{"id":43,"date":"2021-06-14T10:52:18","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T14:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/claudemckay\/?post_type=chapter&p=43"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:45:09","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T13:45:09","slug":"jim-at-sixteen","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/chapter\/jim-at-sixteen\/","title":{"raw":"Jim at Sixteen","rendered":"Jim at Sixteen"},"content":{"raw":"Corpy,[footnote]From McKay's glossary: \"corpy: corporal\"[\/footnote] it pinch me so,\r\nDe bloomin' ole handcuff;\r\nA dun no warra mek[footnote]I don't know what made[\/footnote]\r\nYou put it on so rough.\r\n\r\nMany a p\u00f3liceman\r\nHab come to dis before;\r\nDem slip same like a[footnote]This intrusive 'a' is common. 'Like' has the pronunciation of French lac[\/footnote] me,\r\nAn' pass t'rough lock-up door.[footnote]The door of the lock-up[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nMumma, no bodder[footnote]Do not bother (trouble) to cry \u2014i.e., do not cry[\/footnote] cry,\r\nIt should an[footnote]Intrusive again[\/footnote] hotter be;\r\nI wouldn' heed you when\r\nYou use'[footnote]Used[\/footnote] fe talk to me.\r\n\r\nI run[footnote]Ran[\/footnote] away from you\r\nSame as I tu'n out school,[footnote]As soon as I left school[\/footnote]\r\n'Caus'n a didn' want\r\nTo stan' under no rule.[footnote]To be under discipline[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nAn' though you send[footnote]Sent[\/footnote] fe me,\r\nA wouldn' face de home;\r\nYet still dem[footnote]The police[\/footnote] find you quick\r\nSame as de trouble come.[footnote]When the trouble came[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nMumma, I know quite well\r\nYou' lub fe me is 'trong;\r\nYet still you don't a go\r\nJoin wid me in a wrong.[footnote]You are not going to back me up in wrongdoing[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nAn' so I won't beg you\r\nTo pay fe[footnote]The fine[\/footnote] me to-day;\r\nI'll bear me punishment,[footnote]And go to prison[\/footnote]\r\n'Twill teach me to obey\r\n\r\n* * * * * * * * * *\r\n\r\nMumma, you' Jim get 'way\r\nAn' come back home[footnote]Has got off and comes home[\/footnote] to you,\r\nAn' ask[footnote]Asks[\/footnote] you to forgive\r\nHim all o' whe' him do.[footnote]All he has done. Whe' = what[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nI want you to feget\r\nDat I disgrace de name,\r\nAn' cause de ole fam'ly[footnote]Pronounce fahmly[\/footnote]\r\nTo look 'pon me wid shame.\r\n\r\nYou come an' beg de judge\r\nBefore dem call fe me,[footnote]You came and begged the magistrate before my case was brought[\/footnote]\r\nAn' walk by de back gate,\r\nT'inkin' I wouldn' see.\r\n\r\nBut 'fore him let me go,\r\nHim lectur' me, mumma,\r\nTellin' me how I mus'\r\nTry no fe bruk de law.[footnote]Telling me I must take care not to break the law. Pronounce lah[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nMumma, I feel it, but\r\nNo eye-water caan' drop:\r\nYet I wish dat it could,\r\nFor me breat' partly 'top.[footnote]He means, that the lump in his throat is more painful than tears[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nSo, mumma, I come back\r\nAgain to be your boy,\r\nAn' ever as before\r\nTo fill you' heart wid joy.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nNOTE BY THE AUTHOR. \u2014On Friday I went to Court on duty for the third time since my enlistment. I happened to escort a prisoner, a stalwart young fellow, and as I was putting on the handcuff, which was rather small, it pinched him badly, making a raw wound. And yet he was so patient, saying he knew that I could not help it. Although it was accidentally done, I felt so sad and ashamed. The above poem grew out of this incident.","rendered":"

Corpy,[1]<\/sup><\/a> it pinch me so,
\nDe bloomin’ ole handcuff;
\nA dun no warra mek[2]<\/sup><\/a>
\nYou put it on so rough.<\/p>\n

