# The Heptalogia (Swinburne)/John Jones

A parody of the works of Robert Browning, completed in 1878.
JOHN JONES
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JOHN JONES.
I. AT THE PIANO.
I.
Leave me and love me; hopes eyed once above me like spring's sprouts decay;
Fall as the snow falls, when summer leaves grow false—cards packed for storm's play!
II.
Changeling in April's crib rocked, who lets 'scape rills locked fast since frost breathed—
Skin cast (think!) adder-like, now bloom bursts bladder-like,—bloom frost bequeathed?
III.
Chance lets the gate sway that opens on hate's way and shews on shame's beach Crouched like an imp sly change watch sweet love's shrimps lie, a toothful in each.
IV.
Shells where no throb stirs of life left in lobsters since joy thrilled their fins— Hues of the prawn's tail or comb that makes dawn stale, so red for our sins!
V.
Reared whence, next June's rose shall bloom where our moons rose last year, just as pure: Moons' ends match roses' ends: men by beasts' noses' ends mete sin's stink's cure.
VI.
Salt are the dews in which new time breeds new sin, brews blood and stews flesh; Next year may see dead more germs than this weeded and reared them afresh.
VII.
As, when the day dies, earth, half afraid, eyes the growth of the moon; Love me and save me, take me or waive me; death takes one so soon!
II. BY THE CLIFF.
I.
You that feed my soul
To excess
With that light in those eyes
And those curls drawn like a scroll
In that round grave guise?
No or yes?
II.
Such a foolish thing (Pure girls' play!)
As a mere mute heart,
Was it worth a kiss, a ring,
This? for two must part—
Not to-day.
III.
Hums, a heaving hive,
Scrapes and scrawls—
Such a buzz and burst!
Here just one thing's not alive, One that was at first—
But life palls.
IV.
Just my heart's stone dead—
Yes, just so.
Sick with heat, those worms
Drop down scorched and overfed—
No more need of germs!
Let them go.
V.
You, the rouged stage female
With a crook,
Chalked Arcadian sham,
You that made my soul's sleep's dream ail—
Your soul fit to damn?
Shut the book.
III. ON THE SANDS.
I.
But love; being love, it was not (understand) Such a thing as the years let fall (believe) Like the rope's coil dropt from a fisherman's hand When the boat's hauled up—'by your leave!'
II.
Drawn, as a worm draws ring upon ring
Gradually, not gladly! Nay, but, Meg, Is it more than the ransom (say) of a king
(Take my meaning at least) that I beg?
III.
What the world said! 'He loves you too well (suppose)
For such leanings! These poets, their love's mere ink—
Like a flower, their flame flashes—a rosebud, blows—
Then it all drops down at a wink!
IV.
The vinedresser passing it sickens to see
And mutters "Much hope (under God) of His wine
From the branch and the bark of a barren tree
Spring reared not, and winter lets pine—
V.
That a man beholding (not tasting) might say
'Pour out life at a draught, drain it dry, drink it up,
Give this one thing, and huddle the rest away— Save the bitch, and who cares for the pup!'
VI.
Feels (if the sap move at all) thus much—
Yearns, and would blossom, would quicken no less,
Bud at an eye's glance, flower at a touch—
"Die, perhaps, would you not, for her?—"Yes
VII.
(He'll think some day, your lover) so little to do!
Such infinite days to wear out, once begun!
Since the hand its glove holds, and the footsole its shoe— Overhead too there's always the sun!'
VIII.
Of good counsel, wise hints—'where the trap lurks, walk warily—
Squeeze the fruit to the core ere you count on the juice!
For the graft may fail, shift, wax, change colour, wane, vary, lie—'
You were cautious, God knows—to what use?
IX.
Not a curl but's so fit you could find none fitter—
For the brute from its brutehood looks up thus and eyes life—
Stoop your soul down and listen, you'll hear it twitter, Laughing lightly,—my crab's life's the wise life!
