Category Archives: Thomas Hardy

Clasics in Ñspel: WESSEX HEIGHTS by Thomas Hardy

WESIX HÎTS

Toṃs Hardi

Ɖr r sm hîts in Wesix,

śept az f bî a cîndli hand

Fr ʈncñ, drīmñ, dayñ on,

n at crîsīz ẃn I stand,

Se, on Ñpén Bīcn īstẉd,

or on Wilznec westẉdli,

I sīm ẃr I wz bfr mî brʈ,

n aftr deʈ me b.

In ɖ lǒḷndz I hv no comred,

nt īvn ɖ lon man’z frend –

Hr hu suḟriʈ loñ n z cînd;

axpts ẃt h z tù wìc t mnd:

Dǎn ɖr ɖe r dybịs n ascans;

ɖr nbdi ʈncs az I,

Bt mîndćenz d nt clanc

ẃr wn’z nxt nebr z ɖ scî.

In ɖ tǎnz I am tráct bî fantmz

hvñ wird dtctiv wez –

Śadoz v biyñz hu feloud wɖ

mslf v rlịr dez:

Ɖe hañ abt at plesz,

n ɖe se harś hevi ʈñz –

Men wɖ a wintri snir,

n wimin wɖ tart dispaṛjñz.

Dǎn ɖr I sīm t b fōls t mslf,

mî simpl slf ɖt wz,

N z nt nǎ, n I si him woćñ,

wunḍrñ ẃt cras cōz

Cn hv mrjd him intu sć a strenj

continyetr az ɖs,

Hu yt hz smʈñ in comn

wɖ himslf, mî criṣlis.

I canot g t ɖ gret gre Plen;

ɖr’z a figr agnst ɖ mūn,

Nbdi siz it bt I, n it mcs

mî brest bìt ǎt v tyn;

I canot g t ɖ tōl-spîrd tǎn,

biyñ bàrd bî ɖ formz nǎ pást

Fr evrbdi bt m, in huz loñ viźn

ɖe stand ɖr fast.

Ɖr’z a gost at Yeḷm Botm

ćîdñ lǎd at ɖ fōl v ɖ nît,

Ɖr’z a gost in Frūm-sîd Vel,

ʈin-lipt n veg, in a śrǎd v ẃît,

Ɖr z wn in ɖ relwe tren

ẃnvr I d nt wont it nir,

I si its profîl agnst ɖ pein,

seyñ ẃt I wd nt hír.

Az fr wn rer fer wmn,

I am nǎ bt a ʈōt v hrz,

I entr hr mînd n anɖr ʈōt

s’xidz m ɖt ś prifŕz;

Yt mî luv fr hr in its flnis

ś hrslf īvn dd nt nǒ;

Wel, tîm krz harts v tndrnis,

n nǎ I cn let hr g.

So I am faund on Ñpén Bīcn,

or on Wilznec t ɖ wst,

Or els on homli Bulḅra,

or litl Pilzdn Crest,

Ẃr men hv nvr cerd t hōnt,

nr wimin hv wōct wɖ m,

N gosts ɖen cīp ɖer distns;

n I nǒ sm liḅti.


"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

Clasics in Ñspel: THE DEAD MAN WALKING, by Thomas Hardy

Ɖ DED MAN WŌCÑ

Toṃs Hardi

Ɖe hêl m az wn livñ,
Bt d’nt ɖe nǒ
Ɖt I hv daid v lêt yirz,
Untūmd olɖo?

I am bt a śep ɖt standz hir,
A pulslis mold,
A pel past picćr, scrīnñ
Aśz gn cold.

Nt at a minit’s wornñ,
Nt in a lǎd aur,
Fr m sīst Tîm’z inćantmnts
In hōl n bǎr.

Ɖr wz no trajic transit,
No cać v breʈ,
Ẃn sîḷnt sīznz inćt m
On t ɖs deʈ…

– A Trūḅdor – yʈ I rambld
Wɖ Lîf fr lîr,
Ɖ bìts v biyñ rejñ
In m lîc fîr.

