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50 bab ballads(50篇巴布歌谣)-第5部分
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〃Your riches know no kind of pause; Your trade is fast advancing; You
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
His mania soon got noised about And into all the papers; His size
increased beyond a doubt For all his reckless capers: It may seem singular
to you; But all his friends admit it true … The more he found His figure
round; The more he cut his capers。
His bulk increased … no matter that … He tried the more to toss it … He
never spoke of it as 〃fat;〃 But 〃adipose deposit。〃 Upon my word; it seems
to me Unpardonable vanity (And worse than that) To call your fat An
〃adipose deposit。〃
At length his brawny knees gave way; And on the carpet sinking; Upon
his shapeless back he lay And kicked away like winking。 Instead of seeing
in his state The finger of unswerving Fate; He laboured still To work his
will; And kicked away like winking。
His friends; disgusted with him now; Away in silence wended … I
hardly like to tell you how This dreadful story ended。 The shocking sequel
to impart; I must employ the limner's art … If you would know; This sketch
will show How his exertions ended。
MORAL。
I hate to preach … I hate to prate … … I'm no fanatic croaker; But learn
contentment from the fate Of this East India broker。 He'd everything a man
of taste Could ever want; except a waist; And discontent His size anent;
And bootless perseverance blind; Completely wrecked the peace of mind
Of this East India broker。
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
E
〃SUPER〃 TO HIS MASK。
VAST empty shell! Impertinent; preposterous abortion! With vacant
stare; And ragged hair; And every feature out of all proportion!
Embodiment of echoing inanity! Excellent type of simpering insanity!
Unwieldy; clumsy nightmare of humanity! I ring thy knell!
To…night thou diest; Beast that destroy'st my heaven…born identity!
Nine weeks of nights; Before the lights; Swamped in thine own
preposterous nonentity; I've been ill…treated; cursed; and thrashed diurnally;
Credited for the smile you wear externally … I feel disposed to smash thy
face; infernally; As there thou liest!
I've been thy brain: I'VE been the brain that lit thy dull concavity! The
human race Invest MY face With thine expression of unchecked depravity;
Invested with a ghastly reciprocity; I'VE been responsible for thy
monstrosity; I; for thy wanton; blundering ferocity … But not again!
'T is time to toll Thy knell; and that of follies pantomimical: A nine
weeks' run; And thou hast done All thou canst do to make thyself inimical。
Adieu; embodiment of all inanity! Excellent type of simpering insanity!
Unwieldy; clumsy nightmare of humanity! Freed is thy soul!
(THE MASK RESPONDETH。)
Oh! master mine; Look thou within thee; ere again ill…using me。 Art
thou aware Of nothing there Which might abuse thee; as thou art abusing
me? A brain that mourns THINE unredeemed rascality? A soul that weeps
at THY threadbare morality? Both grieving that THEIR individuality Is
merged in thine?
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
O'ER unreclaimed suburban clays Some years ago were hobblin' An
elderly ghost of easy ways; And an influential goblin。 The ghost was a
sombre spectral shape; A fine old five…act fogy; The goblin imp; a lithe
young ape; A fine low…comedy bogy。
And as they exercised their joints; Promoting quick digestion; They
talked on several curious points; And raised this delicate question: 〃Which
of us two is Number One … The ghostie; or the goblin?〃 And o'er the point
they raised in fun They fairly fell a…squabblin'。
They'd barely speak; and each; in fine; Grew more and more reflective:
Each thought his own particular line By chalks the more effective。 At
length they settled some one should By each of them be haunted; And so
arrange that either could Exert his prowess vaunted。
〃The Quaint against the Statuesque〃 … By competition lawful … The
goblin backed the Quaint Grotesque; The ghost the Grandly Awful。 〃Now;〃
said the goblin; 〃here's my plan … In attitude commanding; I see a stalwart
Englishman By yonder tailor's standing。
〃The very fittest man on earth My influence to try on … Of gentle;
p'r'aps of noble birth; And dauntless as a lion! Now wrap yourself within
your shroud … Remain in easy hearing … Observe … you'll hear him scream
aloud When I begin appearing!
