WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
Plantation echoes cover

Plantation echoes

Chapter 29: PO’ LI’L’ RASTUS.
By Elliott Blaine Henderson
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

Poetry

About This Book

A short collection of poems written in a period phonetic dialect that evokes rural plantation life and folk-song rhythms. The pieces range from playful and humorous to plaintive and reflective, depicting work, home, music, seasonal change, and communal gatherings through repetition, colloquial idiom, and musical cadence. Many poems adopt a performative voice and narrative vignette form to capture local speech and sentiment. Several passages employ slang and stereotyped language rooted in their historical moment, which modern readers may find offensive.

PO’ LI’L’ RASTUS.

Little Rastus feelin’ blue—
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Out o’ sorts an’ gloomy, too!
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Broke his little hobby hoss.
Makes de little fellah cross.
Doan’ cry, honey, ’tain’ much loss.
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
He jes’ wo’ out, rompin’ ’roun’,
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Git up, honey, fum de groun’.
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Look ee dah, dun spiled yo’ dress,
An’ it am yo’ Sunday bes’,
Now hain’t yo’ er poody mess!
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Whut dat stickin’ on yo’ han’?
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Yo’ bin in de ’lasses can.
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Whut dat whut de Bible say
’Bout de chile dat steal dat ’way?
He’ll go whah de bad man stay!
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Dat ol’ bad man am er sight.
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Cum er sneakin’ ’roun’ at night.
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Cum an’ koch yo’ when yo’ sleep,
Den he take er great big leap!
Down er hol’ dat’s way down deep!
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Cum hyeah, little wooly head.
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Gwine to tuck yo’ way to bed.
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!
Look ee dah, de day dun gone!
Shaddahs streamin’ th’ew de co’n,
Sleep until de sunlight dawn!
Po’ li’l’ Rastus!