 | The select poems of Dr. Thomas Dunn English (exclusive of the "Battle lyrics") |  |
KING DOLLAR.
In a land of the West, that is far, far away,
Where the little ones toil and the older folk play,
Where professors are made from their ignorant fools,
And the chief of the pedagogues teaching in schools
Is the very worst scholar,
Where their columns with nonsense the journalists fill,
Where the rivers and rivulets hurry up hill,
Where reason is hot, and where passion is cold,
Where for cash, by the pennyweight, justice is sold,
There reigneth King Dollar.
Where the little ones toil and the older folk play,
Where professors are made from their ignorant fools,
And the chief of the pedagogues teaching in schools
Is the very worst scholar,
Where their columns with nonsense the journalists fill,
Where the rivers and rivulets hurry up hill,
Where reason is hot, and where passion is cold,
Where for cash, by the pennyweight, justice is sold,
There reigneth King Dollar.
There fondness for money is first of the lusts,
Competition is smothered by rascally trusts,
A day of fair toil foulest wages receives,
And station and luxury no one achieves
Whose neck shirks a collar.
He is foremost who makes the most profit from sin;
Truth and falsehood in quarrel, then falsehood will win;
A long life of infamy garners no shame,
But an honored old age, without loathing or blame,
At the court of King Dollar.
Competition is smothered by rascally trusts,
A day of fair toil foulest wages receives,
And station and luxury no one achieves
Whose neck shirks a collar.
He is foremost who makes the most profit from sin;
Truth and falsehood in quarrel, then falsehood will win;
A long life of infamy garners no shame,
But an honored old age, without loathing or blame,
At the court of King Dollar.
501
There each in servility crooketh the knees,
And much the back bendeth the monarch to please;
There he who works hardest in poverty dwells,
And he who lolls laziest riches compels,
With laud to the loller;
There he who has millions, though holding them sure,
Having nothing but money forever is poor;
There the mass crawl and grovel, none dare go erect,
For woe to the wretch who preserves self-respect
In the land of King Dollar.
And much the back bendeth the monarch to please;
There he who works hardest in poverty dwells,
And he who lolls laziest riches compels,
With laud to the loller;
There he who has millions, though holding them sure,
Having nothing but money forever is poor;
There the mass crawl and grovel, none dare go erect,
For woe to the wretch who preserves self-respect
In the land of King Dollar.
Who abases his body and sullies his soul,
Who refuses the beggar his pitiful dole,
Whoever is ready with knaves to conspire
To tax the poor man on food, clothing and fire,
A greedy forestaller;
Who gives to the church, while religion he mocks,
Keeps benevolence jailed under double strong locks,
Whose language is best, but whose actions the worst,
He comes to distinction, and stands with the first
In regard of King Dollar.
Who refuses the beggar his pitiful dole,
Whoever is ready with knaves to conspire
To tax the poor man on food, clothing and fire,
A greedy forestaller;
Who gives to the church, while religion he mocks,
Keeps benevolence jailed under double strong locks,
Whose language is best, but whose actions the worst,
He comes to distinction, and stands with the first
In regard of King Dollar.
There the flimsiest paper is better than gold,
There they kick out good manners because they are old,
There virtue is rotten and wickedness sound,
And vice, in the midst of the merry-go-round,
As queen they install her.
Ah! never were slaves half so abject as they,
And never was king with such absolute sway!
He smiles, and the sun shines; he frowns, and it rains;
He has chains on men's bodies and locks on their brains,
This despotic King Dollar.
There they kick out good manners because they are old,
There virtue is rotten and wickedness sound,
And vice, in the midst of the merry-go-round,
As queen they install her.
Ah! never were slaves half so abject as they,
And never was king with such absolute sway!
He smiles, and the sun shines; he frowns, and it rains;
He has chains on men's bodies and locks on their brains,
This despotic King Dollar.
But ours is a land where such king could not reign,
Where avarice seeks for a victim in vain,
Where pity and truth to the people are dear,
And trusts, deals and syndicates, should they appear,
Would stir up our choler,
And rouse a fierce tempest to sweep in its wrath
Force, fraud and conspiracy far from our path.
So let us all thank the good fortune which brings,
Our country exemption from thraldom of kings,
Most of all, from King Dollar.
Where avarice seeks for a victim in vain,
502
And trusts, deals and syndicates, should they appear,
Would stir up our choler,
And rouse a fierce tempest to sweep in its wrath
Force, fraud and conspiracy far from our path.
So let us all thank the good fortune which brings,
Our country exemption from thraldom of kings,
Most of all, from King Dollar.
| The select poems of Dr. Thomas Dunn English (exclusive of the "Battle lyrics") | |