HOW BRER RABBIT GOT A HOUSE

 Oh, once ’pon a time, all de creeturs, all de creeturs, Tuck a notion dat dey’d build a house, An’ fix it so ez ter keep out de skeeters, An’ fix it up nix cummy rous! Dey all wuz dar fum de B’ar ter de Possum, Brer Wolf, Brer Fox, Brer Coon, Wid ol’ Brer Rabbit fer ter stan’ ’roun’ an’ boss um, Kaze dey hatter have de’ house right soon.

Brer Rabbit, he wuz busy, oh, yes, mighty¹ busy, Not doin’ uv a blessed thing; Ef he clim’ de scaffle, he say he’ll git dizzy, So he medjur an’ mark an’ sing. Dey buil’ de house, an’ it sho wuz a fine un, Made er poplar, oak an’ pine; De littlest room wuz a sev’m-by-nine un, Whar de sick could go an’ whine²!

Brer Rabbit, he wait, an’ when de time come He choosened a upsta’s room, An’ dar he sot (ef I kin³ make de rhyme come) A-singin’ “Hark fum de Toom”! An’ den⁴ he got what he aint had oughter, Ez all de creeturs said, A gun, a cannon⁵, an’ a tub er water, An’ hid um under his bed!

When de creeturs come home, Brer Rabbit wuz ready, An’ he tell um he gwineter set down; “Well, set,” sez dey, “an’ we’ll try ter be ste’dy,” An’ wid dat, Brer Rabbit kinder frown; Bang-bang! went de gun—de barrels wuz double— An’ de creeturs wuz still ez mice; Brer B’ar he say, “Dy must be some trouble, But I hope heedon’t loosen de j’is!”

Brer Rabbit, he say, “Wharbouts mus’ I spit at?” An’ Brer Wolf answer, wid a grin, “Des wharsomever you kin make it hit at!” Brer Fox, he rub his chin; Brer Rabbit, he tuck de tub er water, An’ empty it all on de sta’rs, An’ it come nigh drownin’ Brer Coon’s daughter. An’ likewise one er Brer B’ar’s!

Brer Rabbit say, “When I sneeze I’ll skeer you, An’ I hate fer ter have it ter do!” Brer Fox say, “We’ll lissen an’ hear you Des go right ahead wid yo’ sneeze-a-ma-roo!” Boom-a-lam! went de cannon, an’ de creeturs, dey lit out Thoo window-sash an’ do’ Any way, any way dat dey kin git oot, An’ dey aint come dar no mo’!

1 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

2 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

3 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

4 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

5 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。