ALL dat week was cold an’ dreary,
\nAn’ I worked wid heavy heart;
\nAll my limbs were weak an’ weary,
\nWhen I knew that we would part;
\nAn’ I thought of our first meeting
\nOn dat pleasant day o’ June,
\nOf his kind an’ modest greeting
\nWhen we met dat afternoon;<\/p>\n
Of de c\u00e1price o’ de weader,
\nHow de harsh rain fell dat day,
\nHow we kissed de book togeder,
\nAn’ our hearts were light an’ gay;
\nHow we started homewards drivin’,
\nLast civilian drive in train;
\nHow we half-feared de arrivin’,
\nKnowin’ we were not free again;<\/p>\n
How we feared do’n to de layin’
\nBy of our loved old-time dress,
\nAn’ to each udder kept sayin’
\nAll might be unhappiness;
\nHow our lives be’n full o’ gladness,
\nDrillin’ wid hearts light an’ free;
\nHow for days all would be sadness
\nWhen we quarrelled foolishly.<\/p>\n
An’ de sad, glad recollection
\nBrought a strange thrill to my soul,
\n‘Memberin’ how his affection
\nGave joy in a barren wul’:
\nAs I thought then, my mind goin’
\nBack to mem’ries, oh! so dear,
\nAs I felt de burden growin’,
\nJes’ so shall I write it here.<\/p>\n
We were once more on de drill-ground,
\nMe so happy by his side,
\nOne in passion, one in will, bound
\nBy a boundless love an’ wide:
\nDaily you would see us drinkin’
\nOur tea by de mess-room door,
\nEvery passin’ moment linkin’
\nUs togeder more an’ more.<\/p>\n
After little lazy leanin’,
\nSittin’ on de window-sill,
\nMe would start our carbine-cleanin’
\nFor de eight o’clock big drill :
\nTo’ me he be’n always ready,
\nAn’ as smart as smart could be;
\nHe was always quick, yet steady,
\nNot of wav’rin’ min’ like me.<\/p>\n
When de time was awful dull in
\nDe ole borin’ Depot-school,
\nAn’ me face was changed an’ sullen,
\nAn’ I kicked against de rule,
\nHe would speak to me so sweetly,
\nTellin’ me to bear my fate,
\nAn’ his lovin’ words completely
\nHelped me to forget de hate.<\/p>\n
An’ my heart would start a-pinin’
\nEf, when one o’clock came roun’,
\nHe was not beside me dinin’,
\nBut be’n at some duty boun’:
\nNot a t’ing could sweet me eatin’,
\nWid my Bennie ‘way from me;
\nStrangely would my heart be beatin’
\nTell I knew dat he was free.<\/p>\n
When at last he came to table,
\nNeider one could ever bate
\nTell in some way we were able
\nTo eke out each udder plate:
\nAll me t’oughts were of my frennie
\nThen an’ in de after days;
\nNe’er can I forget my Bennie
\nWid him nice an’ pleasant ways.<\/p>\n
In de evenin’ we went walkin’, Where de rushin’ canal waters Back to barracks slowly strollin’,[3]<\/sup><\/a> So we passed ‘long, half unwillin’, We mixed in de tumult, waitin’ Claspin’ of our hands togeder, Once his cot was next beside me, To’ we tu’n good, came de warnin’ In a jiffy we were washin’, So we spent five months togeder, All dat week was cold an’ dreary, In de dim light I lay thinkin’ Gently fell the moonbeams, kissin’ ‘Twas de same decisive warnin’ Hands gripped tight, but not a tear fell Gone he, de little sunshine o’ my life,
\nAn’ de sweet sound of his voice,
\nAs we laughed or kept a-talkin’,
\nMade my lovin’ heart rejoice:
\nFull of happiness we strolled on,
\nIn de closin’ evenin’ light,
\nWhere de stately Cobre[1]<\/sup><\/a> rolled on
\nGurglin’, murm’rin’ in de night;<\/p>\n
\nSplashed t’rough fields of manchinic,[2]<\/sup><\/a>
\nWid deir younger tender daughters
\nGrow’n’ togeder, lush an’ t’ick,
\nBound’ de mudder tall an’ slimber
\nWid her scalloped leaves o’ blue,
\nIn de evenin’ light a-limber,
\nOr a-tossin’ to an’ fro.<\/p>\n
\nLeavin’ de enticin’ soun’
\nO’ de Cobre proudly rollin’
\nT’rough de old deserted town ;
\nPas’ de level well-kept meadows
\nO’ de spacious prison-land,
\nWhere de twilight’s fallin’ shadows
\nScattered at de moon’s command.<\/p>\n
\nT’rough de yawnin’ barrack-gate,
\nOur poo’ hearts wid disdain fillin’
\nO’ de life we’d larnt to hate;
\nVisions of a turgid ocean
\nOf our comrades’ noise an’ woes,
\nAn’ a ne\u2019er-ceasin’ commotion
\nSorrowfully ‘fo’ us rose.<\/p>\n
\nFe de moment o’ release,
\nDe disorder never ‘batin’,
\nNever ‘batin’ in de leas’;
\nWid de anger in us growin’,
\nWe grew vexed from black to blue,
\nAll de hot blood t’rough us flowin’,
\nAs we hungered for tattoo.
