The Poor Thief
Yer’onor it really dunt tek a lot
to sit there passin’ sentences on folk
an sey: ‘’e’s guilty, an’ ’e’s clearly not.’
T’ard bit’s what’s in their ’eart, tha’s got to poke.
’Stha knaw, them wot seem oft so innocent
lack t’honour o’ them on’t’prison dinner?
’Stha knaw, when tha does bad and then repent
’alf o’ thee’s angel, ’alf o’ thee’s sinner?
Ah’m a thief, Ah knaw so, Ah feel t’shame:
but as a judge tha duty in each deed
ought be ’t see why Ah’m in’t’robbin’ game,
whether it’s aht o’ vice or aht o’need.
Tha should see that t’poor man’s pains ’ave no lull
stead o’ sittin’ there wi tha belly full.
to sit there passin’ sentences on folk
an sey: ‘’e’s guilty, an’ ’e’s clearly not.’
T’ard bit’s what’s in their ’eart, tha’s got to poke.
’Stha knaw, them wot seem oft so innocent
lack t’honour o’ them on’t’prison dinner?
’Stha knaw, when tha does bad and then repent
’alf o’ thee’s angel, ’alf o’ thee’s sinner?
Ah’m a thief, Ah knaw so, Ah feel t’shame:
but as a judge tha duty in each deed
ought be ’t see why Ah’m in’t’robbin’ game,
whether it’s aht o’ vice or aht o’need.
Tha should see that t’poor man’s pains ’ave no lull
stead o’ sittin’ there wi tha belly full.
Hawthornden Castle, 4th April 2005
Translated by Paul Howard
Page(s) 52
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