MAY.—"Old May Day"
| 1836.] | MAY. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The depth of "A Winter in London," I sing:— | |||
| For thus do the rulers of fashion declare— | |||
| That Spring Garden shall yield all they know of the spring, | |||
| And the charms of fair May be supplied in May Fair. | |||
| M | Season's | "Old May Day." | WEATHER. |
| D | Signs. | ||
| 1 | Ah! well- | BY A NONAGENARIAN. | |
| 2 | a-day! | When I was young and in my prime, | who |
| Then ev'rything look'd gay; | |||
| 3 | alack! | And nothing was so merry as | ☌ ♓ ♑ ♌ |
| The merry First of May: | |||
| 4 | alas! | Kind Nature, who doth ever smile, | in place |
| Seem'd then to smile the more; | |||
| 5 | that | And ev'ry Spring that time did bring | of |
| Seem'd greener than before. | |||
| 6 | such a | The birds they sang so jocundly,— | |
| They fill'd the air around, | |||
| 7 | thing | And human hearts as jocundly | ☿ ♊ ☽ |
| Responded to the sound. | |||
| 8 | should | I recollect the lovely scene | consulting |
| As though I saw it still:— | |||
| 9 | come | The mansion of a noble race | the stars |
| Was seated on a hill; | |||
| 10 | to pass! | And smilingly it seem'd to look | |
| Upon the plain below, | |||
| 11 | but on | Where groups of happy villagers | ♎ ♐ ☍ ♋ ♉ |
| Were sporting to and fro. | |||
| 12 | my word, | The May-pole in the centre plac'd, | according to |
| All deck'd with garlands gay. | |||
| 13 | I feel | While lads and lasses danc'd around, | art, |
| And footed it away. | |||
| 14 | suspi- | The ruddy hostess of the inn, | |
| Which stood within the vale, | |||
| 15 | cious, | Supplied the thirsty revellers | ♃ ⊕ ♒ ☉ |
| With draughts of nut-brown ale; | |||
| 16 | unless | While pleas'd, the neighb'ring gentry stood, | |
| And view'd the cheerful scene, | thrust forth | ||
| 17 | the stars | Or laid aside their rank to join | |
| The sports upon the green. | |||
| 18 | prove | ♓ ♑ | |
| Ah! those were times that memory | |||
| 19 | more | Is happy to retrace, | their |
| But chang'd, alas! and sad are those | |||
| 20 | propi- | Which now supply their place. | own bald |
| An honest healthy peasantry | |||
| 21 | tious, | Then shar'd the farmer's board, | and |
| Who'd shrink from parish pauper pay, | |||
| 22 | that | As from a thing abhorr'd; | conceited |
| The sons of "Merry England" now | |||
| 23 | I shall | Are chang'd to Mammon's slaves, | |
| And "peep about to find themselves | |||
| 24 | nothing | Dishonourable graves." | ☽ ♂ ♀ |
| The "labourer," no longer "reckon'd | |||
| 25 | have | Worthy of his hire," | |
| No more partakes the farmer's board, | suppositions | ||
| 26 | to say | Nor warms him at his fire— | |
| 27 | about | * * * * * | ♈ ♀ ⚹ ♏ ☽ |
| 28 | this | (Rigdum Funnidos interrupteth:) | |
| For these | |||
| 29 | famous | Stop, stop, old friend! I prithee, cease this prosing. | |
| Egad! you'll set my gentle readers dozing. | and other | ||
| 30 | month | The Times are bad, I own, and sad's the change; | |
| But, surely, that is not so wondrous strange; | weighty | ||
| 31 | of May! | And if it were, this is no place to joke in. | |
| Nonagenarian: | |||
| Enough, good Rigdum!—I'll give over croaking. | |||
A DRAMATIC FACT.
"Macbeth by Mr. Higgs!"—
They sometimes used to let him play it in the country;
And then, odds wigs!
How very great he felt!
One night, while he was at it,
The pot-boy, from the public-house at which he dealt,
Being at the wing, quoth Higgs, aside, "Od 'rat it!