1824 Poem, George Dugall, ‘To Mrs. W—, B—d, With a Little Dog’

Author: George Dugall

Date: 1824

Source: Poem: ‘To Mrs. W—, B—d, With a Little Dog’, from The Northern Cottage and other poems; written partly in the Dialect of the North of Ireland by George Dugall (Londonderry: William McCorkell, 1824)

Comments: George Dugall (c.1790-1855) was the son of Rev. George Dugall, Presbyterian minister of Magherafelt from 1786-1810, and lived most of his life near Newtowncunningham in Donegal. He was a schoolteacher in north Donegal, and his only book of poems The Northern Cottage contains an extensive glossary of Ulster-Scots words. The vocabulary and cultural context of his poems are rich in Ulster-Scots reference.

Doc. ref. no.: USLS/TB/Poetry/1800-1899/052

To Mrs. W—, B—d,
With a little Dog

My fav’rite Crab, to you I send him,

Wi’ twa’r three lines to recommend him;

His hist’ry an’ himsel’ thegither,

I’m no right certain wha’s his father:

*** ****’s dog has got the wyte,

Poor chiel because he is na white;

For the resemblance is nae fuller,

Than just the temper an’ the colour:

We might as fast, or may be faster,

Father negroes on his master:

But drapping a’ such doubtfu’ matters,

Crab’s nae discredit till his betters —

A cleaner whalp for hide an’ hair,

Ne’er grac’d the lap o’ lady fair:

For flaes there’s nae sic thing about him;

(Still ye may look him if ye doubt him:)

But faith, tak’ care ye be na nickit;

For though he’s wee he’s very wickit.

His mither’s o’ the terrier breed,

But higher by the neck an’ head;

A crafty, kindly, sportive plague,

She’ll follow clods, or sit an’ beg:

Yet, nae reflection on her merit,

I hope he’ll hae a better spirit.

(For meanness still, Gude bless you bang him;

An’ if you canna cure him — hang him.)

Her owner for me lang did pet him;

’Twas nae wee compliment to get him:

The man is o’ a diff’rent creed,

But frien’ly baith in word an’ deed;

Were men by lump like this gude fellow,

A justice ne’er would been heard tell o’.

I gie Crab up to your ain breeding,

But dinna turn him to the Meeting;

For he’s a mass-man staunch an’ steady,

An’ has refus’d the church already:

You didna use to be a bigot;

Sae for your credit dinna speak o’t.

I’ll say’t while e’er he keeps his scent,

He’ll ne’er be scrupulous o’ Lent;

Nor will he, ever honor’d Madam,

Ere keep a fast, when you forbid him.

You’ve such a trick o’ spoiling weans,

I doubt you’ll scatter a’ my pains,

For were he biding in my rule,

I’d had him shortly at the school;

And tak’ my word for’t, he’s a messin,

That’s nae way backward at his lesson.

He cuts, forbye his quick retention,

Ten capers o’ his ain invention:

In devilry he’s grown sae pat,

He’ll chase the hens, an’ ride the cat;

Wha sometimes taks a spitting fling,

An’ sen’s him yelping frae the ring.

Wi’ tooth an’ nail he tears their claes,

An’ scrapes an’ worries Peggy’s taes;

An’ heedless o’ her mither’s flogging,

He’ll stap his head in Marg’ret’s noggin.

You ken I wish to sen’ him decent;

An’ troth ye ha’e a stirring present:

Sae, while ye live, in ev’ry weather,

I wish you happy days thegither.

Other poems from ‘The Northern Cottage’

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