X.
The sea draws it, sand sucks it—he's wise, my crab!
From the napkin out jumps his one talent—good steward,
Just judge! So a man shirks the smile or the stab, And sets his sail duly to leeward!
XI.
On my spirit, your spirit—my flesh, your flesh—
Hold my hand, and tread safe through the horrible dark—
Quench my soul as with sprinklings of snow, then refresh
With some blast of new bellows the spark!
XII.
Give her all, throw your chance up, fall back on her heart!
(Say my friends) she must change! after night follows day—
No such fool! I am safe set in hell, for my part—
So let heaven do the worst now he may!
XIII.
"You are mine, I yours, though the whole world fail—
Though things are not, I know there is one thing which is—
Though the oars break, there's hope for us yet—hoist the sail!
Oh, your heart! what's the heart? but your kiss!"
XIV.
Take her then!' Well, I knew it—what fools are men!
Take the bee by her horns, will your honey prove sweet?
Sweet is grass—will you pasture your cows in a fen? Oh, if contraries could but once meet!
XV.
Wet blink of her eyelid, tear dropt about dewfall,
Cheek flushed or obscured—does it make the sky swerve?
Fetch the test, work the question to rags, bring to proof all—
Find what souls want and bodies deserve!
XVI.
Frets, uses life up for death's sake, takes pains,
Flings down love's self—'but you, bear me witness, my friends!
Have I lost spring? count up (see) the winter's fresh gains! Is the shrub spoilt? the pine's hair impends!'
XVII.
Earth keeps good yet, the sun goes on, stars hold their own,
And you'll change, climb past sight of the world, shift your skin,
Never heeding how life moans—"more flesh now, less bone!"
For that cheek's worn waste outline (death's grin)
XVIII.
(There's the crab gone!) '"I said, 'Though earth sinks,'"' (you perceive?
Ah, true, back there!) your soul now—'"'yet some vein might be
(Could one find it alive in the heart's core's pulse, cleave Through the life-springs where 'you' melts in 'me')—
XIX.
All that flesh runs to waste through'—and lo, this fails!
Here's death close on us! One life? a million of lives!
Why choose one sail to watch of these infinite sails?
Time's a tennis-play? thank you, no, fives!
XX.
Till the pure ore eludes you and leaves you raw scoriæ?
Pish, the vein's wrong!' But you, friends—come, what were you at
When God spat you out suddenly? what was the story He Cut short thus, the growth He laid flat?
XXI.
Of strange ends, great results, novel labours! Take note,
I reject this for one! (ay, now, straight to the hole!
Safe in sand there—your skirts smooth out all as they float!)
I, shirk drinking through flaws in the bowl?
XXII.
As a man's face kept fighting all life through gets scored,
Mossed and marked with grey purulent leprosies, sick,
Flat and foul as man's life here (be swift with your sword—
Cut the soul out, stuck fast where thorns prick!)
XXIII.
All was made for, devised, ruled out gradually, planned—
Ah, that sea-shell, perhaps—since it lies, such a ring
Of pure colour, a cup full of sunbeams, to stand
(Say, in Lent) at the priest's hand—(no king!)
XXIV.
Had you said—'Save the seed and secure souls in flower'—
Ah, how time laughs, years palpitate, pro grapples con,
Till one day you shrug shoulders—'Well, gone, the good hour! Till one night—'Is God off now? or on?
IV. UP THE SPOUT.
I.
Shirk work, think slink off, twist friend's wrist?
Where that spined sand's lined band's the bay—
Lined blind with true sea's blue, as due—
Promising—not to pay?
II.
Burst worst fate's weights in one burst gun?
A man's own yacht, blown—What? off land?
Tack back, or veer round here, then—queer! Reef points, though—understand?
III.
Love's doves make break life's ropes, eh? Tropes!
