Legendary Dartmoor The many aspects past and present of Dartmoor
On a rather upbeat note for a change here is a verse/song that comes from Sabine Baring Gould’s – ‘A Book of the West’. As can be seen there is no mention of the dreary aspects of Dartmoor. Here are the thoughts of a true Dartmoor lover laid out in a very matter of the fact manner which portrays the freedom of the place in every respect. It is interesting to see this spirit also echoes itself in the lines of a similarly titled work ‘Song of the Dartmoor Men‘, also written by William Crossing, another Dartmoor enthusiast
| ‘T is merry in the spring time, ‘Tis blithe on Dartimoor, Where every man is equal, For every man is poor. I do what I ‘m a minded, And none will say me nay, I go where I’m inclined, On all sides—right of way.Chorus O the merry Dartimoor, O the bonny Dartimoor, I would not be where I ‘m not free As I am upon the moor.
Chorus |
‘T is merry in the autumn, When snipe and cock appear, And never see a keeper To say, No shooting here ! We stack the peat for fuel, We ask no better fire, And never pay a farden For all that we require.Chorus O the merry Dartimoor, O the bonny Dartimoor, I would not be where I ‘m not free As I am upon the moor.
Chorus |
Baring Gould, S. 1899. A Book of the West, London: Methuen & Co.
