Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect/My Love's Guardian Angel

by William Barnes

MY LOVE’S GUARDIAN ANGEL.

As in the cool-aïr’d road I come by,
             —in the night,
Under the moon-clim’d height o’ the sky,
             —in the night,
There by the lime’s broad lim’s as I staÿ’d,
Dark in the moonlight, bough’s sheädows plaÿ’d
Up on the window-glass that did keep
Lew vrom the wind, my true love asleep,
             —in the night

While in the grey-wall’d height o’ the tow’r,
             —in the night,
Sounded the midnight bell wi’ the hour,
             —in the night,
There lo! a bright-heäir’d angel that shed
Light vrom her white robe’s zilvery thread,
Put her vore-vinger up vor to meäke
Silence around lest sleepers mid weäke,
             —in the night.
“Oh! then,” I whisper’d, do I behold
             —in the night.
Linda, my true-love, here in the cwold,
             —in the night?”
“No,” she meäde answer, “you do misteäke:
She is asleep, but I that do weäke,
Here be on watch, an’ angel a-blest,
Over her slumber while she do rest,
             —in the night.”

“Zee how the winds, while here by the bough,
             —in the night,
They do pass on, don’t smite on her brow,
             —in the night;
Zee how the cloud-sheädes naïseless do zweep
Over the house-top where she’s asleep.
You, too, goo by, in times that be near,
You too, as I, mid speak in her ear
             —in the night.”