第 2 节
作者:世纪史诗      更新:2022-11-23 12:13      字数:9322
  GENERAL   JOHN   was   a   soldier   tried;   A   chief   of   warlike   dons;   A
  haughty stride and a withering pride Were MAJOR…GENERAL JOHN'S。
  A sneer would play on his martial phiz; Superior birth to show; 〃Pish!〃
  was a favourite word of his; And he often said 〃Ho! ho!〃
  FULL…PRIVATE JAMES described might be; As a man of a mournful
  mind; No characteristic trait had he Of any distinctive kind。
  From   the   ranks;   one   day;  cried   PRIVATE     JAMES;   〃Oh!     MAJOR…
  GENERAL   JOHN;   I've   doubts   of   our   respective   names;   My   mournful
  mind upon。
  〃A glimmering thought occurs to me (Its source I can't unearth); But
  I've a kind of a notion we Were cruelly changed at birth。
  〃I've a strange idea that each other's names We've each of us here got
  on。 Such things have been;〃 said PRIVATE JAMES。 〃They have!〃 sneered
  GENERAL JOHN。
  〃My   GENERAL   JOHN;   I   swear   upon   My   oath   I   think   'tis   so   …   〃
  〃Pish!〃 proudly sneered his GENERAL JOHN; And he also said 〃Ho! ho!〃
  〃My    GENERAL        JOHN!     my    GENERAL        JOHN!     My    GENERAL
  JOHN!〃 quoth he; 〃This aristocratical sneer upon Your face I blush to see!
  〃No   truly   great   or   generous   cove   Deserving   of   them   names;   Would
  sneer at a fixed idea that's drove In the mind of a PRIVATE JAMES!〃
  Said   GENERAL  JOHN;   〃Upon   your   claims   No   need   your   breath   to
  waste; If this is a joke; FULL…PRIVATE JAMES; It's a joke of doubtful
  taste。
  〃But; being a man of doubtless worth; If you feel certain quite That we
  were probably changed at birth; I'll venture to say you're right。〃
  So GENERAL JOHN as PRIVATE JAMES Fell in; parade upon; And
  PRIVATE JAMES; by change of names; Was MAJOR…GENERAL JOHN。
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  Ballad: To A Little Maid … By A
  Policeman
  Come with me; little maid; Nay; shrink not; thus afraid … I'll harm thee
  not! Fly not;   my love;   from  me   … I   have a home for   thee … A fairy  grot;
  Where mortal eye Can rarely pry; There shall thy dwelling be!
  List to me; while I tell The pleasures of that cell; Oh; little maid! What
  though   its   couch   be   rude;   Homely   the   only   food   Within   its   shade?   No
  thought of care Can enter there; No vulgar swain intrude!
  Come   with   me;   little   maid;   Come   to   the   rocky  shade   I   love   to   sing;
  Live with us; maiden rare   … Come; for we   〃want〃 thee there; Thou   elfin
  thing; To work thy spell; In some cool cell In stately Pentonville!
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  Ballad: John And Freddy
  JOHN      courted    lovely   MARY       ANN;     So   likewise    did  his   brother;
  FREDDY。 FRED was a very soft young man; While JOHN; though quick;
  was most unsteady。
  FRED   was   a   graceful   kind   of   youth;   But   JOHN   was   very   much   the
  strongest。 〃Oh; dance away;〃 said she; 〃in truth; I'll marry him who dances
  longest。〃
  JOHN tries the maiden's taste to strike With gay; grotesque; outrageous
  dresses;    And     dances    comically;    like  CLODOCHE           AND     Co。;   at  the
  Princess's。
  But FREDDY tries another style; He knows some graceful steps and
  does   'em   …   A   breathing   Poem   …   Woman's   smile   …   A   man   all   poesy   and
  buzzem。
  Now   FREDDY'S   operatic   PAS   …   Now   JOHNNY'S   hornpipe   seems
  entrapping: Now FREDDY'S graceful ENTRECHATS … Now JOHNNY'S
  skilful 〃cellar…flapping。〃
  For   many   hours   …   for   many  days   …   For   many   weeks   performed   each
  brother;   For   each   was   active   in   his   ways; And   neither   would   give   in   to
  t'other。
  After   a   month   of   this;   they   say   (The   maid   was   getting   bored   and
  moody) A  wandering   curate passed that   way And talked   a lot   of goody…
  goody。
  〃Oh   my;〃   said   he;   with   solemn   frown;   〃I   tremble   for   each   dancing
  FRATER; Like unregenerated clown And harlequin at some the…ayter。〃
  He showed that men; in dancing; do Both impiously and absurdly; And