\nWhile some o’ de men were strong in
\nRum o’ Wray an’ Nephew fame,
\nWe sat do’n wid ceaseless longin’
\nTill at last de tattoo came:
\nJes’ then we were no more snappy,
\nBut be’n even in fe fun ;
\nOnce again we felt quite happy
\nAfter de roll-call was done.<\/p>\n
\nEach to each we told good-night,
\nDreamed soon o’ life’s broken ledder
\nAn’ de wul’s perplexin’ fight,
\nOf de many souls a-weepin’
\nBurdened do’n wid care an’ strife,
\nWhile we sweetly lay a-sleepin’,
\nYet would grumble ’bout our life.<\/p>\n
\nBut dere came misfortune’s day
\nWhen de pleasure was denied me,
\nFor de sergeant moved him ‘way:
\nI played not fe mind de movin’
\nThough me heart wid grief be’n full;
\n‘Twas but one kin’ o’ de provin’
\nO’ de ways o’ dis ya wul’.[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n
\nO’ de rousin’ bugle-soun’,
\nAn’ you’d see us soon a marnin’
\nTo de bat’-house hurryin’ down,
\nLeavin’ udders yawnin’, fumblin’,
\nWid deir limbs all stiff an’ ole,
\nOr ‘pon stretchin’ out an’ grumblin’,
\nSay’n’ de water be’n too col’.<\/p>\n
\nJeerin’ dem, de lazy type,
\nAll about us water dashin’
\nOut o’ de ole-fashion’ pipe:
\nIn a lee while we were endin’,
\nDere was not much time to kill,
\nArms an’ bay’nets wanted tendin’
\nTo’ de soon-a-marnin’ drill.<\/p>\n
\nHe was ever staunch an’ true
\nIn sunshine or rainy weader,
\nNo mind what wrong I would do:
\nBut dere came de sad heart-rendin’
\nNews dat he must part from me,
\nAn’ I nursed my sorrow, bendin’
\nTo de grim necessity.<\/p>\n
\nAn’ I worked wid heavy heart;
\nAll my limbs were weak an’ weary
\nWhen I knew dat we would part;
\nAll de fond hopes, all de gladness
\nDrooped an’ faded from our sight,
\nAn’ an overwhelmin’ sadness
\nCame do’n on de partin’ night.<\/p>\n
\nHow dat sad night was our last,
\nMy lone spirit weakly sinkin’
\n‘Neat’ de mem’ries o’ de past:
\nAs I thought in deepest sorrow,
\nHe came, sat do’n by my side,
\nSpeakin’ o’ de dreaded morrow
\nAn’ de flow o’ life’s dark tide.<\/p>\n
\n‘Way de hot tears streamin’ free,
\nWhile de wind outside went hissin’
\nAn’ a-moanin’ for poor me:
\nThen he rose, but after bended,
\nBiddin’ me a last good-bye;
\nTo his cot his steps he wended,
\nAn’ I heard a deep-drawn sigh.<\/p>\n
\nWakin’ us as in de past,
\nAn’ we both washed soon a marnin’
\n‘Neat’ de ole pipe fe de last;
\nWe be’n filled wid hollow laughter,
\nRather tryin’ to take heart,
\nBut de grief returned when after
\nCame de moment fe depart.<\/p>\n
\nAs I looked into his face,
\nSaid de final word o’ farewell,
\nAn’ returned back to my place :
\nAt my desk I sat me dry-eyed,
\nSometimes gave a low-do’n moan,
\nAn’ at moments came a sigh sighed
\nFor my Bennie dat was gone.<\/p>\n
\nLeavin’ me ‘lone to de Dep\u00f3t’s black strife,
\nDear little comrade o’ lecture an’ drill,
\nLoved comrade, like me of true stubborn will:
\nOft, in de light o’ de fast sinkin’ sun,
\nWe’d frolic togeder aroun’ de big gun;
\nOft would he laughingly run after me,
\nChasin’ me over de wide Depot lea;
\nOft would he teach me de folly o’ pride
\nWhen, me half-vexed, he would sit by my side;
\nNow all is blackness t’rough night an’ t’rough day,
\nFor my heart’s weary now Bennie’s away.<\/p>\n