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50 bab ballads(50篇巴布歌谣)-第2章

小说: 50 bab ballads(50篇巴布歌谣) 字数: 每页4000字

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sing This tawdry; tinselled thing? 

No airy fairy she; As she hangs in arsenic green From a highly 
impossible tree In a highly impossible scene (Herself not over…clean)。 For 
fays don't suffer; I'm told; From bunions; coughs; or cold。 

And stately dames that bring Their daughters there to see; Pronounce 
the 〃dancing thing〃 No better than she should be; With her skirt at her 
shameful knee; And her painted; tainted phiz: Ah; matron; which of us is? 

(And; in sooth; it oft occurs That while these matrons sigh; Their 
dresses are lower than hers; And sometimes half as high; And their hair is 
hair they buy; And they use their glasses; too; In a way she'd blush to do。) 
But change her gold and green For a coarse merino gown; And see her 
upon the scene Of her home; when coaxing down Her drunken father's 
frown; In his squalid cheerless den: She's a fairy truly; then! 

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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense 

Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense 

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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Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense 

Fifty 〃Bab〃 Ballads … Much Sound and Little Sense 

A TROUBADOUR he played Without a castle wall; Within; a hapless 
maid Responded to his call。 

〃Oh; willow; woe is me! Alack and well…a…day! If I were only free I'd 
hie me far away!〃 

Unknown her face and name; But this he knew right well; The 
maiden's wailing came From out a dungeon cell。 

A hapless woman lay Within that dungeon grim … That fact; I've heard 
him say; Was quite enough for him。 

〃I will not sit or lie; Or eat or drink; I vow; Till thou art free as I; Or I 
as pent as thou。〃 

Her tears then ceased to flow; Her wails no longer rang; And tuneful in 
her woe The prisoned maiden sang: 

〃Oh; stranger; as you play; I recognize your touch; And all that I can 
say Is; thank you very much。〃 

He seized his clarion straight; And blew thereat; until A warden oped 
the gate。 〃Oh; what might be your will?〃 

〃I've come; Sir Knave; to see The master of these halls: A maid 
unwillingly Lies prisoned in their walls。〃' 

With barely stifled sigh That porter drooped his head; With teardrops 
in his eye; 〃A many; sir;〃 he said。 

He stayed to hear no more; But pushed that porter by; And shortly 
stood before SIR HUGH DE PECKHAM RYE。 

SIR HUGH he darkly frowned; 〃What would you; sir; with me?〃 The 
troubadour he downed Upon his bended knee。 

〃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。 

10 



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 rush

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