Songs of the Ridings by F. W. Moorman: Telling the Bees

Songs of the Ridings

Telling the Bees

On many Yorkshire farms it was perhaps still is the custom
to tell the bees when a death had taken place in the family.
The hive had to be put into mourning, and when the arval,
or funeral feast, was held, after the return from the grave,
small portions of everything eaten or drunk had to be given
to the bees in a saucer. Failure to do this meant either the
death or departure of the bees.

Whisht! laatle bees, sad tidings I bear,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low ;
Cauld i' his grave ligs your maister dear,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.
Nea mair he'll ride to t' soond o' t' horn,
Nea mair he'll fettle his sickle for t' corn.
Nea mair he'll coom to your skep of a morn,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.

Muther sits cryin' i' t' ingle nook,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low ;
Parson's anent her wi' t' Holy Book,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.
T' mourners are coom, an' t' arval is spread,
Cakes fresh frae t' yoon, an' fine havver-bread.
But toom' is t' seat at t' table-head,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.

Look, conny bees, I's winndin' black crape,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low ;
Slowly an' sadly your skep I mun drape,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.
Else you will sicken an' dwine reet away,
Heart-brokken bees, now your maister is clay ;
Or, mebbe, you'l leave us wi' t' dawn o' t' day,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.

Sitha! I bring you your share o' our feast,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low;
Cakes an' yal an' wine you mun taste,
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.
Gie some to t' queen on her gowlden throne,
There's foison to feed both worker an' drone ;
Oh ! dean't let us fend for oursels alone ;
Bees, bees, murmurin' low.

Notes (arranged alphabetically)

Anent : beside
Arval : funeral tea
Conny : darling (M); small and neat, nice, attractive
Dwine : waste (M); lose strength, dwindle
Fettle : clean up, prepare, sharpen
Foison : plenty
Havver-bread. : oat-cake
Ingle nook : alcove by an open fire
Ligs : lies
Mun : must
Sitha! : look here!
Skep : basket-work hive (also used of any basket)
Toom : empty (M)
Whisht! be quiet!
Yal : ale (M)
Yoon : oven (M)

Explanations marked (M) are from Professor Moorman's original footnotes. Wherever possible, meanings have been checked in Dr Arnold Kellet's The Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore (obtainable from the YDS), The Chambers Dictionary, and The Oxford English Dictionary. We have attempted at all times to be guided by context and to convey all probable intended meanings. We have not explained those words which differ only slightly in pronunciation and spelling from modern standard English.

Songs of the Ridings

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