He owned he once had SATIRE spelled, Once, since he was accountable, with Y, And, an upbraiding conscience said, Had PIGSTIE perhaps twice put for pigsty. I wrote him word back by the post: "Much as I honored Etymology, 'Twas not by her but Common Use Such weighty questions could decided be; "That in orthography no rule Of absolute right and wrong had yet been found, And Common Use was arbitress To furrow, with what plough she pleased, the ground: "Puts she her edict forth that none The ground henceforth with other plough shall dare To till than Gallic, woe to him Who turns one sod up with old Roman share! "And then I begged him not to let PIGSTIE'S false I upon his conscience press Too heavily, for if on earth More than in name existed righteousness, "The wrong in PIGSTIE done to Y Had been atoned for and made sound and whole Whether it were the winter cold With but orthography for fire and light, He went for the last time to bed; And those who thought they knew him, but did not, Nor half his modest worth, a stone With name and date set up to mark the spot, Where one was laid, who had as well, Peace to his Manes, and may I MAD AND FOOL. 'TWAS I learned the difference between mad and fool, Not thorough mad, for I do not suppose TO A LADY.* So thou 'dst have me always sighing; Hear me always talk of dying: GOING TO HEAVEN: THIS HOUSE TO LET. By my faith, no; I 'm too old now, In the elegy to croak. Let the stripling bard who pleases, Hang with clouds his brightest day, Off, ye ghosts! off to your churchyards! Spent, my day; I 'll spend my evening At gay Humour's fancy ball; * who had written to me that she admired my verses to the Griese (see page 188) written nearly fifty years ago, more than many of my later poems, and asked: "Why dost thou not always give play to thy natural feelings? why indulge in cold satire ?" There with Satire I'll quadrille it, Not till after toll of midnight, [STRUVESTRASSE, DRESDEN, Febr. 11, 1866.] SOLDIER AND VIVANDIERA. "Alternis dicetis, amant alterna Camenae." SOLDIER. To sweeten one half of the year, VIVANDIERA. Coll' arte e coll' inganno SOLDIER. You've but to cheat and drink small beer; VIVANDIERA. Si vive mezzo l'anno; SOLDIER. To make the other half as sweet, VIVANDIERA. Coll' inganno e coll' arte SOLDIER. You've but to drink small beer and cheat. VIVANDIERA. Si vive l'altra parte. [STRUVESTRASSE, DRESDEN, Jan. 3, 1866.] "THE COWPER'S ROSE. HE rose had been washed, just washed in a shower So Mary and Anna, no less than the flower, And had I been the poet, I had taken my share Then, to dry the whole four, made a turn in the air, And a red blushing rose in my coat button-hole, There's no one who met us wouldn't say in his soul, WHO keeps a lapdog need seek no excuse; It 's superfluity that makes genteel; We cock a feather on buff coat and steel. [CHRISTIANSTRASSE, DRESDEN, Nov. 19, 1865.] |