  proved his proposition true; With Firstly; Secondly; and Thirdly。
  For   months   both   JOHN   and   FREDDY  danced;   The   curate's   protests
  little heeding; For months the curate's words enhanced The sinfulness of
  their proceeding。
  At   length   they  bowed   to   Nature's   rule   … Their   steps   grew  feeble   and
  unsteady; Till   FREDDY  fainted on a   stool; And   JOHNNY on the   top of
  FREDDY。
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  〃Decide!〃 quoth they; 〃let him be named; Who henceforth as his wife
  may rank you。〃 〃I've changed my views;〃 the maiden said; 〃I only marry
  curates; thank you!〃
  Says   FREDDY;   〃Here   is   goings   on!   To   bust   myself   with   rage   I'm
  ready。〃   〃I'll   be   a   curate!〃   whispers   JOHN   …   〃And   I;〃   exclaimed   poetic
  FREDDY。
  But while they read for it; these chaps; The curate booked the maiden
  bonny … And when she's buried him; perhaps; She'll marry FREDERICK
  or JOHNNY。
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  The Bab Ballads
  Ballad: Sir Guy The Crusader
  Sir   GUY  was   a   doughty   crusader; A  muscular   knight;   Ever   ready   to
  fight; A very determined invader; And DICKEY DE LION'S delight。
  LENORE was a Saracen maiden; Brunette; statuesque; The reverse of
  grotesque;   Her   pa   was   a   bagman   from Aden;   Her   mother   she   played   in
  burlesque。
  A CORYPHEE; pretty and loyal; In amber and red The ballet she led;
  Her mother performed at the Royal; LENORE at the Saracen's Head。
  Of face and of figure majestic; She dazzled the cits … Ecstaticised pits;
  … Her troubles were only domestic; But drove her half out of her wits。
  Her    father   incessantly    lashed   her;  On    water   and   bread    She   was
  grudgingly fed; Whenever her father he thrashed her Her mother sat down
  on her head。
  GUY saw her; and loved her; with reason; For beauty so bright Sent
  him mad with delight; He purchased a stall for the season; And sat in it
  every night。
  His views were exceedingly proper; He wanted to wed; So he called at
  her shed And saw her progenitor whop her … Her mother sit down on her
  head。
  〃So    pretty;〃  said   he;  〃and   so   trusting!   You   brute   of  a  dad;   You
  unprincipled   cad;   Your   conduct   is   really   disgusting;   Come;   come;   now
  admit it's too bad!
  〃You're a turbaned old Turk; and malignant … Your daughter LENORE
  I intensely adore; And I cannot help feeling indignant; A fact that I hinted
  before;
  〃To see a fond father employing A deuce of a knout For to bang her
  about; To a sensitive lover's annoying。〃 Said the bagman; 〃Crusader; get
  out。〃
  Says GUY; 〃Shall a warrior laden With a big spiky knob; Sit in peace
  on   his   cob   While   a   beautiful   Saracen   maiden   Is   whipped   by   a   Saracen
  snob?
  〃To   London   I'll   go   from   my   charmer。〃   Which   he   did;   with   his   loot
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  (Seven hats and a flute); And was nabbed for his Sydenham armour At MR。
  BEN…SAMUEL'S suit。
  SIR GUY he was lodged in the Compter; Her pa; in a rage; Died (don't
  know his age); His daughter; she married the prompter; Grew bulky and
  quitted the stage。
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  The Bab Ballads
  Ballad: Haunted
  Haunted?      Ay; in a social way By a body of ghosts in dread array; But
  no conventional spectres they … Appalling; grim; and tricky: I quail at mine
  as I'd never quail At a fine traditional spectre pale; With a turnip head and
  a ghostly wail; And a splash of blood on the dickey!
  Mine are horrible; social ghosts; … Speeches and women and guests and
  hosts; Weddings and morning calls and toasts; In every bad variety: Ghosts
  who hover about the grave Of all that's manly; free; and brave: You'll find
  their names on the architrave Of that charnel…house; Society。
  Black Monday … black as its school…room ink … With its dismal boys
  that   snivel   and   think   Of   its   nauseous   messes   to   eat   and   drink;   And   its
  frozen tank to wash in。 That was the first that brought me gr