The imp with yell unearthly … wild … Threw off his dark enclosure: His
dauntless victim looked and smiled With singular composure。 For hours he
tried to daunt the youth; For days; indeed; but vainly … The stripling smiled!
… to tell the truth; The stripling smiled inanely。
For weeks the goblin weird and wild; That noble stripling haunted; For
weeks the stripling stood and smiled; Unmoved and all undaunted。 The
sombre ghost exclaimed; 〃Your plan Has failed you; goblin; plainly: Now
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
〃These are the men who chase the roe; Whose footsteps never falter;
Who bring with them; where'er they go; A smack of old SIR WALTER。 Of
such as he; the men sublime Who lead their troops victorious; Whose
deeds go down to after…time; Enshrined in annals glorious!
〃Of such as he the bard has said 'Hech thrawfu' raltie rorkie! Wi' thecht
ta' croonie clapperhead And fash' wi' unco pawkie!' He'll faint away when
I appear; Upon his native heather; Or p'r'aps he'll only scream with fear; Or
p'r'aps the two together。〃
The spectre showed himself; alone; To do his ghostly battling; With
curdling groan and dismal moan; And lots of chains a…rattling! But no … the
chiel's stout Gaelic stuff Withstood all ghostly harrying; His fingers closed
upon the snuff Which upwards he was carrying。
For days that ghost declined to stir; A foggy shapeless giant … For
weeks that splendid officer Stared back again defiant。 Just as the
Englishman returned The goblin's vulgar staring; Just so the Scotchman
boldly spurned The ghost's unmannered scaring。
For several years the ghostly twain These Britons bold have haunted;
But all their efforts are in vain … Their victims stand undaunted。 This very
day the imp; and ghost; Whose powers the imp derided; Stand each at his
allotted post … The bet is undecided。
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
A BISHOP once … I will not name his see … Annoyed his clergy in the
mode conventional; From pulpit shackles never set them free; And found a
sin where sin was unintentional。 All pleasures ended in abuse auricular The
Bishop was so terribly particular。
Though; on the whole; a wise and upright man; He sought to make of
human pleasures clearances; And form his priests on that much…lauded
plan Which pays undue attention to appearances。 He couldn't do good
deeds without a psalm in 'em; Although; in truth; he bore away the palm in
'em。
Enraged to find a deacon at a dance; Or catch a curate at some mild
frivolity; He sought by open censure to enhance Their dread of joining
harmless social jollity。 Yet he enjoyed (a fact of notoriety) The ordinary
pleasures of society。
One evening; sitting at a pantomime (Forbidden treat to those who
stood in fear of him); Roaring at jokes; SANS metre; sense; or rhyme; He
turned; and saw immediately in rear of him; His peace of mind upsetting;
and annoying it; A curate; also heartily enjoying it。
Again; 't was Christmas Eve; and to enhance His children's pleasure in
their harmless rollicking; He; like a good old fellow; stood to dance; When
something checked the current of his frolicking: That curate; with a maid
he treated lover…ly; Stood up and figured with him in the 〃Coverley!〃
Once; yielding to an universal choice (The company's demand was an
emphatic one; For the old Bishop had a glorious voice); In a quartet he
joined … an operatic one。 Harmless enough; though ne'er a word of grace in
it; When; lo! that curate came and took the bass in it!
One day; when passing through a quiet street; He stopped awhile and
joined a Punch's gathering; And chuckled more than solemn folk think
meet; To see that gentleman his Judy lathering; And heard; as Punch was
being treated penalty; That phantom curate laughing all hyaenally。
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
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。
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
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…TUMTEH;
Where on earth shall I look for a meal? For I haven't no
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