Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, CHARMETTE, by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

CHARMETTE, by                    
First Line: Away off back on de mountain-side
Last Line: For me an' ma dear charmette.


AWAY off back on de mountain-side,
Not easy t'ing fin' de spot,
W'ere de lake below is long an' wide,
A nice leetle place I got,
Mebbe ten foot deep by twenty-two,
An' if you see it, I bet
You'll not be surprise w'en I tole to you
I chrissen dat place Charmette.

Dat's purty beeg word, Charmette, for go
On poor leetle house so small,
Wit' only wan chimley, a winder or so,
An' no galerie at all --
But I want beeg word, so de worl' will know
W'at dat place it was mean to me,
An' dere on de book of Jean Jacques Rousseau,
Charmette is de nam' I see.

O ma dear Charmette! an' de stove is dere,
(Good stove) an' de wood-pile too.
An' stretch out your finger mos' anyw'ere,
Dere's plaintee for comfort you --
You're hongry? wall! you got pork an' bean
Mak' you feel lak Edouard de King --
You're torsty? Jus' look dere behin' de screen,
An' mebbe you fin' somet'ing --

Ha! Ha! you got it. Ma dear Charmette.
Dere's many fine place, dat's true,
If you travel aroun' de worl', but yet
W'ere is de place lak you?
Open de door, don't kip it close --
W'at's air of de mornin' for?
Would you fassen de door on de win' dat blows
Over God's own boulevard?

You see dat lake? Wall! I alway hate
To brag -- but she's full of trout,
So full dey can't jump togeder, but wait
An' tak' deir chance, turn about --
An' if you be campin' up dere above,
De mountain would be so high,
Very offen de camp you'd have to move,
Or how can de moon pass by?

It's wonderful place for sure, Charmette,
An' ev'ry wan say to me --
I got all de pleasure de man can get
'Cept de wife an' de familee --
But somebody else can marry ma wife,
Have de familee too also,
W'at more do I want, so long ma life
Was spare to me here below?

For we can't be happier dan we been
Over twenty year, no siree!
An' if ever de stranger come between
De leetle Charmette an' me,
Den all I can say is, kip out de way,
For dynamite sure I'll get,
An' affer dat you can hunt all day
For me an' ma dear Charmette.





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