 | Ballads and other verses |  |
54
DON.
This is Don, the dog of all dogs,
Just as lions outrank small frogs,
Just as eagles are superior
To buzzards and that tribe inferior.
Just as lions outrank small frogs,
Just as eagles are superior
To buzzards and that tribe inferior.
He 's a shepherd lad,—a beauty,—
And to praise him seems a duty,
But it puts my pen to shame, sir,
When his virtues I would name, sir.
“Don! come here and bend your head now,
Let us see your best well-bred bow!”
Was there ever such a creature?
Common-sense in every feature!
“Don! rise up and look around you!”
Blessings on the day we found you.
And to praise him seems a duty,
But it puts my pen to shame, sir,
When his virtues I would name, sir.
“Don! come here and bend your head now,
Let us see your best well-bred bow!”
Was there ever such a creature?
Common-sense in every feature!
“Don! rise up and look around you!”
Blessings on the day we found you.
Sell him! well, upon my word, sir,
That 's a notion too absurd, sir.
Would I sell our little Ally,
Barter Tom, dispose of Sally,
Think you I 'd negotiate
For my wife at any rate?
That 's a notion too absurd, sir.
55
Barter Tom, dispose of Sally,
Think you I 'd negotiate
For my wife at any rate?
Sell our Don! you 're surely joking,
And 't is fun at us you 're poking!
Twenty voyages we 've tried, sir,
Sleeping, waking, side by side, sir,
And Don and I will not divide, sir;
He 's my friend, that 's why I love him,—
And no mortal dog 's above him!
And 't is fun at us you 're poking!
Twenty voyages we 've tried, sir,
Sleeping, waking, side by side, sir,
And Don and I will not divide, sir;
He 's my friend, that 's why I love him,—
And no mortal dog 's above him!
He prefers a life aquatic,
But never dog was less dogmatic.
Years ago, when I was master
Of a tight brig called the Castor,
Don and I were bound for Cadiz,
With the loveliest of ladies
And her boy—a stalwart, hearty,
Crowing, one-year infant party,
Full of childhood's myriad graces,
Bubbling sunshine in our faces
As we bowled along so steady,
Half-way home, or more, already.
But never dog was less dogmatic.
Years ago, when I was master
Of a tight brig called the Castor,
Don and I were bound for Cadiz,
With the loveliest of ladies
And her boy—a stalwart, hearty,
Crowing, one-year infant party,
Full of childhood's myriad graces,
Bubbling sunshine in our faces
56
Half-way home, or more, already.
How the sailors loved our darling!
No more swearing, no more snarling;
On their backs, when not on duty,
Round they bore the blue-eyed beauty,—
Singing, shouting, leaping, prancing,—
All the crew took turns in dancing;
Every tar played Punchinello
With the pretty, laughing fellow;
Even the second mate gave sly winks
At the noisy mid-day high jinks.
Never was a crew so happy
With a curly-headed chappy,
Never were such sports gigantic,
Never dog with joy more antic.
No more swearing, no more snarling;
On their backs, when not on duty,
Round they bore the blue-eyed beauty,—
Singing, shouting, leaping, prancing,—
All the crew took turns in dancing;
Every tar played Punchinello
With the pretty, laughing fellow;
Even the second mate gave sly winks
At the noisy mid-day high jinks.
Never was a crew so happy
With a curly-headed chappy,
Never were such sports gigantic,
Never dog with joy more antic.
While thus jolly, all together,
There blew up a change of weather,
Nothing stormy, but quite breezy,
And the wind grew damp and wheezy,
Like a gale in too low spirits
To put forth one half its merits.
But, perchance, a dry-land ranger
Might suspect some kind of danger.
There blew up a change of weather,
Nothing stormy, but quite breezy,
And the wind grew damp and wheezy,
Like a gale in too low spirits
To put forth one half its merits.
57
Might suspect some kind of danger.
Soon our staunch and gallant vessel
With the waves began to wrestle,
And to jump about a trifle,
Sometimes kicking like a rifle
When 't is slightly overloaded,
But by no means nigh exploded.
With the waves began to wrestle,
And to jump about a trifle,
Sometimes kicking like a rifle
When 't is slightly overloaded,
But by no means nigh exploded.
'T was the coming on of twilight,
As we stood abaft the skylight,
Scampering round to please the baby
(Old Bill Benson held him, maybe),
When the youngster stretched his fingers
Towards the spot where sunset lingers,
And with strong and sudden motion
Leaped into the weltering ocean!
As we stood abaft the skylight,
Scampering round to please the baby
(Old Bill Benson held him, maybe),
When the youngster stretched his fingers
Towards the spot where sunset lingers,
And with strong and sudden motion
Leaped into the weltering ocean!
“What did Don do?” Can't you guess, sir?
He sprang also,—by express,—sir;
Seized the infant's little dress, sir,
Held the baby's head up boldly
From the waves that rushed so coldly;
And in just about a minute
Our boat had them safe within it.
He sprang also,—by express,—sir;
Seized the infant's little dress, sir,
Held the baby's head up boldly
From the waves that rushed so coldly;
58
Our boat had them safe within it.
Sell him! Would you sell your brother?
Don and I love one another!
Don and I love one another!
| Ballads and other verses | |