English Roses by F. Harald Williams [i.e. F. W. O. Ward] |
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CAPTAIN MARY JONES (S. A.) |
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 | English Roses |  |
251
CAPTAIN MARY JONES (S. A.)
Captain Mary Jones
Listed in the Army with the tambourine and bones;
Just because she felt a call
And a process of conviction,
Like a ramming home of damning
To a sinner, as she told us sinners one and all.
Then chock-full of benediction,
Colours blowing, overflowing,
Souse into the slums she went
And held on;
Pale and sweetly penitent,
While the halo of her goodness grew and round her shone.
Listed in the Army with the tambourine and bones;
Just because she felt a call
And a process of conviction,
Like a ramming home of damning
To a sinner, as she told us sinners one and all.
Then chock-full of benediction,
Colours blowing, overflowing,
Souse into the slums she went
And held on;
Pale and sweetly penitent,
While the halo of her goodness grew and round her shone.
Captain Mary Jones
Pleaded with the masses, in the most persuasive tones;
Getting grace she laid it thick
Like the very best of butter,
With an unction and compunction
For unhapy souls in night who had not learnt the trick;
O, she raked the stews and gutter,
Of the creepings and the sweepings
And the refuse and the dregs.
She was game,
Nor regarded rotten eggs,
With her silky hair and saucy figure and proud name.
Pleaded with the masses, in the most persuasive tones;
Getting grace she laid it thick
Like the very best of butter,
With an unction and compunction
For unhapy souls in night who had not learnt the trick;
O, she raked the stews and gutter,
Of the creepings and the sweepings
And the refuse and the dregs.
She was game,
Nor regarded rotten eggs,
With her silky hair and saucy figure and proud name.
Captain Mary Jones
Preached salvation free and full, with palms and crowns and thrones;
She was great at doctrine sound
And the rapture of endurance,
Though the arrow first might harrow
Hearts obdurate, ere the Rock and remedy were found.
And she promised you assurance
True and tender, on surrender
Of the vilest to the Lord;
She fought well,
And the Bible was her sword—
Ah, she fluttered the old Devil down in darkest hell.
Preached salvation free and full, with palms and crowns and thrones;
She was great at doctrine sound
And the rapture of endurance,
Though the arrow first might harrow
Hearts obdurate, ere the Rock and remedy were found.
And she promised you assurance
True and tender, on surrender
252
She fought well,
And the Bible was her sword—
Ah, she fluttered the old Devil down in darkest hell.
Captain Mary Jones
Faced a mob, and imprecations worse than sticks and stones;
And she gave them brimstone hot
Or the comforts of conversion,
Speaking plainly and not vainly;
Till she button-holed the bully and awoke the sot,
And the unclean asked immersion
In the river, to deliver
Flesh from all the filthy smears
And the curse.
She was beautiful at tears,
And the rogue when born again accepted her wetnurse.
Faced a mob, and imprecations worse than sticks and stones;
And she gave them brimstone hot
Or the comforts of conversion,
Speaking plainly and not vainly;
Till she button-holed the bully and awoke the sot,
And the unclean asked immersion
In the river, to deliver
Flesh from all the filthy smears
And the curse.
She was beautiful at tears,
And the rogue when born again accepted her wetnurse.
Captain Mary Jones
Slap-dash made for Kingdom-Come, when clerics thought of nones;
Knocking down like ninepins all
Godless creatures, rake and rambler,
With her pretty eyes and jetty
Lashes long, and artless accents, in one blessed fall.
Death she was to any gambler,
With his horses and ill courses,
If he ever barred the way—
Down he flopt!
And she only paused to pray,
Till the rescued wretch by Scripture had been underpropt.
Slap-dash made for Kingdom-Come, when clerics thought of nones;
Knocking down like ninepins all
Godless creatures, rake and rambler,
With her pretty eyes and jetty
Lashes long, and artless accents, in one blessed fall.
Death she was to any gambler,
With his horses and ill courses,
If he ever barred the way—
Down he flopt!
And she only paused to pray,
Till the rescued wretch by Scripture had been underpropt.
Captain Mary Jones
Spared no social evil, and attacked the gilded zones;
Caught a Duke, who follows yet
Humbly after her wild bonnet,
While he draggles on and waggles
Proudly in the dirt beneath her his great coronet—
Aye, he dances now upon it!
And the Duchess asks, if such is
Just the single saving road—
Through the slums;
And would drop her jewelled load,
If she could but stand the dowdy dress and kettledrums
Spared no social evil, and attacked the gilded zones;
Caught a Duke, who follows yet
Humbly after her wild bonnet,
While he draggles on and waggles
253
Aye, he dances now upon it!
And the Duchess asks, if such is
Just the single saving road—
Through the slums;
And would drop her jewelled load,
If she could but stand the dowdy dress and kettledrums
Captain Mary Jones
Hustled out to judgment light, the sins the world condones;
Dragged them shivering from the shade
Into Gospel sunshine, vices
Patched and painted and half sainted
By the mummery of Fashion and its Masquerade.
Other women had their prices,
This one money, that one honey,
But she never could be bought—
Never was on sale;
For the Master still she fought,
Hawked not up and down the Marriage Market as a bale.
Hustled out to judgment light, the sins the world condones;
Dragged them shivering from the shade
Into Gospel sunshine, vices
Patched and painted and half sainted
By the mummery of Fashion and its Masquerade.
Other women had their prices,
This one money, that one honey,
But she never could be bought—
Never was on sale;
For the Master still she fought,
Hawked not up and down the Marriage Market as a bale.
Captain Mary Jones
Rose to rank and credit, by the tambourine and bones;
None could give an honest bang
Like her method and its powder
With such muscle, or could bustle
Sinners out of Darkness with her soul-compelling slang;
If they lingered, she waxed louder
With a wrestling and a pestling
Of harmonious lips and hands,
And heart-thirst;
For her preachments were commands,
And she bundled them right into Heaven and all head first.
Rose to rank and credit, by the tambourine and bones;
None could give an honest bang
Like her method and its powder
With such muscle, or could bustle
Sinners out of Darkness with her soul-compelling slang;
If they lingered, she waxed louder
With a wrestling and a pestling
Of harmonious lips and hands,
And heart-thirst;
For her preachments were commands,
And she bundled them right into Heaven and all head first.
| English Roses | |