Friday 20 March 2015

Cleiy Picadilly

Cleiy Picadilly

As mish goll sheese Picadilly laa dy row as roshtyn Grosvenor Place, my s'beayn my chooinaghtyn, honnick mee kuse dy 'ir obbree - wahll, er lhiam. Va speiyghyn ayns nyn laueyn, as cheau ad troosyn coyrd y ree, as cribbylyn liareagh - adsyn ta sleih cur "York-to-London" as lheid ny h'enym quaagh orroo er fa ennagh.

Er lhiam dy row ad gobbbraghey lane jeean, derrey scuirr mee as briaght jeh fer jeu cre'n obbyr v'ocsyn.

"Ta shin cleiy Picadilly," as eshyn.

"Agh, yn imbagh shoh?" deysht me. "Vel shen cadjin ayns Mean Souree?"

"Cha nel shin ny t'ou credjal," as eh.

"Oh, ta mee toigal," as mish, "she spotçh t'ayn myr t'eh."

"Wahll, cha nee dy jarroo," denee eh.

"Gioal, myr shen?" as mish.

"Cha nee noadyr," as eshyn.

As eisht yeeagh mee er y voayl va speiht oc hannah, as ga dy nee glenhollys v'ayn er-my-skyn, honnick mee dorraghys heese, lane dy rollageyn y Jiass.

"V'eh feiyragh as olk, as t'eh er chur skeeys orrin," dooyrt eshyn as ny troosyn coyrd y ree echey. "Cha nel shin ny t'ou credjal."

V'ad cleiy Picadilly dy bollagh.


Taking Up Picadilly

Going down Picadilly one day and nearing Grosvenor Place I saw, if my memory is not at fault, some workmen with their coats off—or so they seemed. They had pickaxes in their hands and wore corduroy trousers and that little leather band below the knee that goes by the astonishing name of "York-to-London."

They seemed to be working with peculiar vehemence, so that I stopped and asked one what they were doing.

"We are taking up Picadilly," he said to me.

"But at this time of year?" I said. "Is it usual in June?"

"We are not what we seem," said he.

"Oh, I see," I said, "you are doing it for a joke."

"Well, not exactly that," he answered me.

"For a bet?" I said.

"Not precisely," said he.

And then I looked at the bit that they had already picked, and though it was broad daylight over my head it was darkness down there, all full of the southern stars.

"It was noisy and bad and we grew aweary of it," said he that wore corduroy trousers. "We are not what we appear."

They were taking up Picadilly altogether.


Ta'n skeealeen shoh çhyndaait ass Taking Up Picadilly liorish yn Çhiarn Dunsany. Ta'n lioar vunneydagh ry-lhaih er Project Gutenberg.

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