{"id":101,"date":"2021-06-15T11:32:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T15:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/claudemckay\/?post_type=chapter&p=101"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:51:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T13:51:17","slug":"heart-stirrings","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/chapter\/heart-stirrings\/","title":{"raw":"Heart-Stirrings","rendered":"Heart-Stirrings"},"content":{"raw":"You axe me as de bell begin fe 'trike,\r\nMe Mikey, ef de wuk a didn' like;\r\nDe queshton, like de bell, soun' in me heart\r\nSame how de anvil usual mek me 'tart.[footnote]Just as the sound of an anvil-the speaker was a blacksmith\u2014makes me start and arouses disagreeable recollections, so does your question[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nYou's a chil'[footnote]Child[\/footnote] an' know naught 'bout de wul' yet,\r\nBut you'll grow an' larn t'ings you won't feget;\r\nYou lub you' life, an' t'ink dere's nuttin' better,\r\nYet all you' pickny dream dem soon will 'ketter.[footnote]Scatter[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nTek me advice ya, chil', an' as you grow\r\nDon't choose a wuk dat you no like: aldough\r\nYou might see money in o' it, at lengt'\r\nYou will get tired o' it an' repent.\r\n\r\nA suffer, but I t'ink it mek me wise;\r\nIt wasn' fe de money 'trike me yeyes,[footnote]It wasn't the attraction of the high wages[\/footnote]\r\nBut \"water mo' 'an flour\"[footnote]\"Beggars can't be choosers.\" The reference is to dumplings made with too much water[\/footnote] is true wud,\r\nAn' eye-water run too long tu'n to blood.[footnote]This means that he (the speaker) was unhappy at home[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nHard life caan' kill me, but annoyance might,\r\nMe lub me right, an' fe it me wi' fight:\r\nMe wi' lef beef fe nyam an' choose cow-lung,\r\nFe sabe meself from an annoying tongue.[footnote]Prov xv. 17; xvii. I.[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nBut sometime', chil', you jump from fryin'-pan\r\n'Traight in a fire; an', try as you can,\r\nYou caan' come out, but always wishin' den\r\nFe get back in de fryin'-pan again.\r\n\r\nOle Buccra Dabis, libing easy life,\r\nOne night get mad an' kill himself an' wife;\r\nDen we hear t'ings we neber be'n know yet,\r\nDe b'uccra man was ears an' han's in debt.\r\n\r\nMiss Laura lean back in her rockin'-chair\r\nSo sweet dat we might jes' t'ink she no care\r\n'Bout naught; yet some say dat 'cos she caan' get\r\nMas' Charley fe him husban' she deh fret.\r\n\r\nDat's how life 'tan',[footnote]Stands=is[\/footnote] me chiI'; dere is somet'ing\r\nDeep down in we dat you can neber bring\r\nPeople, howeber wise, fe understan':\r\nCaan' feel man heart same how you feel dem han'.\r\n\r\nFe lub, me chil', lub wha' you natur' hate![footnote]If you try to make yourself love what your nature hates. This line is partly an exclamation, partly an interrogation[\/footnote] \u2014\r\nYou'll live in misery, prayin' hard fe fait',\r\nWhich won't come eben ef you 'crub you' knees\r\nIn fifty quart o' corn an' lady-peas.[footnote]Black-eye peas[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nFe hate a t'ing you whole min' come in one:\r\nYou try fe keep it[footnote]The hatred[\/footnote] back much as you can,\r\nBut\" flesh caan' conquer 'perit\" Bible say,\r\nYou hab fe give it up,[footnote]Give up trying[\/footnote] an' den 'top pray.\r\n\r\nMe carry hell, me chit', in a me ches',\r\nMe laugh, me cry, me couldn' get no res' ;\r\nEat all de same an' neber fatter less[footnote]Less fat[\/footnote]\r\nDan now, aldough me min' was so distress'.\r\n\r\nAn' though a feel it hard, a wouldn' fret;\r\nMe min' don't mek so, but it eber set\r\nFe conquer, yet it couldn' wash away\r\nDe t'oughts dem dat come 'tronger ebery day.\r\n\r\nYou 'stan',[footnote]Do you understand?[\/footnote] me chil'? I caan' explain it mo' :\r\nLife funny bad, so is de ways also;\r\nFor what we fink is right is often wrong,\r\nWe live in sorrow as we journey 'long.","rendered":"

You axe me as de bell begin fe ‘trike,
\nMe Mikey, ef de wuk a didn’ like;
\nDe queshton, like de bell, soun’ in me heart
\nSame how de anvil usual mek me ‘tart.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

