The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-05-16


We have seen thee young man, thou art fair and thy
hat is love
Thy side whiskers wave in the air as the wings of
dove;
And twain go forth beside thee umbrella and dog
Through Pail Mall, through the way that is wide
and made dim of the fog.
We have seen them, we know them too well, both thu
terrier and man;
And the name Of thee is the Swell, and his namt
Black -and-Tan!
ALGERNoN.
Bring matches, bring cigars! There is weed
Grown in gray earth, that knew the South winds
song
OF tropical forests, where the palms grow tall,
And passionate lianas are vail
For lairs of tigers; where the red sun flames,
Where nights dark dog follows the white doe day,
And storm and lightning and the earthquakes ter,
ror
Are as the tiger to slay-and dead, brown leavesi
Ye hold fire unburned. the dream of day
That sleep hath not, nor night remembering them.
sEMI-oHoRUs.
He bit off the end Of his weed,
As the frost in the field flower;
He threw the small end away
His face is Lit redder than day,
His face is made glorious, indeed,
With the light of the match, and its power!
He Lit his cigar with fire,
He kindIed fame with his breath.
As the mouth Of flute-payer
So did his mouth appear;
The smoke rises higher and higher
He is crowned with smoke for a wreath!
ALGERNoN.
SO is my fame, a wind blown changeful smoke,
tat o1,dH Gra A1,otH HoI1cx xr;4t,
Bring hither wine, boy-bring the sinuous steel
To draw the cork forth from the bottles mouth
CLASSY and green as mouth of water-snake.
Then leave me. would fain forget the cold
Of hands and feet, of heart and mouth Of me-
Fire that drink, burn in the songs sing,
o that were on some sweet sunlit hill
To see the glad vines crowding aslant its slopes.
Straining strong arms about it in the sun;
And through the light and shadow of the leaves
See Bacchus' self dancing among the grapes;
And drink my fill, until my blood grew warm
As juice Of madness in the veins of vines,i
Until my song grew sweet, fulfilled of fire
And joy OF wine, and rich, luxuIiant words
Clustered as purple grapes upon my lips,
So would follow all the day the dance
Of Bacchanals, and wearied in the way
Lay me asleep in shadow of the vines.
Or would that in midst of silver seas
Had felt the ship staid suddenly on her course,
And seen the masts made green with vine-leaves,
when
Bacchus was crowned, and rode triumphant. borne
By 1.-THE and spotted leopards out OF the sea.
Dead dreams, alas, and past! will away
Leaving the club of clods for mine own house.
Where is my hat? thought bad seen two
This is mocking fantasy of winel
Where is it? Fret, and irony of chance,
Shall be hatless, shall walk uncrowned
In shadow Of no brim among the bards,
While they have, for the shade of laurel boughs
Bound on their brows, broad rims of beaver hats?
Shall to common laugh of unwashed lips
Expose my parted length of uncut hair?
Shall /, an uncrowned crown, discrowned Of Fate,
Bare to the breath OF winds blown every way
And chill the burning brain it bears beneath?
See all these hats-Morris' hat Rossetti's!
l trample them beneath my feet-I dance
Upon them! All, would could trample out
The bitter hardness of the fate of mel
The impelling mad delirium of delight,
The agony of joy, are in my brain
Hats, take your last farewell of foolish earth
Aud thus, and thus, crush ye!
sEMI-oHoRUs.
As forests with tempests that wrestle
From the hat-rack our hats are torn downl
ALGERNoN
Ye are my foes, silk hatsl Ye mock at me,
Black cylinders, as engines of the pit,
Cry ye and crackle underneath my feet!
sEMI-cHoRUs.
The Englishman's house is his castle,
The Englishman's hat is his crown.
ALGERNoN.
lmperttnent broadbrim, let me dance on thee,
Wide-awake hat hate thee upfo death
Soft hat, my heart is hard, and hard my feeti
sEMI-oHoRUs.
His heart is grown hot as the South
Shall we reason with him, or complain?
ALGERNoN.
Straw hat, prepare to die the craven's death;
slouched hat, droop lower underneath my feet;
Look how l dance above thee, silken tile.
sEMI-cHoRUs.
The enemy set In his mouth
Has stolen, has stolen his brain.
ALGERNoN.
Flatter and duller underneath my feet,
Ye are not than the brains once under yel
Alas, am spent with anger-and thus-I fall!
sEMI-cHoRUs.
He has finished his devastation;
He is fallen-he cannot stand.
Alas, my force has failed, and fury OF me-
They are crushed as grass, they are shattered as
shattered helms
Upon lost fields of war-I am as dead.
SEMI-CHoRUs.
Lament with long lamentation;
Is not policeman at hand?
ALGERNoN.
Let your hands meet
Round the weight Of my head;
Lift ye my feet
As the feet of the dead,
For the force OF my feet is forgotten, the limbs c
me heavy as lead.
CHORUS.
o thy fatuous face
Thy delicious eyes
He Is fallen without grace;
In the carpet he lies!
Whose hats are these, broken aud bent, with tears
and compression of size?