The New Whig Guide (London: W. Wright. 1819), contains several parodies of the songs of Thomas Moore and of Lord Byron, but being all on political topics they are now out of date, almost unintelligible, and not generally interesting. They are styled English Melodies, the first lines are as follows:—
“Oh! the time is past when quarter-day my cares would chase.”
(Moore’s Love’s Young Dream.)
“Old Tierney came down like a wolf on the fold.”
(Byron’s Destruction of Sennacherib.)
“Believe me, when all those ridiculous airs.”
(Moore’s Believe me, if all those endearing young charms.)
“Son of the faithless! melancholy rat!”
(Byron’s Sun of the Sleepless)
“Fare ye well—and if for Easter.”
(Byron’s Fare you well—and if for ever.)
In the early days of the century Moore and Byron were the Society poets, their verses were on everyone’s lips, and naturally parodies of them abounded. In addition to the translations of Moore’s melodies already given, several other Greek, Latin, and French versions will be found in the collected works of Francis S. Mahony.
