Our Strange Language
When
the English tongue we speak
Why
is "break" not rhymed with "freak?"
Will
you tell me why it's true
We
say "sew" but also "few;"
And
the maker of a verse
Cannot
rhyme his "horse" with "worse;"
"Beard"
sounds not the same as "heard;"
"Cord"
is different than "word."
Cow
is "cow" but low is "low."
"Shoe"
is never rhymed with "foe;"
Think
of "hose" and "dose" and "lose;"
And
think of "goose" and not of "choose;"
Think
of "comb" and "tomb" and "bomb;"
"Doll"
and "roll", "home" and "some;"
And
since "pay" is rhymed with "say,"
Why
not "paid" with "said", I may?
We
have "blood" and "food" and "good;"
"Mould"
is not pronounced like "could;"
Why
is it "done" but "gone" and "lone?"
Is
there any reason known?
And,
in short, it seems to me (that)
Sounds
and letters disagree.
(Unknown
Author)