八喜电子书 > 经管其他电子书 > 50 bab ballads >

第2部分

50 bab ballads-第2部分

小说: 50 bab ballads 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!




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

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的