BRER RABBIT FINDS THE MOON IN THE MILL POND
Oh, one bright day in de middle er May,Brer Rabbit wuz feelin’ fine;He tuck ter de road, an’ never know’dDe place whar he wuz gwine!
“Oh, fur an’ free,” sezee, “siree,No gal kin change my min’!”Brer Tarrypin, sly, he wunk one eye,Un’neat’ his green-gourd vine!
He holla an’ say, “Whar you gwine dis day,Wid yo’ pipe an’ walkin’-cane?”Brer Rabbit wave his han’ like a gal do her fan—“My heart’s ’bout ter bust wid pain;
“I’m a heap too nice, I ain’t laugh’d but twiceSence de big Jinawary rain;My day’ll be done ef I don’t have some fun—Dey’ll call me Sunday-Jane!
“I’ll git sollumcholic ef I don’t have a frolic,My head’ll git flabby an’ swink;I chaw de pine-bud, kaze I’m ’bout ter lose my cudAn’ some nights I don’t sleep a wink!
“Ef I has ter set still, oh, I’ll w’ar de green willow,An’ go in mo’nin’ wid de Mink!But I bet you a hat dat ’fo’ I does dat,I’ll show um all a new kink!”
So, off he put, on his nimbles’ foot,Wid a grin, a laugh, an’ a cough;Ter Miss Motts an’ Miss Meadows, an’ all de udders,He tell what ’uz gwineter come off!
’Twuz a mill-pon’ fishin’, an’ he lef um a-wishin’Dat de win’ don’t blow fum de norf!An’ de creeturs all, bofe long an’ tall—An’ dem no bigger dan a dwarf—
Brer Wolf an’ Brer B’ar,—all say dey’d be dar,An’ dey promise fer ter fetch a seine;Dey ’gree ter de day, an’ Brer Rabbit sayDat dey don’t hatter come ef it rain;
So said, so done, an’ when de time come,De big road ez well ez de laneWuz filled wid a crowd, all talkin’ out loud,An’ a-prankin’ wid might an’ main!
Brer Rabbit wuz dar, wid Miss Molly Har’,A-waitin’ fer de fun ter begin;He shuck his shank, an’ went ter de bank,An’ make like he gwineter jump in!
But de sight dat he saw made ’im drap his jaw,An’ break up a great big grin!He sez ter Brer Coon, “Run here an’ see de Moon!A-floatin’ widout a fin!.”
He look ag’in—“She sho fell in,An’ we got ter git her out;Ef she stays in de pon’, it’s ’good-bye, John!’An’ uv dat dey ain’t no doubt;
“We got ter have light when we play at night,Fer ter see how ter git about;We’ll drag wid de seine—ef we don’t drag in vain,We’ll have good reason ter shout!”
But when it come ter seinin’, dar wuz some complainin’Bout who wuz ter do it all,Dey all make out dat dey wanter wade out,But it fell on dem dat wuz tall:
Brer B’ar, he laugh, ez he tuck a staff,Brer Wolf say he fear’d he’d fall,But he tuck his place wid a mighty wry face,An’ when dey ’gun ter haul.
“Oh, you better bet dis water’s wet!I feel des like a sponge!”An’ den dey all, wid a kick an’ a squall,Wid a squeal an’ den a lunge,
Grabbed at de water—which dey hadn’t oughterWent over der heads wid a splunge;Brer Rabbit bent double, “Oh, all er yo’ troubleFills me full er fun-unj-unj!”
