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saltbush bill-第7部分

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 〃Five monkeys; Little John; sir!〃

〃Here's fives bar one; I lay; I lay!〃

And so they shout through the livelong day;

And stick to the game that is sure to pay;

 While fools put money on; sir!



And now in my dream I seem to go

And bet with a 〃book〃 that I seem to know 

 A Hebrew money…lender;

A million to five is the price I get 

Not bad! but before I book the bet

The horse's name I clean forget;

 Its number and even gender。



Now for the start; and here they come;

And the hoof…strokes roar like a mighty drum

 Beat by a hand unsteady;

They come like a rushing; roaring flood;

Hurrah for the speed of the Chester blood;

For Acme is making the pace so good

 There are some of 'em done already。



But round the back she begins to tire;

And a mighty shout goes up 〃Crossfire!〃

 The magpie jacket's leading;

And Crossfire challenges; fierce and bold;

And the lead she'll have and the lead she'll hold;

But at length gives way to the black and gold;

 Which away to the front is speeding。



Carry them on and keep it up 

A flying race is the Melbourne Cup;

 You must race and stay to win it;

And old Commotion; Victoria's pride;

Now takes the lead with his raking stride;

And a mighty roar goes far and wide 

 〃There's only Commotion in it!〃



But one draws out from the beaten ruck

And up on the rails by a piece of luck

 He comes in a style that's clever;

〃It's Trident! Trident!  Hurrah for Hales!〃

〃Go at 'em now while their courage fails;〃

〃Trident! Trident! for New South Wales!〃

 〃The blue and white for ever!〃



Under the whip! with the ears flat back;

Under the whip! though the sinews crack;

 No sign of the base white feather;

Stick to it now for your breeding's sake;

Stick to it now though your hearts should break;

While the yells and roars make the grand…stand shake;

 They come down the straight together。



Trident slowly forges ahead;

The fierce whips cut and the spurs are red;

 The pace is undiminished;

Now for the Panics that never fail!

But many a backer's face grows pale

As old Commotion swings his tail

 And swerves  and the Cup is finished。



     。    。    。    。    。



And now in my dream it all comes back:

I bet my coin on the Sydney crack;

 A million I've won; no question!

〃Give me my money; you hooked…nosed hog!

Give me my money; bookmaking dog!〃

But he disappeared in a kind of fog;

 And I woke with 〃the indigestion〃。









The Gundaroo Bullock







Oh; there's some that breeds the Devon that's as solid as a stone;

And there's some that breeds the brindle which they call the 〃Goulburn Roan〃;

But amongst the breeds of cattle there are very; very few

Like the hairy…whiskered bullock that they bred at Gundaroo。



Far away by Grabben Gullen; where the Murrumbidgee flows;

There's a block of broken countryside where no one ever goes;

For the banks have gripped the squatters; and the free selectors too;

And their stock are always stolen by the men of Gundaroo。



There came a low informer to the Grabben Gullen side;

And he said to Smith the squatter; 〃You must saddle up and ride;

For your bullock's in the harness…cask of Morgan Donahoo 

He's the greatest cattle…stealer that abides in Gundaroo。〃



〃Oh; ho!〃 said Smith; the owner of the Grabben Gullen run;

〃I'll go and get the troopers by the sinking of the sun;

And down into his homestead to…night we'll take a ride;

With warrants to identify the carcase and the hide。〃



That night rode down the troopers; the squatter at their head;

They rode into the homestead; and pulled Morgan out of bed。

〃Now; show to us the carcase of the bullock that you slew 

The great marsupial bullock that you killed in Gundaroo。〃



They peered into the harness…cask; and found it wasn't full;

But down among the brine they saw some flesh and bits of wool。

〃What's this?〃 exclaimed the trooper  〃an infant; I declare;〃

Said Morgan; 〃'Tis the carcase of an old man native bear。

I heard that ye were coming; so an old man bear I slew;

Just to give you kindly welcome to my home in Gundaroo。



〃The times is something awful; as you can plainly see;

The banks have broke the squatters; and they've broke the likes of me;

We can't afford a bullock  such expense would never do 

So an old man bear for breakfast is a treat in Gundaroo。〃



And along by Grabben Gullen; where the rushing river flows;

In the block of broken country where there's no one ever goes;

On the Upper Murrumbidgee they're a hospitable crew;

But you mustn't ask for 〃bullock〃 when you go to Gundaroo。









Lay of the Motor…Car







We're away! and the wind whistles shrewd

 In our whiskers and teeth;

And the granite…like grey of the road

 Seems to slide underneath。

As an eagle might sweep through the sky;

 So we sweep through the land;

And the pallid pedestrians fly

 When they hear us at hand。



We outpace; we outlast; we outstrip!

