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SHACKABACK.
[_]
This term is applied, in some of the rural districts of England, to a lazy fellow, who loves to doze in the sunshine rather than to work, and who would rather poach than plough.
I
They call me Shackaback;—Shackaback;—
And knave and lazy loon,
Because, though hale and strong,
I'm idle all day long,
And carol to the glimmer of the moon.
Let them rail, Shackaback!
There is money in thy sack,
Quite enough for the needs of to-day;
Let the angry Justice growl,
And the Overseer howl—
While it lasts, Shackaback will play.
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II
It may be, Shackaback,—Shackaback,—
That heedless of the morn,
Thou'rt as happy as “my Lord,”
Or “his Worship” at the board,
Or the Lawyer, money-grubbing and forlorn.
Let them grub, Shackaback!
There are blossoms on thy track;—
'Tis something to have nothing, yet be gay,—
To lie upon the grass,
And to watch the shadows pass,
Without debts to gather in, or to pay!
III
They say that Shackaback,—Shackaback,—
Goes out, when nights are clear,
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For the partridge or the hare,
With his comrades “in the season of the year.”
Have they proof, Shackaback?
If they have, why, then good lack!—
I can travel like my betters—and away!
And if not, why, let them rail—
I've my bacon and my ale,
And leisure to be merry while I may!
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