50 bab ballads(50篇巴布歌谣)-第2章
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〃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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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
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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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
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; say; … what can the matter be with you?
Does anything you've eaten; darling POPSY; disagree with you?〃
But spite of all I said; her sobs grew more and more distressing; And
she tore her pretty back hair; which had taken long in dressing。
Then she gazed upon the carpet; at the ceiling; then above me; And she
whispered; 〃FERDINANDO; do you really; REALLY love me?〃
〃Love you?〃 said I; then I sighed; and then I gazed upon her sweetly For
I think I do this sort of thing particularly neatly。
〃Send me to the Arctic regions; or illimitable azure; On a scientific
goose…chase; with my COXWELL or my GLAISHER!
〃Tell me whither I may hie me … tell me; dear one; that I may know … Is
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
But she said; 〃It isn't polar bears; or hot volcanic grottoes: Only find
out who it is that writes those lovely cracker mottoes!〃
PART II。
〃Tell me; HENRY WADSWORTH; ALFRED POET CLOSE; or
MISTER TUPPER; Do you write the bon bon mottoes my ELVIRA pulls
at supper?〃
But HENRY WADSWORTH smiled; and said he had not had that
honour; And ALFRED; too; disclaimed the words that told so much upon
her。
〃MISTER MARTIN TUPPER; POET CLOSE; I beg of you inform
us;〃 But my question seemed to throw them both into a rage enormous。
MISTER CLOSE expressed a wish that he could only get anigh to me;
And MISTER MARTIN TUPPER sent the following reply to me:
〃A fool is bent upon a twig; but wise men dread a bandit;〃 … Which I
know was very clever; but I didn't understand it。
Seven weary years I wandered … Patagonia; China; Norway; Till at last
I sank exhausted at a pastrycook his doorway。
There were fuchsias and geraniums; and daffodils and myrtle; So I
entered; and I ordered half a basin of mock turtle。
He was plump and he was chubby; he was smooth and he was rosy;
And his little wife was pretty and particularly cosy。
And he chirped and sang; and skipped about; and laughed with
laughter hearty … He was wonderfully active for so very stout a party。
And I said; 〃O gentle pieman; why so very; very merry? Is it purity of
conscience; or your one…and…seven sherry?〃
But he answered; 〃I'm so happy … no profession could be dearer … If I
am not humming 'Tra! la! la!' I'm singing 'Tirer; lirer!'
〃First I go and make the patties; and the puddings; and the jellies; Then
I make a sugar bird…cage; which upon a table swell is;
〃Then I polish all the silver; which a supper…table lacquers; Then I
write the pretty mottoes which you find inside the crackers。〃
〃Found at last!〃 I madly shouted。 〃Gentle pieman; you astound me!〃
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
And I shouted and I danced until he'd quite a crowd around him … And
I rushed away exclaiming; 〃I have found him! I have found him!〃
And I heard the gentle pieman in the road behind me trilling; 〃'Tira;
lira!' stop him; stop him! 'Tra! la! la!' the soup's a shilling!〃
But until I reached ELVIRA'S home; I never; never waited; And
ELVIRA to her FERDINAND'S irrevocably mated!
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
(
WHOEVER SHE MAY BE。)
OH! little maid! … (I do not know your name Or who you are; so; as a
safe precaution I'll add) … Oh; buxom widow! married dame! (As one of
these must be your present portion) Listen; while I unveil prophetic lore
for you; And sing the fate that Fortune has in store for you。
You'll marry soon … within a year or twain … A bachelor of CIRCA two
and thirty: Tall; gentlemanly; but extremely plain; And when you're
intimate; you'll call him 〃BERTIE。〃 Neat … dresses well; his temper has
been classified As hasty; but he's very quickly pacified。
You'll find him working mildly at the Bar; After a touch at two or three
professions; From easy affluence extremely far; A brief or two on Circuit 〃
soup〃 at Sessions; A pound or two from whist and backing horses; And;
say three hundred from his own resources。
Quiet in harness; free from serious vice; His faults are not particularly
shady; You'll never find him 〃SHY〃 … for; once or twice Already; he's been
driven by a lady; Who parts with him … perhaps a poor excuse for him Because
she hasn't any further use for him。
Oh! bride of mine … tall; dumpy; dark; or fair! Oh! widow … wife;
maybe; or blushing maiden; I've told YOUR fortune; solved the gravest
care With which your mind has hitherto been laden。 I've prophesied
correctly; never doubt it; Now tell me mine … and please be quick about it!
