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A Half Year's Poems. [with] Dialogue Between a Stethoscopist and an Unborn Child
A Half Year's Poems Dialogue Between a Stethoscopist and an Unborn Child - with Author:James Henry General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1854 Subjects: History / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select ... more »from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE BIRTHDAY ODE. I He earl will have a birthday ode; is to the Muses' mean abode: -- "Master, I need some dozen rhymes; Must have them ere the vesper chimes; Before a goodly company Rehearsed tomorrow they shall be." "Impossible, my noble Lord; Too poor this dwelling to afford Materials, ere the vesper chimes, For half of half a dozen rhymes." "It must be done," the earl replied; "Tomorrow my new-wedded bride Her birthday celebrates; there 's the gold;" And ten broad pieces down he told. The poet scrupulous shook his head, And smiled and to the earl thus said: -- "The gold 's all right, but there 's no time; 'Tis but two hours to vesper chime, And far off lies the town away; The road is bad and rough the day." "And what has weather, town, or road To do with birthday or with ode?" "To weave a web you must have thread; To cast a bullet one needs lead; You can't make butter without milk; It 's out of mulberry leaves comes silk; Without long grass you can't make hay, Nor china without potter's clay; And poetry's extatic thought Was never into being brought Out of an empty, hopeless nought." "Say out your meaning short and clear; Not to read riddles come I here; And see on yonder castle wall Where frowning stands the gibbet tall." Trembling and falling on his knee, "My noble Lord, you Ml pardon me" -- Thus to the earl then answered he; "The elements of poetry Lie in yon castle's buttery." The earl laughed loud and heartily, And raised the poet from his knee; Away they 're to the castle gone; The evening table 's ...« less