more er less;
    Sapsucks gittin' down to biz,
Weedin' out the lonesomeness;
 Mr. Bluejay, full o' sass,
    In them baseball clothes o' his,
Sportin' round the orchad jes'
Like he owned the premises!
    Sun out in the fields kin sizz,
But flat on yer back, I guess,
    In the shade's where glory is!
That's jes' what I'd like to do
Stiddy fer a year er two!
Plague! Ef they ain't somepin' in
Work 'at kind o' goes ag'in'
 My convictions! - 'long about
    Here in June especially! --
    Under some ole apple tree,
       Jes' a-restin through and through,
 I could git along without
       Nothin' else at all to do
       Only jes' a-wishin' you
Wuz a-gittin' there like me,
And June wuz eternity!
Lay out there and try to see
Jes' how lazy you kin be! --
    Tumble round and souse yer head
In the clover-bloom, er pull
       Yer straw hat acrost yer eyes
       And peek through it at the skies,
    Thinkin' of old chums 'ats dead,
          Maybe, smilin' back at you
In betwixt the beautiful
          Clouds o'gold and white and blue! --
Month a man kin railly love --
June, you know, I'm talkin' of!
March ain't never nothin' new! --
April's altogether too
 Brash fer me! and May -- I jes'
 'Bominate its promises, --
Little hints o' sunshine and
Green around the timber-land --
 A few blossoms, and a few
 Chip-birds, and a sprout er two, --
 Drap asleep, and it turns in
 Fore daylight and snows ag'in! --
But when June comes - Clear my th'oat
 With wild honey! -- Rench my hair
In the dew! And hold my coat!
Whoop out loud! And th'ow my hat! --
 June wants me, and I'm to spare!
 Spread them shadders anywhere,
 I'll get down and waller there,
    And obleeged to you at that!

2 comments:

Gillian said...

What are kivvers?

twebsterarmstrong said...

Sprawl out len'thways on the grass
Where the shadders thick and soft
As the kivvers on the bed
Mother fixes in the loft
Allus, when they's company!

Sprawl out lengthwise on the grass
Where the shadows thick and soft
As the covers on the bed
(That) Mother fixes in the loft
Always, when there's company!

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