The Norsk Nightingale

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Norsk Nightingale, by William F.
Kirk
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Title: The Norsk Nightingale
Being the Lyrics of a "Lumberyack"
Author: William F. Kirk
Release Date: September, 2005 [EBook #8953]
[Yes, we are more
than one year ahead of schedule]
[This file was first posted on August
29, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English

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0. START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NORSK
NIGHTINGALE ***
Produced by Juliet Sutherland and the Distributed Proofreaders
THE NORSK NIGHTINGALE
Being the Lyrics of a "Lumberyack"
By
WILLIAM F. KIRK
1905
PREFACE
It is with a certain amount of misgiving that the author sends out this
little volume of Scandinavian dialect verses. To the residents of
Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, where the "lumberyack" lives and
thrives, the dialect will seem familiar enough; but to other readers such
terms as "skol" (shall or will), "ban" (been), "panga" (money), "sum"
(than or as), may convey little or no meaning.
But, if the Scandinavian dialect verses are not widely popular, they are
at least comparatively fresh and original; and to those readers who can
readily grasp the patois, as well as to those who are compelled to
struggle painfully through its labyrinths, this volume is respectfully
dedicated.
CONTENTS
HIS LYRICS
"Yim"
Tillie Olson

The "Lumberyack"
Little Steena Yohnson
Olaf
"Yennie Dear"
"Peek-a-Boo"
Sonnet on Stewed Prunes
A Good Fellow
"It's Up to You"
HIS HISTORICAL TALES
Horatius at the Bridge
William Tell
The Courtship of Miles Standish
Robinson Crusoe
George Washington
Paul Revere
Waterloo
Barbara Frietchie
Sheridan's Ride
HIS POETICAL TRANSLATIONS
Speak Gently

The Barefoot Boy
Father William
Abou Swen Anson
Maud Muller
Lucy Gray
Stealing a Ride
"Curfew shall not Ring To-night"
A Psalm of Life
Annie Laurie
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Excelsior
Mortality
The Day is Done
HIS LYRICS
"YIM"
Dar ban a little faller,
Ay tenk his name ban Yim,
And nearly every
morning
Ay used to seeing him.
He used to stand in gatevay,
And
call me Svede, and ay
Ant lak to hear dis nickname:
Ay ban a
Norsk, yu say.
But he ban little faller,
Ay tenk 'bout sax years old,
And so ay used
to lak him--
He ban too small to scold.
Ay used to say, "Val,
Yimmie,
Ay ant ban Svede, but yu
Can call me Svede,--ay lak yu


And ant care vat yu du."
By Yeorge! Ay'm glad, ay tal yu,
Dat ay ban gude to him,
Because
one venter morning
Ay ant see little Yim.
And next day funeral
vagon
Com driving op to door,
And Yim, poor little faller,
Can't
call me Svede no more!
TILLIE OLSON
Little Tillie Olson
Ban my little pearl;
God ant never making
Any
nicer girl.
Dis har Qveen of Sheba,
She ban nice to see;
But little
Tillie Olson
Ban gude enuff for me.
Ay ban yust a svamper
Vorking op in voods;
Ay ant ever having

Much of dis vorld's goods.
Ay know lots of ladies
Var ay used to be,

But little Tillie Olson
Ban gude enuff for me.
Over in Chicago
'Bout sax veeks ago,
Torger Yohnson tak me

Out to see nice show.
Chorus girls ban dancing
Purty fine, by yee;

But little Tillie Olson
Ban gude enuff for me.
Ven ve sit by fireplace
Op at Tillie's house,
She ban cuddling near
me,
Yust lak little mouse.
After ve ban married,
Happy ve skol be.

Yas, little Tillie Olson
Ban gude enuff for me.
THE "LUMBERYACK"
"Roll out!" yell cookee
"It ban morning," say he,
"It ban daylight in
svamps, all yu guys!"
So out of varm bunk
Ve skol falling kerplunk,

And rubbing lak blazes our eyes.
Breakfast, den hustle; dinner, den
yump!

Lumberyack faller ban yolly big chump.
"Eat qvick!" say the cook.
"Oder fallers skol look
For chance to get
grub yust lak yu!"
So under our yeans
Ve pack planty beans,
And
Yim dandy buckvheat cakes, tu.
Den out on the skidvay, vorking lak

mule.
Lumberyack faller ban yolly big fule.
"Vatch out!" foreman say.
Den tree fall yure vay,
And missing yure
head 'bout an inch.
Ef timber ban green,
Ve skol rub kerosene
On
places var coss cut skol pinch.
Sawing and chopping, freeze and den
sveat.
Lumberyack faller ban yackass, yu bet.
Ven long com the spring,
Ve drenk and we sing;
And calling town
faller gude frend,
He help us to blow
Our whole venter's dough,

But