516 GUERXSEY DIALECT NAMES. 



cannot do better than penise at one sittino^ Le Knouve^ a 

 sprinc: iflyll, L(f Tir-ric (f Lfinrrcssr^ an amnsiiiir piece that 

 reminds one of some of the Tnooldsby Legends, J.' Kntcrronent 

 (Tmd Gr (111(1' merc^ and L(( Tucric^ the last named poem treat- 

 ing a most uninviting subject Avith great artistic skill, and a 

 wonderful eye for small details. It is, in my opinion, Corbet's 

 masterpiece. 



The writings of the late Mr. Thomas Lenfestey are 

 com])rised in a small volume entitled Lc Ckant des Fontaines^ 

 published in 1875, and they consist principally of short j)oems 

 in the French language, together with a fcAv in the Gruern&ey 

 dialect. One could wish the latter Avere more numerous, for 

 they display considerable ability, though inferior in literary 

 merit to the best productions of Corbet and Mctivier. Gene- 

 rally speaking, the sentiment ap|)eals more to the reader than 

 the style, but perhaps the two finest pieces are Auffaia and 

 L\j a un boudii terns en vnant. 



Two poems of the highest excellence, from the pen of the 

 late Mr. Nicholas Guilbert, have been preserved by Mr. J. 

 Lin wood Pitts in his Patois Poems of the Clutnnel Is](ni(h ; 

 and it Avill always be a matter of regret to all lovers of the old 

 Gruernsey dialect that this gifted author did not leave behind 

 him a richer store of literary Avork. These tAvo poems, 

 U SercUeiix (Tpanais and X^'.s' Grands Qnertf,es,^ve unsurpassed 

 in simple purity of diction and elegance of rhythm, combined 

 with a singular conciseness and force of expression. Every 

 word weighs, and CA^ery line tells. If I were asked to point 

 out the finest poetical composition in the Guernsey patois, I 

 would with little hesitation award the palm to the SercIIeux 

 d'pdnais of Nicdiolas Guilbert ; and for the second place I 

 should be inclined to bracket together Les Grands Qneriies of 

 the same writer, and La Tuerie of Denys Corbet. 



From the interesting selection of Jersey poems given by 

 Mr. Pitts in his Avork above mentioned, it will be seen that the 

 local dialect of that island differs in many points from that of 

 Guernsey, and more nearly resembles modern French ; and 

 this not merely in grammar and idiom, but also in indiAddual 

 words and phrases. But it requires a critical ear to perceive 

 those nice shades of difference in the pronunciation and sound 

 of words, and the peculiar inflexions which to a native mark 

 at once the distinctive characteristics of each dialect. Mr. 

 Pitts has done splendid AVork in appending an English metrical 

 translation to each piece, and one cannot but admire the skill 

 he has everyAvhere exhibited in seizing the sense and force of 

 the original, and rendering it into smooth and easy verse. 



