英语巴士网

Blind Man''s Buff

分类: 英语诗歌 
When silver snow decks Susan's clothes,

    And jewel hangs at th' shepherd's nose,

    The blushing bank is all my care,

    With hearth so red, and walls so fair;

    `Heap the sea-coal, come, heap it higher,

    The oaken log lay on the fire.'

    The well-wash'd stools, a circling row,

    With lad and lass, how fair the show!

    The merry can of nut-brown ale,

    The laughing jest, the love-sick tale,

    Till, tir'd of chat, the game begins.

    The lasses prick the lads with pins;

    Roger from Dolly twitch'd the stool,

    She, falling, kiss'd the ground, poor fool!

    She blush'd so red, with sidelong glance

    At hob-nail Dick, who griev'd the chance.

    But now for Blind man's Buff they call;

    Of each encumbrance clear the hall——

    Jenny her silken 'kerchief folds,

    And blear-eyed Will the black lot holds.

    Now laughing stops, with `Silence! hush!'

    And Peggy Pout gives Sam a push.

    The Blind man's arms, extended wide,

    Sam slips between:——`O woe betide

    Thee, clumsy Will!'——but titt'ring Kate

    Is penn'd up in the corner straight!

    And now Will's eyes beheld the play;

    He thought his face was t'other way.

    `Now, Kitty, now! what chance hast thou,

    Roger so near thee!——Trips, I vow!'

    She catches him——then Roger ties

    His own head up——but not his eyes;

    For thro' the slender cloth he sees,

    And runs at Sam, who slips with ease

    His clumsy hold; and, dodging round,

    Sukey is tumbled on the ground!——

    `See what it is to play unfair!

    Where cheating is, there's mischief there.'

    But Roger still pursues the chase,——

    `He sees! he sees!' cries, softly, Grace;

    `O Roger, thou, unskill'd in art,

    Must, surer bound, go thro' thy part!'

    Now Kitty, pert, repeats the rimes,

    And Roger turns him round three times,

    Then pauses ere he starts——but Dick

    Was mischief bent upon a trick;

    Down on his hands and knees he lay

    Directly in the Blind man's way,

    Then cries out `Hem!' Hodge heard, and ran

    With hood-wink'd chance——sure of his man;

    But down he came. —— Alas, how frail

    Our best of hopes, how soon they fail!

    With crimson drops he stains the ground;

    Confusion startles all around.

    Poor piteous Dick supports his head,

    And fain would cure the hurt he made.

    But Kitty hasted with a key,

    And down his back they straight convey

    The cold relief; the blood is stay'd,

    And Hodge again holds up his head.

    Such are the fortunes of the game,

    And those who play should stop the same

    By wholesome laws; such as all those

    Who on the blinded man impose

    Stand in his stead; as, long a-gone,

    When men were first a nation grown,

    Lawless they liv'd, till wantonness

    And liberty began t' increase,

    And one man lay in another's way;

    Then laws were made to keep fair play.

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