第 3 节
作者:世纪史诗      更新:2022-11-23 12:13      字数:9321
  frozen tank to wash in。 That was the first that brought me grief; And made
  me weep;   till   I sought   relief In   an   emblematical handkerchief; To   choke
  such baby bosh in。
  First and worst in the grim array… Ghosts of ghosts that have gone their
  way;    Which     I  wouldn't   revive   for  a  single   day   For  all  the  wealth   of
  PLUTUS … Are the horrible ghosts that school…days scared: If the classical
  ghost that BRUTUS dared Was the ghost of his 〃Caesar〃 unprepared; I'm
  sure I pity BRUTUS。
  I pass to critical seventeen; The ghost of that terrible wedding scene;
  When an elderly Colonel stole my Queen; And woke my dream of heaven。
  No schoolgirl   decked   in her  nurse…room  curls Was   my  gushing   innocent
  Queen of Pearls; If she wasn't a girl of a thousand girls; She was one of
  forty…seven!
  I see the ghost of my first cigar; Of the thence…arising family jar … Of
  my maiden brief (I was at the Bar; And I called the Judge 〃Your wushup!〃)
  Of    reckless    days   and    reckless   nights;   With    wrenched…off      knockers;
  extinguished lights; Unholy songs and tipsy fights; Which I strove in vain
  to hush up。
  Ghosts of fraudulent joint…stock banks; Ghosts of 〃copy; declined with
  thanks;〃 Of novels returned in endless ranks; And thousands more; I suffer。
  The only line to fitly grace My humble tomb; when I've run my race; Is;
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  〃Reader; this is the resting…place Of an unsuccessful duffer。〃
  I've fought them all; these ghosts of mine; But the weapons I've used
  are   sighs   and   brine; And   now   that   I'm   nearly   forty…nine;   Old   age   is   my
  chiefest bogy; For my hair is thinning away at the crown; And the silver
  fights with the worn…out brown; And a general verdict sets me down As an
  irreclaimable fogy。
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  Ballad: The Bishop And The
  'Busman
  It was a Bishop bold; And London was his see; He was short and stout
  and round about And zealous as could be。
  It   also   was   a   Jew;   Who   drove   a   Putney   'bus   …   For   flesh   of   swine
  however fine He did not care a cuss。
  His    name     was   HASH      BAZ     BEN;    And     JEDEDIAH       too;   And
  SOLOMON and ZABULON … This 'bus…directing Jew。
  The Bishop said; said he; 〃I'll see what I can do To Christianise and
  make you wise; You poor benighted Jew。〃
  So every blessed day That 'bus he rode outside; From Fulham  town;
  both up and down; And loudly thus he cried:
  〃His    name    is   HASH      BAZ    BEN;     And    JEDEDIAH        too;   And
  SOLOMON and ZABULON … This 'bus…directing Jew。〃
  At   first   the   'busman   smiled;   And   rather   liked   the   fun   …   He   merely
  smiled; that Hebrew child; And said; 〃Eccentric one!〃
  And   gay   young   dogs   would   wait   To   see   the   'bus   go   by   (These   gay
  young dogs; in striking togs); To hear the Bishop cry:
  〃Observe his grisly beard; His race it clearly shows; He sticks no fork
  in ham or pork … Observe; my friends; his nose。
  〃His    name    is   HASH      BAZ    BEN;     And    JEDEDIAH        too;   And
  SOLOMON and ZABULON … This 'bus…directing Jew。〃
  But though at first amused; Yet after seven years; This Hebrew child
  got rather riled; And melted into tears。
  He really almost feared To leave his poor abode; His nose; and name;
  and beard became A byword on that road。
  At length he swore an oath; The reason he would know … 〃I'll call and
  see why ever he Does persecute me so!〃
  The   good   old   Bishop   sat   On   his   ancestral   chair;  The   'busman   came;
  sent up his name; And laid his grievance bare。
  〃Benighted   Jew;〃   he   said   (The   good   old   Bishop   did);   〃Be   Christian;
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  you; instead of Jew … Become a Christian kid!
  〃I'll   ne'er   annoy   you   more。〃   〃Indeed?〃   replied   the   Jew;   〃Shall   I   be
  freed?〃     〃You will; indeed!〃 Then 〃Done!〃 said he; 〃with you!〃
  The organ which; in man; Between the eyebrows grows; Fell from his
  face; and in its place He found a Christian nose。
  His tangled Hebrew beard; Which to his waist came down; Was now a
  pair of whiskers fair … His name ADOLPHUS BROWN!
  He wedded in a year That prelate's daughter JANE; He's grown quite
  fair … has auburn hair … His wife is far from plain。
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  Ballad: The Troubadour
  A TROUBADOUR he played Without a castle wall; Within; a hapless
  maid Responded to his call。
  〃Oh; willow; woe is me! Alack and well…a…day! If I were only free I'd
  hie me far away!〃
  Unknown       her   face  and   name;    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
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  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。
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  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;