You … only you … can tell me; an' you will; To whom I'm destined
shortly to be mated; Will she run up a heavy MODISTE'S bill? If so; I
want to hear her income stated (This is a point which interests me greatly)。
To quote the bard; 〃Oh! have I seen her lately?〃
Say; must I wait till husband number one Is comfortably stowed away
at Woking? How is her hair most usually done? And tell me; please; will
she object to smoking? The colour of her eyes; too; you may mention:
Come; Sibyl; prophesy … I'm all attention。
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
OF all the youths I ever saw None were so wicked; vain; or silly; So
lost to shame and Sabbath law; As worldly TOM; and BOB; and BILLY。
For every Sabbath day they walked (Such was their gay and
thoughtless natur) In parks or gardens; where they talked From three to six;
or even later。
SIR MACKLIN was a priest severe In conduct and in conversation; It
did a sinner good to hear Him deal in ratiocination。
He could in every action show Some sin; and nobody could doubt him。
He argued high; he argued low; He also argued round about him。
He wept to think each thoughtless youth Contained of wickedness a
skinful; And burnt to teach the awful truth; That walking out on Sunday's
sinful。
〃Oh; youths;〃 said he; 〃I grieve to find The course of life you've been
and hit on … Sit down;〃 said he; 〃and never mind The pennies for the chairs
you sit on。
〃My opening head is 'Kensington;' How walking there the sinner
hardens; Which when I have enlarged upon; I go to 'Secondly' … its
'Gardens。'
〃My 'Thirdly' comprehendeth 'Hyde;' Of Secresy the guilts and
shameses; My 'Fourthly' … 'Park' … its verdure wide … My 'Fifthly'
comprehends 'St。 James's。'
〃That matter settled; I shall reach The 'Sixthly' in my solemn tether;
And show that what is true of each; Is also true of all; together。
〃Then I shall demonstrate to you; According to the rules of
WHATELY; That what is true of all; is true Of each; considered
separately。〃
In lavish stream his accents flow; TOM; BOB; and BILLY dare not
flout him; He argued high; he argued low; He also argued round about
him。
〃Ha; ha!〃 he said; 〃you loathe your ways; You writhe at these my
words of warning; In agony your hands you raise。〃 (And so they did; for
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
To 〃Twenty…firstly〃 on they go; The lads do not attempt to scout him;
He argued high; he argued low; He also argued round about him。
〃Ho; ho!〃 he cries; 〃you bow your crests … My eloquence has set you
weeping; In shame you bend upon your breasts!〃 (And so they did; for
they were sleeping。)
He proved them this … he proved them that … This good but wearisome
ascetic; He jumped and thumped upon his hat; He was so very energetic。
His Bishop at this moment chanced To pass; and found the road
encumbered; He noticed how the Churchman danced; And how his
congregation slumbered。
The hundred and eleventh head The priest completed of his stricture;
〃Oh; bosh!〃 the worthy Bishop said; And walked him off as in the picture。
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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense
E
〃NANCY BELL。〃 (1)
'TWAS on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate
span; That I found alone on a piece of stone An elderly naval man。
His hair was weedy; his beard was long; And weedy and long was he;
And I heard this wight on the shore recite; In a singular minor key:
〃Oh; I am a cook and a captain bold; And the mate of the NANCY brig;
And a bo'sun tight; and a midshipmite; And the crew of the captain's gig。〃
And he shook his fists and he tore his hair; Till I really felt afraid; For I
couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking; And so I simply said:
〃Oh; elderly man; it's little I know Of the duties of men of the sea; And
I'll eat my hand if I understand However you can be
〃At once a cook; and a captain bold; And the mate of the NANCY brig;
And a bo'sun tight; and a midshipmite; And the crew o