Many a p\u00f3liceman
\nHab come to dis before;
\nDem slip same like a[3]<\/sup><\/a> me,
\nAn’ pass t’rough lock-up door.[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Mumma, no bodder[5]<\/sup><\/a> cry,
\nIt should an[6]<\/sup><\/a> hotter be;
\nI wouldn’ heed you when
\nYou use’[7]<\/sup><\/a> fe talk to me.<\/p>\n

I run[8]<\/sup><\/a> away from you
\nSame as I tu’n out school,[9]<\/sup><\/a>
\n‘Caus’n a didn’ want
\nTo stan’ under no rule.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

An’ though you send[11]<\/sup><\/a> fe me,
\nA wouldn’ face de home;
\nYet still dem[12]<\/sup><\/a> find you quick
\nSame as de trouble come.[13]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Mumma, I know quite well
\nYou’ lub fe me is ‘trong;
\nYet still you don’t a go
\nJoin wid me in a wrong.[14]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

An’ so I won’t beg you
\nTo pay fe[15]<\/sup><\/a> me to-day;
\nI’ll bear me punishment,[16]<\/sup><\/a>
\n‘Twill teach me to obey<\/p>\n

* * * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n

Mumma, you’ Jim get ‘way
\nAn’ come back home[17]<\/sup><\/a> to you,
\nAn’ ask[18]<\/sup><\/a> you to forgive
\nHim all o’ whe’ him do.[19]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

I want you to feget
\nDat I disgrace de name,
\nAn’ cause de ole fam’ly[20]<\/sup><\/a>
\nTo look ‘pon me wid shame.<\/p>\n

You come an’ beg de judge
\nBefore dem call fe me,[21]<\/sup><\/a>
\nAn’ walk by de back gate,
\nT’inkin’ I wouldn’ see.<\/p>\n

But ‘fore him let me go,
\nHim lectur’ me, mumma,
\nTellin’ me how I mus’
\nTry no fe bruk de law.[22]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Mumma, I feel it, but
\nNo eye-water caan’ drop:
\nYet I wish dat it could,
\nFor me breat’ partly ‘top.[23]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

So, mumma, I come back
\nAgain to be your boy,
\nAn’ ever as before
\nTo fill you’ heart wid joy.<\/p>\n

\n

NOTE BY THE AUTHOR. \u2014On Friday I went to Court on duty for the third time since my enlistment. I happened to escort a prisoner, a stalwart young fellow, and as I was putting on the handcuff, which was rather small, it pinched him badly, making a raw wound. And yet he was so patient, saying he knew that I could not help it. Although it was accidentally done, I felt so sad and ashamed. The above poem grew out of this incident.<\/p>\n

  1. From McKay's glossary: \"corpy: corporal\" ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. I don't know what made ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. This intrusive 'a' is common. 'Like' has the pronunciation of French lac ↵<\/a><\/li>
  4. The door of the lock-up ↵<\/a><\/li>
  5. Do not bother (trouble) to cry \u2014i.e., do not cry ↵<\/a><\/li>
  6. Intrusive again ↵<\/a><\/li>
  7. Used ↵<\/a><\/li>
  8. Ran ↵<\/a><\/li>
  9. As soon as I left school ↵<\/a><\/li>
  10. To be under discipline ↵<\/a><\/li>
  11. Sent ↵<\/a><\/li>
  12. The police ↵<\/a><\/li>
  13. When the trouble came ↵<\/a><\/li>
  14. You are not going to back me up in wrongdoing ↵<\/a><\/li>
  15. The fine ↵<\/a><\/li>
  16. And go to prison ↵<\/a><\/li>
  17. Has got off and comes home ↵<\/a><\/li>
  18. Asks ↵<\/a><\/li>
  19. All he has done. Whe' = what ↵<\/a><\/li>
  20. Pronounce fahmly ↵<\/a><\/li>
  21. You came and begged the magistrate before my case was brought ↵<\/a><\/li>
  22. Telling me I must take care not to break the law. Pronounce lah ↵<\/a><\/li>
  23. He means, that the lump in his throat is more painful than tears ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-43","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\/43","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":3,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/revisions\/163"}],"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\/43\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}