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LAL DINAH GRAYSON.

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AL Dinah Grayson’s fresh, fewsome, an’ free,

Wid a lilt iv her step an’ a glent iv her e’e;

She glowers ebbem at mé whativer I say

An’ meàstly mak’s answer wid “M’appen I may!”

“M’appen I may,” she says, “m’appen I may;

Thou thinks I believe the’, an’ m’appen I may!”

Gay offen, when Dinah I mannish to meet

O’ Mūndays, i’t’ market i’ Cockerm’uth street,

I whisper “Thou’s nicer nor owte here to day,”

An’ she cocks up her chin an’ says, “M’appen I may!

M’appen I may, my lad, m’appen I may;

There’s nowte here to crack on, an’ m’appen I may!”

She’s smart oot o’ dooars—she’s tidy i’t’ hoose;

Snod as a mowdy-warp—sleek as a moose.

I’ blue goon, i’ black goon, i’ green goon or grey,

I tell her she’s reeght, an’ git “M’appen I may!”

“M’appen I may,” she’ll say, “m’appen I may,

Thou kens lal aboot it, but m’appen I may!”

There’s nūt mickle on her,—we ken ’at gud stuff

Laps up i’ lal bundles, an’ she’s lal aneuf;

There’s nowte aboot Dinah were better away

But her comical2 ower-wūrd “M’appen I may.”

“M’appen I may,” it’s still, “m’appen I may.”

Whativer yan wants yan gits “m’appen I may!”

An’ it shaps to be smittal; whoariver I gang,

I can’t tell a stwory—I can’t sing a sang—

I can’t hod a crack, nay!—I can’t read nor pray

Widout bringin’ in her dang’t “M’appen I may.”

“M’appen I may,” it cūms, “m’appen I may;”

Asteed of Amen, I say “m’appen I may.”

But she met me ya neeght aside Pards’aw Lea yatt—

I tock her seàf heàm, but I keep’t her oot leàt,

An’ offen I said i’ my oan canny way,

“Will t’é like me a lal bit?”—“Whey,—M’appen I may!

M’appen I may, Harry—m’appen I may;

Thou’s rayder a hoaf-thick, but m’appen I may!”

I prist her to wed mé—I said I was pooar,

But eddlin aneuf to keep hung-er frayt’ dooar.

She leuk’t i’ my feàce, an’ than, hoaf turn’t away,

She hung doon her heid an’ said “M’appen I may!

M’appen I may”—(low doon)—“m’appen I may,

I think thou means fairly, an’ m’appen I may.”

We’re hingin’ i’t’ bell reàps3—to t’ parson I’ve toak’t,

An’ I gev him a hint as he maffelt an’ jwoak’t,

To mind when she sud say “love, honour, OBEY,”

’At she doesn’t slip through wid her “M’appen I may.”

M’appen I may, may be—m’appen I may,

But we moont put up than wid a “m’appen I may.”