章节正文
By urging that he should be brought
Within the Noxious Creatures Act.
`Nay, harm him not,' said one more wise,
`He is a blessing in disguise!
`You see, he wants to buy a horse,
`To ride, and hunt, and steeplechase,
`And carry ladies, too, of course,
`And pull a cart and win a race.
`Good gracious! he must be a flat
`To think he'll get a horse like that!
`But since he has so little sense
`And such a lot of cash to burn,
`We'll sell him some experience
`By which alone a fool can learn.
`Suppose we let him have The Trap
`To win Wargeilah Handicap!'
And here, I must explain to you
That, round about Wargeilah run,
There lived a very aged screw
Whose days of brilliancy were done:
A grand old warrior in his prime -
But age will beat us all in time.
Page: 110
A trooper's horse in seasons past
He did his share to keep the peace,
But took to falling, and at last
Was cast for age from the Police.
A publican at Conroy's Gap
Then bought and christened him The Trap.
When grass was good, and horses dear,
He changed his owner now and then
At prices ranging somewhere near
The neighbourhood of two pound ten:
And manfully he earned his keep
By yarding cows and ration sheep.
They brought him in from off the grass
And fed and groomed the old horse up;
His coat began to shine like glass -
You'd think he'd win the Melbourne Cup.
And when they'd got him fat and flash
They asked the new-chum - fifty - cash!
And when he said the price was high,
Their indignation knew no bounds.
They said, `It's seldom you can buy
`A horse like that for fifty pounds!
`We'll refund twenty if The Trap
`Should fail to win the handicap!'
Page: 111
The deed was done, the price was paid,
The new-chum put the horse in train:
The local sports were much afraid
That he would sad experience gain,
By racing with some shearer's hack,
Who'd beat him half-way round the track.
So, on this guileless English spark
They did most fervently impress
That he must keep the matter dark,
And not let any person guess
That he was purchasing The Trap
To win Wargeilah Handicap.
They spoke of `spielers from The Bland',
And `champions from the Castlereagh',
And gave the youth to understand
That all of these would stop away,
And spoil the race, if they should hear
That they had got The Trap to fear.
`Keep dark! They'll muster thick as flies
`When once the news gets sent around
`We're giving such a splendid prize -
`A Snowdon horse worth fifty pound!
`They'll come right in from Dandaloo,
`And find - that it's a gift to you!'
.
.
.
.
.
Page: 112
The race came on - with no display,
Nor any calling of the card,
But round about the pub all day
A crowd of shearers, drinking hard,
And using language in a strain
'Twere flattery to call profane.
Our hero, dressed in silk attire -
Blue jacket and a scarlet cap -
With boots that shone like flames of fire,
Now did his canter on The Trap,
And walked him up and round about,
Until the other steeds came out.
He eyed them with a haughty look,
But saw a sight that caught his breath!
It was! Ah John! The Chinee cook!
In boots and breeches! Pale as death!
Tied with a rope, like any sack,
Upon a piebald pony's back!
The next, a colt - all mud and burrs!
Half-broken, with a black boy up,
Who said, `You gim'me pair o' spurs,
I win the bloomin' Melbourne Cup!'
These two were to oppose The Trap
For the Wargeilah Handicap!
Page: 113
They're off! The colt whipped down his head,
And humped his back and gave a squeal,
And bucked into the drinking shed,
Revolving like a Cath'rine wheel!
Men ran like rats! The atmosphere
Was filled with oaths and pints of beer!
But up the course the bold Ah John
Beside The Trap raced neck and neck:
The boys had tied him firmly on,
Which ultimately proved his wreck,
The saddle turned, and, like a clown,
He rode some distance upside down.
His legs around the horse were tied,
His feet towards the heavens were spread,
He swung and bumped at every stride
And ploughed the ground up with his head!
And when they rescued him, The Trap
Had won Wargeilah Handicap!
And no enquiries we could make
Could tell by what false statements swayed
Ah John was led to undertake
A task so foreign to his trade!
He only smiled and said, `Hoo Ki!
I stop topside, I win all 'li!'
Page: 114
But never, in Wargeilah Town,
Was heard so eloquent a cheer
As when the President came down,
And toasted, in Colonial Beer,
`The finest rider on the course!
`The winner of the Snowdon Horse!'
`You go and get your prize,' he said,
`He's with a wild mob, somewhere round
`The mountains near The Watershed;
`He's honestly worth fifty pound,
`A noble horse, indeed, to win,
`But none of us can run him in!
`We've chased him poor, we've chased him fat,
`We've run him till our horses dropped,
`But by such obstacles as that
`A man like you will not be stopped,
`You'll go and yard him any day,
`So here's your health! Hooray! Hooray!'