Faith's brig, baulked, sides caulked, rides at road;
Hope's gropes befogged, storm-dogged and bogged—
Clogged, water-logged, her load!
IV.
No show now how best plough sea's brow,
Wrinkling—breeze quick, tease thick, ere day,
Clear sheer wave's sheen of green, I mean, With twinkling wrinkles—eh?
V.
Shell's bells—boy's joys that hap to snap!
It's just sea's fun, breeze done, to spite
God's rods that scourge her surge, I'd urge—
Not proper, is it—quite?
VI.
Crank plank, split spritsail—mark, sea's lark!
That grey cold sea's old sprees, begun
When men lay dark i' the ark, no spark, All water—just God's fun!
VII.
Seemed—screamed, shrieked, wreaked on kin for sin!
When for mirth's yell earth's knell seemed please
Some dumb new grim great whim in him
Made Jews take chalk for cheese.
VIII.
Bobbed, sobbed, gaped, aped the plaice in face:
None heard, 'tis odds, his—God's—folk's howls.
Now, how must I apply, to try This hookiest-beaked of owls?
IX.
Time's crimes mark dark men's types, in stripes
Broad as fen's lands men's hands were wont
Leave grieve unploughed, though proud and loud
With birds' words—No! he won't!
X.
Eh? say I'd hide this Jew's oil's cruse—
His shop might hold bright gold, engrossible
By spy—spring's air takes there no care To wave the heath-flower's glossy bell!
XI.
Gold! Old Sphinx winks there—'Read my screed!'
Doctrine Jews learn, use, burn for, joined
(Through new craft's stealth) with health and wealth—
At once all three purloined!
XII.
(Miss this chance, glance untried aside?)
John's shirt, my—no! Ay, so—the lout!
Let yet the door gape, store on floor And not a soul about?
XIII.
Weak—meek—mild—child of woe, you know!
But theft, I doubt, my lout calls crime.
Shrink? Think! Love's dawn in pawn—you spawn
Of Jewry! Just in time!
V. OFF THE PIER.
I.
Time goes past men, and lives to his liking,
Steals, and ruins, and sometimes atones.
Why should he be king, though, and why not I king? There now, that wind, like a swarm of sick drones!
II.
Oh, I knew, when you loved me, my soul was in flowerage—
Now the frost comes; from prime, though, I watched through to nones,
Read love's litanies over—his age was not our age!
No more flutes in this world for me now, dear! trombones.
III.
Facts put fangs out and bite us; life stings and grows viperous; And time's fugues are a hubbub of meaningless tones.
Once we followed the piper; now why not the piper us? Love, grown grey, plays mere solos; we want antiphones.
IV.
Melt down loadstars for magnets, use women for whetstones,
Learn to bear with dead calms by remembering cyclones,
Snap strings short with sharp thumbnails, till silence begets tones,
Burn our souls out, shift spirits, turn skins and change zones;
V.
Some lost fragment of tune it thought sweet ere it grew sick;
(Is it life that disclaims this, or death that disowns?)
Mere dead metal, scrawled bars—ah, one touch, you make music! Love's worth saving, youth doubts, but experience depones.
VI.
To seek chords on love's keys to strike, other than his chords?
There's an error joy winks at and grief half condones,
Or life's counterpoint grates the C major of discords— 'Tis man's choice 'twixt sluts rose-crowned and queens age dethrones.
VII.
Give the flesh of my heart for sharp sorrows to flagellate,
Grief might grind my cheeks down, age make sticks of my bones,
(Though a queen drowned in tears must be worth more than Madge elate) Rose might turn burdock, and pine-apples cones;
VIII.
My lips to a lizard's, my hair to weed,
My features, in fact, to a series of loans;
Thus much is conceded; now, you, concede You would hardly salute me by choice, John Jones?
* ↑ 'Whose youth and freshness Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes stale the morning.'—Shakespeare.
* ↑ First edition:— And my face bear his brand—mine, that once bore Love's badge elate!