He filled the crystal goblet
With golden-beaded wine:
“Come, comrades, now, I bid ye—
‘To the true love of mine!’
“Her forehead ’s pure and holy,
Her hair is tangled gold,
Her heart to me so tender,
To others’ love is cold.
“So drain your glasses empty
And fill me another yet;
Two glasses at least for...
Or, the British Soldier in China
[“Some Seiks, and a private of the Buffs, 1 having remained behind with the grog carts, fell into the hands of the Chinese. On the next day they were brought before the authorities and ordered to perform Kotou. The Seiks obeyed, but Moyse, the English soldier, declared he would not prostrate himself before any Chinaman alive, and was...
Years, years ago, ere yet my dreams
Had been of being wise or witty,
Ere I had done with writing themes,
Or yawned o’er this infernal Chitty,—
Years, years ago, while all my joys
Were in my fowling-piece and filly;
In short, while I was yet a boy,
I fell in love with Laura Lilly.
I saw her at the county ball;
...
She was rich and of high degree;
A poor and unknown artist he.
“Paint me,” she said, “a view of the sea.”
So he painted the sea as it looked the day
That Aphroditè arose from its spray;
And it broke, as she gazed on its face the while,
Into its countless-dimpled smile.
“What a poky, stupid picture!” said she:
“I don’t believe he...
Time has a magic wand!
What is this meets my hand,
Moth-eaten, mouldy, and
Covered with fluff,
Faded and stiff and scant?
Can it be? no, it can’t,—
Yes,—I declare ’t is Aunt
Prudence’s Muff!
Years ago—twenty-three!
Old Uncle Barnaby
Gave it to Aunty P.,
Laughing and teasing,—
“Pru. of...
A Milkmaid, who poised a full pail on her head,
Thus mused on her prospects in life, it is said:
“Let me see,—I should think that this milk will procure
One hundred good eggs, or fourscore, to be sure.
“Well then,—stop a bit,—it must not be forgotten,
Some of these may be broken, and some may be rotten;
But if twenty for accident should be...
Let Taylor preach, upon a morning breezy,
How well to rise while nights and larks are flying—
For my part, getting up seems not so easy
By half as lying.
What if the lark does carol in the sky,
Soaring beyond the sight to find him out,—
Wherefore am I to rise at such a fly?
I ’m not a trout.
Talk not to...
Old Grimes is dead, that good old man,—
We ne’er shall see him more;
He used to wear a long black coat,
All buttoned down before.
His heart was open as the day,
His feelings all were true;
His hair was some inclined to gray,—
He wore it in a queue.
Whene’er he heard the voice of pain,
His breast with pity...
A Pathetic Ballad
BEN BATTLE was a soldier bold,
And used to war’s alarms;
But a cannon-ball took off his legs,
So he laid down his arms.
Now as they bore him off the field,
Said he, “Let others shoot;
For here I leave my second leg,
And the Forty-second Foot.”
The army-surgeons made him limbs:
Said he...
Young Ben he was a nice young man,
A carpenter by trade;
And he fell in love with Sally Brown,
That was a lady’s maid.
But as they fetched a walk one day,
They met a press-gang crew;
And Sally she did faint away,
Whilst Ben he was brought to.
The boatswain swore with wicked words
Enough to shock a saint,...
