Thou foul-mouthed wretch! Why dost thou choose To learn bad language, and no good; Canst thou not say 'The Lord be praised' As easy as 'Hell's fire and blood'? Why didst thou call the gentle priest A thief and a damned rogue; and tell The deacon's wife, who came to pray, To hold her jaw and go to hell? Thou art a foe, no friend of mine, For all my thoughts thou givest away; Whate'er I say in confidence, Thou dost in evil hours betray. Thy mind's for ever set on bad; I cannot mutter one small curse, But thou dost make it endless song, And shout it to a neighbour's house. Aye, swear to thy delight and ours, When here I welcome shipmates home, And thou canst see abundant grog -- But hold thy tongue when landsmen come. Be dumb when widow Johnson's near, Be dumb until our wedding day; And after that -- but not before -- She will enjoy the worst you say. There is a time to speak and not; When we're together, all is well; But damn thy soul -- What! you damn @3mine@1! And you tell @3me@1 to go to hell! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE SONG OF HIAWATHA: THE FOUR WINDS by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW A TEMPLE TO FRIENDSHIP by THOMAS MOORE WAR AND WASHINGTON by JONATHAN MITCHELL SEWALL TO E. L., ON HIS TRAVELS IN GREECE by ALFRED TENNYSON ISN'T IT TRUE! by BERNICE GIBBS ANDERSON THE HEALERS by LAURENCE BINYON WEN GOTT BETRUGT, IST WOHL BETROGEN by ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH MUTUAL FOREBEARANCE NECESSARY TO ... THE MARRIED STATE by WILLIAM COWPER |