William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29—When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
(translated into the Negro dialect by Maxwell Reddick)
Wheneber meh luck done run plumb out and folks is looking at me crazy,
I just goes somewheh and sits by mehself thankin’ and stankin’
Even dey gud Lawd above ain’t even payin’ me no mind,
I just shakes meh head and wundeah how I gots meh-self in this heah predicament,
Sometimes I just wishes I be somebody else,
Somebody dat ebery-body lubs and that has friends an’ such,
I wishes dat I has some kind ah talent, some-ting,
Dem tings I likes the most, I hab the bery least of;
And sometimes I almost just hates meh-self,
But den I thanks ‘bout you, baby, an’ I feels betta’
Just lak a bird sanging when dey sun comes up in dey morning
Sanging so loud dat it can be heard to high hea-ben;
An’ baby wit’ dey good lub you gives me, I is rich
An’ as long as you heah wit me, I wouldn’t eben change places wit a king.
