50 bab ballads-第2部分
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But this he knew right well;
The maiden's wailing came
From out a dungeon cell。
A hapless woman lay
Within that dungeon grim …
That fact; I've heard him say;
Was quite enough for him。
〃I will not sit or lie;
Or eat or drink; I vow;
Till thou art free as I;
Or I as pent as thou。〃
Her tears then ceased to flow;
Her wails no longer rang;
And tuneful in her woe
The prisoned maiden sang:
〃Oh; stranger; as you play;
I recognize your touch;
And all that I can say
Is; thank you very much。〃
He seized his clarion straight;
And blew thereat; until
A warden oped the gate。
〃Oh; what might be your will?〃
〃I've come; Sir Knave; to see
The master of these halls:
A maid unwillingly
Lies prisoned in their walls。〃'
With barely stifled sigh
That porter drooped his head;
With teardrops in his eye;
〃A many; sir;〃 he said。
He stayed to hear no more;
But pushed that porter by;
And shortly stood before
SIR HUGH DE PECKHAM RYE。
SIR HUGH he darkly frowned;
〃What would you; sir; with me?〃
The troubadour he downed
Upon his bended knee。
〃I've come; DE PECKHAM RYE;
To do a Christian task;
You ask me what would I?
It is not much I ask。
〃Release these maidens; sir;
Whom you dominion o'er …
Particularly her
Upon the second floor。
〃And if you don't; my lord〃 …
He here stood bolt upright;
And tapped a tailor's sword …
〃Come out; you cad; and fight!〃
SIR HUGH he called … and ran
The warden from the gate:
〃Go; show this gentleman
The maid in Forty…eight。〃
By many a cell they past;
And stopped at length before
A portal; bolted fast:
The man unlocked the door。
He called inside the gate
With coarse and brutal shout;
〃Come; step it; Forty…eight!〃
And Forty…eight stepped out。
〃They gets it pretty hot;
The maidens what we cotch …
Two years this lady's got
For collaring a wotch。〃
〃Oh; ah! … indeed … I see;〃
The troubadour exclaimed …
〃If I may make so free;
How is this castle named?
The warden's eyelids fill;
And sighing; he replied;
〃Of gloomy Pentonville
This is the female side!〃
The minstrel did not wait
The Warden stout to thank;
But recollected straight
He'd business at the Bank。
Ballad: FERDINANDO AND ELVIRA; OR; THE GENTLE PIEMAN。
PART I。
AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper
One whom I will call ELVIRA; and we talked of love and TUPPER;
MR。 TUPPER and the Poets; very lightly with them dealing;
For I've always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling。
Then we let off paper crackers; each of which contained a motto;
And she listened while I read them; till her mother told her not
to。
Then she whispered; 〃To the ball…room we had better; dear; be
walking;
If we stop down here much longer; really people will be talking。〃
There were noblemen in coronets; and military cousins;
There were captains by the hundred; there were baronets by dozens。
Yet she heeded not their offers; but dismissed them with a
blessing;
Then she let down all her back hair; which had taken long in
dressing。
Then she had convulsive sobbings in her agitated throttle;
Then she wiped her pretty eyes and smelt her pretty smelling…
bottle。
So I whispered; 〃Dear ELVIRA; say; … what can the matter be with
you?
Does anything you've eaten; darling POPSY; disagree with you?〃
But spite of all I said; her sobs grew more and more distressing;
And she tore her pretty back hair; which had taken long in
dressing。
Then she gazed upon the carpet; at the ceiling; then above me;
And she whispered; 〃FERDINANDO; do you really; REALLY love me?〃
〃Love you?〃 said I; then I sighed; and then I gazed upon her
sweetly …
For I think I do this sort of thing particularly neatly。
〃Send me to the Arctic regions; or illimitable azure;
On a scientific goose…chase; with my COXWELL or my GLAISHER!
〃Tell me whither I may hie me … tell me; dear one; that I may know
…
Is it up the highest Andes? down a horrible volcano?〃
But she said; 〃It isn't polar bears; or hot volcanic grottoes:
Only find out who it is that writes those lovely cracker mottoes!〃
PART II。
〃Tell me; HENRY WADSWORTH; ALFRED POET CLOSE; or MISTER TUPPER;
Do you write the bon bon mottoes my ELVIRA pulls at supper?〃
But HENRY WADSWORTH smiled; and said he had not had that honour;
And ALFRED; too; disclaimed the words that told so much upon her。
〃MISTER MARTIN TUPPER; POET CLOSE; I beg of you inform us;〃
But my question seemed to throw them both into a rage enormous。
MISTER CLOSE expressed a wish that he could only get anigh to me;
And MISTER MARTIN TUPPER sent the following reply to me:
〃A fool is bent upon a twig; but wise men dread a bandit;〃 …
Which I know was very clever; but I didn't understand it。
Seven weary years I wandered … Patagonia; China; Norway;
Till at last I sank exhausted at a pastrycook his doorway。
There were fuchsias and geraniums; and daffodils and myrtle;
So I entered; and I ordered half a basin of mock turtle。
He was plump and he was chubby; he was smooth and he was rosy;
And his little wife was pretty and particularly cosy。
And he chirped and sang; and skipped about; and laughed with
laughter hearty …
He was wonderfully active for so very stout a party。
And I said; 〃O gentle pieman; why so very; very merry?
