The Farmers’ Register, A Monthly Publication, Devoted to the Improvement of the Practice and Support of the Interests of Agriculture, Edmund Ruffin, editor, Petersburg, Virginia, 1838. pp. 59-61
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The Persimmon Tree and the Beer Dance
Some years ago, I rode in the night to visit a patient, and as I passed the house of Mr. Samuel Poe, in the lower end of Prince Edward, I heard the tones of a banjor, and was told by the old gentleman, (Mr. Poe,) that his servants had brewed a barrel of persimmon beer, and he gave them the privilege of having what they called a “beer dance.” Curiosity induced me to ride to the door, accompanied by Mr. Poe, and the other gentlemen. And here, we saw rare sport! “an unco sight!” Not, however, such a sight as Tam O’Shanter saw when he peeped into “Kirk-Alloway” for the dancers there were “warlocks and witches;” here they were Virginia slaves, dancing jigs and clapping “juber,” over a barrel of persimmon beer. It occurred to me, that if Tam could have made his appearance about this time on his gray mare Meg, the scene would have frightened Maggie, more than the “bleeze” of “Kirk-Alloway;” and Tam might have roared out, “weel done Cutty Sark!” a thousand times, and the torch-lights would not have been extinguished.
The ball was opened with great ceremony by singing a song known to our Virginia slaves by the name of “who zen-John, who-za.”
“Old black bull come down de hollow.
He shake hi’ tail, you hear him bellow;
When he bellow he jar de river,
He paw de yearth, he mike it quiver.
Who-zen-John, who-za.”
This was a sky rocket thrown out, as a prelude to the grand exhibition, and will give the reader some idea of what is to follow. Those who could not get seats in the house, took their stand outside, peeping in the door and through the logs, making remarks on the dancers; and here I will observe, that there was a complete Babel jargon, a confusion of tongues!
“Down the road, come show me de motion.” “Set to your partner, Dolly.”—”Cut him out, Gabe.”—”Sal, does put her foot good.”—”Yonder come de coal-black horse.”—”The yallow roan’s up! hear how he lumbers! he’s a rael stormer, ring clipper, snow-belcher iind drag out.'”—”Congo is a scrouger; he’s up a sum, and no hug-eater
lell you; he carries a broad row, weeds out every
thing—hoes de corn, and digs de inters.”—”Molly
look like kildeejshe move like, handsaw—see how
she shake herself”—”Hello! in there, I wish
you all sen’ us out some simmon beer.” “Lnr!
tee how Aggy shake her foot! she. ken pull the
whip-saw down.”—”Nick? come here and see
Ben cross hi’ bow-legs! look at hi’ mouf! when
he grin, hi’ mouf and teeth like hen-nets full o’
eggs,”—”Nick.! | reckon if* Tamar’s cat stay in
theremuch longer, they will mash her guts out; her
skin ‘on/ hold peas.”—”Come here, Gabe; come,
if you please; Jackson’s Dick is dancing with
Ellington’s Nance! see how she quivers! Now.
Nance!—Try, Nance!—She does but look pret-
ty.—When she sets and turns, she is like a picler
i—and she is fine form, hack. Dick shan’t have
Nance; I’ll kick him high as the meat house first.”
[Sings.] “She bin to the north, she bin to the
south, she bin to the east, she bin to the west,
she bin so far beyond the sun, and she is
the gal lor me.”—”Dick had’nt no business
dancing with Nance; he ain’t a man of gump-
tion. I tried him, and he can’t he made to
understand the duramatical part of the function,
the function of the fundamental, and the imperaliiy
of diirimental things. Gabe? Dick’s a lool, and
vou may tell him Sambo says so: he is knoek-
knee’d, and ugly enough to eat Gumbo.” “Well.
| know that; sing on Sambo.”
“I went from the great-house, down to the kitchen,
To get a knot of light-wood to see to go fishing,
To treat granny Dinah;
I went to the stable, I cotch master gray hor<s«,
I clap the saddle pon him and he trot like ilo’nk care.
He do’/ifrcare, he do’nk care.
