The Habitant and Other French-Canadian Poems | Page 4

de shore,?For de win' she blow lak' hurricane?Bimeby she blow some more,?An' de scow bus' up on Lac St. Pierre,?Wan arpent from de shore.
MORAL.
Now all good wood scow sailor man?Tak' warning by dat storm?An' go an' marry some nice French girl?An' leev on wan beeg farm.?De win' can blow lak' hurricane?An' s'pose she blow some more,?You can't get drown on Lac St. Pierre?So long you stay on shore.
LE VIEUX TEMPS.
Venez ici, mon cher ami, an' sit down by me--so?An' I will tole you story of old tam long ago--?W'en ev'ryt'ing is happy--w'en all de bird is sing?An' me!--I'm young an' strong lak moose an' not afraid no t'ing.
I close my eye jus' so, an' see de place w'ere I am born--?I close my ear an' lissen to musique of de horn,?Dat's horn ma dear ole moder blow--an only t'ing she play?Is "viens donc vite Napol��on--'peche toi pour votre souper."--
An' w'en he's hear dat nice musique--ma leetle dog "Carleau" Is place hees tail upon hees back--an' den he's let heem go-- He's jomp on fence--he's swimmin' crik--he's ronne two forty gait, He say "dat's somet'ing good for eat--Carleau mus' not be late."
O dem was pleasure day for sure, dem day of long ago?W'en I was play wit' all de boy, an' all de girl also;?An' many tam w'en I'm alone an' t'ink of day gone by?An' pull latire an' spark de girl, I cry upon my eye.
Ma fader an' ma moder too, got nice, nice familee,?Dat's ten gar?on an' t'orteen girl, was mak' it twenty t'ree But fonny t'ing de Gouvernement don't geev de firs' prize den Lak w'at dey say dey geev it now, for only wan douzaine.
De English peep dat only got wan familee small size?Mus' be feel glad dat tam dere is no honder acre prize?For fader of twelve chil'ren--dey know dat mus' be so,?De Canayens would boss Kebeck--mebbe Ontario.
But dat is not de story dat I was gone tole you?About de fun we use to have w'en we leev a chez nous?We're never lonesome on dat house, for many cavalier?Come at our place mos' every night--especially Sun-day.
But tam I'member bes' is w'en I'm twenty wan year--me--?An' so for mak' some pleasurement--we geev wan large soir��e De whole paroisse she be invite--de Cur�� he's come too--?Wit plaintee peep from 'noder place--dat's more I can tole you.
De night she's cole an' freeze also, chemin she's fill wit snow An' on de chimley lak phantome, de win' is mak' it blow--?But boy an' girl come all de sam an' pass on grande parloir For warm itself on beeg box stove, was mak' on Trois Rivi��res--
An' w'en Bonhomme Latour commence for tune up hees fidelle?It mak' us all feel very glad--l'enfant! he play so well,?Musique suppose to be firs' class, I offen hear, for sure?But mos' bes' man, beat all de res', is ole Bateese Latour--
An' w'en Bateese play Irish jeeg, he's learn on Mattawa?Dat tam he's head boss cook Shaintee--den leetle Joe Leblanc Tak' hole de beeg Marie Juneau an' dance upon de floor?Till Marie say "Excuse to me, I cannot dance no more."--
An' den de Cur��'s mak' de speech--ole Cur�� Ladouceur!?He say de girl was spark de boy too much on some cornerre-- An' so he's tole Bateese play up ole fashion reel a quatre?An' every body she mus' dance, dey can't get off on dat.
Away she go--hooraw! hooraw! plus fort Bateese, mon vieux?Camille Bisson, please watch your girl--dat's bes' t'ing you can do. Pass on de right an' tak' your place Mamzelle Des Trois Maisons You're s'pose for dance on Paul Laberge, not Telesphore Gagnon.
Mon oncle Al-fred, he spik lak' dat--'cos he is boss de floor, An' so we do our possibill an' den commence encore.?Dem crowd of boy an' girl I'm sure keep up until nex' day?If ole Bateese don't stop heseff, he come so fatigu��.
An' affer dat, we eat some t'ing, tak' leetle drink also?An' de Cur��, he's tole story of many year ago--?W'en Iroquois sauvage she's keel de Canayens an' steal deir hair, An' say dat's only for Bon Dieu, we don't be here--he don't be dere.
But dat was mak' de girl feel scare--so all de cavalier?Was ax hees girl go home right off, an' place her on de sleigh, An' w'en dey start, de Cur�� say, "Bonsoir et bon voyage?Menagez-vous--tak' care for you--prenez-garde pour les sauvages."
An' den I go meseff also, an' tak' ma belle Elmire--?She's nicer girl on whole Comt��, an' jus' got eighteen year-- Black hair--black eye, an' chick ros��e dat's lak wan fameuse on de fall But don't spik much--not of dat kin', I can't say she love me at all.
Ma girl--she's fader beeg farmeur--leev 'noder side St. Flore Got five-six honder acre--mebbe a leetle more--?Nice sugar bush--une belle maison--de bes' I never see--?So w'en I go for spark Elmire, I