Bt ẃn I practist ayñ
Ɖ gol v men,
It îst m, n I periśt
A litl ɖen.

Ẃn pást mî frend, mî cinzfoc,
Ʈru ɖ Last Dor,
N left m standñ blīcli,
I daid yt mor;

N ẃn mî Luv’z hart cindld
In het v m,
Ẃr-fr I ń nt, daid I
Wn mor dgri.

N f ẃn I daid fŭli
I canot se,
N ćenjd intu ɖ corpsʈñ
I am tde,

Yt z it ɖt, ɖo ẃîlñ
Ɖ tîm smhǎ
In wōcñ, tōcñ, smîlñ,
I liv nt nǎ.

CLASICS IN ÑSPEL

Clasics in Ñspel: THE DARKLING THRUSH, by Thomas Hardy

Ɖ DARCLÑ ƮRUŚ

Toṃs Hardi

I lent upn a copisget
Ẃn Frost wz spectr-gre,
N Wintr’z dregz md dezḷt
Ɖ wìc̣nñ î v de.
Ɖ tangld bînstemz scord ɖ scî
Lîc strñz v brocn lairz,
N ol mancînd ɖt hōntd nî
Hd sòt ɖer hǎshold fîrz.

Ɖ land’z śarp fīćrz sīmd t b
Ɖ Snćri’s corps ǎtlent,
Hiz cript ɖ clǎdi caṇpi,
Ɖ wind hiz deʈl’mnt.
Ɖ enćnt puls v jrm n brʈ
Wz śruncn hard n drî,
N evri spirit upn rʈ
Sīmd frvrlis az I.

At wns a vôs arouz amñ
Ɖ blīc twigz oṿhed
In a fl-hartid īvnsoñ
V jô iliṃtd;
An ejid ʈruś, frel, gōnt, n smōl,
In blast-b’rufld plūm,
Hd ćozn ɖus t flñ hiz soul
Upn ɖ growñ glūm.

So litl cōz fr caṛlñz
V sć xtatic sǎnd
Wz ritn on t’restrịl ʈñz
Afar or nî arnd,
Ɖt I cd ʈnc ɖr trembld ʈru
Hiz hapi gdnît er
Sm blesid Hop, ẃr-ov h ń
N I wz un’wer.

CLASICS IN ÑSPEL

Clasics in Ñspel: LET ME ENJOY, by Thomas Hardy

LET MI INJÔ

bî Toṃs Hardi

Mînr Ci

I

Let m injô ɖ rʈ no les
Bcz ɖ ol-inactñ Mît
Ɖt faśnd fʈ its luvlinis
Hd uɖr emz ɖn mî dlît.

II

Abt mî paʈ ɖr flits a Fer,
Hu ʈroz m nt a wrd or sîn;
I’l ćarm m wɖ hr ignorñ er,
N lōd ɖ lips nt mnt fr mîn.

III

Fṛm mańscripts v muvñ soñ
Inspîrd bî sīnz n drīmz uņoun
I’l por ǎt rapćrz ɖt b’loñ
T uɖrz, az ɖe wr mî ǒn.

IV

N sm de hns, twdz Paṛdîs
N ol its blest – f sć śd b –
I wl liſt glad, afar-of îz
Ɖo it cnten no ples fr m.

CLASICS IN ÑSPEL

Clasics in Ñspel: THE VOICE, by Thomas Hardy

Ɖ VÔS

Wmn mć míst, hǎ y cōl t m, cōl t m,

Seyñ ɖt nǎ y r nt az y wr

Ẃn y hd ćenjd fṛm ɖ wn hu wz ol t m,

Bt az at frst, ẃn ǎr de wz fer.

Cn it b y ɖt I hír? Let m vy y, ɖen,

Standñ az ẃn I drù nir t ɖ tǎn

Ẃr y wd wêt fr m: yes, az I ń y ɖen,

Īvn t ɖ orijinl er-blu gǎn!