.
.
.
.
.
The day wound up with booze and blow
And fights till all were well content,
But of the new-chum, all I know
Is shown by this advertisement -
`For Sale, the well-known racehorse Trap,
`He won Wargeilah Handicap!'
Page: 115
ANY OTHER TIME
ALL of us play our very best game -
Any other time.
Golf or billiards, it's all the same -
Any other time.
Lose a match and you always say,
`Just my luck! I was `off' to-day!
`I could have beaten him quite half-way -
`Any other time!'
After a fiver you ought to go -
Any other time.
Every man that you ask says `Oh,'
`Any other time.
`Lend you a fiver! I'd lend you two,
`But I'm overdrawn and my bills are due,
`Wish you'd ask me - now, mind you do -
`Any other time!'
Page: 116
Fellows will ask you out to dine -
Any other time.
`Not to-night, for we're twenty-nine -
`Any other time.
`Not to-morrow, for cook's on strike,
`Not next day, I'll be out on the bike -
`Just drop in whenever you like -
`Any other time!'
Seasick passengers like the sea -
Any other time.
`Something . . I ate . . disagreed . . with me!
`Any other time
`Ocean-trav'lling is . . simply bliss,
`Must be my . . liver . . has gone amiss . .
`Why, I would . . laugh . . at a sea . . like this -
`Any other time.'
.
.
.
.
.
Most of us mean to be better men -
Any other time:
Regular upright characters then -
Any other time.
Within the Noxious Creatures Act.
`Nay, harm him not,' said one more wise,
`He is a blessing in disguise!
`You see, he wants to buy a horse,
`To ride, and hunt, and steeplechase,
`And carry ladies, too, of course,
`And pull a cart and win a race.
`Good gracious! he must be a flat
`To think he'll get a horse like that!
`But since he has so little sense
`And such a lot of cash to burn,
`We'll sell him some experience
`By which alone a fool can learn.
`Suppose we let him have The Trap
`To win Wargeilah Handicap!'
And here, I must explain to you
That, round about Wargeilah run,
There lived a very aged screw
Whose days of brilliancy were done:
A grand old warrior in his prime -
But age will beat us all in time.
Page: 110
A trooper's horse in seasons past
He did his share to keep the peace,
But took to falling, and at last
Was cast for age from the Police.
A publican at Conroy's Gap
Then bought and christened him The Trap.
When grass was good, and horses dear,
He changed his owner now and then
At prices ranging somewhere near
The neighbourhood of two pound ten:
And manfully he earned his keep
By yarding cows and ration sheep.
They brought him in from off the grass
And fed and groomed the old horse up;
His coat began to shine like glass -
You'd think he'd win the Melbourne Cup.
And when they'd got him fat and flash
They asked the new-chum - fifty - cash!
And when he said the price was high,
Their indignation knew no bounds.
They said, `It's seldom you can buy
`A horse like that for fifty pounds!
`We'll refund twenty if The Trap
`Should fail to win the handicap!'
Page: 111
The deed was done, the price was paid,
The new-chum put the horse in train:
The local sports were much afraid
That he would sad experience gain,
By racing with some shearer's hack,
Who'd beat him half-way round the track.
So, on this guileless English spark
They did most fervently impress
That he must keep the matter dark,
And not let any person guess
That he was purchasing The Trap
To win Wargeilah Handicap.
They spoke of `spielers from The Bland',
And `champions from the Castlereagh',
And gave the youth to understand
That all of these would stop away,
And spoil the race, if they should hear
That they had got The Trap to fear.
`Keep dark! They'll muster thick as flies
`When once the news gets sent around
`We're giving such a splendid prize -
`A Snowdon horse worth fifty pound!
`They'll come right in from Dandaloo,
`And find - that it's a gift to you!'
.
.
.
.
.
Page: 112
The race came on - with no display,
Nor any calling of the card,
But round about the pub all day
A crowd of shearers, drinking hard,
And using language in a strain
'Twere flattery to call profane.
Our hero, dressed in silk attire -
Blue jacket and a scarlet cap -
With boots that shone like flames of fire,
Now did his canter on The Trap,
And walked him up and round about,
Until the other steeds came out.
He eyed them with a haughty look,
But saw a sight that caught his breath!
It was! Ah John! The Chinee cook!
In boots and breeches! Pale as death!
Tied with a rope, like any sack,
Upon a piebald pony's back!
The next, a colt - all mud and burrs!
Half-broken, with a black boy up,
Who said, `You gim'me pair o' spurs,
I win the bloomin' Melbourne Cup!'
These two were to oppose The Trap
For the Wargeilah Handicap!
Page: 113
They're off! The colt whipped down his head,
And humped his back and gave a squeal,
And bucked into the drinking shed,
Revolving like a Cath'rine wheel!
