At night, as drough the meaed I took my way,
In air a-sweeten'd by the new-meaede hay,
A stream a-vallen down a rock did sound,
Though out o' zight wer foam an' stwone to me.
Behind the knap, above the gloomy copse,
The wind did russle in the trees' high tops,
Though evenen darkness, an' the risen hill,
Kept all the quiv'ren leaves unshown to me,
Within the copse, below the zunless sky,
I heaerd a nightengeaele, a-warblen high
Her lwoansome zong, a-hidden vrom my zight,
An' showen nothen but her mwoan to me.
An' by a house, where rwoses hung avore
The thatch-brow'd window, an' the oben door,
I heaerd the merry words, an' hearty laugh
O' zome feaeir maid, as eet unknown to me.
High over head the white-rimm'd clouds went on,
Wi' woone a-comen up, vor woone a-gone;
An' feaeir they floated in their sky-back'd flight,
But still they never meaede a sound to me.
An' there the miller, down the stream did float
Wi' all his childern, in his white-sail'd bwoat,
Vur off, beyond the stragglen cows in meaed,
But zent noo vaice, athirt the ground, to me.
An' then a buttervlee, in zultry light,
A-wheelen on about me, vier-bright,
Did show the gayest colors to my eye,
But still did bring noo vaice around to me.
I met the merry laugher on the down,
Bezide her mother, on the path to town,
An' oh! her sheaepe wer comely to the zight,
But wordless then wer she a-vound to me.
Zoo, sweet ov unzeen things mid be sound,
An' feaeir to zight mid soundless things be vound,
But I've the laugh to hear, an' feaece to zee,
Vor they be now my own, a-bound to me.