# Ode to a Black Gin

Later published in Song from the Mountains under the title "Black Lizzie".
The gloved and jewelled bards who sing  Of Pippa, Maud, and Dorothea, Have hardly done the handsome thing  For you, my inky Cytherea.
Flower of a land whose sunny skies  Are like the dome of Dante's clime, They might have praised your lips, your eyes,  And, eke, your ankles in their rhyme!
But let them pass! To right your wrong,  Aspasia of the ardent South, Your poet means to sing a song  With some prolixity of mouth.
I'll even sketch you as you are  In Herrick's style of carelessness, Not overstocked with things that bar  An ample view — to wit, with dress.
You have your blanket, it is true;  But then, if I am right at all, What best would suit a dame like you  Was worn by Eve before the Fall.
Indeed, the "fashion" is a thing  That never cramped your cornless toes: Your single jewel is a ring  Slung in your penetrated nose.
I can't detect the flowing lines  Of Grecian features in your face, Nor are there patent any signs  That link you with the Roman race.
In short, I do not think your mould  Resembles, with its knobs of bone, The fair Hellenic shapes of old  Whose perfect forms survive in stone.
Still, if the charm called Beauty lies  In ampleness of ear and lip, And nostrils of exceeding size,  You are a gem, my ladyship!
Here, squatting by the doubtful flame  Of three poor sticks, without a roof Above your head, impassive dame  You live on — somewhat hunger-proof.
The current scandals of the day  Don't trouble you — you seem to take Things in the coolest sort of way —  And wisest — for you have no ache.
You smoke a pipe — of course, you do!  About an inch in length or less, Which, from a sexual point of view,  Mars somehow your attractiveness.
But, rather than resign the weed,  You'd shock us, whites, by chewing it; For etiquette is not indeed  A thing that bothers you a bit.
Your people — take them as a whole —  Are careless on the score of grace; And hence you needn't comb your poll  Or decorate your unctuous face.
Still, seeing that a little soap  Would soften an excess of tint, You'll pardon my advance, I hope,  In giving you a gentle hint.
You have your lovers — dusky beaux  Not made of the poetic stuff That sports an Apollonian nose,  And wears a sleek Byronic cuff.
But rather of a rougher clay  Unmixed with overmuch romance, Far better at the wildwood fray  Than spinning in a ballroom dance.
These scarcely are the sonneteers  That sing their loves in faultless clothes: Your friends have more decided ears  And more capaciousness of nose.
No doubt they suit you best — although  They woo you roughly it is said: Their way of courtship is a blow  Struck with a nullah on the head.
It doesn't hurt you much — the thing  Is hardly novel to your life; And, sans the feast and marriage ring,  You make a good impromptu wife.
This hasty sort of wedding might,  In other cases, bring distress; But then, your draper's bills are light —  You're frugal in regard to dress.
You have no passion for the play,  Or park, or other showy scenes; And, hence, you have no scores to pay,  And live within your husband's means.
Of course, his income isn't large, —  And not too certain — still you thrive By steering well inside the marge,  And keep your little ones alive.
In short, in some respects you set  A fine example; and a few Of those white matrons I have met  Would show some sense by copying you.
Here let us part! I will not say,  O lady free from scents and starch, That you are like, in any way,  The authoress of "Middlemarch".
One cannot match her perfect phrase  With commonplaces from your lip; And yet there are some sexual traits  That show your dim relationship.
Indeed, in spite of all the mists  That grow from social codes, I see The liberal likeness which exists  Throughout our whole humanity.
And though I've laughed at your expense,  O Dryad of the dusky race, No man who has a heart and sense  Would bring displeasure to your face.
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
* published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
* anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
* government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse