LITTLE children, take it kindly
When your parents flóg and chíde ye
Fór each lié they cátch you télling
Little children múst not téll lies.
"Bút big people often téll lies;
Whý mayn't wé do like big people?”
Júst because ye are little children,
Ánd don't knów how tó beháve yet;
Don't know hów yet tó discriminate
Which are right and which are wróng lies,
Whích lie's dángerous, which lie safe is,
Which from Gód comes, which from Sátan.
"Bút our parents always say to us: 'Yé must néver néver téll lies.'
Tó be súre; no párents like to
Háve lies told them by their children.
Évery lié ye téll your parents,
Tó your parents is an injury;
Hów can they their children rúle, if
By their children hoáxed and cheated?
"Só when we have left our parents,
Ánd are grown up men and women,
Ánd our liés no móre can harm them,
Wé may téll lies like grown people?"
Nót a doubt of it; thére 's no harm in
Dóing what's done by your parents,
Núrses, teachers and relátions;
if 'twere wrong they would not dó it.
“Máy we sáy we ’re not at hóme then,
Ás mammá says when she 's dressing?
Máy we say we have gót a headache,
When we are only out of húmour?
"When a friend comes in to see us,
Máy we smile and seem quite happy,
Ánd the móment hé has his back turned,
Sáy we scárce could beár the sight of him?"
Yés
áll this and as múch more,
Twice as múch more, yé may do then,
Ánd your children, if ye have any,
Flóg for lying, át the same time.
"Shocking! shocking! wé 'll not do it;
Either wé ourselves will speák truth,
Ór at least we will not púnish
Thém for doing what ourselves do."
CARLSRUHE, March 9, 1856.
"Quam satus Iapeto, mistam fluvialibus undis,
Finxit in effigiem moderantum cuncta deorum."
THE wise son of Jápet made man in God's image Japet's far wiser grandson made Gód in his own. CARLSRUHE, Jan. 25, 1856.
TOWARD hope's beacon far- gleaming across the wild waters
Thou that cleávest with strong arm and stoút heart thy wáy,
Swim ón and fear nothing; thou súpp'st with thine Héro,
Or the deep sea provides thee with supper and béd.
CARLSRUHE, Jan. 24, 1856.
FROM my heart to my head, from my head to my hánd, From my hánd to my pén, from my pén to my páper, From my páper to types, and from týpes to more páper, To thine eyes then, and heád, and at lást to thine heart Dost not wonder, sweet reáder, this roúnd-about way From my heart to thý heart was éver found oút?
HE diéd, and the emancipated soul
Flew upward, úpward, till it came to
Where it was told, that, háving left at night,
It should have gone down, nót have moúnted úpward,
For heaven, above all dáy, by night was downward.
Bút the soul being ethérial coúld not sink down
Through the thick dénse air, and but higher róse
The móre it struggled to fly headlong downward.
Só in compássion hell's gate-pórter stówed it
In neighbouring Limbo with unchristened children's
Ínnocent helpless spirits, suicides,
And soúls which, like itself, had gone astray,
Thére in asylum sáfe the tédious time
To while as bést it might till mother chúrch
Decided how at lást to be disposed of
Convénient Limbo's church-perplexing spirits.
CARLSRUHE, March 19, 1856.
EVERY day that I live adds to my knowledge
And fróm my coúrage tákes; so when I have coúrage
It 's of no use to me for wánt of knowledge,
And when at lóng and lást I 'm full of knowledge,
I cannot use it, béing in wánt of coúrage.
CARLSRUHE, March 21, 1856.
ONCE on a time a thousand different mén
Together knélt before as many Gods
Each from the other different as themselves
Were different each from each, yet didn't fall out,
Or cút each others' throats amidst their prayers
"Stop there! that never happened, ór, if it did,
"Twas by a miracle; or if it happened
Really and in the way of nature, tell me
How, where, and when, what kind of men they were, What kind of Gods didn't even the Gods fall out?"
Not éven the Góds; I'll tell thee how it was;
But árt thou trústy? cánst thou keep the sécret?
"Yes yes." Then in thine ear: the thousand Gods
Had áll the sélfsame náme; so every God,
Hearing no náme invoked except his own,
Believed that évery man of all the thousand
Worshipped him only; while each one of all
The thousand worshippers, hearing no name
Excépt his own God's name invoked, believed
That évery one of all the whole nine hundred
Ninety and nine worshipped no God but his;
So all the thoúsand men together lived
In love and peáce, as holding the same faith,
Ánd of the thousand Góds not óne was jealous.
CARLSRUHE, Jan. 13, 1856.
|