WHEN de autumn leabes was twistin' An' a tryin' ter git loose, An' de apples in de cidah press Had done turned inter juice; When de blackbird got down-hearted An' made up his mind ter go, Hit was den de time dis dahky's heart Was jes' pahboiled wid woe. He was wid me in de furries In de summah fields ob co'n, An' aroun' a-hookin' cherries -- 'Deed he was, mos' ebbery mo'n, An' he he'p me dribe de horses, Cluckt an' cluckt ter make 'em go. Dat's why I 'low dis dahky's heart Was jes' pahboiled wid woe. But he notice dat de yellerin' Was a-comin' on de leabes, An' de win' was so't o' whinin', too, Jes' like a dog dat grebes, An' wid nuffin' in de cherry tree, Exceptin' wintah's bref, One day in fall he 'lowed he'd go En jes' skip out himself. Hi kain't persarsely blame 'im, Kase I'd went ef I was him; 'Low he knew de wintah wedder Would done freeze 'im to de limb, Kase he could n't ha'dly navigate, Er could n't cluck er sing, En so he said: "Good-bye, ole man, I'se comin' back in spring." Dis mohnin', honey, 'deed I heerd, When ebberyt'ing was calm, A song dat tetched mah po' ole heart Like oil of gladdest balm. An' who should I see settin' dar Upon de ole hay rack, But mah blackbird, shuah, mah blackbird, An' 'e said, "I'se jes' got back." Den he opened up his warble, When de gentle winds so soft Came dancin' from de hill-tops dar, An' o'er de meddah croft. An' down hyar by mah cabin do' He sang an' flashed his wing, An' I praised de Lo'd of glory, Kase my blackbird fetched de spring. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ODE TO SPRING by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD NURSE'S SONG, FR. SONGS OF EXPERIENCE by WILLIAM BLAKE NO BABY IN THE HOUSE by CLARA G. DOLLIVER TO THE NIGHTINGALE by JOHN MILTON THE LETTER by MUHAMMAD AL-MU'TAMID II |