Lyrical Ballads, With a Few Other Poems (1798) Part 11

And Betty's standing at the door, And Betty's face with joy o'erflows, Proud of herself, and proud of him, She sees him in his travelling trim; How quietly her Johnny goes.

The silence of her idiot boy, What hopes it sends to Betty's heart!

He's at the guide-post--he turns right, She watches till he's out of sight, And Betty will not then depart.

Burr, burr--now Johnny's lips they burr, As loud as any mill, or near it, Meek as a lamb the pony moves, And Johnny makes the noise he loves, And Betty listens, glad to hear it.

Away she hies to Susan Gale: And Johnny's in a merry tune, The owlets hoot, the owlets curr, And Johnny's lips they burr, burr, burr, And on he goes beneath the moon.

His steed and he right well agree, For of this pony there's a rumour, That should he lose his eyes and ears, And should he live a thousand years, He never will be out of humour.

But then he is a horse that thinks!

And when he thinks his pace is slack; Now, though he knows poor Johnny well, Yet for his life he cannot tell What he has got upon his back.

So through the moonlight lanes they go, And far into the moonlight dale, And by the church, and o'er the down, To bring a doctor from the town, To comfort poor old Susan Gale.

And Betty, now at Susan's side, Is in the middle of her story, What comfort Johnny soon will bring, With many a most diverting thing, Of Johnny's wit and Johnny's glory.

And Betty's still at Susan's side: By this time she's not quite so flurried; Demure with porringer and plate She sits, as if in Susan's fate Her life and soul were buried.

But Betty, poor good woman! she, You plainly in her face may read it, Could lend out of that moment's store Five years of happiness or more, To any that might need it.

But yet I guess that now and then With Betty all was not so well, And to the road she turns her ears, And thence full many a sound she hears, Which she to Susan will not tell.

Poor Susan moans, poor Susan groans, "As sure as there's a moon in heaven,"

Cries Betty, "he'll be back again; "They'll both be here, 'tis almost ten, "They'll both be here before eleven."

Poor Susan moans, poor Susan groans, The clock gives warning for eleven; 'Tis on the stroke--"If Johnny's near,"

Quoth Betty "he will soon be here, "As sure as there's a moon in heaven."

The clock is on the stroke of twelve, And Johnny is not yet in sight, The moon's in heaven, as Betty sees, But Betty is not quite at ease; And Susan has a dreadful night.

And Betty, half an hour ago, On Johnny vile reflections cast; "A little idle sauntering thing!"

With other names, an endless string, But now that time is gone and past.

And Betty's drooping at the heart, That happy time all past and gone, "How can it be he is so late?

"The doctor he has made him wait, "Susan! they'll both be here anon."

And Susan's growing worse and worse, And Betty's in a sad quandary; And then there's n.o.body to say If she must go or she must stay: --She's in a sad quandary.

The clock is on the stroke of one; But neither Doctor nor his guide Appear along the moonlight road, There's neither horse nor man abroad, And Betty's still at Susan's side.

And Susan she begins to fear Of sad mischances not a few, That Johnny may perhaps be drown'd, Or lost perhaps, and never found; Which they must both for ever rue.

She prefaced half a hint of this With, "G.o.d forbid it should be true!"

At the first word that Susan said Cried Betty, rising from the bed, "Susan, I'd gladly stay with you.

"I must be gone, I must away, "Consider, Johnny's but half-wise; "Susan, we must take care of him, "If he is hurt in life or limb"-- "Oh G.o.d forbid!" poor Susan cries.

"What can I do?" says Betty, going, "What can I do to ease your pain?

"Good Susan tell me, and I'll stay; "I fear you're in a dreadful way, "But I shall soon be back again."

"Good Betty go, good Betty go, "There's nothing that can ease my pain."

Then off she hies, but with a prayer That G.o.d poor Susan's life would spare, Till she comes back again.

So, through the moonlight lane she goes, And far into the moonlight dale; And how she ran, and how she walked, And all that to herself she talked, Would surely be a tedious tale.

In high and low, above, below, In great and small, in round and square, In tree and tower was Johnny seen, In bush and brake, in black and green, 'Twas Johnny, Johnny, every where.

She's past the bridge that's in the dale, And now the thought torments her sore, Johnny perhaps his horse forsook, To hunt the moon that's in the brook, And never will be heard of more.

And now she's high upon the down, Alone amid a prospect wide; There's neither Johnny nor his horse, Among the fern or in the gorse; There's neither doctor nor his guide.

"Oh saints! what is become of him?

"Perhaps he's climbed into an oak, "Where he will stay till he is dead; "Or sadly he has been misled, "And joined the wandering gypsey-folk.

"Or him that wicked pony's carried "To the dark cave, the goblins' hall, "Or in the castle he's pursuing, "Among the ghosts, his own undoing; "Or playing with the waterfall."

At poor old Susan then she railed, While to the town she posts away; "If Susan had not been so ill, "Alas! I should have had him still, "My Johnny, till my dying day."

Poor Betty! in this sad distemper, The doctor's self would hardly spare, Unworthy things she talked and wild, Even he, of cattle the most mild, The pony had his share.

And now she's got into the town, And to the doctor's door she hies; Tis silence all on every side; The town so long, the town so wide, Is silent as the skies.

And now she's at the doctor's door, She lifts the knocker, rap, rap, rap, The doctor at the cas.e.m.e.nt shews, His glimmering eyes that peep and doze; And one hand rubs his old night-cap.

"Oh Doctor! Doctor! where's my Johnny?"

"I'm here, what is't you want with me?"

"Oh Sir! you know I'm Betty Foy, "And I have lost my poor dear boy, "You know him--him you often see;

"He's not so wise as some folks be,"

"The devil take his wisdom!" said The Doctor, looking somewhat grim, "What, woman! should I know of him?"

And, grumbling, he went back to bed.

"O woe is me! O woe is me!

"Here will I die; here will I die; "I thought to find my Johnny here, "But he is neither far nor near, "Oh! what a wretched mother I!"

She stops, she stands, she looks about, Which way to turn she cannot tell.

Poor Betty! it would ease her pain If she had heart to knock again; --The clock strikes three--a dismal knell!

Then up along the town she hies, No wonder if her senses fail, This piteous news so much it shock'd her, She quite forgot to send the Doctor, To comfort poor old Susan Gale.

And now she's high upon the down, And she can see a mile of road, "Oh cruel! I'm almost three-score; "Such night as this was ne'er before, "There's not a single soul abroad."

She listens, but she cannot hear The foot of horse, the voice of man; The streams with softest sound are flowing, The gra.s.s you almost hear it growing, You hear it now if e'er you can.

The owlets through the long blue night Are shouting to each other still: Fond lovers, yet not quite hob n.o.b, They lengthen out the tremulous sob, That echoes far from hill to hill.

Poor Betty now has lost all hope, Her thoughts are bent on deadly sin; A green-grown pond she just has pa.s.s'd, And from the brink she hurries fast, Lest she should drown herself therein.