登陆注册
4708800000030

第30章

Here was no lack of innocent diversion For the imagination or the senses, Song, dance, wine, music, stories from the Persian, All pretty pastimes in which no offence is;

But Lambro saw all these things with aversion, Perceiving in his absence such expenses, Dreading that climax of all human ills, The inflammation of his weekly bills.

Ah! what is man? what perils still environ The happiest mortals even after dinner-A day of gold from out an age of iron Is all that life allows the luckiest sinner;

Pleasure (whene'er she sings, at least) 's a siren, That lures, to flay alive, the young beginner;

Lambro's reception at his people's banquet Was such as fire accords to a wet blanket.

He- being a man who seldom used a word Too much, and wishing gladly to surprise (In general he surprised men with the sword)

His daughter- had not sent before to advise Of his arrival, so that no one stirr'd;

And long he paused to re-assure his eyes In fact much more astonish'd than delighted, To find so much good company invited.

He did not know (alas! how men will lie)

That a report (especially the Greeks)

Avouch'd his death (such people never die), And put his house in mourning several weeks,-But now their eyes and also lips were dry;

The bloom, too, had return'd to Haidee's cheeks, Her tears, too, being return'd into their fount, She now kept house upon her own account.

Hence all this rice, meat, dancing, wine, and fiddling, Which turn'd the isle into a place of pleasure;

The servants all were getting drunk or idling, A life which made them happy beyond measure.

Her father's hospitality seem'd middling, Compared with what Haidee did with his treasure;

'T was wonderful how things went on improving, While she had not one hour to spare from loving.

Perhaps you think in stumbling on this feast He flew into a passion, and in fact There was no mighty reason to be pleased;

Perhaps you prophesy some sudden act, The whip, the rack, or dungeon at the least, To teach his people to be more exact, And that, proceeding at a very high rate, He show'd the royal penchants of a pirate.

You 're wrong.- He was the mildest manner'd man That ever scuttled ship or cut a throat:

With such true breeding of a gentleman, You never could divine his real thought;

No courtier could, and scarcely woman can Gird more deceit within a petticoat;

Pity he loved adventurous life's variety, He was so great a loss to good society.

Advancing to the nearest dinner tray, Tapping the shoulder of the nighest guest, With a peculiar smile, which, by the way, Boded no good, whatever it express'd, He ask'd the meaning of this holiday;

The vinous Greek to whom he had address'd His question, much too merry to divine The questioner, fill'd up a glass of wine, And without turning his facetious head, Over his shoulder, with a Bacchant air, Presented the o'erflowing cup, and said, 'Talking 's dry work, I have no time to spare.'

A second hiccup'd, 'Our old master 's dead, You 'd better ask our mistress who 's his heir.'

'Our mistress!' quoth a third: 'Our mistress!- pooh!-You mean our master- not the old, but new.'

These rascals, being new comers, knew not whom They thus address'd- and Lambro's visage fell-And o'er his eye a momentary gloom Pass'd, but he strove quite courteously to quell The expression, and endeavouring to resume His smile, requested one of them to tell The name and quality of his new patron, Who seem'd to have turn'd Haidee into a matron.

'I know not,' quoth the fellow, 'who or what He is, nor whence he came- and little care;

But this I know, that this roast capon 's fat, And that good wine ne'er wash'd down better fare;

And if you are not satisfied with that, Direct your questions to my neighbour there;

He 'll answer all for better or for worse, For none likes more to hear himself converse.'

I said that Lambro was a man of patience, And certainly he show'd the best of breeding, Which scarce even France, the paragon of nations, E'er saw her most polite of sons exceeding;

He bore these sneers against his near relations, His own anxiety, his heart, too, bleeding, The insults, too, of every servile glutton, Who all the time was eating up his mutton.

Now in a person used to much command-To bid men come, and go, and come again-To see his orders done, too, out of hand-Whether the word was death, or but the chain-It may seem strange to find his manners bland;

Yet such things are, which I can not explain, Though doubtless he who can command himself Is good to govern- almost as a Guelf.

Not that he was not sometimes rash or so, But never in his real and serious mood;

Then calm, concentrated, and still, and slow, He lay coil'd like the boa in the wood;

With him it never was a word and blow, His angry word once o'er, he shed no blood, But in his silence there was much to rue, And his one blow left little work for two.

He ask'd no further questions, and proceeded On to the house, but by a private way, So that the few who met him hardly heeded, So little they expected him that day;

If love paternal in his bosom pleaded For Haidee's sake, is more than I can say, But certainly to one deem'd dead, returning, This revel seem'd a curious mode of mourning.

If all the dead could now return to life (Which God forbid!) or some, or a great many, For instance, if a husband or his wife (Nuptial examples are as good as any), No doubt whate'er might be their former strife, The present weather would be much more rainy-Tears shed into the grave of the connection Would share most probably its resurrection.

