the home book of verse-4-第31部分
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God; whom we see not; is: and God; who is not; we see;
Fiddle; we know; is diddle; and diddle; we take it; is dee。
Algernon Charles Swinburne '1837…1909'
THE WILLOW…TREE
After Hood
Long by the willow…trees
Vainly they sought her;
Wild rang the mother's screams
O'er the gray water:
〃Where is my lovely one?
Where is my daughter?
〃Rouse thee; Sir Constable …
Rouse thee and look;
Fisherman; bring your net;
Boatman; your hook。
Beat in the lily…beds;
Dive in the brook!〃
Vainly the constable
Shouted and called her;
Vainly the fisherman
Beat the green alder;
Vainly he flung the net;
Never it hauled her!
Mother beside the fire
Sat; her nightcap in;
Father; in easy chair;
Gloomily napping;
When at the window…sill
Came a light tapping!
And a pale countenance
Looked through the casement。
Loud beat the mother's heart;
Sick with amazement;
And at the vision which
Came to surprise her;
Shrieked in an agony …
〃Lor'! it's Elizar!〃
Yes; 'twas Elizabeth …
Yes; 'twas their girl;
Pale was her cheek; and her
Hair out of curl。
〃Mother;〃 the loving one;
Blushing exclaimed;
〃Let not your innocent
Lizzy be blamed。
〃Yesterday; going to Aunt
Jones's to tea;
Mother; dear mother; I
Forgot the door…key!
And as the night was cold
And the way steep;
Mrs。 Jones kept me to
Breakfast and sleep。〃
Whether her Pa and Ma
Fully believed her;
That we shall never know;
Stern they received her;
And for the work of that
Cruel; though short; night
Sent her to bed without
Tea for a fortnight。
MORAL
Hey diddle diddlety;
Cat and the fiddlety;
Maidens of England; take caution by she!
Let love and suicide
Never tempt you aside;
And always remember to take the door…key。
William Makepeace Thackeray '1811…1863'
POETS AND LINNETS
After Robert Browning
Where'er there's a thistle to feed a linnet
And linnets are plenty; thistles rife …
Or an acorn…cup to catch dew…drops in it
There's ample promise of further life。
Now; mark how we begin it。
For linnets will follow; if linnets are minded;
As blows the white…feather parachute;
And ships will reel by the tempest blinded …
Aye; ships and shiploads of men to boot!
How deep whole fleets you'll find hid。
And we blow the thistle…down hither and thither
Forgetful of linnets; and men; and God。
The dew! for its want an oak will wither …
By the dull hoof into the dust is trod;
And then who strikes the cither?
But thistles were only for donkeys intended;
And that donkeys are common enough is clear;
And that drop! what a vessel it might have befriended;
Does it add any flavor to Glugabib's beer?
Well; there's my musing ended。
Tom Hood '1835…1874'
THE JAM…POT
The Jam…pot … tender thought!
I grabbed it … so did you。
〃What wonder while we fought
Together that it flew
In shivers?〃 you retort。
You should have loosed your hold
One moment … checked your fist。
But; as it was; too bold
You grappled and you missed。
More plainly … you were sold。
〃Well; neither of us shared
The dainty。〃 That your plea?
〃Well; neither of us cared;〃
I answer。 。 。 。 〃Let me see。
How have your trousers fared?〃
Rudyard Kipling '1865…1936'
BALLAD
After William Morris
Part I
The auld wife sat at her ivied door;
(Butler and eggs and a pound of cheese)
A thing she had frequently done before;
And her spectacles lay on her aproned knees。
The piper he piped on the hill…top high;
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
Till the cow said 〃I die;〃 and the goose asked 〃Why?〃
And the dog said nothing; but searched for fleas。
The farmer he strode through the square farmyard;
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
His last brew of ale was a trifle hard …
The connection of which with the plot one sees。
The farmer's daughter hath frank blue eyes;
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
She hears the rooks caw in the windy skies;
As she sits at her lattice and shells her peas。
The farmer's daughter hath ripe red lips;
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
If you try to approach her; away she skips
Over tables and chairs with apparent ease。
The farmer's daughter hath soft brown hair;
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And I met with a ballad; I can't say where;
Which wholly consisted of lines like these。
Part II
She sat; with her hands 'neath her dimpled cheeks;
(Butler and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And spake not a word。 While a lady speaks
There is hope; but she didn't even sneeze。
She sat; with her hands 'neath her crimson cheeks;
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
She gave up mending her father's breeks;
And let the cat roll in her new chemise。
She sat; with her hands 'neath her burning cheeks;
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And gazed at the piper for thirteen weeks;
Then she followed him out o'er the misty leas。
Her sheep followed her; as their tails did them。
(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And this song is considered a perfect gem;
And as to the meaning; it's what you please。
Charles Stuart Calverley '1831…1884'
THE POSTER…GIRL
After Dante Gabriel Rossetti
The blessed Poster…girl leaned out
From a pinky…purple heaven;
One eye was red and one was green;
Her bang was cut uneven;
She had three fingers on her hand;
And the hairs on her head were seven。
Her robe; ungirt from clasp to hem;
No sunflowers did adorn;
But a heavy Turkish portiere
Was very neatly worn;
And the hat that lay along her back
Was yellow like canned corn。
It was a kind of wobbly wave
That she was standing on;
And high aloft she flung a scarf
That must have weighed a ton;
And she was rather tall … at least
She reached up to the sun。
She curved and writhed; and then she said;
Less green of speech than blue:
〃Perhaps I am absurd … perhaps
I don't appeal to you;
But my artistic worth depends
Upon the point of view。〃
I saw her smile; although her eyes
Were only smudgy smears;
And then she swished her swirling arms;
And wagged her gorgeous ears;
She sobbed a blue…and…green…checked sob;
And wept some purple tears。
Carolyn Wells '186? …
AFTER DILETTANTE CONCETTI
After Dante Gabriel Rossetti
〃Why do you wear your hair like a man;
Sister Helen?
