Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE MASQUERADE, by JOHN GODFREY SAXE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE MASQUERADE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Count felix was a man of worth
Last Line: "when you and I went masquerading!"
Subject(s): Masquerades


HOM. Il., xiv. 217.

I.

COUNT FELIX was a man of worth
By Fashion's strictest definition,
For he had money, manners, birth,
And that most slippery thing on earth
Which social critics call position.

II.

And yet the Count was seldom gay;
The rich and noble have their crosses;
And he -- as he was wont to say --
Had seen some trouble in his day,
And met with several serious losses.

III.

Among the rest, he lost his wife,
A very model of a woman,
With every needed virtue rife
To lead a spouse a happy life, --
Such wives (in France) are not uncommon.

IV.

The lady died, and left him sad
And lone, to mourn the best of spouses;
She left him also -- let me add --
One child, and all the wealth she had, --
The rent of half a dozen houses.

V.

I cannot tarry to discuss
The weeping husband's desolation;
Upon her tomb he wrote it thus: --
"FELIX infelicissimus!"
In very touching ostentation.

VI.

Indeed, the Count's behavior earned
The plaudits of his strict confessor;
His weeds of woe had fairly turned
From black to brown, ere he had learned
To think about his wife's successor.

VII.

And then, indeed, 't was but a thought;
A sort of sentimental dreaming,
That came at times, and came -- to naught,
With all the plans so nicely wrought
By matrons skilled in marriage-scheming.

VIII.

At last, when many years had fled,
And Father Time, the great physician,
Had soothed his sorrow for the dead,
Count Felix took it in his head
To change his wearisome condition

IX.

You think, perhaps, 't was quickly done;
The Count was still a man of fashion;
Wealth, title, talents, all in one,
Were eloquence to win a nun,
If nuns could feel a worldly passion.

X.

And yet the Count might well despond
Of tying soon the silken tether;
Wise, witty, handsome, faithful, fond,
And twenty -- not a year beyond --
Are charming, -- when they come together!

XI.

But more than that, the man required
A wife to share his whims and fancies;
Admire alone what he admired;
Desire, of course, as he desired,
And show it in her very glances.

XII.

Long, long the would-be wooer tried
To find his precious ultimatum, --
All earthly charms in one fair bride;
But still in vain he sought and sighed;
He couldn't manage to get at 'em.

XIII.

In sooth, the Count was one of those
Who, seeking something superhuman,
Find not the angel they would choose,
And -- what is more unlucky -- lose
Their chance to wed a charming woman.

XIV.

The best-matched doves in Hymen's cage
Were paired in youth's romantic season;
Laugh as you will at passion's rage,
The most unreasonable age
Is what is called the age of reason.

XV.

In love-affairs, we all have seen,
The heart is oft the best adviser;
The gray might well consult the "green,"
Cool sixty learn of rash sixteen,
And go away a deal the wiser.

XVI.

The Count's high hopes began to fade;
His plans were not at all advancing;
When, lo! -- one day his valet made
Some mention of a masquerade, --
"I'll go," said he, -- "and see the dancing.

XVII.

"'T will serve my spirits to arouse;
And, faith! I'm getting melancholy.
'T is not the place to seek a spouse,
Where people go to break their vows, --
But then 't will be extremely jolly!"

XVIII.

Count Felix found the crowd immense,
And, had he been a censor morum,
He might have said, without offense,
"Got up regardless of expense,
And some -- regardless of decorum.

XIX.

"Faith! -- all the world is here tonight!"
"Nay," said a merry friend demurely,
"Not quite the whole, -- pardon! -- not quite;
Le Demi-Monde were nearer right,
And no exaggeration, surely!"

XX.

The revelry ('t was just begun)
A stoic might have found diverting;
That is, of course, if he was one
Who liked to see a bit of fun,
And fancied persiflage and flirting.

XXI.

But who can paint that giddy maze?
Go find the lucky man who handles
A brush to catch, on gala-days,
The whirling, shooting, flashing rays
Of Catherine-wheels and Roman candles!

XXII.

All sorts of masks that e'er were seen;
Fantastic, comic, and satanic,
Dukes, dwarfs, and "Highnesses" (Serene),
And (that's of course) the Cyprian Queen,
In gauzes few and diaphanic.

