THE RECOGNITION.
Home they brought her sailor son,
Grown a man across the sea,
Tall and broad and black of beard,
And hoarse of voice as man may be.
Hand to shake and mouth to kiss.
Both he offered ere he spoke;
But she said—"What man is this
Comes to play a sorry joke?"
Then they praised him—call'd him "smart,"
"Tightest lad that ever stept;"
But her son she did not know,
And she neither smiled nor wept.
Rose a nurse of ninety years,
Set a pigeon-pie in sight:
She saw him eat—"'Tis he! 'tis he!"
She knew him—by his appetite!
In January, 1882, Mr. Cook speaking at a public meeting in reference to the state of affairs in Ireland at that time, observed that he could not better represent Mr. Gladstone's position in this land question than by quoting a parody on that celebrated poem of Tennyson's, "Home they brought her warrior dead":—
Home they brought Montmorres dead,
He nor sighed nor uttered cry.
All the English angered said
Strike! or know the reason why.
Jones and Boycott labouring well
Lost the fruits of earlier years;
Surely now 'tis time to quell,
Yet no remedy appears,
Farmers who had paid some rent
On the cold ground weltering lay;
Still on landlord plunder bent
Small attention did he pay.
Travelling Forster entering said:
But our "Bill" will strangled be;
Then the Premier raised his head—
Oh sweet, my child, I strike for thee.