50 bab ballads-第6部分
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Next; when at quiet sea…side village; freed
From cares episcopal and ties monarchical;
He grows his beard; and smokes his fragrant weed;
In manner anything but hierarchical …
He sees … and fixes an unearthly stare on it …
That curate's face; with half a yard of hair on it!
At length he gave a charge; and spake this word:
〃Vicars; your curates to enjoyment urge ye may;
To check their harmless pleasuring's absurd;
What laymen do without reproach; my clergy may。〃
He spake; and lo! at this concluding word of him;
The curate vanished … no one since has heard of him。
Ballad: KING BORRIA BUNGALEE BOO。
KING BORRIA BUNGALEE BOO
Was a man…eating African swell;
His sigh was a hullaballoo;
His whisper a horrible yell …
A horrible; horrible yell!
Four subjects; and all of them male;
To BORRIA doubled the knee;
They were once on a far larger scale;
But he'd eaten the balance; you see
(〃Scale〃 and 〃balance〃 is punning; you see)。
There was haughty PISH…TUSH…POOH…BAH;
There was lumbering DOODLE…DUM…DEY;
Despairing ALACK…A…DEY…AH;
And good little TOOTLE…TUM…TEH …
Exemplary TOOTLE…TUM…TEH。
One day there was grief in the crew;
For they hadn't a morsel of meat;
And BORRIA BUNGALEE BOO
Was dying for something to eat …
〃Come; provide me with something to eat!
〃ALACK…A…DEY; famished I feel;
Oh; good little TOOTLE…TUM…TEH;
Where on earth shall I look for a meal?
For I haven't no dinner to…day! …
Not a morsel of dinner to…day!
〃Dear TOOTLE…TUM; what shall we do?
Come; get us a meal; or; in truth;
If you don't; we shall have to eat you;
Oh; adorable friend of our youth!
Thou beloved little friend of our youth!〃
And he answered; 〃Oh; BUNGALEE BOO;
For a moment I hope you will wait; …
TIPPY…WIPPITY TOL…THE…ROL…LOO
Is the Queen of a neighbouring state …
A remarkably neighbouring state。
〃TIPPY…WIPPITY TOL…THE…ROL…LOO;
She would pickle deliciously cold …
And her four pretty Amazons; too;
Are enticing; and not very old …
Twenty…seven is not very old。
〃There is neat little TITTY…FOL…LEH;
There is rollicking TRAL…THE…RAL…LAH;
There is jocular WAGGETY…WEH;
There is musical DOH…REH…MI…FAH …
There's the nightingale DOH…REH…MI…FAH!〃
So the forces of BUNGALEE BOO
Marched forth in a terrible row;
And the ladies who fought for QUEEN LOO
Prepared to encounter the foe …
This dreadful; insatiate foe!
But they sharpened no weapons at all;
And they poisoned no arrows … not they!
They made ready to conquer or fall
In a totally different way …
An entirely different way。
With a crimson and pearly…white dye
They endeavoured to make themselves fair;
With black they encircled each eye;
And with yellow they painted their hair
(It was wool; but they thought it was hair)。
And the forces they met in the field:…
And the men of KING BORRIA said;
〃Amazonians; immediately yield!〃
And their arrows they drew to the head …
Yes; drew them right up to the head。
But jocular WAGGETY…WEH
Ogled DOODLE…DUM…DEY (which was wrong);
And neat little TITTY…FOL…LEH
Said; 〃TOOTLE…TUM; you go along!
You naughty old dear; go along!〃
And rollicking TRAL…THE…RAL…LAH
Tapped ALACK…A…DEY…AH with her fan;
And musical DOH…REH…MI…FAH
Said; 〃PISH; go away; you bad man!
Go away; you delightful young man!〃
And the Amazons simpered and sighed;
And they ogled; and giggled; and flushed;
And they opened their pretty eyes wide;
And they chuckled; and flirted; and blushed
(At least; if they could; they'd have blushed)。
But haughty PISH…TUSH…POOH…BAH
Said; 〃ALACK…A…DEY; what does this mean?〃
And despairing ALACK…A…DEY…AH
Said; 〃They think us uncommonly green!
Ha! ha! most uncommonly green!〃
Even blundering DOODLE…DUM…DEY
Was insensible quite to their leers;
And said good little TOOTLE…TUM…TEH;
〃It's your blood we desire; pretty dears …
We have come for our dinners; my dears!〃
And the Queen of the Amazons fell
To BORRIA BUNGALEE BOO; …
In a mouthful he gulped; with a yell;
TIPPY…WIPPITY TOL…THE…ROL…LOO …
The pretty QUEEN TOL…THE…ROL…LOO。
And neat little TITTY…FOL…LEH
Was eaten by PISH…POOH…BAH;
And light…hearted WAGGETY…WEH
By dismal ALACK…A…DEY…AH …
Despairing ALACK…A…DEY…AH。
And rollicking TRAL…THE…RAL…LAH
Was eaten by DOODLE…DUM…DEY;
And musical DOH…REH…MI…FAH
By good little TOOTLE…DUM…TEH …
Exemplary TOOTLE…TUM…TEH!
