Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs By Walter Thornbury. Illustrated by J. Whistler, F. Walker, John Tenniel, J. D. Watson, W. Small, F. Sandys, G. J. Pinwell, T. Morten, M. J. Lawless, and many others |
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The Jester's Moral.
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 | Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs |  |
The Jester's Moral.
[“All is vanity,” quoth the Jester: “do not I find it written so, sirrah, by the wise King Ecclesiastes?”]
The maiden is lacing her boddice,
The jester is jingling his bells,
The page he is vowing no Goddess
On earth but that maiden there dwells;
But the jester comes laughing behind him,
And tinkles and tinkles his bells,
Unmeaning but musical bells.
The jester is jingling his bells,
The page he is vowing no Goddess
On earth but that maiden there dwells;
But the jester comes laughing behind him,
And tinkles and tinkles his bells,
Unmeaning but musical bells.
On his fist holds the baron his falcon,—
Keen-eyed and sharp-clawed is the bird;
The baron is dreaming of hawking,
For of herns by the river he's heard;
And the reaper of partridges tells.
The jester comes creeping behind him,
And o'er his grey head shakes the bells,
Unmeaning but musical bells.
Keen-eyed and sharp-clawed is the bird;
The baron is dreaming of hawking,
For of herns by the river he's heard;
And the reaper of partridges tells.
The jester comes creeping behind him,
And o'er his grey head shakes the bells,
Unmeaning but musical bells.
The steward who's counting his ducats,
On his missal-clasps ringing the gold,
Laughs sly at the page's fond toying,
And sneers at the sports of the bold.
While his groats and his pieces he tells,
The jester comes slowly behind him,
And shakes o'er the miser the bells,
Unmeaning but musical bells.
On his missal-clasps ringing the gold,
Laughs sly at the page's fond toying,
And sneers at the sports of the bold.
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The jester comes slowly behind him,
And shakes o'er the miser the bells,
Unmeaning but musical bells.
The pantler, while counting the dishes,
Two flagons together is clinking,
He is eyeing the venison and fishes,
And of noon and the banquet is thinking;
While he buries his head in a jug,
And smiles at the spices he smells,
The jester comes jingling behind him
Unmeaning but musical bells.
Two flagons together is clinking,
He is eyeing the venison and fishes,
And of noon and the banquet is thinking;
While he buries his head in a jug,
And smiles at the spices he smells,
The jester comes jingling behind him
Unmeaning but musical bells.
But the page, who has followed the scoffer,
Catches suddenly hold of his bells,
Leaping up on the steward's old coffer,
Kicks down all the coin he tells,
And over the head of the jester
Shakes, laughing in triumph, the bells,
Those meaning and musical bells.
Catches suddenly hold of his bells,
Leaping up on the steward's old coffer,
Kicks down all the coin he tells,
And over the head of the jester
Shakes, laughing in triumph, the bells,
Those meaning and musical bells.
| Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs | |