Poetry - James Weldon Johnson (moboreader .TXT) đ
- Author: James Weldon Johnson
Book online «Poetry - James Weldon Johnson (moboreader .TXT) đ». Author James Weldon Johnson
Anâ am stiffâninâ by degrees;
Now derâs jes one way to feel young and spry,
Wâen you heah dem banjos sounâ
Git a great big swig oâ de ole corn juice,
Anâ wâen you drink her downâ â
Jes lay away ole Trouble,
Anâ dry up all yoâ tears;
Yoâ pleasure shoâ to double
Anâ you bound to lose yoâ keers.
Jes lay away ole Sorrer
High upon de shelf;
And never mind to-morrer,
âTwill take care of itself.
Iâm back down in ole Georgy wâere de sun is shininâ hot,
Wâere de cawn it is a-tasslinâ, gittinâ ready fuâ de pot;
Wâere de cottân is a-openinâ anâ a-wâiteninâ in de sun,
Anâ de ripeninâ oâ de sugah-cane is mighty nigh begun.
Anâ de locusâ is a-singinâ fâom eveh bush anâ tree,
Anâ you kin heah de humminâ oâ de noisy bumblebee;
Anâ de mule he stanâs a-dreaminâ anâ a-dreaminâ in de lot,
Anâ de sun it is a-shininâ mighty hot, hot, hot.
But evehbody is a-restinâ, fuâ de craps is all laid by,
Anâ time fuâ de camp-meetinâ is a-drawinâ purty nigh;
Anâ weâs put away de ploughshare, anâ weâs done hung up de spade,
Anâ weâs eatinâ watermelon, anâ a-layinâ in de shade.
Wâen de banjos wuz a-ringinâ,
Anâ de darkies wuz a-singinâ,
Oh, wuzen dem de good times sho!
All de ole folks would be chattinâ,
Anâ de pickaninnies pattinâ,
As dey heahâd de feet a-shufflinâ âcross de floâ.
Anâ how weâd dance, anâ how weâd sing!
Dance tel de day done break.
Anâ how dem banjos dey would ring,
Anâ de cabin floâ would shake!
Come along, come along,
Come along, come along,
Donât you heah dem banjos a-ringinâ?
Gib a song, gib a song,
Gib a song, gib a song,
Git yoâ feet fixed up fuâ a-winginâ.
Wâile de banjos dey go plunka, plunka, plunk,
Weâll dance tel de ole floâ shake;
Wâile de feet keep a-goinâ chooka, chooka, chook,
Weâll dance tel de day done break.
Der ainât no use in sayinâ de Lawd wonât answer prah;
If you knows how to ax Him, I knows Heâs bound to heah.
De trouble is, some people donât ax de proper way,
Den wâen dey gitâs no answer dey doubts de use to pray.
You got to use egzacâly de âspressions anâ de words
To show dat âtween yoâ faith anâ works, you âpends on works two-thirds.
Now, one time I rememberâ âjes how long I wonât sayâ â
I thought Iâd like a turkey to eat on Chrisâmus day.
Fuâ weeks I dreamed âbout turkeys, a-struttinâ in der pride;
But seed no way to get oneâ âwidout de Lawd pervide.
Anâ so I went to prayinâ, I prayâd wid all my might;
âLawd, senâ to me a turkey.â I prayâd bofe day anâ night.
âLawd, senâ to me a turkey, a big one if you please.â
I âclar to heaben I prayâd so much I mosâ wore out ma knees.
I prayâd dat prah so often, I prayâd dat prah so long,
Yet didnât git no turkey, I knowâd âtwas sumpân wrong.
So on de night âfore Chrisâmus wâen I got down to pray,
âLawd, senâ me to a turkey,â I had de sense to say.
âLawd, senâ me to a turkey.â I know dat prah was right,
Anâ it was sholy answerâd; I got de bird dat night.
Skin as black anâ jes as sofâ as a velvet dress,
Teeth as white as ivoryâ âwell dey is I guess.
Eyes datâs jes as big anâ bright as de eveninâ star;
Anâ dat holâ some sort oâ light lublier by far.
Hair donât hang âway down her back; plaited up in rows;
Wid de two enâs datâs behinâ tied wid ribben bows.
Hanâs dat raly wuzân made fuâ hard work, Iâm shoâ;
Got a little bit oâ foot; weahs a numbah foâ.
You jes oughtah see dat gal Sundayâs wâen she goes
To de Baptisâ meetinâ house, dressed in her besâ cloâes.
Wâen she puts her wâite dress on anâ othah things so fine;
Now, Suâ, donât you know Iâm proud oâ dat gal oâ mine.
Wâen de leaves begin to fall,
Anâ de frosâ is on de ground,
Anâ de âsimmons is a-ripeninâ on de tree;
Wâen I heah de dinner call,
Anâ de chillen gadder âround,
âTis den de âpossum is de meat fuâ me.
Wâen de wintertime am pasâ
Anâ de spring is come at lasâ,
Wâen de good ole summer sun begins to shine;
Oh! my thoughts den tek a turn,
Anâ my heart begins to yearn
Foâ dat watermelon growinâ on de vine.
Now, de yeah will sholy bring
âRound a season fuâ us all,
Evây one kin pick his season fâom de resâ;
But de melon in de spring,
Anâ de âpossum in de fall,
Mek it hard to tell which time oâ year am besâ.
(A Warning)
âSimmons ripeninâ in de fall,
You better run,
Brudder âPossum, run!
Mockinâ bird commence to call,
You better run, Brudder âPossum, git out de way!
You better run, Brudder âPossum, git out de way!
Run some whar anâ hide!
Ole moon am sinkinâ
Down behinâ de tree.
Ole Eph am thinkinâ
Anâ chuckelinâ wid glee.
Ole Tige am blinkinâ
Anâ frisky as kin be,
Yoâ chances, Brudder âPossum,
Look mighty slim to me.
Run, run, run, I tell you,
Run, Brudder âPossum, run!
Run, run, run, I tell you,
Ole Ephâs got a gun.
Pickaninnies grinninâ
Waitinâ fuâ to see de fun.
You better run, Brudder âPossum, git out de way!
Run, Brudder âPossum, run!
Brudder âPossum take a tip;
You better run,
Brudder âPossum, run!
âTainât no use in actinâ flip,
You better run, Brudder âPossum, git out de way!
You better run, Brudder âPossum, git out de way!
Run some whar anâ hide.
Deyâs gwine to hounâ you
All along de line,
Wâen dey done founâ you,
Den whatâs de use in sighinâ?
Wid taters rounâ you.
You sholy would tase fineâ â
So listen, Brudder âPossum,
You better be a-flyinâ.
Run, run, run, I tell you,
Run, Brudder âPossum, run!
Run, run, run, I tell you,
Ole Ephâs got a gun.
Pickaninnies grinninâ
Waitinâ fuâ to see de fun.
You better run, Brudder âPossum, git out de way!
Run, Brudder âPossum, run!
Once der was a meetinâ in de wilderness,
All de critters of creation dey was dar;
Brer Rabbit, Brer âPossum, Brer Wolf, Brer Fox,
King Lion, Mister Terrapin,
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