Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, DE BLACKBIRD FETCH DE SPRING, by BENJAMIN FRANKLIN KING



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

DE BLACKBIRD FETCH DE SPRING, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: When de autumn leabes was twistin'
Last Line: Kase my blackbird fetched de spring.
Alternate Author Name(s): King, Ben
Subject(s): Blackbirds; Spring


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...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net