Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE POET AND THE FLY: 2, by CHARLES STUART CALVERLEY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE POET AND THE FLY: 2, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: While unto dawn succeeded day
Last Line: If you can find its moral, do.
Subject(s): Flies


WHILE unto dawn succeeded day,
Unresting still the Victim lay;
The many-limbed one had its way.

He heard the stair-clock's tranquil ticks;
When it exultingly struck six,
He gave a score or so of kicks.

"Before to-morrow's sun up-climbs,"
He feebly said, "yon leafy limes,
I'll write a letter to the 'Times.'"

Haggard and wan, when noon was nigh,
He rose and flung his window high;
He heard, beneath, an old man's cry.

He strove -- but idly strove -- to eat;
Till now, to see the potted meat
Vanish before him was a treat.

He strove to write, but strove in vain;
Dark thoughts 'gan shape them in his brain;
He listened to that old man's strain.

It rang out, maddeningly distinct;
As he gave ear to it he winked;
He dropped the pen that he had inked.

(SONG OF OLD MAN BELOW.)

"Catch-'em-alive! Gentlemen, I've
Here such a dose as no fly can survive.
House-fly, blue-bottle,
Garden-fly -- what'll
Save him when once he's got this in his throttle?
Let e'en a wasp dip his nose in the mixture,
Spread on a plate, and that wasp is a fixture.
Buy, buy; give it a try;
Don't be put down by a poor little fly.
Who'll purchase any? Only a penny
Kills you them all, if it's ever so many."

He bought, he placed some on a plate;
I wis, he had not long to wait;
They ate it at a frightful rate.

But on his friend of yesternight
(He knew the animal by sight)
His baffled gaze could ne'er alight.

At last he noticed the unfeeling
Brute in a casual manner wheeling
Round an excrescence in the ceiling.

Self-poised, it eyed the heaps of slain;
But, that it did not entertain
A thought of joining them, was plain.

It winged that upper-air till ten,
The bard's retiring-hour; and then
Descending, tackled him again.

Next morn the young man made his will;
And either shot himself at drill
Or sucked slow poison through a quill.

The Thing accurst -- the Vaticide --
All wiles for snaring him defied;
And at a good old age he died.

This tale (I guarantee it true),
Reader, I dedicate to you.
If you can find its moral, do.





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