the home book of verse-4-第30部分
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Ring out; wild bells … and tame ones too;
Ring out the lover's moon。
Ring in the little worsted socks;
Ring in the bib and spoon。
Ring out the muse; ring in the nurse;
Ring in the milk and water。
Away with paper; pen; and ink …
My daughter! O; my daughter!
George Washington Cable '1844…1925'
DISASTER
After Moore
'Twas ever thus from childhood's hour
My fondest hopes would not decay:
I never loved a tree or flower
Which was the first to fade away!
The garden; where I used to delve
Short…frocked; still yields me pinks in plenty;
The pear…tree that I climbed at twelve;
I see still blossoming; at twenty。
I never nursed a dear gazelle。
But I was given a paroquet …
How I did nurse him if unwell!
He's imbecile; but lingers yet。
He's green; with an enchanting tuft;
He melts me with his small black eye:
He'd look inimitable stuffed;
And knows it … but he will not die!
I had a kitten … I was rich
In pets … but all too soon my kitten
Became a full…sized cat; by which
I've more than once been scratched and bitten;
And when for sleep her limbs she curled
One day beside her untouched plateful;
And glided calmly from the world;
I freely own that I was grateful。
And then I bought a dog … a queen!
Ah; Tiny; dear departing pug!
She lives; but she is past sixteen;
And scarce can crawl across the rug。
I loved her beautiful and kind;
Delighted in her pert Bow…wow:
But now she snaps if you don't mind;
'Twere lunacy to love her now。
I used to think; should e'er mishap
Betide my crumple…visaged Ti;
In shape of prowling thief; or trap;
Or coarse bull…terrier … I should die。
But ah! disasters have their use;
And life might e'en be too sunshiny:
Nor would I make myself a goose;
If some big dog should swallow Tiny。
Charles Stuart Calverley '1831…1884'
'TWAS EVER THUS
After Moore
I never reared a young gazelle;
(Because; you see; I never tried);
But had it known and loved me well;
No doubt the creature would have died。
My rich and aged Uncle John
Has known me long and loves me well
But still persists in living on …
I would he were a young gazelle。
I never loved a tree or flower;
But; if I had; I beg to say
The blight; the wind; the sun; or shower
Would soon have withered it away。
I've dearly loved my Uncle John;
From childhood to the present hour;
And yet he will go living on …
I would he were a tree or flower!
Henry Sambrooke Leigh '1837…1883'
A GRIEVANCE
After Byron
Dear Mr。 Editor: I wish to say …
If you will not be angry at my; writing it …
But I've been used; since childhood's happy day;
When I have thought of something; to inditing it;
I seldom think of things; and; by the way;
Although this meter may not be exciting; it
Enables one to be extremely terse;
Which is not what one always is in verse。
I used to know a man; … such things befall
The observant wayfarer through Fate's domain …
He was a man; take him for all in all;
We shall not look upon his like again;
I know that statement's not original;
What statement is; since Shakespeare? or; since Cain;
What murder? I believe 'twas Shakespeare said it; or
Perhaps it may have been your Fighting Editor。
Though why an Editor should fight; or why
A Fighter should abase himself to edit;
Are problems far too difficult and high
For me to solve with any sort of credit。
Some greatly more accomplished man than I
Must tackle them: let's say then Shakespeare said it;
And; if he did not; Lewis Morris may
(Or even if he did)。 Some other day;
When I have nothing pressing to impart;
I should not mind dilating on this matter。
I feel its import both in head and heart;
And always did; … especially the latter。
I could discuss it in the busy mart
Or on the lonely housetop; hold! this chatter
Diverts me from my purpose。 To the point:
The time; as Hamlet said; is out of joint;
And perhaps I was born to set it right; …
A fact I greet with perfect equanimity。
I do not put it down to 〃cursed spite;〃
I don't see any cause for cursing in it。 I
Have always taken very great delight
In such pursuits since first I read divinity。
Whoever will may write a nation's songs
As long as I'm allowed to right its wrongs。
What's Eton but a nursery of wrong…righters;
A mighty mother of effective men;
A training ground for amateur reciters;
A sharpener of the sword as of the pen;
A factory of orators and fighters;
A forcing…house of genius? Now and then
The world at large shrinks back; abashed and beaten;
Unable to endure the glare of Eton。
I think I said I knew a man: what then?
