 | The select poems of Dr. Thomas Dunn English (exclusive of the "Battle lyrics") |  |
582
“KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP.”
You ventured your wealth without counting the cost,
And, tempted by avarice, risked it, and lost;
And now, in chagrin that the blow has been struck,
You rail at misfortune and prattle of luck,
Nor recall, as you sit there dull, nerveless, and sad,
'Twas possibly judgment, not luck, that was bad.
Lie the fault where it may: give your troubles the slip;
Keep courage, keep heart, “keep a stiff upper lip.”
And, tempted by avarice, risked it, and lost;
And now, in chagrin that the blow has been struck,
You rail at misfortune and prattle of luck,
Nor recall, as you sit there dull, nerveless, and sad,
'Twas possibly judgment, not luck, that was bad.
Lie the fault where it may: give your troubles the slip;
Keep courage, keep heart, “keep a stiff upper lip.”
All hope for the future you tell me has fled
Since the maiden you loved to another is wed;
Your heart to its depths with her glances she stirred;
She was fair, she was false, she has broken her word;
She has left you the wretchedest man among men,
And your frame cannot thrill with affection again.
Take a full draught of love; that was only a sip;
Find another more true, “keep a stiff upper lip.”
Since the maiden you loved to another is wed;
Your heart to its depths with her glances she stirred;
She was fair, she was false, she has broken her word;
She has left you the wretchedest man among men,
And your frame cannot thrill with affection again.
Take a full draught of love; that was only a sip;
Find another more true, “keep a stiff upper lip.”
The serpent called Slander no kindness can tame;
It gnaws at your honor and slimes o'er your name;
Why moan over that? You're in no wise the first
Whose deeds were distorted, whose motives aspersed.
They must all bear the cross who aspire to the crown;
Let calumny go—live it down, live it down!
Walk straight in your pathway, though others may trip—
Untruth slays itself—“keep a stiff upper lip.”
It gnaws at your honor and slimes o'er your name;
Why moan over that? You're in no wise the first
Whose deeds were distorted, whose motives aspersed.
They must all bear the cross who aspire to the crown;
Let calumny go—live it down, live it down!
Walk straight in your pathway, though others may trip—
Untruth slays itself—“keep a stiff upper lip.”
In the fever called typhus the skilfullest leech,
Whom signs that are trifles to others can teach,
Notes the lip of his patient far more than the eye—
If the upper one droop, all is over; he'll die.
When the muscles relax that were active before,
No skill then can save him—the struggle is o'er;
Life's voyage is ended, and foundered the ship;
To recover he must “keep a stiff upper lip.”
Whom signs that are trifles to others can teach,
Notes the lip of his patient far more than the eye—
If the upper one droop, all is over; he'll die.
583
No skill then can save him—the struggle is o'er;
Life's voyage is ended, and foundered the ship;
To recover he must “keep a stiff upper lip.”
'Tis a well-worn expression—I grant that, of course;
But it bristles with point; it has meaning and force;
'Tis the keynote of triumph: who goes to a fight
With downcast demeanor imperils his right;
Who would win must have courage, and show it beside,
With a confident manner that borders on pride;
Where once he has grasped must not loosen his grip,
And, whatever confront, “keep a stiff upper lip.”
But it bristles with point; it has meaning and force;
'Tis the keynote of triumph: who goes to a fight
With downcast demeanor imperils his right;
Who would win must have courage, and show it beside,
With a confident manner that borders on pride;
Where once he has grasped must not loosen his grip,
And, whatever confront, “keep a stiff upper lip.”
| The select poems of Dr. Thomas Dunn English (exclusive of the "Battle lyrics") | |