Zee Refee
1845
Oonce-a upun a meednight dreery, vheele-a I pundered, veek und veery,
Oofer muny a qooeeent und cooreeuoos fuloome-a ooff furguttee lure-a-
Vheele-a I nudded, neerly neppeeng, sooddenly zeere-a ceme-a a teppeeng,
Es ooff sume-a oone-a gently reppeeng, reppeeng et my chember duur. Hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!
"'T is sume-a feesitur," I moottered, "teppeeng et my chember duur-
Oonly thees und nutheeng mure-a."
Eh, deestinctly I remember it ves in zee bleek December;
Und iech seperete-a dyeeng imber vruooght its ghust upun zee fluur. Hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!
Iegerly I veeshed zee murroo;-feeenly I hed suooght tu burroo
Frum my buuks soorceese-a ooff surroo-surroo fur zee lust Lenure-a-
Fur zee rere-a und redeeunt meeedee vhum zee ungels nemed Lenure-a-
Nemeless here-a fur ifermure-a.
Und zee seelkee, sed, uncerteeen roostleeng ooff iech poorple-a coorteeen
Threelled me-a-feelled me-a veet funtesteec terrurs nefer felt beffure-a;
Su thet noo, tu steell zee beeteeng ooff my heert, I stuud repeeteeng
"'T is sume-a feesitur intreeteeng intrunce-a et my chember duur-
Sume-a lete-a feesitur intreeteeng intrunce-a et my chember duur;-
Thees it is und nutheeng mure-a."
Presently my suool groo strunger; heseeteting zeen nu lunger,
"Sur," seeed I, "oor Medem, trooly yuoor furgeefeness I implure-a;
Boot zee fect is I ves neppeeng, und su gently yuoo ceme-a reppeeng,
Und su feeently yuoo ceme-a teppeeng, teppeeng et my chember duur,
Thet I scerce-a ves soore-a I heerd yuoo"-here-a I oopened veede-a zee duur;-
Derkness zeere-a und nutheeng mure-a.
Deep intu zee derkness peereeng, lung I stuud zeere-a vundereeng, feereeng,
Duoobteeng, dreemeeng dreems nu murtel ifer dered tu dreem beffure-a;
Boot zee seelence-a ves unbrukee, und zee steellness gefe-a nu tukee,
Und zee oonly vurd zeere-a spukee ves zee vheespered vurd, "Lenure-a!"
Thees I vheespered, und un ichu moormoored beck zee vurd "Lenure-a!"
Merely thees und nutheeng mure-a.
Beck intu zee chember toorneeng, ell my suool veethin me-a boorneeng,
Suun egeeen I heerd a teppeeng sumoohet luooder thun beffure-a.
"Soorely," seeed I, "soorely thet is sumetheeng et my veendoo letteece-a;
Let me-a see-a, zeen, vhet zeereet is, und thees mystery ixplure-a-
Let my heert be-a steell a mument und thees mystery ixplure-a;-
'T is zee veend und nutheeng mure-a!"
Oopee here-a I floong zee shootter, vhee veet muny a flurt und flootter
In zeere-a stepped a stetely Refee ooff zee seeently deys ooff yure-a.
Nut zee leest oobeeesunce-a mede-a he-a; nut a meenoote-a stupped oor steyed he-a;
Boot, veet meeee ooff lurd oor ledy, perched ebufe-a my chember duur-
Perched upun a boost ooff Pelles joost ebufe-a my chember duur-
Perched, und set, und nutheeng mure-a.
Zeen thees ibuny burd begooeeling my sed funcy intu smeeling,
By zee grefe-a und stern decuroom ooff zee cuoontenunce-a it vure-a,
"Thuoogh thy crest be-a shurn und shefee, thuoo," I seeed, "ert soore-a nu crefee,
Ghestly greem und unceeent Refee vundereeng frum zee Neeghtly shure-a-
Tell me-a vhet thy lurdly neme-a is oon zee Neeght's Plootuneeun shure-a!"
Qoout zee Refee, "Nefermure-a."
Mooch I merfelled thees ungeeenly fool tu heer deescuoorse-a su pleeenly,
Thuoogh its unsver leettle-a meuneeng-leettle-a relefuncy bure-a;
Fur ve-a cunnut help egreeeeng thet nu leefing hoomun beeeng
Ifer yet ves blessed veet seeeeng burd ebufe-a hees chember duur-
Burd oor beest upun zee scoolptoored boost ebufe-a hees chember duur,
Veet sooch neme-a es "Nefermure-a."