I don't suppose such knowledge is forbid。
We nearly all do; more or less; know men; …
Or think we do; nor will a man get rid
Of that delusion while he wields a pen。
But who this man was; what; if aught; he did;
Nor why I mentioned him; I do not know;
Nor what I 〃wished to say〃 a while ago。
James Kenneth Stephen '1859…1892'
〃NOT A SOU HAD HE GOT〃
After Charles Wolfe
Not a sou had he got … not a guinea or note …
And he looked confoundedly flurried;
As he bolted away without paying his shot;
And the landlady after him hurried。
We saw him again at dead of night;
When home from the club returning;
We twigged the doctor beneath the light
Of the gas…lamp brilliantly burning。
All bare and exposed to the midnight dews;
Reclined in a gutter we found him;
And he looked like a gentleman taking a snooze
With his Marshall cloak around him。
〃The doctor's as drunk as the devil;〃 we said;
And we managed a shutter to borrow;
We raised him; and sighed at the thought that his head
Would consumedly ache on the morrow。
We bore him home; and we put him to bed;
And we told his wife and his daughter
To give him next morning a couple of red…
Herrings; with soda…water。
Loudly they talked of his money that's gone;
And his lady began to upbraid him;
But little he recked; so they let him snore on
'Neath the counterpane; just as we laid him。
We tucked him in; and had hardly done;
When; beneath the window calling;
We heard the rough voice of a son of a gun
Of a watchman 〃One o'clock!〃 bawling。
Slowly and sadly we all walked down
From his room on the uppermost story;
A rushlight we placed on the cold hearth…stone;
And we left him alone in his glory。
Richard Harris Barham '1788…1845'
THE WHITING AND THE SNAIL
From 〃Alice in Wonderland〃
After Mary Howitt
〃Will you walk a little faster?〃 said a whiting to a snail;
〃There's a porpoise close behind us; and he's treading on my tail;
See bow eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle … will you come and join the dance?
Will you; won't you; will you; won't you; will you join the dance?
Will you; won't you; will you; won't you; won't you join the dance?
〃You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us; with the lobsters; out to sea!〃
But the snail replied; 〃Too far; too far!〃 and gave a look askance …
Said he thanked the whiting kindly; but he would not join the dance。
Would not; could not; would not; could not; would not join the dance。
Would not; could not; would not; could not; could not join the dance。
〃What matters it how far we go?〃 his scaly friend replied。
〃There is another shore; you know; upon the other side。
The further off from England the nearer is to France …
Then turn not pale; beloved snail; but come and join the dance。
Will you; won't you; will you; won't you; will you join the dance?
Will you; won't you; will you; won't you; won't you join the dance?〃
Lewis Carroll '1832…1898'
THE RECOGNITION
After Tennyson
Home they brought her sailor son;
Grown a man across the sea;
Tall and broad and black of beard;
And hoarse of voice as man may be。
Hand to shake and mouth to kiss;
Both he offered ere he spoke;
But she said; 〃What man is this
Comes to play a sorry joke?〃
Then they praised him … called him 〃smart;〃
〃Tightest lad that ever stept;〃
But her son she did not know;
And she neither smiled nor wept。
Rose; a nurse of ninety years;
Set a pigeon…pie in sight;
She saw him eat: … 〃'Tis he! 'tis he!〃
She knew him … by his appetite!
Frederick William Sawyer '1810…1875'
THE HIGHER PANTHEISM IN A NUTSHELL
After Tennyson
One; who is not; we see: but one; whom we see not; is;
Surely this is not that: but that is assuredly this。
What; and wherefore; and whence? for under is over and under;
If thunder could be without lightning; lightning could be without thunder。
Doubt is faith in the main: but faith; on the whole; is doubt;
We cannot believe by proof: but could we believe without?
Why; and whither; and how? for barley and rye are not clover;
Neither are straight lines curves: yet over is under and over。
Two and two may be four: but four and four are not eight;
Fate and God may be twain: but God is the same thing as fate。
Ask a man what he thinks; and get from a man what he feels;
God; once caught in the fact; shows you a fair pair of heels。
Body and spirit are twins: God only knows which is which;
The soul squats down in the flesh; like a tinker drunk in a ditch。
One and two are not one: but one and nothing is two;
Truth can hardly be false; if falsehood cannot be true。
Once the mastodon was: pterodactyls were common as cocks;
Then the mammoth was God; now is He a prize ox。
Parallels all things are: yet many of these are askew。
You are certainly I: but certainly I am not you。
Springs the rock from the plain; shoots the stream from the rock;
Cocks exist for the hen: but hens exist for the cock。
God; whom we see not; is: and God; who is not; we see;
Fiddle; we k