Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE COCKNEY, by JOHN GODFREY SAXE Poet's Biography First Line: It was in my foreign travel Last Line: That was mentioned in the bill! Subject(s): Speech; Travel; Oratory; Orators; Journeys; Trips | ||||||||
IT was in my foreign travel, At a famous Flemish inn, That I met a stoutish person With a very ruddy skin; And his hair was something sandy, And was done in knotty curls, And was parted in the middle, In the manner of a girl's. He was clad in checkered trousers, And his coat was of a sort To suggest a scanty pattern, It was bobbed so very short; And his cap was very little, Such as soldiers often use; And he wore a pair of gaiters, And extremely heavy shoes. I addressed the man in English, And he answered in the same, Though he spoke it in a fashion That I thought a little lame; For the aspirate was missing Where the letter should have been, But where'er it wasn't wanted, He was sure to put it in! When I spoke with admiration Of St. Peter's mighty dome, He remarked: "'T is really nothing To the sights we 'ave at 'ome!" And declared upon his honor, -- Though, of course, 't was very queer, -- That he doubted if the Romans 'Ad the hart of making beer! When I named the Colosseum, He observed, "'T is very fair; I mean, ye know, it would be, If they'd put it in repair; But what progress or himprovement Can those curst Hitalians 'ope While they're hunder the dominion Of that blasted muff, the Pope?" Then we talked of other countries, And he said that he had heard That Hamericans spoke Hinglish, But he deemed it quite habsurd; Yet he felt the deepest hinterest In the missionary work, And would like to know if Georgia Was in Boston or New York! When I left the man-in-gaiters, He was grumbling, o'er his gin, At the charges of the hostess Of that famous Flemish inn; And he looked a very Briton (So, methinks, I see him still), As he pocketed the candle That was mentioned in the bill! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...RICHARD, WHAT'S THAT NOISE? by RICHARD HOWARD LOOKING FOR THE GULF MOTEL by RICHARD BLANCO RIVERS INTO SEAS by LYNDA HULL DESTINATIONS by JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN THE ONE WHO WAS DIFFERENT by RANDALL JARRELL THE CONFESSION OF ST. JIM-RALPH by DENIS JOHNSON SESTINA: TRAVEL NOTES by WELDON KEES TO H. B. (WITH A BOOK OF VERSE) by MAURICE BARING DEATH AND CUPID; AN ALLEGORY by JOHN GODFREY SAXE |
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