Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE CHRISTENING, by THOMAS EDWARD BROWN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE CHRISTENING, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Hould him up!
Last Line: My gough! But we'll have a chrizzenin'!
Alternate Author Name(s): Brown, T. E.
Subject(s): Baptism; Christenings


HOULD him up!
Hould him up!
Joy! joy!
Hould him up! hould him up!
Is that the boy?
Hould him up!

Stand out of the way, women,
Stand out of the way!
Here, Misthress Shimmin!
Here, I say!
Here! here!
Aw dear!
Is this him?
Every limb
Taut and trim --
Here's a hull!
Here's a breast --
Like a bull!
He's got my finger in his fess --
He hess! he hess!

Look at the grip!
Is that a smile upon his lip?
He can't do that!
What! what!
Smile!
My gough! what a chile!

Feel the gristle!
Feel it though!
Stop! I'll whistle --
Whew------! bo!
What's he doin'?
Is it cooin'
You call it when he goes like yandhar?
See his eyes the way they wandhar!
Hullo! hullo!
Where'll you go? where'll you go?
Keep her so!

There's a look!
There's another!
The little rook!
What's he wantin'
With this gallivantin'?
Ah! the mother! ah! the mother!
Yiss! yiss! muss hev a kiss
Aw, Kitty, Kitty bogh!
Aw my gough!
Kitty darlin'! Kitty then!
And me so far away!
The hard it muss ha' ben!
Were you freckened, Kitty, eh?
Navar mind!
Here I am!
As consigned!
And, axin' your pardon, Misthress Shimmin, ma'am,
Here's the joy!
Here's our boy, Kitty!
Here's our boy!

Listen! I'll tell you a thing --
By jing!
I've calkerlated it to a dot,
But whether or not --
The very night Kitty was tuk --
Just three days,
If you plaze,
Out of Dantzic, there was a sea struck --
Jemmy'll remember --
Every timber
Shuck!

Close-hauled, you know, and I navar tould ye,
But behould ye!
In the trough there, rowlin' in it,
Just that minute --
I saw a baby, as plain,
Passin' by on a slant of rain
To leeward, and his little shiff
Streamin' away in the long gray driff.
I saw him there -- you didn' regard me --
But his face was toward me --
Oughtn't I to know him?
Well, I saw him afore Kitty saw him!
I saw him, and there he ess,
There upon his mother's breast,
The very same, I'll assure ye;
And I think that'll floor ye!
And his body all in a blaze of light --
A dirty night!
"Where was he goin'?"
Who's knowin'?
He was in a hurry in any case,
And the Baltic is a lonesome place --
But here he is, all right!
Here he is now! joy! joy!
God bless the boy!

Have you tould the Pazon? what did he say?
Has he seen him -- ould Pazon Gale?
Aw, you tould the Pazon anyway!
Tould! he'll turn the scale
At thirty pound,
I'll be bound.

Did you put it in the papers?
No, no! What capers!
No, no!
Splendid though!
Upon my life --
Catharine, wife
Of Mounseer
Eddard Creer,
Esqueer,
Otherwise dadaa,
Of a son and heer!
Hip-hip-hip-hip, hooraa!

Bless my sowl! am I draemin'?
He'll make a seaman
Will yandhar lad --
Aw, the glad!
Yiss! yiss! Misthress Shimmin, certainly!
Go down to the smack,
Jemmy, and see --
Yiss! Misthress Shimmin
And all the rest of the women --
'Scuse me, ladies! rather 'cited --
Just the delighted, you know, the delighted!
And every raison to suppose
(See him cockin' his nose!)
That the best of care
And ceterar-----
I'll get that with Misthress Shimmin -- did ye say?
Eh?

Go, Jemmy, they're lyin' quite handy,
A bottle of rum and another of brandy,
In the starboard locker theer --
And, Jemmy! there's a taste of gin --
Aw, navar fear!
Tell the chaps to finish it --
All the kit --
And listen -- tell ould Harper
We'll take and warp her
Inside
On the morning's tide --
About hafe-past four'll be time to begin --
My gough! but we'll have a chrizzenin'!





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