Is it purity of conscience; or your one…and…seven sherry?〃
But he answered; 〃I'm so happy … no profession could be dearer …
If I am not humming 'Tra! la! la!' I'm singing 'Tirer; lirer!'
〃First I go and make the patties; and the puddings; and the
jellies;
Then I make a sugar bird…cage; which upon a table swell is;
〃Then I polish all the silver; which a supper…table lacquers;
Then I write the pretty mottoes which you find inside the
crackers。〃 …
〃Found at last!〃 I madly shouted。 〃Gentle pieman; you astound me!〃
Then I waved the turtle soup enthusiastically round me。
And I shouted and I danced until he'd quite a crowd around him …
And I rushed away exclaiming; 〃I have found him! I have found
him!〃
And I heard the gentle pieman in the road behind me trilling;
〃'Tira; lira!' stop him; stop him! 'Tra! la! la!' the soup's a
shilling!〃
But until I reached ELVIRA'S home; I never; never waited;
And ELVIRA to her FERDINAND'S irrevocably mated!
Ballad: TO MY BRIDE … (WHOEVER SHE MAY BE。)
OH! little maid! … (I do not know your name
Or who you are; so; as a safe precaution
I'll add) … Oh; buxom widow! married dame!
(As one of these must be your present portion)
Listen; while I unveil prophetic lore for you;
And sing the fate that Fortune has in store for you。
You'll marry soon … within a year or twain …
A bachelor of CIRCA two and thirty:
Tall; gentlemanly; but extremely plain;
And when you're intimate; you'll call him 〃BERTIE。〃
Neat … dresses well; his temper has been classified
As hasty; but he's very quickly pacified。
You'll find him working mildly at the Bar;
After a touch at two or three professions;
From easy affluence extremely far;
A brief or two on Circuit … 〃soup〃 at Sessions;
A pound or two from whist and backing horses;
And; say three hundred from his own resources。
Quiet in harness; free from serious vice;
His faults are not particularly shady;
You'll never find him 〃SHY〃 … for; once or twice
Already; he's been driven by a lady;
Who parts with him … perhaps a poor excuse for him …
Because she hasn't any further use for him。
Oh! bride of mine … tall; dumpy; dark; or fair!
Oh! widow … wife; maybe; or blushing maiden;
I've told YOUR fortune; solved the gravest care
With which your mind has hitherto been laden。
I've prophesied correctly; never doubt it;
Now tell me mine … and please be quick about it!
You … only you … can tell me; an' you will;
To whom I'm destined shortly to be mated;
Will she run up a heavy MODISTE'S bill?
If so; I want to hear her income stated
(This is a point which interests me greatly)。
To quote the bard; 〃Oh! have I seen her lately?〃
Say; must I wait till husband number one
Is comfortably stowed away at Woking?
How is her hair most usually done?
And tell me; please; will she object to smoking?
The colour of her eyes; too; you may mention:
Come; Sibyl; prophesy … I'm all attention。
Ballad: SIR MACKLIN。
OF all the youths I ever saw
None were so wicked; vain; or silly;
So lost to shame and Sabbath law;
As worldly TOM; and BOB; and BILLY。
For every Sabbath day they walked
(Such was their gay and thoughtless natur)
In parks or gardens; where they talked
From three to six; or even later。
SIR MACKLIN was a priest severe
In conduct and in conversation;
It did a sinner good to hear
Him deal in ratiocination。
He could in every action show
Some sin; and nobody could doubt him。
He argued high; he argued low;
He also argued round about him。
He wept to think each thoughtless youth
Contained of wickedness a skinful;
And burnt to teach the awful truth;
That walking out on Sunday's sinful。
〃Oh; youths;〃 said he; 〃I grieve to find
The course of life you've been and hit on …
Sit down;〃 said he; 〃and never mind
The pennies for the chairs you sit on。
〃My opening head is 'Kensington;'
How walking there the sinner hardens;
Which when I have enlarged upon;
I go to 'Secondly' … its 'Gardens。'
〃My 'Thirdly' comprehendeth 'Hyde;'
Of Secresy the guilts and shameses;
My 'Fourthly' … 'Park' … its verdure wide …
My 'Fifthly' comprehends 'St。 James's。'
〃That matter settled; I shall reach
The 'Sixthly' in my solemn tether;
And show that what is true of each;
Is also true of all; together。
〃The