50 bab ballads-第11章

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When　people　inquired　her　size；　LIEUTENANT　BELAYE　replied；

〃Oh；　my　ship；　my　ship　is　the　first　of　the　Hundred　and　Seventy…

ones！〃

Which　meant　her　tonnage；　but　people　imagined　it　meant　her　guns。



Whenever　I　went　on　board　he　would　beckon　me　down　below；

〃Come　down；　Little　Buttercup；　come〃　（for　he　loved　to　call　me　so）；

And　he'd　tell　of　the　fights　at　sea　in　which　he'd　taken　a　part；

And　so　LIEUTENANT　BELAYE　won　poor　POLL　PINEAPPLE'S　heart！



But　at　length　his　orders　came；　and　he　said　one　day；　said　he；

〃I'm　ordered　to　sail　with　the　HOT　CROSS　BUN　to　the　German　Sea。〃

And　the　Portsmouth　maidens　wept　when　they　learnt　the　evil　day；

For　every　Portsmouth　maid　loved　good　LIEUTENANT　BELAYE。



And　I　went　to　a　back　back　street；　with　plenty　of　cheap　cheap　shops；

And　I　bought　an　oilskin　hat　and　a　second…hand　suit　of　slops；

And　I　went　to　LIEUTENANT　BELAYE　（and　he　never　suspected　ME！）

And　I　entered　myself　as　a　chap　as　wanted　to　go　to　sea。



We　sailed　that　afternoon　at　the　mystic　hour　of　one；　…

Remarkably　nice　young　men　were　the　crew　of　the　HOT　CROSS　BUN；

I'm　sorry　to　say　that　I've　heard　that　sailors　sometimes　swear；

But　I　never　yet　heard　a　BUN　say　anything　wrong；　I　declare。



When　Jack　Tars　meet；　they　meet　with　a　〃Messmate；　ho！　　What　cheer？〃

But　here；　on　the　HOT　CROSS　BUN；　it　was　〃How　do　you　do；　my　dear？〃

When　Jack　Tars　growl；　I　believe　they　growl　with　a　big　big　D…

But　the　strongest　oath　of　the　HOT　CROSS　BUNS　was　a　mild　〃Dear　me！〃



Yet；　though　they　were　all　well…bred；　you　could　scarcely　call　them　

slick：

Whenever　a　sea　was　on；　they　were　all　extremely　sick；

And　whenever　the　weather　was　calm；　and　the　wind　was　light　and　fair；

They　spent　more　time　than　a　sailor　should　on　his　back　back　hair。



They　certainly　shivered　and　shook　when　ordered　aloft　to　run；

And　they　screamed　when　LIEUTENANT　BELAYE　discharged　his　only　gun。

And　as　he　was　proud　of　his　gun　…　such　pride　is　hardly　wrong　…

The　Lieutenant　was　blazing　away　at　intervals　all　day　long。



They　all　agreed　very　well；　though　at　times　you　heard　it　said

That　BILL　had　a　way　of　his　own　of　making　his　lips　look　red　…

That　JOE　looked　quite　his　age　…　or　somebody　might　declare

That　BARNACLE'S　long　pig…tail　was　never　his　own　own　hair。



BELAYE　would　admit　that　his　men　were　of　no　great　use　to　him；

〃But；　then；〃　he　would　say；　〃there　is　little　to　do　on　a　gunboat　trim

I　can　hand；　and　reef；　and　steer；　and　fire　my　big　gun　too　…

And　it　IS　such　a　treat　to　sail　with　a　gentle　well…bred　crew。〃



I　saw　him　every　day。　　How　the　happy　moments　sped！

Reef　topsails！　　Make　all　taut！　　There's　dirty　weather　ahead！

（I　do　not　mean　that　tempests　threatened　the　HOT　CROSS　BUN：

In　THAT　case；　I　don't　know　whatever　we　SHOULD　have　done！）



After　a　fortnight's　cruise；　we　put　into　port　one　day；

And　off　on　leave　for　a　week　went　kind　LIEUTENANT　BELAYE；

And　after　a　long　long　week　had　passed　（and　it　seemed　like　a　life）；

LIEUTENANT　BELAYE　returned　to　his　ship　with　a　fair　young　wife！



He　up；　and　he　says；　says　he；　〃O　crew　of　the　HOT　CROSS　BUN；

Here　is　the　wife　of　my　heart；　for　the　Church　has　made　us　one！〃

And　as　he　uttered　the　word；　the　crew　went　out　of　their　wits；

And　all　fell　down　in　so　many　separate　fainting…fits。



And　then　their　hair　came　down；　or　off；　as　the　case　might　be；

And　lo！　the　rest　of　the　crew　were　simple　girls；　like　me；

Who　all　had　fled　from　their　homes　in　a　sailor's　blue　array；

To　follow　the　shifting　fate　of　kind　LIEUTENANT　BELAYE。



*　*　*　*　*　*　*　*



It's　strange　to　think　that　I　should　ever　have　loved　young　men；

But　I'm　speaking　of　ten　years　past　…　I　was　barely　sixty　then；

And　now　my　cheeks　are　furrowed　with　grief　and　age；　I　trow！

And　poor　POLL　PINEAPPLE'S　eyes　have　lost　their　lustre　now！







Ballad：　LOST　MR。　BLAKE。







MR。　BLAKE　was　a　regular　out…and…out　hardened　sinner；

Who　was　quite　out　of　the　pale　of　Christianity；　so　to　speak；

He　was　in　the　habit　of　smoking　a　long　pipe　and　drinking　a　glass　of　

