八喜电子书 > 经管其他电子书 > the home book of verse-4 >

第30部分

the home book of verse-4-第30部分

小说: the home book of verse-4 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!






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

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 1 1

你可能喜欢的