"IN VAIN TO-DAY."
In vain to-day I scrape and blot:
The nimble words, the phrases neat,
Decline to mingle and to meet;
My skill is all forgone, forgot.
He will not canter, walk, or trot,
My Pegasus; I spur, I beat
In vain to-day.
And yet 'twere sure the saddest lot
That I should fail to leave complete
One poor ... the rhyme suggests "conceit!"
Alas! 'tis all too clear I'm not
In vein to-day.
Austin Dobson.
"WHEN BURBADGE PLAYED."
When Burbadge played, the stage was bare
Of fount and temple, tower and stair;
Two backswords eked a battle out;
Two supers made a rabble rout;
The Throne of Denmark was a chair!
And yet, no less, the audience there
Thrilled through all changes of Despair,
Hope, Anger, Fear, Delight, and Doubt,
When Burbadge played!
This is the Actor's gift; to share
All moods, all passions, nor to care
One whit for scene, so he without
Can lead men's minds the roundabout,
Stirred as of old those hearers were,
When Burbadge played!
Austin Dobson.