grog　on　a　Sunday　after　dinner；

And　seldom　thought　of　going　to　church　more　than　twice　or　…　if　Good　

Friday　or　Christmas　Day　happened　to　come　in　it　…　three　times　a　

week。



He　was　quite　indifferent　as　to　the　particular　kinds　of　dresses

That　the　clergyman　wore　at　church　where　he　used　to　go　to　pray；

And　whatever　he　did　in　the　way　of　relieving　a　chap's　distresses；

He　always　did　in　a　nasty；　sneaking；　underhanded；　hole…and…corner　

sort　of　way。



I　have　known　him　indulge　in　profane；　ungentlemanly　emphatics；

When　the　Protestant　Church　has　been　divided　on　the　subject　of　the　

proper　width　of　a　chasuble's　hem；

I　have　even　known　him　to　sneer　at　albs　…　and　as　for　dalmatics；

Words　can't　convey　an　idea　of　the　contempt　he　expressed　for　THEM。



He　didn't　believe　in　persons　who；　not　being　well　off　themselves；　

are　obliged　to　confine　their　charitable　exertions　to　collecting　

money　from　wealthier　people；

And　looked　upon　individuals　of　the　former　class　as　ecclesiastical　

hawks；

He　used　to　say　that　he　would　no　more　think　of　interfering　with　his　

priest's　robes　than　with　his　church　or　his　steeple；

And　that　he　did　not　consider　his　soul　imperilled　because　somebody　

over　whom　he　had　no　influence　whatever；　chose　to　dress　himself　up　

like　an　exaggerated　GUY　FAWKES。



This　shocking　old　vagabond　was　so　unutterably　shameless

That　he　actually　went　a…courting　a　very　respectable　and　pious　

middle…aged　sister；　by　the　name　of　BIGGS。

She　was　a　rather　attractive　widow；　whose　life　as　such　had　always　

been　particularly　blameless；

Her　first　husband　had　left　her　a　secure　but　moderate　competence；　

owing　to　some　fortunate　speculations　in　the　matter　of　figs。



She　was　an　excellent　person　in　every　way　…　and　won　the　respect　even　

of　MRS。　GRUNDY；

She　was　a　good　housewife；　too；　and　wouldn't　have　wasted　a　penny　if　

she　had　owned　the　Koh…i…noor。

She　was　just　as　strict　as　he　was　lax　in　her　observance　of　Sunday；

And　being　a　good　economist；　and　charitable　besides；　she　took　all　

the　bones　and　cold　potatoes　and　broken　pie…crusts　and　candle…ends　

（when　she　had　quite　done　with　them）；　and　made　them　into　an　

excellent　soup　for　the　deserving　poor。



I　am　sorry　to　say　that　she　rather　took　to　BLAKE　…　that　outcast　of　

society；

And　when　respectable　brothers　who　were　fond　of　her　began　to　look　

dubious　and　to　cough；

She　would　say；　〃Oh；　my　friends；　it's　because　I　hope　to　bring　this　

poor　benighted　soul　back　to　virtue　and　propriety；

And　besides；　the　poor　benighted　soul；　with　all　his　faults；　was　

uncommonly　well　off。



And　when　MR。　BLAKE'S　dissipated　friends　called　his　attention　to　the　

frown　or　the　pout　of　her；

Whenever　he　did　anything　which　appeared　to　her　to　savour　of　an　

unmentionable　place；

He　would　say　that　〃she　would　be　a　very　decent　old　girl　when　all　

that　nonsense　was　knocked　out　of　her；〃

And　his　method　of　knocking　it　out　of　her　is　one　that　covered　him　

with　disgrace。



She　was　fond　of　going　to　church　services　four　times　every　Sunday；　

and；　four　or　five　times　in　the　week；　and　never　seemed　to　pall　of　

them；

So　he　hunted　out　all　the　churches　within　a　convenient　distance　that　

had　services　at　different　hours；　so　to　speak；

And　when　he　had　married　her　he　positively　insisted　upon　their　going　

to　all　of　them；

So　they　contrived　to　do　about　twelve　churches　every　Sunday；　and；　if　

they　had　luck；　from　twenty…two　to　twenty…three　in　the　course　of　the　

week。



She　was　fond　of　dropping　his　sovereigns　ostentatiously　into　the　

plate；　and　she　liked　to　see　them　stand　out　rather　conspicuously　

against　the　commonplace　half…crowns　and　shillings；

So　he　took　her　to　all　the　charity　sermons；　and　if　by　any　

extraordinary　chance　there　wasn't　a　charity　sermon　anywhere；　he　

would　drop　a　couple　of　sovereigns　（one　for　him　and　one　for　her）　

into　the　poor…box　at　the　door；

And　as　he　always　deducted　the　sums　thus　given　in　charity　from　the　

housekeeping　money；　and　the　money　he　allowed　her　for　her　bonnets　

and　frillings；

She　soon　began　to　find　that　even　charity；　if　you