Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, O-U-G-H. A FRESH HACK AT AN OLD KNOT, by CHARLES BATTELL LOOMIS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

O-U-G-H. A FRESH HACK AT AN OLD KNOT, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: I'm taught p-l-o-u-g-h
Last Line: And killed him wiz a rough.
Subject(s): Language; Words; Vocabulary


I'M taught p-l-o-u-g-h
S'all be pronounce "plow."
"Zat's easy w'en you know," I say,
"Mon Anglais, I'll get through!"

My teacher say zat in zat case,
O-u-g-h is "oo."
And zen I laugh and say to him,
"Zees Anglais make me cough."

He say "Not 'coo,' but in zat word,
O-u-g-h is 'off,'"
Oh, Sacre bleu! such varied sounds
Of words makes me hiccough!

He say, "Again mon frien' ees wrong;
O-u-g-h is 'up"
In hiccough." Zen I cry, "No more,
You make my t'roat feel rough."

"Non, non!" he cry, "you are not right;
O-u-g-h is 'uff.'"
I say, "I try to spik your words,
I cannot spik zem though!"

"In time you'll learn, but now you're wrong!
O-u-g-h is 'owe.'"
"I'll try no more, I s'all go mad,
I'll drown me in ze lough!"

"But ere you drown yourself," said he,
"O-u-g-h is 'ock.'"
He taught no more, I held him fast,
And killed him wiz a rough.





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