University of Virginia Library

PADDY'S ODE TO THE PRINCE.

O mighty Prince!
It's no offense,
Your worship, that I mane ye,
While I confiss
'T was ra-al bliss,
A moment to have sane ye!
That you should see
The likes o' me,
The while I stud adjacent,
I don't suppose,
Although me clo'es
Was mighty clane and dacent.
Av coorse, ye know
'T was long ago,
I looked at Jukes and such men,
And longer since,
And English Prince
Begotten by a Dutchman!
But by me troth,
And Bible-oath!
Wid all me Irish shyness,
I've passed the word
Wid many a lord,
Much taller than your Highness!
Ah! well,—bedad,
No doubt ye had,
In token of allagiance,
As good a cup
As ye could sup
Among thim black Canajans;
But wha'd 'ye think
Of Christian dhrink,
Now tell me that, me tulip!
When through a sthraw
Your Highness saw,
The flavor of a julep?
Thim haythen chaps,
The nayger Japs,
Wid all their curst expinses,
Just tuk their fill,
And left a bill
At which the paple winces;
But thin, no doubt,
Ye'll ride about
Wid Boole and all the Aldermen
They 've little sinse,
But, for expinse,
There 's not a set of boulder men!
Fernandy Wud
Has dacent blood,
And illigant morality;
And ye may swear
Our mighty Mayor
Will show his horsepitality!

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The soldiers all
Are at his call,
Wid Captains to parade 'em;
And at the laste,
Ye'll get a taste
Of dimmecratic fraydem.
But plase to note,
Ye 're not to vote,—
A privilege, by Jabers!
Ye could n't hope,
Were ye the Pope,
Until ye've got the papers!
Well, mighty Prince,
Accept these hints;
Most frayly I indite 'em;
'T is luck, indade,
If ye can rade
As aisy as I write 'em!
And when the throne
Is all ye'r own
At which ye 're daily steerin',
Remimber what
Some kings forgot,—
Remimber poor ould Erin.
 

The faculty of seeing a flavor is, of course, peculiarly Hibernian.