THE HOME BOOK OF VERSE,
VOLUME 4
By Various
Edited by Burton Egbert Stevenson
INDEXES TO ALL FOUR VOLUMES
Contents
PART IV
FAMILIAR VERSE, AND POEMS HUMOROUS AND SATIRIC
BALLADE OF THE PRIMITIVE JEST
THE KINDLY MUSE
TIME TO BE WISE
UNDER THE LINDENS
ADVICE
TO FANNY
"I'D BE A BUTTERFLY"
"I'M NOT A SINGLE MAN"
TO——
THE VICAR
THE BELLE OF THE BALL-ROOM
THE FINE OLD ENGLISH GENTLEMAN
A TERNARIE OF LITTLES, UPON A PIPKIN OF JELLY SENT TO A LADY
CHIVALRY AT A DISCOUNT
THE BALLAD OF BOUILLABAISSE
TO MY GRANDMOTHER
MY MISTRESS'S BOOTS
A GARDEN LYRIC
MRS. SMITH
THE SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD
A TERRIBLE INFANT
COMPANIONS
DOROTHY Q
MY AUNT
THE LAST LEAF
CONTENTMENT
THE BOYS
THE JOLLY OLD PEDAGOGUE
ON AN INTAGLIO HEAD OF MINERVA
THALIA
PAN IN WALL STREET
UPON LESBIA—ARGUING
TO ANTHEA, WHO MAY COMMAND HIM ANYTHING
THE EIGHT-DAY CLOCK
A PORTRAIT
"OLD BOOKS ARE BEST"
IMPRESSION
"WITH
BALLADE OF LADIES' NAMES
TO A PAIR OF EGYPTIAN SLIPPERS
WITHOUT AND WITHIN
"SHE WAS A BEAUTY"
NELL GWYNNE'S LOOKING-GLASS
MIMNERMUS IN CHURCH
CLAY
AUCASSIN AND NICOLETE
PROVENCAL LOVERS
ON THE HURRY OF THIS TIME
"GOOD-NIGHT, BABETTE!"
A DIALOGUE FROM PLATO
THE LADIES OF ST. JAMES'S
THE CURE'S PROGRESS
A GENTLEMAN OF THE OLD SCHOOL
ON A FAN
"WHEN I SAW YOU LAST, ROSE"
URCEUS EXIT
A CORSAGE BOUQUET
TWO TRIOLETS
THE BALLAD OF DEAD LADIES
BALLADE OF DEAD LADIES
A BALLAD OF DEAD LADIES
IF I WERE KING
A BALLADE OF SUICIDE
CHIFFONS!
ENVOY
THE COURT HISTORIAN
MISS LOU
THE POET AND THE WOOD-LOUSE
STUDENTS
"ONE, TWO, THREE!"
THE CHAPERON
"A PITCHER OF MIGNONETTE"
OLD KING COLE
THE MASTER MARINER
A ROSE TO THE LIVING
A KISS
BIFTEK AUX CHAMPIGNONS
EVOLUTION
A REASONABLE AFFLICTION
A MORAL IN SEVRES
ON THE FLY-LEAF OF A BOOK
THE TALENTED MAN
A LETTER OF ADVICE
A NICE CORRESPONDENT
HER LETTER
A DEAD LETTER
THE NYMPH COMPLAINING FOR THE DEATH OF HER FAWN
ON THE DEATH OF A FAVORITE CAT, DROWNED IN A TUB OF GOLD FISHES
VERSES ON A CAT
EPITAPH ON A HARE
ON THE DEATH OF MRS. THROCKMORTON'S BULLFINCH
AN ELEGY ON A LAP-DOG
MY LAST TERRIER
GEIST'S GRAVE
"HOLD"
THE BARB OF SATIRE
THE VICAR OF BRAY
THE LOST LEADER
ICHABOD
WHAT MR. ROBINSON THINKS
THE DEBATE IN THE SENNIT
THE MARQUIS OF CARABAS
A MODEST WIT
JOLLY JACK
THE KING OF BRENTFORD
KAISER & CO
NONGTONGPAW
THE LION AND THE CUB
THE HARE WITH MANY FRIENDS
THE SYCOPHANTIC FOX AND THE GULLIBLE RAVEN
THE FRIEND OF HUMANITY AND THE KNIFE-GRINDER
VILLON'S STRAIGHT TIP TO ALL CROSS COVES
VILLON'S BALLADE
A LITTLE BROTHER OF THE RICH
THE WORLD'S WAY
FOR MY OWN MONUMENT
THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH
UP AT A VILLA—DOWN IN THE CITY
ALL SAINTS'
AN ADDRESS TO THE UNCO GUID, OR THE RIGIDLY RIGHTEOUS
THE DEACON'S MASTERPIECE, OR THE WONDERFUL "ONE-HOSS SHAY"
BALLADE OF A FRIAR
THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT
THE PHILOSOPHER'S SCALES
THE MAIDEN AND THE LILY
THE OWL-CRITIC
THE BALLAD OF IMITATION
THE CONUNDRUM OF THE WORKSHOPS
THE V-A-S-E
HEM AND HAW
MINIVER CHEEVY
THEN AG'IN
A CONSERVATIVE
SIMILAR CASES
MAN AND THE ASCIDIAN
THE CALF-PATH
WEDDED BLISS
PARADISE: A HINDOO LEGEND
AD CHLOEN, M. A.
