A Century of Parody and Imitation

by Unknown

So, of—

Gaily the Troubadour

Touched his guitar,

Mr. Lang says, 'Any one of us could get in more local colour for the money, and give the crusader a cithern or citole instead of a guitar,' and in proof gives the 'romantic, esoteric, old French poem, "Sir Ralph."'

The two Swinburne parodies are from Rhymes à la Mode, 1895. An earlier Ballade, of which that on p. 35 'is an improved version, was printed in the St. James's Gazette in 1881. The original of this is Swinburne's 'A Ballad of Burdens'; of 'The Palace of Bric-a-brac,' 'The Garden of Proserpine':

Here, where the world is quiet,

Here, where all trouble seems

Dead winds' and spent waves' riot

In doubtful dreams of dreams.

[P. 355.] Brahma. Emerson's 'If the red slayer think he slays.' This parody is said to have been an impromptu. It is taken from New Collected Rhymes. All the Lang parodies here are given by permission of Messrs. Longman.