Or z it onli ɖ brīz, in its listlisnis

Traṿlñ acrs ɖ wet mīd t m hir,

Y biyñ evr dzolvd t won wistlisnis,

Hŕd no mor agn far or nir?

Ɖus I; fōlṭrñ fwd,

Līvz arnd m fōlñ,

Wind ūzñ ʈin ʈru ɖ ʈorn fṛm norẉd,

N ɖ wmn cōlñ.

CLASICS IN ÑSPEL

Clasics in Ñspel: CHANNEL FIRING, by Thomas Hardy

ĆANLFÎRÑ

Ɖt nît yr gret gunz, un’werz,
Śc ol ǎr cofinz az w le,
N brouc ɖ ćānsl windosqerz,
W ʈt it wz ɖ Jujmntde

N sat uprît. Ẃl drirism
Arouz ɖ hǎl v wecnd hǎndz:
Ɖ mǎs let fōl ɖ ōltrcrum,
Ɖ wrmz drù bac intu ɖ mǎndz,

Ɖ glībcǎ drūld. Tl God cōld, “No;
It’s guṇripractis ǎt at sì
Jst az bfr y wnt b’lo;
Ɖ wrld z az it yst t b:

“Ol neśnz strîvñ stroñ t mc
Red wor yt redr. Mad az hatrz
Ɖe d no mor fr Crîsti’z sec
Ɖn y hu r hlplis in sć matrz.

“Ɖt ɖs z nt ɖ jujmnt-aur
Fr sm v ɖm’z a blesid ʈñ,
Fr f it wr ɖ’d hv t scǎr
Hel’z flor fr so mć ʈreṭnñ….

“Ha, ha. It wl b wormr ẃn
I blo ɖ trumpit (f indd
I evr d; fr y r men,
N rest itrnl sorli nīd).”

So dǎn w le agn. “I wundr,
Wl ɖ wrld evr senr b,”
Sd wn, “ɖn ẃn H snt s undr
In ǎr indifṛnt snćri!”

N mni a scelitn śc hiz hed.
“Instd v prīćñ forti yir,”
Mî nebr Parsn Ʈrdli sd,
“I wś I hd stuc t pîps n bir.”

Agn ɖ gunz dstrbd ɖ aur,
Rorñ ɖer redinis t avnj,
Az far inland az Sturtn Tǎr,
Caṃlót, n star-lit Stonhenj.

CLASICS IN ÑSPEL

Clasics in Ñspel: RAIN ON A GRAVE, by Thomas Hardy

REN ON A GREV

Clǎdz spǎt upn hr
Ɖer wōtrz amen
In ruʈlis dsden, –
Hr hu bt lêtli
Hd śivrd wɖ pen
Az at tuć v dsonr
F ɖr hd lit on hr
So coldli, so stretli
Sć aroz v ren:

Wn hu t śltr
Hr delic̣t hed
Wd qcn n qcn
Ć tnttiv tréd
F drops ćanst t plt hr
Ɖt sumrtîm spilz
In dust-pevn rilz
Ẃn ʈundrclǎdz ʈicn
N brdz cloz ɖer bílz.

Wd ɖt I le ɖr
N ś wr hǎzd hir!
Or betr, tgɖr
Wr foldd awe ɖr
Xpozd t wn weɖr
W bʈ, – hu wd stre ɖr
Ẃn súni ɖ de ɖr,
Or īvnñ wz clir
At ɖ prîm v ɖ yir.

Sn wl b growñ
Grīn bledz fṛm hr mǎnd,
N deiziz b śowñ
Lîc starz on ɖ grǎnd,
Tl ś form part v ɖm –
Ai – ɖ swīt hart v ɖm,
Luvd bynd meźr
Wɖ a ćîld’z pleźr
Ol hr lîf’s rǎnd.

CLASICS IN ÑSPEL