A land of wrangling and of quarrels,

Of brains that seethe, and hearts that burn,

Where every emulous scholar hears,

In every breath that comes to his ears,

The rustling of another's laurels!

The air of the place is called salubrious;

The neighborhood of Vesuvius lends it

An odor volcanic, that rather mends it,

And the buildings have an aspect lugubrious,

That inspires a feeling of awe and terror