第 16 节
作者:世纪史诗      更新:2022-11-23 12:13      字数:8323
  His   skipper   (CAPTAIN  JOYCE);   He  gave   him  many  a  rating; And
  almost lost his voice From thus expostulating:
  〃Lay aft; you lubber; do! What's come to that young man; JOE? Belay!
  … 'vast heaving! you! Do kindly stop that banjo!
  〃I   wish;   I   do   …   O   lor'!   …   You'd   shipped   aboard   a   trader: ARE   you   a
  sailor or A negro serenader?〃
  But   still   the   stricken   lad;   Aloft   or   on   his   pillow;   Howled   forth  in
  accents sad His aggravating 〃Willow!〃
  Stern love of duty bad Been JOYCE'S chiefest beauty; Says he; 〃I love
  that lad; But duty; damme! duty!
  〃Twelve months' black…hole; I say; Where daylight never flashes; And
  always twice a day A good six dozen lashes!〃
  But JOSEPH had a mate; A sailor stout and lusty; A man of low estate;
  But singularly trusty。
  Says he; 〃Cheer hup; young JOE! I'll tell you what I'm arter … To that
  Fust Lord I'll go And ax him for his darter。
  〃To that Fust Lord I'll go And say you love her dearly。〃 And JOE said
  (weeping low); 〃I wish you would; sincerely!〃
  That sailor to that Lord Went; soon as he had landed; And of his own
  accord An interview demanded。
  Says   he;   with   seaman's   roll;   〃My   Captain   (wot's   a   Tartar)   Guv   JOE
  twelve months' black…hole; For lovering your darter。
  〃He loves MISS LADY JANE (I own she is his betters); But if you'll
  jine them twain; They'll free him from his fetters。
  〃And if so be as how You'll let her come aboard ship; I'll take her with
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  me now。〃 〃Get out!〃 remarked his Lordship。
  That honest tar repaired To JOE  upon   the billow; And told   him  how
  he'd fared。 JOE only whispered; 〃Willow!〃
  And   for   that   dreadful   crime   (Young   sailors;   learn   to   shun   it)   He's
  working out his time; In six months he'll have done it。
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  Ballad: To The Terrestrial Globe。
  By A Miserable Wretch
  Roll on; thou ball; roll on! Through pathless realms of Space Roll on!
  What   though   I'm  in   a   sorry  case? What   though   I  cannot   meet   my   bills?
  What   though   I   suffer   toothache's   ills?   What   though   I   swallow   countless
  pills? Never YOU mind! Roll on!
  Roll on; thou ball; roll on! Through seas of inky air Roll on! It's true
  I've   got   no   shirts   to   wear;   It's   true   my  butcher's   bill   is   due;   It's   true   my
  prospects all look blue … But don't let that unsettle you! Never YOU mind!
  Roll on!
  'IT ROLLS ON。
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  Ballad: Gentle Alice Brown
  It   was   a   robber's   daughter;  and   her name   was ALICE  BROWN;   Her
  father  was   the   terror   of   a   small   Italian   town;   Her   mother   was   a   foolish;
  weak; but amiable old thing; But it isn't of her parents that I'm going for to
  sing。
  As ALICE was a…sitting at her window…sill one day; A beautiful young
  gentleman he chanced to pass that way; She cast her eyes upon him; and
  he looked so good and true; That she thought; 〃I could be happy with a
  gentleman like you!〃
  And   every   morning   passed   her   house   that   cream   of   gentlemen;   She
  knew she might expect him at a quarter unto ten; A sorter in the Custom…
  house; it was his daily road (The Custom…house was fifteen minutes' walk
  from her abode)。
  But   ALICE   was   a   pious   girl;   who   knew   it   wasn't   wise   To   look   at
  strange   young   sorters     with   expressive     purple   eyes;   So   she   sought   the
  village   priest   to   whom   her   family   confessed;   The   priest   by   whom   their
  little sins were carefully assessed。
  〃Oh; holy father;〃 ALICE said; 〃't would grieve you; would it not; To
  discover that I was a most disreputable lot? Of all unhappy sinners I'm the
  most unhappy one!〃 The padre said; 〃Whatever have you been and gone
  and done?〃
  〃I have helped mamma to steal a little kiddy from its dad; I've assisted
  dear papa in cutting up a little lad; I've planned a little burglary and forged
  a little cheque; And slain a little baby for the coral on its neck!〃
  The worthy pastor heaved a sigh; and dropped a silent tear; And said;
  〃You   mustn't   judge   yourself   too   heavily;   my   dear:   It's   wrong   to   murder
  babies; little corals for to fleece; But sins like these one expiates at half…a…
  crown apiece。
  〃Girls will be girls … you're very young; and flighty in your mind; Old
  heads upon young shoulders we must not expect to find: We mustn't be too
  hard upon these little girlish tricks … Let's see … five crimes at half…a…crown
  … exactly twelve…and…six。〃
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  〃Oh; father;〃 little Alice cried; 〃your kindness makes me weep; You do
  these little things for me so singularly cheap … Your thoughtful liberality I
  never can forget; But; oh! there is another crime I haven't mentioned yet!
  〃A pleasant…looking gentleman; with pretty purple eyes; I've noticed at
  my   window;   as   I've   sat   a…catching   flies;   He   passes   by   it   every   day   as
  certain as can be … I blush to say I've winked at him; and he has winked at
  me!〃
  〃For   shame!〃   said   FATHER   PAUL;   〃my   erring   daughter!             On   my
  word   This   is   the   most   distressing    news   that   I   have   ever   heard。   Why;
  naughty girl; your excellent papa has pledged your hand To a promising
  young robber; the lieutenant of his band!
  〃This dreadful piece of news will pain your worthy parents so! They
  are    the  most    remunerative     customers     I  know;     For  many     many    years
  they've kept starvation from my doors: I never knew so criminal a family
  as yours!
  〃The     common       country    folk   in  this   insipid   neighbourhood       Have
  nothing to confess; they're so ridiculously good; And if you marry any one
  respectable     at  all;  Why;   you'll   reform;   and   what    will  then   become     of
  FATHER PAUL?〃
  The   worthy   priest;   he   up   and   drew   his   cowl   upon   his   crown;   And
  started   off  in   haste   to   tell   the  news to   ROBBER  BROWN   … To   tell   him
  how   his   daughter;   who   was   now   for   marriage   fit;   Had   winked   upon   a
  sorter; who reciprocated it。
  Good ROBBER BROWN he muffled up his anger pretty well: He said;
  〃I have a notion; and that notion I will tell; I will nab this gay young sorter;
  terrify him into fits; And get my gentle wife to chop him into little bits。
  〃I've studied human nature; and I know a thing or two: Though a girl
  may fondly love a living gent; as many do … A feeling of disgust upon her
  senses there will fall When she looks upon his body chopped particularly
  small。〃
  He traced that gallant sorter to a still suburban square; He watched his
  opportunity; and seized him unaware; He took a life…preserver and he hit
  him on   the head; And MRS。  BROWN dissected   him before   she went to
  bed。
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  And   pretty   little   ALICE   grew   more   settled   in   her   mind;   She   never
  more was guilty of a weakness of the kind; Until at length good ROBBER
  BROWN   bestowed   her   pretty   hand   On   the   promising   young   robber;   the
  lieutenant of his band。
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