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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE GREAT FIGHT, by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND First Line: Bad luck to fight on new year's night Last Line: So w'at you t'ink of dat? | |||
BAD luck to fight on New Year's night An' wit' your neighbor man, But w'en you know de reason w'y I hit heem hard on bote hees eye, An' kick heem till he nearly die, I t'ink you'll understan'. If you could see ma wife an' me At home on Pigeon Bay, You'd say, "How nice dey bote agree! Dey mus' be firse-class familee An' go de sam' as wan, two, tree," I know dat's w'at you say. An' New Year's Day on Pigeon Bay, You ought to see us den, W'it parlor feex it up so fine, Spruce beer an' w'isky, cake an' wine, Cigar -- an' only very bes' kin' For treatin' all our frien'. But on de las' New Year is pas' De win' begin to rise, An' snow she dreef in such a way, W'en mornin' come, ma wife she say, "Dere won't be many folk to-day, Or I'll be moche surprise." We never see, ma wife an' me, So quiet New Year Day, But very happy all de sam', An' talk a lot about de tam' Before she come to me, ma femme, W'ile kettle sing away. An' as we talk, de good ole clock Go tick, tick on de wall, De cat's asleep upon de stair, De house is quiet ev'ryw'ere, An' Jean Bateese, hees image dere, Is smilin' over all. I buy dat leetle Jean Bateese On Market Bonsecour, Two dollar an' your money down, He's fines' wan for miles aroun', Can hardly beat heem on de town, An' so I love heem sure. W'at's dat I hear, but never fear, Dere's no wan on de door? Yass, sure enough, Joe Beliveau, An' nearly smoder wit' de snow. Entrez! We're glad to see you, Joe -- W'y don't you come before? "Bonjour, Ma-dame -- Camille, your femme, She's younger ev'ry day; I hope de New Year will be bright, I hope de baby feel all right, Don't wake you up too moche at night?" An' dat's w'at Joe he say. He's so polite it's only right He wish heem ev'ry t'ing Dat's good upon de worl' at all, An' geev heem two tree w'at you call Dat fancy Yankee stuff, "high ball," An' den he start to sing. You dunno Joe? Wall, you mus' know He's purty full of life, An' w'en he's goin' dat way -- Joe, Mus' tak' heem leetle easy, so I don't say not'ing w'en he go For start an' kiss ma wife. An' up an' down dey dance aroun' An' laugh an' mak' de fun. For spree lak' dat, on New Year's Day, Is not'ing moche on Pigeon Bay, Beside he's frien' of me alway, An' so dere's no harm done. I lak' to know jus' how it go, Dat w'en we feel secure Not'ing at all is goin' wrong, An' life is lak' a pleasan' song, De devil's boun' to come along, An' mak' some trouble sure. For bimeby, Joe cock hees eye, An' see poor Jean Bateese, An' say right off, "If I can't show A better wan at home, I'll go An' drown me on de crick below," So dat's de en' of peace. Dis very day along de Bay, Dey tell about de fight. Never was seen such bloody war, On Pigeon Bay before, ba gor'! An' easy understan' it, for De battle las' all night. So hard we go, dat me an' Joe Get tire soon, an' den We bote sit down an' tak' de res' For half a secon', mebbe less, An' w'en de win' come on our ches', We start her up again. De house is shake lak' beeg eart'quake, De way we jump aroun', An' people living far away, Dey lissen hard an' den dey say, "It's all up, sure, wit' Pigeon Bay -- She's tumble to de groun'." 'T was bad enough, de way we puff, But w'en de stovepipe fall, An' all de smoke begin to tear Right t'roo de house, an' choke de air, An' me an' Joe can't see no w'ere, Dat's very wors' t'ing of all. It's not a joke, de maudit smoke -- Dat's w'at I'm tellin' you -- But sure enough it stop de fight; It's easy killin' Joe all right, But w'at about de wife all right An' mebbe baby too? A man dat's brave, should always save De woman she's hees wife; Dat's firse t'ing he mus' do an' w'en I open de door, Joe's runnin' den, As hard as he can lick, ma frien', So all han's save hees life. An' since de fight, dey're all polite, Dey smile an' touch de hat, An' say, "I hope you're feelin' purty gay, An' no more fight on Pigeon Bay, Or else you'll kill a man some day." So w'at you t'ink of dat? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A RAINY DAY IN CAMP by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND AUTUMN DAYS by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BARBOTTE (BULL-POUT) by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BATEESE AND HIS LITTLE DECOYS by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BATEESE THE LUCKY MAN by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BLOOM - A SONG OF COBALT by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BOULE by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BRUNO THE HUNTER by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND CANADIAN FOREVER by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND CAUDA MORRHUAE by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND |
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