Cornish Catches Part 2

But whether Church be right or b'aint, Or Mittin' Houses make'ee faint, Or whether you'm a solemn saint Or jest a cheerful sinner, For sartin, not so long by noon, You'll all be playin' the same tune Wi' knife an' fork an' mebbe spoon, Asettin' down to dinner.

Then mos'ly us do strawl away Along the clifts that line the bay, Though some prefers a dish o' tay An' snooze along the settle; But whether we'm been far or near, We'm never losted, don't 'ee fear.

We'm allays home in time to hear The singin' o' the kettle.

An' when the Sun, a lantern red Asinkin' at the World's mast-head, Goes down, then us goes home to bed: An' so us ends the Sunday.

For Sunday 'tis the Day o' days, When all the fish do as 'em plaise, While in the little port we prays A banger catch for Monday.

GRANFER'S PROVERBS

Granfer sits in the winder an' looks acrost the bay; Sure 'nuff he thinks a mort o' things tho' 'tis little he has to say.

'Tis time he came to his moorin's an' heaved his gear ash.o.r.e, For the sea is a bit too chancy for a man gone eighty-four.

He've catched a plenty of wisdom in the net inside his head, An' often us be tellin' of the clever things he've said.

They'm cleverer nor things you read in books an' papers too, Because he dosn' make 'em up, but awnly knaws they'm true.

He've good advice for sailor lads who musn't come to grief: "Don't try to s.h.i.+ne you'm centrebit by cuts acrost the reef.

Don't make you'm mainsail fast an' look for mermaids on the lew, An' don't take cider kegs aboard because they spile the view."

He've good advice for all the maids whom lookin' arter lads: "If you baint catchin' mackerel then be content with skads; An' if you've tried the seinin' an' the fishes won't be took, Just get a dacent bit o' bait, an' drop a line an' hook."

He've good advice for husbands, which he tells them all alone: "Go suant comin' into port an' watch the weather cone; Jest keep your h.e.l.lum stiddy if there's tokens of a squall-- Cross words is nigh as useless as a porpus in the trawl."

He've good advice for housewives but he keeps it to hisself: For he knows they awnly puts it with the jowds upon the shelf; His wisest words to women be the words he doesn' say, For he jest sits in the winder an' looks acrost the bay.

A CORNISH SEINING SONG

The Huer is up on the cliff, me deears, Glazing out to say; Slip youm moorin's and s.h.i.+p youm gears, There's Pilchers in the Bay; Lift youm faistins on muggoty pie.

Down along an' away.

'Tisn the time for maids, me deears, Don't 'ee be duffed by they; There's las.h.i.+ns o' time to taise their ears An' maze 'em wi' fal-de-lay.

They'll wait till arter the Pilcher's catched, Down along an' away.

Us'll be shuttin' soon, me deears, There's purple on the say, An' jowstin' this arternoon, me deears, When us comes back to kay.

Who's for a banger, a bender haul Down along an' away?

Pilchers is budiful fried, me deears, Or baked in a bussa o' clay, So sterry away wi' the tide, me deears, For Pilchers in the Bay.

Slip youm moorin's an' s.h.i.+p youm gears, Down along an' away!

"HOW BE'EE, ME DEEAR?"

(The Cornish Greeting).

"How be'ee, me deear?" I heard her say, But I was foached to be far away, For the breeze was braave an' the boat in the bay, An' Granny was old an' grey.

I didn' turn back to say "Good-bye,"

For slottery weather was in the sky, The anchor was up an' the punt stood by, Yet Granny was old an' grey!

Far I sailed, an' didn' I cast Many a look at the old times past?

The lil' grey port as I saw it last?

An' Granny old an' grey?

At last I came from the yowlin' main, Guessin' to see the place again Jest as it was, as nate an' plain, An' Granny old an' grey.

Why didn' I seed the end was nigh?

Why didn' I bide to say "Good-bye?"

It's too late now to make reply, Granny is gone away.

But someday beyond the farthest tide, At last I shall safely at anchor ride, An' I shall be hailed as I come 'longside, "How be'ee, me deear?"

"WHAT HAVE'EE CATCHED?"

"What have'ee catched, lil' lad on the sh.o.r.e?"

"Shrimps an' a crayfish out o' the pool, An' a tinful o' lugworms, a tidy score, To scrig on the night lines after school."

"What have'ee catched, lil' maid in the lane?"

"The scent o' the thyme an' the cheep of a bird, An' the sound of a song that is joy an' pain, But the sweetest song as ever I heard."

"What have'ee catched, strong man from the say?"

"A seineful o' pilchers, a sailful o' foam, An' a twenty-knot breeze from the nor'rard away, That drove me a-scuddin' an' rollickin' home."

"What have'ee catched, good dame by the door?"

"A lil' brown sail comin' with the tide, That's bringin' back peace to my heart once more, An' my man again to the chimley side."

A MEVAGISSEY HAUL

(A million pilchards, August 6th, 1912).

A Sou' Sou' West was blowin' up to more than half a gale, An' a prutty bit o' billow talked ash.o.r.e, But there baint no use for seiners as be afeared to sail, When the catches have been runnin' light an' poor, So we plugged out oar to oar.