Men ran like rats! The atmosphere
Was filled with oaths and pints of beer!
But up the course the bold Ah John
Beside The Trap raced neck and neck:
The boys had tied him firmly on,
Which ultimately proved his wreck,
The saddle turned, and, like a clown,
He rode some distance upside down.
His legs around the horse were tied,
His feet towards the heavens were spread,
He swung and bumped at every stride
And ploughed the ground up with his head!
And when they rescued him, The Trap
Had won Wargeilah Handicap!
And no enquiries we could make
Could tell by what false statements swayed
Ah John was led to undertake
A task so foreign to his trade!
He only smiled and said, `Hoo Ki!
I stop topside, I win all 'li!'
Page: 114
But never, in Wargeilah Town,
Was heard so eloquent a cheer
As when the President came down,
And toasted, in Colonial Beer,
`The finest rider on the course!
`The winner of the Snowdon Horse!'
`You go and get your prize,' he said,
`He's with a wild mob, somewhere round
`The mountains near The Watershed;
`He's honestly worth fifty pound,
`A noble horse, indeed, to win,
`But none of us can run him in!
`We've chased him poor, we've chased him fat,
`We've run him till our horses dropped,
`But by such obstacles as that
`A man like you will not be stopped,
`You'll go and yard him any day,
`So here's your health! Hooray! Hooray!'
.
.
.
.
.
The day wound up with booze and blow
And fights till all were well content,
But of the new-chum, all I know
Is shown by this advertisement -
`For Sale, the well-known racehorse Trap,
`He won Wargeilah Handicap!'
Page: 115
ANY OTHER TIME
ALL of us play our very best game -
Any other time.
Golf or billiards, it's all the same -
Any other time.
Lose a match and you always say,
`Just my luck! I was `off' to-day!
`I could have beaten him quite half-way -
`Any other time!'
After a fiver you ought to go -
Any other time.
Every man that you ask says `Oh,'
`Any other time.
`Lend you a fiver! I'd lend you two,
`But I'm overdrawn and my bills are due,
`Wish you'd ask me - now, mind you do -
`Any other time!'
Page: 116
Fellows will ask you out to dine -
Any other time.
`Not to-night, for we're twenty-nine -
`Any other time.
`Not to-morrow, for cook's on strike,
`Not next day, I'll be out on the bike -
`Just drop in whenever you like -
`Any other time!'
Seasick passengers like the sea -
Any other time.
`Something . . I ate . . disagreed . . with me!
`Any other time
`Ocean-trav'lling is . . simply bliss,
`Must be my . . liver . . has gone amiss . .
`Why, I would . . laugh . . at a sea . . like this -
`Any other time.'
.
.
.
.
.
Most of us mean to be better men -
Any other time:
Regular upright characters then -
Any other time.
- blessing [´blesiŋ]
n.祝福 (初中英语单词) - warrior [´wɔriə] n.勇士，战士 (初中英语单词)
- jacket [´dʒækit] n.茄克衫；外套 (初中英语单词)
- scarlet [´skɑ:lit] n.猩红色 a.猩红的 (初中英语单词)
- firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)
- saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
- colonial [kə´ləuniəl] a.(关于)殖民地的 (初中英语单词)
- honestly [´ɔnistli] ad.诚实地，老实地 (初中英语单词)
- well-known [,wel´nəun] a.著名的，众所周知的 (初中英语单词)
- beaten [´bi:tn] beat 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)
- indignation [,indig´neiʃən] n.愤慨；气愤 (高中英语单词)
- half-way [´hɑ:fwei] ad.半途；几乎 (高中英语单词)
- attire [ə´taiə] vt.装饰；穿 n.衣服 (高中英语单词)
- haughty [´hɔ:ti] a.傲慢的，高傲的 (高中英语单词)
- advertisement [əd´və:tismənt] n.(做)广告；宣传 (高中英语单词)
- upright [´ʌprait] a.直立的 ad.直立地 (高中英语单词)
- ration [´ræʃən] n.定量；食品 (英语四级单词)
- muster [´mʌstə] n.集合 v.集合；征召 (英语四级单词)
- flattery [´flætəri] n.奉承；谄媚的举动 (英语四级单词)
- ultimately [´ʌltimitli] ad.最后，最终 (英语四级单词)
- upside [´ʌpsaid] n.上边，上段，上部 (英语四级单词)
- eloquent [´eləkwənt] a.流利的；雄辩的 (英语四级单词)
- winner [´winə] n.胜利者，得奖者 (英语四级单词)
- fervently [´fə:vəntli] ad.火热地，热烈地 (英语六级单词)
- calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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