(@3As It Was Once@1) They're clustering wabbily round the bar And some are singing a lot, and some Who haven't had quite as many, so far, Are making the conversation hum; There's one or two that are slightly glum As they sit in their chairs and hold on tight, And there's one that's roasting the Demon Rum —There's a lot of gentlemen soused to-night! There's one who's babbling about his car, And one who's swearing that I'm his chum, There's one who jigs like a jolly tar, While imitating a fife and drum, There's four men bellowing "rumpty-tum!" And wheeling solemnly, left and right, Their line, however, is out of plumb, There's a lot of gentlemen soused to-night. There's one chap showing the way to spar, Another playing he's deaf and dumb, Two old boys damning the "things that are," And saying these modern days is bum. There's a couple more that are feeling numb And things are wavering in their sight, It won't be long till they both succumb; There's a lot of gentlemen soused to-night. ENVOY And me? I'm smiling and keeping mum As I serve the gentlemen, calm, polite, But speaking vulgarly, I do vum There's a lot of gentlemen soused to-night! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BUILDING THE LIBRARY, TOKYO UNIVERSITY; NIGHT SCENE by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN IN THE GARDEN (WITH APOLOGIES TO ALFRED NOYES) by MARJORIE W. BRACHLOW IN IMMEMORIAM by EDWARD BRADLEY TO M. S. G. (1) by GEORGE GORDON BYRON OF A CERTAIN GENEROUS LADY by EDWARD RALPH CHEYNEY MISS NANCY'S GOWN by ZITELLA COCKE THE SPIRIT OF THE FALL by DANSKE CAROLINA (BEDINGER) DANDRIDGE |