 | The Baroness of New York |  |
I.
Sir Francis had come, the fairest of men,
At least the ladies pronounced him fair,
But none knew whence he had come, or when;
And the cautious banker had said, “beware,”
And a cunning rival had said, “take care,”
And had spread suspicion everywhere.
At least the ladies pronounced him fair,
But none knew whence he had come, or when;
And the cautious banker had said, “beware,”
And a cunning rival had said, “take care,”
And had spread suspicion everywhere.
“And who can he be?” the banker cried,
“Sir Francis Jain,” his daughter replied.
“Sir Francis Jain! Aye, that is plain,
But who the devil's Sir Francis Jain?”
“Sir Francis Jain,” his daughter replied.
“Sir Francis Jain! Aye, that is plain,
But who the devil's Sir Francis Jain?”
And no man knew him. Men only knew
He strode direct, like a lion, through
The little mouse-traps that society set
To cage the yellow-maned lion in,
And kept on silent through all their din,
And sad, as of grief he might not forget.
He was careless of honors and careless of rank;
Quite careless of all the world was he;
Careless of gold in heaps in the bank,
Heedless, indeed, of the golden key
That opened all doors of the Avenue,
To welcome this new-named lion through.
He strode direct, like a lion, through
The little mouse-traps that society set
To cage the yellow-maned lion in,
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And sad, as of grief he might not forget.
He was careless of honors and careless of rank;
Quite careless of all the world was he;
Careless of gold in heaps in the bank,
Heedless, indeed, of the golden key
That opened all doors of the Avenue,
To welcome this new-named lion through.
And why so careless, and why so cold?
Surely the man had love and to spare,
Surely the man had titles and gold,
Honor at home and everywhere!
Surely the man had love and to spare,
Surely the man had titles and gold,
Honor at home and everywhere!
Why so heedless of honors, he?
Why so careless of the golden key
That opened the doors of the Avenue
And led the yellow-maned lion through,
Where many a languid maiden's eyes
Glanced suggestions, and hopes and sighs?
Why so careless of the golden key
That opened the doors of the Avenue
And led the yellow-maned lion through,
Where many a languid maiden's eyes
Glanced suggestions, and hopes and sighs?
The man had all that a man might gain,
In a life's endeavor of strife and pain;
Honor of women and envy of men,
Grace of manner, of speech, and then,
That dash of audacity in his air,
That vanquishes failure anywhere,
And crowns men kings. Alas! Alas!
Men only count what their fellow has;
They count his gains, but never the cost
Of the jewel, love, that he may have lost.
In a life's endeavor of strife and pain;
Honor of women and envy of men,
Grace of manner, of speech, and then,
That dash of audacity in his air,
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And crowns men kings. Alas! Alas!
Men only count what their fellow has;
They count his gains, but never the cost
Of the jewel, love, that he may have lost.
| The Baroness of New York | |