 Not the fast…fleeing hare;

Nor the racehorses under the whip;

 Nor the birds of the air

Can compete with our swiftness sublime;

 Our ease and our grace。

We annihilate chickens and time

 And policemen and space。



Do you mind that fat grocer who crossed?

 How he dropped down to pray

In the road when he saw he was lost;

 How he melted away

Underneath; and there rang through the fog

 His earsplitting squeal

As he went   Is that he or a dog;

 That stuff on the wheel?









The Corner Man







I dreamed a dream at the midnight deep;

 When fancies come and go

To vex a man in his soothing sleep

 With thoughts of awful woe 

I dreamed that I was a corner…man

 Of a nigger minstrel show。



I cracked my jokes; and the building rang

 With laughter loud and long;

I hushed the house as I softly sang

 An old plantation song 

A tale of the wicked slavery days

 Of cruelty and wrong。



A small boy sat on the foremost seat 

 A mirthful youngster he;

He beat the time with his restless feet

 To each new melody;

And he picked me out as the brightest star

 Of the black fraternity。



〃Oh father;〃 he said; 〃what WOULD we do

 If the corner…man should die?

I never saw such a man  did you?

 He makes the people cry;

And then; when he likes; he makes them laugh。〃

 The old man made reply 



〃We each of us fill a very small space

 In the great creation's plan;

If a man don't keep his lead in the race

 There's plenty more that can;

The world can very soon fill the place

 Of even a corner…man。〃



     。    。    。    。    。



I woke with a jump; rejoiced to find

 Myself at home in bed;

And I framed a moral in my mind

 From the words the old man said。

The world will jog along just the same

 When its corner…men are dead。









When Dacey Rode the Mule







'Twas to a small; up…country town;

 When we were boys at school;

There came a circus with a clown;

 Likewise a bucking mule。

The clown announced a scheme they had

 Spectators for to bring 

They'd give a crown to any lad

 Who'd ride him round the ring。



    And; gentle reader; do not scoff

     Nor think a man a fool 

    To buck a porous…plaster off

     Was pastime to that mule。



The boys got on; he bucked like sin;

 He threw them in the dirt;

What time the clown would raise a grin

 By asking; 〃Are you hurt?〃

But Johnny Dacey came one night;

 The crack of all the school;

Said he; 〃I'll win the crown all right;

 Bring in your bucking mule。〃



    The elephant went off his trunk;

     The monkey played the fool;

    And all the band got blazing drunk

     When Dacey rode the mule。



But soon there rose a galling shout

 Of laughter; for the clown

From somewhere in his pants drew out

 A little paper crown。

He placed the crown on Dacey's head

 While Dacey looked a fool;

〃Now; there's your crown; my lad;〃 he said;

 〃For riding of the mule!〃



    The band struck up with 〃Killaloe〃;

     And 〃Rule Britannia; Rule〃;

    And 〃Young Man from the Country〃; too;

     When Dacey rode the mule。



Then Dacey; in a furious rage;

 For vengeance on the show

Ascended to the monkeys' cage

 And let the monkeys go;

The blue…tailed ape and chimpanzee

 He turned abroad to roam;

Good faith!  It was a sight to see

 The people step for home。



    For big baboons with canine snout

     Are spiteful; as a rule 

    The people didn't sit it out

     When Dacey rode the mule。



And from the beasts that made escape;

 The bushmen all declare;

Were born some creatures partly ape

 And partly native…bear。

They're rather few and far between;

 The race is nearly spent;

But some of them may still be seen

 In Sydney Parliament。



    And when those legislators fight;

     And drink; and act the fool;

    Just blame it on that torrid night

     When Dacey rode the mule。









The Mylora Elopement







By the winding Wollondilly where the weeping willows weep;

And the shepherd; with his billy; half awake and half asleep;

Folds his fleecy flocks that linger homewards in the setting sun;

Lived my hero; Jim the Ringer; 〃cocky〃 on Mylora Run。



Jimmy loved the super's daughter; Miss Amelia Jane McGrath。

Long and earnestly he sought her; but he feared her stern papa;

And Amelia loved him truly  but the course of love; if true;

Never yet ran smooth or duly; as I think it ought to do。



Watching with his slow affection once Jim saw McGrath the boss

Riding out by Jim's selection; looking for a station 'oss

That was running in the ranges with a mob of outlaws wild。

Old McGrath 〃Good day〃 exchanges  off goes Jim to see his child;



Says; 〃The old man's after Stager; which he'll find is no light job;

And to…morrow I will wager he will try and yard the mob。

Will you come with me to…morrow?  I will let the parson know;

And for ever; jo
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