Having become tired of this out of door conversation, we concluded to view the group in the house. Here the banjor-man, was seated on the beer barrel, in an old chair. A long white cowtail, queued with red ribbon, ornamented his head, and hnng gracefully down his back ; over this he wore a three-cocked hat, decorated with peaCock feathers, a rose cockade, a bunch of ripe persimmons, and to cap the climax, three pods of red pepper as a top-knot. Tumming his banjor, grinning with ludicrous gesticulations and playing off bis wild notes to the company. Before him stood two athletic blacks, with open mouth and pearl while teeth, clapping Juber to the notes of the banjor ; the fourth black man held in his right hand a jug gourd of persimmon beer, and in his left, a dipper or water-gourd, to serve the company; while two black women were employed in filling the fire-place, six feet square, with larded persimmon dough. The rest of the company, male and female, were dancers, except a little squat wench, who held the torch light. I had neverseen Juber clapped to the banjor before, and you may suppose I looked upon such a novel scene, with some degree of surprise. Indeed i con
templated the dancing group, wiih sensations of
i wonder and astonishment! The clappers rested
I the right foot on the heel, and i:s clap on the floor
was in perfect unison with the notes of the banjor,
and palms of the hand* on the corresponding ex-
tremities; while the dancers were all jigging it
‘away in the merriest possible gaiety of heart,
having the most lodricuous twists, wry jerks, and
1 Hcxile contortions of the body and limbs, thut hu-
man imagination can divine.
“The whole world is a ball we find,
The water dances to the wind;
The sea itself, at night and noon,
Kist-s and dances to the moon.
The earth and planets round the sun,
Still dance; nor will their dance be done.
Till nature in one blast is blended;
Then may we say the ball is ended.”
The rude ballad set to Juber, corresponds admirably with the music and actors in this wild fantastic, dance. While the clappers were laboring in the performance of their office, they responded at the same to the notes of the banjor.
“Juber up and Juber down,
Juber all around de town,
Juber dis, and Juber dat,
And Juber roun’ the siinmon vat.
Hoe corn, hill tobacco,
Get over double trouble, Juber boys, Juber.
Uncle Phil, he went to mill.
He suck de sow, he starve de pig,
Eat the simmon, gi’ me deseed,
1 told him, I was not in need.
Hoe corn! bill tobacco!
Get over double trouble, Juber boys, Juber.
Aunt Kate? look on the hi»h shelf,
Take down the husky dumpMu,
I’ll cat it wi’ my simmon cake,
To cure the rotten belly-ach.
Hoe corn! hill tobacco!
Get over double trouble, Juber boy Juber.
Raccoon went to simmon town,
To choose the rotten from de soun,
Dare he sot upon a sill,
Kating of a whip-poor-will.
Hoe corn! hill lobaccco!
Get over double trouble, Juber boys Juber.”
When supper was announced, the banjor-man, was first served; then the clappers and beer bearer, and lastly, the beaux and their partners. Each had a huge loaf of larded persimmon bread with a gourd of beer.
Thus ended the beer dance, and as I lefi the house, I thought to myself, that Virginia slaves, were the happiest of the human race—and I still think so.
“The learn’d is happy, nature to explore.
The fool is happy that he knows no more.”
Solomon the wisest man, says—” in much wisdom, there is much grief: and he that increase! h knowledge, increaeeth sorrow.”
The, beer dance, I have attempted to describe, is a faint representation of what actually occurred. It r»quires an abler pen to it justice; I feel mortified that I cannot give a more vivid and glowing ilesj cri))!inn ofthese black beaux, who acleil so conspicuous Ii part with )heir partners in the persimmon junket. The broad grin, the smile of the liule. squat wench, seen through Iter torch-light, (lie hutniil lip, the twist or the tongue, the white teeth, lite olilti| le look, the glance nl’ the eye, the loss of the head, the quaint how, tne curved shin, the handy leg, the niinhle jiir. the aflecled airol the wenches. J the profuse perspiration, the cloud of dust, the hi-‘ rid mom, ilie phiz of the hanjor man, the banjor’s j turn, turn, tarn, and Jitbi’r’s song and clap, would \ call forth the combined talent? and lively imagination of a Win, an Irving, a Burns, an Addison, and Diyden. And if a northern abolitionist, with his pocket filled with inflammatory documents mid resolutions, could have witnessed such a scene in Virginia, he would, in my opinion, have consign ed Ihem lu the Haines; Ins great love for the blacks, to the contrary notwithstanding.
In conclusion, [ offer no apology for introducing in your columns, and bringing before your intelligent readers, such a novel, rude production, as the beer dance. We are to derive from such scenes in this lile, much useful instruction; the poet, divine, statesman, philosopher, and all mankind, may be benefited by looking down in lili?, in order to explore the dark corners of nature.
There is thisconsolutiun to be derived from the scene I have described; the pleasing recollection that God has placed us high in the scale of human beings; and we should all appreciate its worth.
I drink you the following sentiment, in a glass of persimmon ale: May the product of the persimmon tree, substitute Ibreign wines, molasses, sugar, tea, and code.e, and save the “‘old dominion” thousands annually.
With sentiments of regard, and esteem, I am,
Your obedient servant.
William B. Smith.