farmers bride - negative

"Too young maybe - but more's to do"

"At harvest-time than bide and woo."

arranged marriage

work > romance

"t'wasn't a woman -"

"more like a frightened fay"

animalising the girl

frightened/ weak/ vunerable

alliteration 'frightened fay'

"We chased her, flying like a hare"

'we' shows how all the farmers united to catch the girl, normalised to them

similie 'flying like a hare' animalises the girl

hares - prey, run fast

"She does the work about the house

"As well as most, but like a mouse"

servant

similie 'like a mouse' animalistic

mice - prey, hide, silent

"happy enough to chat and play"

"with birds and rabbits and such as they,"

"so long as men-folk keep away"

talking to animals

childlike, wild, lonely

men are the predator

"the berries redden up"

"what's Christmas-time without there be"

"some other in the house than we!"

symbolises the girls virginity

no baby - she is failing as a wife

! shows he is getting annoyed

"'tis but a stair

Betwixt us."

physical distance = emotional distance

he realises the gap is surmountable