He enter'd in the house no more his home, A thing to human feelings the most trying, And harder for the heart to overcome, Perhaps, than even the mental pangs of dying;

To find our hearthstone turn'd into a tomb, And round its once warm precincts palely lying The ashes of our hopes, is a deep grief, Beyond a single gentleman's belief.

同类推荐
  • 台湾诗钞

    台湾诗钞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金刚顶瑜伽理趣般若经

    金刚顶瑜伽理趣般若经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 竹山词

    竹山词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 稚川真人校证术

    稚川真人校证术

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Locrine-Mucedorus

    Locrine-Mucedorus

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 大犬星的守护之这个大叔有点萌

    大犬星的守护之这个大叔有点萌

    霍克从跨国企业大亨沦为口袋里只剩五毛钱的穷鬼,被18岁的夏欣然捡回了自家宠物店,化身为市里最英俊的小店员,天天被一群小毛孩奴役。可是偏偏这么一名美貌、学历、家境均为顶尖,集世界上所有美好于一身的二十七岁法国混血,却喜欢半夜学狼嚎,还天天抱着夏家的毛毛不撒手……
  • 花样蝴蝶

    花样蝴蝶

    林依莲和秦峰一见钟情,心有灵犀,却不敢也不能吐露真情。市长宋玉飞从小暗恋远房表妹林依莲,在采取不正当方式,向她表白爱情遭到果断拒绝之后,因爱生恨,想尽千方百计,向江林集团伸出黑手,致使江林破产。
  • 摩根写给儿子的32封信

    摩根写给儿子的32封信

    本书是世界财富巨擘摩根家族的奠定者——约翰·皮尔庞特·摩根给儿子小约翰·皮尔庞特·摩根的信集。它本来是不愿公开的私人信札,是以遗嘱形式密藏的贵重珍品,并且“透露了太多的摩根家族创造财富的秘密和商业的智慧,是培养伟大企业家无可比拟的教材……”。
  • 微营销引爆大利润

    微营销引爆大利润

    本书通过无私分享最实用、最易懂的微营销方法和窍门,讲解如何利用微营销进行宣传推广,如何打造圈子、社群进而形成粉丝效应,实现从“企业追着客户跑”到“客户追着企业跑”的营销革命!
  • 龙王兄弟经

    龙王兄弟经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我们的故事

    我们的故事

    李大愚坚持认为,伊冰蓉的母亲并不是真想自杀。李大愚说,就在那个上午,他还见到伊冰蓉的母亲去街上的副食店买了三两芝麻酱。那时芝麻酱是紧俏商品,每人每月只供应一两,伊冰蓉和她母亲的二两芝麻酱早已吃完,所以这三两芝麻酱的三张供应票是她用六斤粗粮票向赵烨家换的。赵烨家有六个孩子,加上她的父母和爷爷奶奶总共十口人,因此每月可以有十两芝麻酱,但她家这十口人中只有她父亲一个人上班,所以首先要解决的是吃饭问题,每月的十两芝麻酱就经常向邻居兑换成粮票或别的可以充饥的东西。
  • 大乘密严经

    大乘密严经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 乱世邪君:独宠逆天弃妃

    乱世邪君:独宠逆天弃妃

    她是21世纪的金牌杀手!一朝穿越,不到一日就被打入冷宫。小小冷宫,她并不放在眼里,想出就出,想进就进。欺她者,百倍还之!害她者,百倍虐之!“卿本佳人,奈何是这么的桀骜不驯。”"难道女子就该温柔似水吗?这是哪门子的歪理!"“歪理也是理,成为朕的女人,朕会守护你一生一世!”他是乱世之中的腹黑帝王,冷血无情,杀伐果断,却因一人而改变,明明深爱,却又不能爱,既然如此就将你此生禁锢在我的身边。就这样看着,足以!本文1v1宠文,大家可以放心追文!本书读者群:562361487
  • 佛说如来不思议秘密大乘经

    佛说如来不思议秘密大乘经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 灯台

    灯台

    灯台的目标出现了。老慢和往常一样,七点半,慢吞吞走进办公室,进了办公室的第一眼,也总是瞟向灯台的办公桌。那眼神从老慢的眼皮下漫不经心地飘过来,像一丝微风,除非用心,一般觉察不到。单位里,灯台和老慢算是三朝元老,且都是副处,在这个处处暗战的年代,性别特征在副处级这个区域很明显地消失了。灯台早在五六年前就已经没有穿过长裙,但灯台喜欢买长裙,衣橱里挂一大堆。今年流行波西米亚风,街上到处是细腰长裙地飘着的女孩子和女人们,说飘,是因为那雪纺的柔美,将女性走路的婀娜衬托到极致,偏偏又全是花团锦簇的图案打底,让灯台看了眼馋得厉害。