You’s a chil’[2]<\/sup><\/a> an’ know naught ’bout de wul’ yet,
\nBut you’ll grow an’ larn t’ings you won’t feget;
\nYou lub you’ life, an’ t’ink dere’s nuttin’ better,
\nYet all you’ pickny dream dem soon will ‘ketter.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Tek me advice ya, chil’, an’ as you grow
\nDon’t choose a wuk dat you no like: aldough
\nYou might see money in o’ it, at lengt’
\nYou will get tired o’ it an’ repent.<\/p>\n

A suffer, but I t’ink it mek me wise;
\nIt wasn’ fe de money ‘trike me yeyes,[4]<\/sup><\/a>
\nBut “water mo’ ‘an flour”[5]<\/sup><\/a> is true wud,
\nAn’ eye-water run too long tu’n to blood.[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Hard life caan’ kill me, but annoyance might,
\nMe lub me right, an’ fe it me wi’ fight:
\nMe wi’ lef beef fe nyam an’ choose cow-lung,
\nFe sabe meself from an annoying tongue.[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

But sometime’, chil’, you jump from fryin’-pan
\n‘Traight in a fire; an’, try as you can,
\nYou caan’ come out, but always wishin’ den
\nFe get back in de fryin’-pan again.<\/p>\n

Ole Buccra Dabis, libing easy life,
\nOne night get mad an’ kill himself an’ wife;
\nDen we hear t’ings we neber be’n know yet,
\nDe b’uccra man was ears an’ han’s in debt.<\/p>\n

Miss Laura lean back in her rockin’-chair
\nSo sweet dat we might jes’ t’ink she no care
\n‘Bout naught; yet some say dat ‘cos she caan’ get
\nMas’ Charley fe him husban’ she deh fret.<\/p>\n

Dat’s how life ‘tan’,[8]<\/sup><\/a> me chiI’; dere is somet’ing
\nDeep down in we dat you can neber bring
\nPeople, howeber wise, fe understan’:
\nCaan’ feel man heart same how you feel dem han’.<\/p>\n

Fe lub, me chil’, lub wha’ you natur’ hate![9]<\/sup><\/a> \u2014
\nYou’ll live in misery, prayin’ hard fe fait’,
\nWhich won’t come eben ef you ‘crub you’ knees
\nIn fifty quart o’ corn an’ lady-peas.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Fe hate a t’ing you whole min’ come in one:
\nYou try fe keep it[11]<\/sup><\/a> back much as you can,
\nBut” flesh caan’ conquer ‘perit” Bible say,
\nYou hab fe give it up,[12]<\/sup><\/a> an’ den ‘top pray.<\/p>\n

Me carry hell, me chit’, in a me ches’,
\nMe laugh, me cry, me couldn’ get no res’ ;
\nEat all de same an’ neber fatter less[13]<\/sup><\/a>
\nDan now, aldough me min’ was so distress’.<\/p>\n

An’ though a feel it hard, a wouldn’ fret;
\nMe min’ don’t mek so, but it eber set
\nFe conquer, yet it couldn’ wash away
\nDe t’oughts dem dat come ‘tronger ebery day.<\/p>\n

You ‘stan’,[14]<\/sup><\/a> me chil’? I caan’ explain it mo’ :
\nLife funny bad, so is de ways also;
\nFor what we fink is right is often wrong,
\nWe live in sorrow as we journey ‘long.<\/p>\n

  1. Just as the sound of an anvil-the speaker was a blacksmith\u2014makes me start and arouses disagreeable recollections, so does your question ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. Child ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. Scatter ↵<\/a><\/li>
  4. It wasn't the attraction of the high wages ↵<\/a><\/li>
  5. \"Beggars can't be choosers.\" The reference is to dumplings made with too much water ↵<\/a><\/li>
  6. This means that he (the speaker) was unhappy at home ↵<\/a><\/li>
  7. Prov xv. 17; xvii. I. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  8. Stands=is ↵<\/a><\/li>
  9. If you try to make yourself love what your nature hates. This line is partly an exclamation, partly an interrogation ↵<\/a><\/li>
  10. Black-eye peas ↵<\/a><\/li>
  11. The hatred ↵<\/a><\/li>
  12. Give up trying ↵<\/a><\/li>
  13. Less fat ↵<\/a><\/li>
  14. Do you understand? ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":25,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-101","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/101\/revisions\/102"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/101\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=101"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=101"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}