"AS LIKE THE WOMAN AS YOU CAN"
"NO FAULT IN WOMEN"
"ARE WOMEN FAIR?"
A STRONG HAND
WOMEN'S LONGING
TRIOLET
THE FAIR CIRCASSIAN
THE FEMALE PHAETON
THE LURE
THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES
THE WOMAN WITH THE SERPENT'S TONGUE
SUPPOSE
TOO CANDID BY HALF
FABLE
WOMAN'S WILL
WOMAN'S WILL
PLAYS
THE REMEDY WORSE THAN THE DISEASE
THE NET OF LAW
COLOGNE
EPITAPH ON CHARLES II
CERTAIN MAXIMS OF HAFIZ
A BAKER'S DUZZEN UV WIZE SAWZ
EPIGRAMS
WRITTEN ON A LOOKING-GLASS
ON THE ARISTOCRACY OF HARVARD
ON THE DEMOCRACY OF YALE
A GENERAL SUMMARY
THE MIMICS
AN OMAR FOR LADIES
"WHEN LOVELY WOMAN"
FRAGMENT IN IMITATION OF WORDSWORTH
ONLY SEVEN
LUCY LAKE
JANE SMITH
FATHER WILLIAM
THE NEW ARRIVAL
DISASTER
'TWAS EVER THUS
A GRIEVANCE
"NOT A SOU HAD HE GOT"
THE WHITING AND THE SNAIL
THE RECOGNITION
THE HIGHER PANTHEISM IN A NUTSHELL
THE WILLOW-TREE
POETS AND LINNETS
THE JAM-POT
BALLAD
Part I
Part II
THE POSTER-GIRL
AFTER DILETTANTE CONCETTI
IF
NEPHELIDIA
COMMONPLACES
THE PROMISSORY NOTE
MRS. JUDGE JENKINS
THE MODERN HIAWATHA
HOW OFTEN
"IF I SHOULD DIE TO-NIGHT"
SINCERE FLATTERY
CULTURE IN THE SLUMS
THE POETS AT TEA
WORDSWORTH
PART IV
FAMILIAR VERSE, AND POEMS HUMOROUS AND SATIRIC
BALLADE OF THE PRIMITIVE JEST
Aryan drove him into the corners of Europe?"—Brander Matthews
Palaeolithic man
In
The sparks of fun would fan;
My outline did he plan,
And laughed like one possessed,
'Twas thus my course began,
I am a Merry Jest!
Man delved, and built, and span;
Then wandered South and West
The peoples Aryan,
I journeyed in their van;
The Semites, too, confessed,—
From Beersheba to Dan,—
I am a Merry Jest!
Through all the human clan,
Red, black, white, free, oppressed,
Hilarious I ran!
I'm found in Lucian,
In Poggio, and the rest,
I'm dear to Moll and Nan!
I am a Merry Jest!
Prince, you may storm and ban—
Joe Millers are a pest,
Suppress me if you can!
I am a Merry Jest!
THE KINDLY MUSE
TIME TO BE WISE
But blunt and flaccid is my pen,
No longer talked of by young men
As rather clever:
In the last quarter are my eyes,
You see it by their form and size;
Is it not time then to be wise?
Or now or never.
While Time allows the short reprieve,
Just look at me! would you believe
'Twas once a lover?
I cannot clear the five-bar gate;
But, trying first its timber's state,
Climb stiffly up, take breath, and wait
To trundle over.
The entangling blooms of Beauty's spring:
I cannot say the tender thing,
Be't true or false,
And am beginning to opine
Those girls are only half-divine
Whose waists yon wicked boys entwine
In giddy waltz.
I wish them wiser, graver, older,
Sedater, and no harm if colder,
And panting less.
Ah! people were not half so wild
In former days, when, starchly mild,
Upon her high-heeled Essex smiled
The brave Queen Bess.
UNDER THE LINDENS
A couple, and no more, in chat;
I wondered what they would be at
Under the lindens.
I heard the words, "How sweet! how sweet!"
Had then the Fairies given a treat
Under the lindens?
What dainty pleased them both so well:
Bees! bees! was it your hydromel
Under the lindens?
ADVICE
Is all you wish to do.
Play, sing, and smile for others, Rose!
Let others write for you.
And I will walk beside,
Until we reach that quiet bay
Which only hears the tide.
At distance bid me stand,
Before the caverned cliff, again
The creature of your hand.
To sketch me less in size;
There are but few content to look
So little in your eyes.
And wish for none beyond:
To some be gay, to some be grave,
To one (blest youth!) be fond.
And better unpossessed!
Let poetry's too throbbing vein
Lie quiet in your breast.
TO FANNY
You want not antiquity's stamp;
The lip, that such fragrance discloses,
Oh! never should smell of the lamp.
Have long set the Loves at defiance,
Now, done with the science of blisses,
May fly to the blisses of science!
Alone o'er her Ovid may melt,
Condemned but to read of enjoyments,
Which wiser Corinna had felt.
Oh, Fanny! they're pitiful sages;
Who could not in one of your looks
Read more than in millions of pages!
Better light than she studies above,
And Music must borrow your sighs
As the melody fittest for Love.
In a minute, their doubts and their quarrels;
Oh! show but that mole on your neck,
And 'twill soon put an end to their morals.
When to kiss and to count you endeavor;
But eloquence glows on your lip
When you swear that you'll love me for ever.