 | When life is young |  |
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THE CIRCUS CLOWN'S DREAM
A circus clown dreamed a dream, one night,
That wakened him with laughing;
And when he told it in high delight,
Of how he dreamed of a circus horse
That flew through the air as a matter of course,
His comrades thought he was chaffing.
That wakened him with laughing;
And when he told it in high delight,
Of how he dreamed of a circus horse
That flew through the air as a matter of course,
His comrades thought he was chaffing.
“Not so,” he declared. “I say it is true”;
And they opened their eyes with wonder.
“I saw him as plain as I now see you;
That horse swung, too, on a high trapeze,—
And he lifted me up from my hands and knees
Till gaily I swung under.
And they opened their eyes with wonder.
“I saw him as plain as I now see you;
That horse swung, too, on a high trapeze,—
And he lifted me up from my hands and knees
Till gaily I swung under.
“He slid down the pole like a half-ton cat,
And swung by a rope, my cronies.
Then he vaulted and climbed like an acrobat;
He lay on his back, spun a ball with his feet,—
And his spring-board leaping was quite complete:
Why, he leaped over three fat ponies!
And swung by a rope, my cronies.
Then he vaulted and climbed like an acrobat;
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And his spring-board leaping was quite complete:
Why, he leaped over three fat ponies!
“What 's more, he did the aquarium act,
Stayed under water among the fishes!
You need n't wink,—it 's a solemn fact.
Then as ‘the Great Professor Equine
And his Wonderful Sons,’ O friends of mine!
He exceeded my proudest wishes.
Stayed under water among the fishes!
You need n't wink,—it 's a solemn fact.
Then as ‘the Great Professor Equine
And his Wonderful Sons,’ O friends of mine!
He exceeded my proudest wishes.
“But that was n't all of my wondrous dream,—
So full of magic and clatter.
You should have heard the spectators scream
When three great lions, with grace and ease,
Began to juggle like Japanese
With stick and ball and platter.
So full of magic and clatter.
You should have heard the spectators scream
When three great lions, with grace and ease,
Began to juggle like Japanese
With stick and ball and platter.
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“Then my turn came,” said the circus clown,
“For I had to earn my money;
So I ambled up, and nimbled down,
And gave my liveliest tricks and jokes,—
I was doing my best to amuse the folks,—
As funniest of the funny,—
“For I had to earn my money;
So I ambled up, and nimbled down,
And gave my liveliest tricks and jokes,—
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As funniest of the funny,—
“When all the people burst out crying,
And begged me hard to stop my trying.
In vain I gave my comical blink
And changed my costumes, quick as a wink;
You never heard such wails and weeping.
This put a sudden end to my sleeping;
I 'woke to learn, though strange it may seem,
They wept because 't was the end of my dream!”
And begged me hard to stop my trying.
In vain I gave my comical blink
And changed my costumes, quick as a wink;
You never heard such wails and weeping.
This put a sudden end to my sleeping;
I 'woke to learn, though strange it may seem,
They wept because 't was the end of my dream!”
| When life is young | |