XXIII.

Lean Carmelites, fat Capuchins,
Giants half human and half bestial;
Kings, Queens, Magicians, Harlequins,
Greeks, Tartars, Turks, and Mandarins
More diabolic than "Celestial."

XXIV.

Fair Scripture dames, -- Naomi, Ruth,
And Hagar, looking quite demented;
The Virtues (all -- excepting Truth)
And Magdalens, who were in sooth
Just half of what they represented!

XXV.

Fates, Furies, Fairies, -- all the best
And worst of Fancy's weird creation;
Psyche and Cupid (demi-dressed)
With several Vestals -- by request,
And solely for that one occasion.

XXVI.

And one, among the motley brood,
He saw, who shunned the wanton dances;
A sort of demi-nun, who stood
In ringlets flashing from a hood,
And seemed to seek our hero's glances.

XXVII.

The Count, delighted with her air,
Drew near, the better to behold her;
Her form was slight, her skin was fair,
And maidenhood, you well might swear,
Breathed from the dimples in her shoulder.

XXVIII.

He spoke; she answered with a grace
That showed the girl no vulgar heiress;
And, -- if the features one may trace
In voices, -- hers betrayed a face
The finest to be found in Paris!

XXIX.

And then such wit! -- in repartee
She shone without the least endeav or;
A beauty and a bel-esprit!
A scholar, too, -- 't was plain to see.
Who ever saw a girl so clever?

XXX.

Her taste he ventured to explore
In books, the graver and the lighter,
And mentioned authors by the score;
Mon Dieu! in every sort of lore
She always chose his favorite writer!

XXXI.

She loved the poets; but confessed
Racine beat all the others hollow;
At least, she thought his style the best --
(Racine! his literary test!
Racine! his Maximus Apollo!)

XXXII.

Whatever topic he might name,
Their minds were strangely sympathetic;
Of courtship, marriage, fashion, fame,
Their views and feelings were the same, --
"Parbleu!" he cried, "it looks prophetic!

XXXIII.

"Come, let us seek an ampler space;
This heated room -- I can't abide it!
That mask, I'm sure, is out of place,
And hides the fairest, sweetest face" --
Said she, "I wear the mask to hide it!"

XXXIV.

The answer was extremely pat,
And gave the Count a deal of pleasure:
"C'est vrai! I did not think of that!
Come, let us go where we can chat
And eat (I'm hungry) at our leisure."

XXXV.

"I'm hungry too!" she said, -- and went,
Without the least attempt to cozen, --
Like ladies who refuse, relent,
Debate, oppose, and then consent
To -- eat enough for half a dozen!

XXXVI.

And so they sat them down to dine,
Solus cum sola, gay and merry;
The Count inquires the sort of wine
To which his charmer may incline;
Ah! quelle merveille! she answers, "Sherry!"

XXXVII.

What will she eat? She takes the carte,
And notes the viands that she wishes;
"Pardon, Monsieur! what makes you start?"
As if she knew his tastes by heart,
The lady named his favorite dishes!

XXXVIII.

Was e'er such sympathy before?
The Count was really half demented;
He kissed her hand, and roundly swore
He loved her perfectly! -- and, more, --
He'd wed her -- if the gods consented!

XXXIX.

"Monsieur is very kind," she said,
"His love so lavishly bestowing
On one who never thought to wed, --
And least of all" -- she raised her head --
"'T is late, Sir Knight, I must be going!"

XL.

Count Felix sighed, -- and while he drew
Her shawl about her, at his leisure,
"What street?" he asked; "my cab is due."
"No, no!" she said, "I go with you!
That is -- if it may be your pleasure."

XLI.

Of course, there's little need to say
The Count delighted in her capture;
Away he drove, and all the way
He murmured, "Quelle felicite!"
In very ecstasy of rapture!

XLII.

Arrived at home -- just where a fount
Shot forth a jet of lucent water --
He helped the lady to dismount;
She drops her mask, and lo! the Count
Sees -- Dieu de ciel! -- his only daughter!

XLIII.

"Good night!" she said, -- "I'm very well,
Although you thought my health was fading;
Be good -- and I will never tell
('T was funny though) of what befell
When you and I went masquerading!"





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