FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  
d, Spiritless outcast! (Kicks the Knife-grinder, overturns his wheel, and exit in a transport of republican enthusiasm and universal philanthropy.) George Canning [1770-1827] VILLON'S STRAIGHT TIP TO ALL CROSS COVES "Tout aux tavernes et aux fiells." Suppose you screeve? or go cheap-jack? Or fake the broads? or fig a nag? Or thimble-rig? or knap a yack? Or pitch a snide? or smash a rag? Suppose you duff? or nose and lag? Or get the straight, and land your pot? How do you melt the multy swag? Booze and the blowens cop the lot. Fiddle, or fence, or mace, or mack; Or moskeneer, or flash the drag; Dead-lurk a crib, or do a crack; Pad with a slang, or chuck a fag; Bonnet, or tout, or mump and gag; Rattle the tats, or mark the spot; You can not bag a single stag; Booze and the blowens cop the lot. Suppose you try a different tack, And on the square you flash your flag? At penny-a-lining make your whack, Or with the mummers mug and gag? For nix, for nix the dibbs you bag! At any graft, no matter what, Your merry goblins soon stravag: Booze and the blowens cop the lot. THE MORAL It's up the spout and Charley Wag With wipes and tickers and what not, Until the squeezer nips your scrag, Booze and the blowens cop the lot. William Ernest Henley [1849-1903] VILLON'S BALLADE Of Good Counsel, To His Friends Of Evil Life Nay, be you pardoner or cheat, Or cogger keen, or mumper shy, You'll burn your fingers at the feat, And howl like other folks that fry. All evil folks that love a lie! And where goes gain that greed amasses, By wile, and guile, and thievery? 'Tis all to taverns and to lasses! Rhyme, rail, dance, play the cymbals sweet, With game, and shame, and jollity, Go jigging through the field and street, With myst'ry and morality; Win gold at gleek,--and that will fly, Where all your gain at passage passes,-- And that's? You know as well as I, 'Tis all to taverns and to lasses! Nay, forth from all such filth retreat, Go delve and ditch, in wet or dry, Turn groom, give horse and mule their meat, If you've no clerkly skill to ply; You'll gain enough, with husbandry, But--sow hempseed and such wild grasses, And where goes all you take thereby?-- 'Tis all to taverns and to lasses! ENVOY Your clothes, your hose, your broidery, Your linen that the snow surpasses, Or ere they're worn, off, off they fly, 'Tis all to taverns and to lasses! Andrew Lang [1844-1912]
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

blowens

 

lasses

 

taverns

 

Suppose

 

VILLON

 

overturns

 

thievery

 
cymbals
 

street

 

morality


jollity
 

grinder

 

jigging

 

George

 
fingers
 
philanthropy
 

mumper

 

pardoner

 

cogger

 

republican


transport

 

amasses

 

enthusiasm

 

universal

 
grasses
 

clothes

 

hempseed

 
husbandry
 

broidery

 

Andrew


surpasses

 

Spiritless

 

clerkly

 

outcast

 

passage

 

passes

 

retreat

 

Canning

 
tavernes
 

moskeneer


Bonnet

 

Rattle

 

Fiddle

 

fiells

 

thimble

 

screeve

 

straight

 

single

 
tickers
 

squeezer