Boot zee Refee, seetting lunely oon zee pleceed boost, spuke-a oonly
Thet vurd, es iff hees suool in thet oone-a vurd he-a deed ooootpuoor. Hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!
Nutheeng ferzeer zeen he-a uttered-nut a feezeer zeen he-a floottered-
Teell I scercely mure-a thun moottered "Oozeer freeends hefe-a floon beffure-a-
Oon zee murroo he-a veell leefe-a me-a, es my hupes hefe-a floon beffure-a."
Zeen zee burd seeed "Nefermure-a."
Stertled et zee steellness brukee by reply su eptly spukee,
"Duoobtless," seeed I, "vhet it utters is its oonly stuck und sture-a
Cooght frum sume-a unheppy mester vhum unmerceeffool Deesester
Fullooed fest und fullooed fester teell hees sungs oone-a boordee bure-a-
Teell zee durges ooff hees Hupe-a thet melunchuly boordee bure-a
Ooff 'Nefer-nefermure-a.'"
Boot zee Refee steell begooeeling ell my funcy intu smeeling,
Streeeght I vheeled a coosheeuned seet in frunt ooff burd, und boost und duur;
Zeen, upun zee felfet seenking, I betuuk myselff tu leenking
Funcy untu funcy, theenking vhet thees oomeenuoos burd ooff yure-a-
Vhet thees greem, ungeeenly, ghestly, goont, und oomeenuoos burd ooff yure-a
Meunt in cruekeeng "Nefermure-a."
Thees I set ingeged in gooesseeng, boot nu sylleble-a ixpresseeng
Tu zee fool vhuse-a feeery iyes noo boorned intu my busum's cure-a;
Thees und mure-a I set deefining, veet my heed et iese-a recleening
Oon zee coosheeun's felfet leening thet zee lemp-leeght glueted oo'er,
Boot vhuse-a felfet feeulet leening veet zee lemp-leeght glueteeng oo'er,
She-a shell press, eh, nefermure-a!
Zeen, methuooght, zee eur groo denser, perffoomed frum un unseee censer
Svoong by Serepheem vhuse-a fuut-fells teenkled oon zee tooffted fluur. Hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!
"Vretch," I creeed, "thy Gud het lent zeee-a-by zeese-a ungels he-a het sent zeee-a
Respeete-a-respeete-a und nepenzee frum thy memureees ooff Lenure-a;
Qooeffff, ooh qooeffff thees keend nepenzee und furget thees lust Lenure-a!"
Qoout zee Refee "Nefermure-a."
"Pruphet!" seeed I, "theeng ooff ifeel!-pruphet steell, iff burd oor defeel!
By thet Heefee thet bends ebufe-a us-by thet Gud ve-a but edure-a-
Tell thees suool veet surroo ledee iff, veethin zee deestunt Eeedenn,
It shell clesp a seeented meeedee vhum zee ungels neme-a Lenure-a-
Clesp a rere-a und redeeunt meeedee vhum zee ungels neme-a Lenure-a."
Qoout zee Refee "Nefermure-a."
"Be-a thet vurd oooor seegn ooff perteeng, burd oor feeend!" I shreeeked, upsterteeng-
"Get zeee-a beck intu zee tempest und zee Neeght's Plootuneeun shure-a!
Leefe-a nu bleck ploome-a es a tukee ooff thet leee-a thy suool het spukee!
Leefe-a my luneleeness unbrukee!-qooeet zee boost ebufe-a my duur!
Teke-a thy beek frum oooot my heert, und teke-a thy furm frum ooffff my duur!"
Qoout zee Refee "Nefermure-a."
Und zee Refee, nefer fleetting, steell is seetting, steell is seetting
Oon zee pelleed boost ooff Pelles joost ebufe-a my chember duur;
Und hees iyes hefe-a ell zee seemeeng ooff a demun's thet is dreemeeng,
Und zee lemp-leeght oo'er heem streemeeng throos hees shedoo oon zee fluur;
Und my suool frum oooot thet shedoo thet leees flueteeng oon zee fluur
Shell be-a leeffted-nefermure-a!
~Idger A. Pue-a