Select Poetry.
THE SONG OF THE HOUSE, : (From Punch;) With patience threadbare worn, With eyelids heavy as lead, A Member sat in the Commons' House When he ought to have been in bed. Sit! sit! sit!
In dog-dayß, small hours, and frowse, And as his place he could'nt quit, He sang the song of the House.
"Talk! talk! talk! " In the morning from twelve till four! "Andtalk! talk! talk! " At evening for eight hours more! " It's, oh to be a slave " At words instead of work, " With Gladstone and Pam for Fox and Pitt, " And Bethell instead of Burke!
" Talk! talk! talk! " Till the painted windows swim; "T,alk-! talk!.talk! " Till the lights in the roof wax dim ! " Clause and, section and line— ■ " Line arid section and clause— " Till on the1 benches we fall asleep, " And dream of making laws.
" Oh, men, with incomes clear, ", Oh, men, with houses and wives, " What fools we are to be stewing here, " When we mightlead easy lives! "Stick"! stick! stick! " In the stench of the bone-boilers' dirt ; 11 To hear Gladstone's taunts at Bethell, «'And Bethell's rcjoindefs^pert !"
"Talk! talk! talk! " Our labour lasts night and day; " And what are its wages—nothing a-year, " And election bills to pay; " The right to stand on this matted floor, " The right to address that, chair, " And The Times a blank—for I'm not of the rank " To be'reported there.
"SitJ sit! sit!
" From weary chime to chime; "Sit! sit!.sit!
" And to miss a division's a crime. " Amend, divide, and report— " Kepoit, divide, and amend-* 11 Till each section's a riddle, the Act a.- '"" " And a muddle from end to end.
"Talk! talk'! talk! ■" In the blazing midsummer light; 11 Talk! talk! talk! " Through the sweltering midsummer night " WhUe au about the House V The bone-boilers' odours cling, " To mock us faith'dreams of heathery hilla "Where the grouse are on the wing!
41 Oh! but to breathe the breath' " Of the heather and gorse so sweet, " With my wide-awake on my head, " And my luncheon at my feet I 11 For only one short hour " To feel as I used to feel, " After a morning's blaze at the birds, " For an appetite for my meal!"
With patience threadbare worn, : With eyelids heavy as lead, A Member sat in the Commons' House When he fain would have been in bed, Sit! sit! sit! .In dog-days, email hours and frowse, And as the debate he couldn't quit, He tried to make the best of it, By singing the Song of the House!
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC18580129.2.10
Bibliographic details
Colonist, Issue 29, 29 January 1858, Page 4
Word Count
420Select Poetry. Colonist, Issue 29, 29 January 1858, Page 4
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