 | Poems on Several Occasions |  |
173
HABIT.
A Tale.
Stephen, a youth of Eton school,
Somewhat inclin'd to ridicule,
Had great delight in Taking off,
And making stuttering Jack his scoff:
Jack when oblig'd, poor lad, to speak
Sesquipedalian Heathen Greek,
In Stephen, pitiless—unkind—
A mocking bird was sure to find,
That with a most sarcastic glee
Echo'd his class-mate to a T,
Whilst laughter from the school-boy train,
Made Stephen not a little vain:
Somewhat inclin'd to ridicule,
Had great delight in Taking off,
And making stuttering Jack his scoff:
Jack when oblig'd, poor lad, to speak
Sesquipedalian Heathen Greek,
In Stephen, pitiless—unkind—
A mocking bird was sure to find,
That with a most sarcastic glee
Echo'd his class-mate to a T,
Whilst laughter from the school-boy train,
Made Stephen not a little vain:
In Oratory tho' deficient,
Jack had of wisdom share sufficient,
And to the Taker off thus spoke,—
“Too long, my Friend, Iv'e been your joke:
“Henceforth my ev'ry nerve I'll strain,
“To mimic You and chatter plain;
“'Twill then be tit for tat, good Stephen,
“And scores paid off, we shall be even:”—
Jack had of wisdom share sufficient,
And to the Taker off thus spoke,—
“Too long, my Friend, Iv'e been your joke:
“Henceforth my ev'ry nerve I'll strain,
“To mimic You and chatter plain;
“'Twill then be tit for tat, good Stephen,
“And scores paid off, we shall be even:”—
Firm to his point Jack perseveres,
And maugre Stephen's jokes and sneers,
His words, which erst like crowds too thick
In narrow passage us'd to stick,
He wisely now made one by one
Unelbow'd gently to jogg on;
Watchful of ev'ry thing he says,
Each syllable distinctly weighs,
And finds among his Axioms plenty,
None equal to Festina lente;
Each phrase, when by himself, repeats
A thousand times, and toils and sweats
'Till Habit gives an unhitch'd ease,
(His task grows lighter by degrees)
And Jack now speaks with fluent tongue,
Free as Miss—all day long,
While Stephen to his sorrow finds,
That Use like second Nature binds;
And by long aping wiser Jack,
Stutters whene'er he opes his clack.
And maugre Stephen's jokes and sneers,
His words, which erst like crowds too thick
In narrow passage us'd to stick,
He wisely now made one by one
Unelbow'd gently to jogg on;
174
Each syllable distinctly weighs,
And finds among his Axioms plenty,
None equal to Festina lente;
Each phrase, when by himself, repeats
A thousand times, and toils and sweats
'Till Habit gives an unhitch'd ease,
(His task grows lighter by degrees)
And Jack now speaks with fluent tongue,
Free as Miss—all day long,
While Stephen to his sorrow finds,
That Use like second Nature binds;
And by long aping wiser Jack,
Stutters whene'er he opes his clack.
To Habit since so much is due,
Good Reader, or in Me, or You,
With caution let us point it's course,
Ere it acquire too great a force:
At first when of a pigmy size,
It's stealing influence we despise,
But shortly to a giant grown,
It fills, despotic, Nature's throne.
Good Reader, or in Me, or You,
With caution let us point it's course,
Ere it acquire too great a force:
At first when of a pigmy size,
It's stealing influence we despise,
But shortly to a giant grown,
It fills, despotic, Nature's throne.
Both Soul and Body own its reign,
We may be virtuous, or speak plain.
We may be virtuous, or speak plain.
| Poems on Several Occasions | |