The Portland daily press., 1880-09-25
The Drama.
CHORUS.


Say we, declare We, why in such storm
Delay We standing in the street corner;
Is this the kind of weather we prefer?
Club members, shall call this thing good form?
For our umbrellas drip,
And our wet ulsters cling about our knees.
And in the mud we alp,
And we are cold as men carved on some marble
frieze.
We are not here of choice, not yet because
We fancy fog and falling rain at ALL
But Algernon takes his constitutional,
And he is not constrained of any laws
OF the barometer;
And, careless of what weather heaven sends.
1t did to him occur
This morning TO fare forth to visit certain
friends.
A footstool Algernon in his hands doth bear;
With gum goloshes for his over-shoon
He treads as softly as summer moon
Moving through dusky heights of slumbcrous air;
And we may not surmise
The reason and rhyme of this, and we remain
Astare with wondering eyes,
And follow him afar this marvel to explain.
Yea have we followed him at least a mile,
And we have met thereby with many men,
Anu we nave nOteu now each citizen
Looked upon Algernon with furtive smile;
And still he went before,
And not the less his fOotstool did he bear,
Till here at Roberts door
He rang, yea, and our eye. have seen him enter
there.
All we will wait until his visit ends,
Until that Agernon again come forth;
For surely it shall be of no small worth
To look upon the faces of our friends
1t shall be good for us,
Remuneratiye, and cause of endless fun
Robert ridiculous,
And Algernon made glad for sake of strange
things done!
sEMI-CHoRUs.
Yea we have spoken well, yet time seems long.
sEMI-CHoRUS,
Not over-long if pleasure us repay
sEMI-CHoRUs.
What pleasure have we' seeing men made absurd?
sEMI-CHoRUs.
Pleasure of minds superior to those.
SEMI-CHoRUS.
Shall we rise higher for cause of others, fallen?
sEMI-cHnRUs.
Yea, for all things are by comparison.
sEMI-cHORUs.
Have We writ poems as these mes have writ?
sEMI-CHORUs.
Yea, all we sometimes see ourselves in print.
sEMICHoRUs.
And gat ye praise Of men for poems made?
sEMI-cHoRUs.
Not one of us but has his little clique.
sEMI-cHoRUs
And volumes with fair margin and large type?
sEMI-cHoRUs.
Yea, we have have had editions de luce.
sEMI-CHoRUs.
Are ye repaid have ye made money of them?
sEMrcHoRus.
That is our secret, and our publishers
sEan-cHoRUs.
What do we wrangling, is this time for chaf.
For light and shifting speech blown to and fro,
Words wanting weight and waited hither and there?
sEMICnoRUs.
Do you think we shall wait here till night,
Wet and fatigued as we are?
sEMT-CHoRUs.
The average rainfall for the month is less
Than last year; and the average temperature
Higher and higher the mean barometer.
sEMI-CHoRUs.
viii any man lend me light?
Has any man got cigar?
sEMICHoRUs.
Algernon stays too long; a morning call
Should not too much withhold the unwilling host
From rork. ard from the peace of work well done.
SEAu-CHORUS.
Our boots and our garments a-soak
Have dampened us through to the skin.
sEMI-CHoRUs.
Yet we will see this thing through, even if we
Shiver and take cold and our wet feet
Bring us bronchitis and pneumonia.
sEMI-CHoRUs.
And where is the point of this joke,
And where does the laughter come in?
sEMICHoRUS.
Pray fate to give to Algernon for our sakes
Brief words and ways that he return to us
Before are grown weary unto death.