Ballad: BOB POLTER。
BOB POLTER was a navvy; and
His hands were coarse; and dirty too;
His homely face was rough and tanned;
His time of life was thirty…two。
He lived among a working clan
(A wife he hadn't got at all);
A decent; steady; sober man …
No saint; however … not at all。
He smoked; but in a modest way;
Because he thought he needed it;
He drank a pot of beer a day;
And sometimes he exceeded it。
At times he'd pass with other men
A loud convivial night or two;
With; very likely; now and then;
On Saturdays; a fight or two。
But still he was a sober soul;
A labour…never…shirking man;
Who paid his way … upon the whole
A decent English working man。
One day; when at the Nelson's Head
(For which he may be blamed of you);
A holy man appeared; and said;
〃Oh; ROBERT; I'm ashamed of you。〃
He laid his hand on ROBERT'S beer
Before he could drink up any;
And on the floor; with sigh and tear;
He poured the pot of 〃thruppenny。〃
〃Oh; ROBERT; at this very bar
A truth you'll be discovering;
A good and evil genius are
Around your noddle hovering。
〃They both are here to bid you shun
The other one's society;
For Total Abstinence is one;
The other; Inebriety。〃
He waved his hand … a vapour came …
A wizard POLTER reckoned him;
A bogy rose and called his name;
And with his finger beckoned him。
The monster's salient points to sum; …
His heavy breath was portery:
His glowing nose suggested rum:
His eyes were gin…and…WORtery。
His dress was torn … for dregs of ale
And slops of gin had rusted it;
His pimpled face was wan and pale;
Where filth had not encrusted it。
〃Come; POLTER;〃 said the fiend; 〃begin;
And keep the bowl a…flowing on …
A working man needs pints of gin
To keep his clockwork going on。〃
BOB shuddered: 〃Ah; you've made a miss
If you take me for one of you:
You filthy beast; get out of this …
BOB POLTER don't wan't none of you。〃
The demon gave a drunken shriek;
And crept away in stealthiness;
And lo! instead; a person sleek;
Who seemed to burst with healthiness。
〃In me; as your adviser hints;
Of Abstinence you've got a type …
Of MR。 TWEEDIE'S pretty prints
I am the happy prototype。
〃If you abjure the social toast;
And pipes; and such frivolities;
You possibly some day may boast
My prepossessing qualities!〃
BOB rubbed his eyes; and made 'em blink:
〃You almost make me tremble; you!
If I abjure fermented drink;
Shall I; indeed; resemble you?
〃And will my whiskers curl so tight?
My cheeks grow smug and muttony?
My face become so red and white?
My coat so blue and buttony?
〃Will trousers; such as yours; array
Extremities inferior?
Will chubbiness assert its sway
All over my exterior?
〃In this; my unenlightened state;
To work in heavy boots I comes;
Will pumps henceforward decorate
My tiddle toddle tootsicums?
〃And shall I get so plump and fresh;
And look no longer seedily?
My skin will henceforth fit my flesh
So tightly and so TWEEDIE…ly?〃
The phantom said; 〃You'll have all this;
You'll know no kind of huffiness;
Your life will be one chubby bliss;
One long unruffled puffiness!〃
〃Be off!〃 said irritated BOB。
〃Why come you here to bother one?
You pharisaical old snob;
You're wuss almost than t'other one!
〃I takes my pipe … I takes my pot;
And drunk I'm never seen to be:
I'm no teetotaller or sot;
And as I am I mean to be!〃
Ballad: THE STORY OF PRINCE AGIB。
STRIKE the concertina's melancholy string!
Blow the spirit…stirring harp like anything!
Let the piano's martial blast
Rouse the Echoes of the Past;
For of AGIB; PRINCE OF TARTARY; I sing!
Of AGIB; who; amid Tartaric scenes;
Wrote a lot of ballet music in his teens:
His gentle spirit rolls
In the melody of souls …
Which is pretty; but I don't know what it means。
Of AGIB; who could readily; at sight;
Strum a march upon the loud Theodolite。
He would diligently play
On the Zoetrope all day;
And blow the gay Pantechnicon all night。
One winter … I am shaky in my dates …
Came two starving Tartar minstrels to his gates;
Oh; ALLAH be obeyed;
How infernally they played!
I remember that they called themselves the 〃O乤its。〃
Oh! that day of sorrow; misery; and rage;
I shall carry to the Catacombs of Age;
Photographically lined
On the tablet of my mind;
When a yesterday has faded from its page!
Alas! PRINCE AGIB went and asked them in;
Gave them beer; and eggs; and sweets; and scent; and tin。
And when (as snobs would say)
They had 〃put it all away;〃
He requested them to tune up and begin。
Though its icy horror chill you to the core;
I will tell you what I never told before; …
The consequences true
Of that awful interview;
FOR I LISTENED AT THE KEYHOLE IN THE DOOR!
They played him a sonata … let me see!
〃MEDULLA OBLONGATA〃 … key of G。
Then they began to sing
That extremely lovely thing;
SCHERZANDO! MA NON TROPPO; PPP。〃
He gave them money; more than they could count;
Scent from a most ingenious little fount;
More beer; in little kegs;
Many dozen hard…boiled eggs;
And goodies to a fabulous amount。
Now follows the dim horror of my tale;
And I feel I'm growing gradually pale;
For; even at this day;
Though its sting has passed away;