This week is the third since you began。〃
〃I'm writing a ballad; be still if you can;
Little brother。
(O Mother Carey; mother!
What chickens are these between sea and heaven?)〃
〃But why does your figure appear so lean;
Sister Helen?
And why do you dress in sage; sage green?〃
〃Children should never be heard; if seen;
Little brother!
(O Mother Carey; mother!
What fowls are a…wing in the stormy heaven!)〃
〃But why is your face so yellowy white;
Sister Helen?
And why are your skirts so funnily tight?〃
〃Be quiet; you torment; or how can I write;
Little brother?
(O Mother Carey; mother!
How gathers thy train to the sea from the heaven!)〃
〃And who's Mother Carey; and what is her train;
Sister Helen?
And why do you call her again and again?〃
〃You troublesome boy; why that's the refrain;
Little brother。
(O Mother Carey; mother!
What work is toward in the startled heaven?)〃
〃And what's a refrain? What a curious word;
Sister Helen!
Is the ballad you're writing about a sea…bird?〃
〃Not at all; why should it be? Don't be absurd;
Little brother。
(O Mother Carey; mother!
Thy brood flies lower as lowers the heaven。)〃
(A big brother speaketh:)
〃The refrain you've studied a meaning had;
Sister Helen!
It gave strange force to a weird ballad。
But refrains have become a ridiculous 'fad';
Little brother。
And Mother Carey; mother;
Has a bearing on nothing in earth or heaven。
〃But the finical fashion has had its day;
Sister Helen。
And let's try in the style of a different lay
To bid it adieu in poetical way;
Little brother。
So; Mother Carey; mother!
Collect your chickens and go to … heaven。〃
(A pause。 Then the big brother singeth; accompanying himself
in a plaintive wise on the triangle:)
〃Look in my face。 My name is Used…to…was;
I am also called Played…out and Done…to…death;
And It…will…wash…no…more。 Awakeneth
Slowly; but sure awakening it has;
The common…sense of man; and I; alas!
The ballad…burden trick; now known too well;
Am turned to scorn; and grown contemptible …
A too transparent artifice to pass。
〃What a cheap dodge I am! The cats who dart
Tin…kettled through the streets in wild surprise
Assail judicious ears not otherwise;
And yet no critics praise the urchin's 'art';
Who to the wretched creature's caudal part
Its foolish empty…jingling 'burden' ties。〃
Henry Duff Traill '1842…1900'
IF
After Swinburne
If life were never bitter;
And love were always sweet;
Then who would care to borrow
A moral from to…morrow …
If Thames would always glitter;
And joy would ne'er retreat;
If life were never bitter;
And love were always sweet!
If care were not the waiter
Behind a fellow's chair;
When easy…going sinners
Sit down to Richmond dinners;
And life's swift stream flows straighter;
By Jove; it would be rare;
If care were not the waiter
Behind a fellow's chair。
If wit were always radiant;
And wine were always iced;
And bores were kicked out straightway
Through a convenient gateway;
Then down the year's long gradient
'Twere sad to be enticed;
If wit were always radiant;
And wine were always iced。
Mortimer Collins '1827…1876'
NEPHELIDIA
After Swinburne
From the depth of the dreamy decline of the dawn through
a notable nimbus of nebulous noonshine;
Pallid and pink a