章节正文
Battling day and night!
Right in the front of the army,
Teaching 'em how to fight!
Swede attach锟絪 and German counts,
Yeomen (known as De Wet's remounts),
All of them were by their own accounts
Right in the front of the army!
Page: 171
THAT V.C.
'TWAS in the days of front attack,
This glorious truth we'd yet to learn it -
That every `front' had got a back,
And French was just the man to turn it.
A wounded soldier on the ground
Was lying hid behind a hummock;
He proved the good old proverb sound -
An army travels on its stomach.
He lay as flat as any fish,
His nose had worn a little furrow;
He only had one frantic wish,
That like an antbear he could burrow.
The bullets whistled into space,
The pom-pom gun kept up its braying,
The four-point-seven supplied the bass -
You'd think the devil's band was playing.
Page: 172
A valiant comrade crawling near
Observed his most supine behaviour,
And crept towards him, `Hey! what cheer?
Buck up,' said he, `I've come to save yer.
`You get up on my shoulders, mate,
`And if we live beyond the firing,
`I'll get the V.C. sure as fate,
`Because our blokes is all retiring.
`It's fifty pounds a year,' says he,
`I'll stand you lots of beer and whisky.'
`No,' says the wounded man, `not me,
`I'll not be saved, it's far too risky.
`I'm fairly safe behind this mound,
`I've worn a hole that seems to fit me;
`But if you lift me off the ground,
`It's fifty pounds to one they'll hit me.'
So back towards the firing line
Our friend crept slowly to the rear oh!
Remarking `What a selfish swine!
`He might have let me be a hero.'
Page: 173
FED UP
I AIN'T a timid man at all, I'm just as brave as most,
I'll take my chance in open fight and die beside my post;
But riding round the 'ole day long as target for a Krupp,
A-drawing fire from Koppies - well, I'm fair fed up.
It's wonderful how few get hit, it's luck that pulls us through;
Their rifle fire's no class at all, it misses me and you;
But when they sprinkle shells around like water from a cup
From that there blooming pom-pom gun - well, I'm fed up.
We never get a chance to charge, to do a thrust and cut,
I'll have to chuck the Cavalry and join the Mounted Fut.
Page: 174
But after all - What's Mounted Fut? I saw them t'other day,
They occupied a Koppie when the Boers had run away.
The Cavalry went riding on and seen a score of fights,
But there they kept them Mounted Fut three solid days and nights -
Three solid starving days and nights with scarce a bite or sup,
Well! after that on Mounted Fut I'm fair fed up.
And tramping with the Footies ain't as easy as it looks,
They scarcely ever see a Boer except in picture books.
They do a march of twenty mile that leaves 'em nearly dead,
And then they find the bloomin' Boers is twenty miles ahead.
Each Footy is as full of fight as any bulldog pup,
But walking forty miles to fight - well, I'm fed up!
So after all I think that when I leave the Cavalry
I'll either join the ambulance or else the A.S.C.;
They've always tucker in the plate and coffee in the cup,
But Bully Beef and Biscuits - well! I'm fair fed up!
Page: 175
JOCK!
THERE'S a soldier that's been doing of his share
In the fighting up and down and round about.
He's continually marching here and there
And he's fighting, morning in and morning out.
The Boer, you see, he generally runs;
But sometimes when he hides behind a rock,
And we can't make no impression with the guns,
Oh, then you'll hear the order, `Send for Jock!'
Yes, it's Jock - Scotch Jock.
He's the fellow that can give or take a knock.
For he's hairy and he's hard,
And his feet are by the yard,
And his face is like the face what's on a clock.
But when the bullets fly you will mostly hear the cry -
`Send for Jock!'
Page: 176
The Cavalry have gun and sword and lance,
Before they choose their weapon, why, they're dead.
The Mounted Fut are hampered in advance
By holding of their helmets on their head.
And when the Boer has dug himself a trench
And placed his Maxim gun behind a rock,
These mounted heroes - pets of Johnny French -
They have to sit and wait and send for Jock!
Yes, the Jocks - Scotch Jocks,
With their music that'd terrify an ox!
When the bullets kick the sand
You can hear the sharp command -
`Forty-Second! At the double! Charge the rocks!'
And the charge is like a flood
When they've warmed the Highland blood
Of the Jocks!
Page: 177
SANTA CLAUS
HALT! Who goes there? The sentry's call
Rose on the midnight air
Above the noises of the camp,
The roll of wheels, the horses' tramp.
The challenge echoed over all -
Halt! Who goes there?
A quaint old figure clothed in white,
He bore a staff of pine,
An ivy-wreath was on his head.
`Advance, oh friend,' the sentry said,
`Advance, for this is Christmas night,
`And give the countersign.'
`No sign nor countersign have I,
`Through many lands I roam
`The whole world over far and wide,
Page: 178
`To exiles all at Christmastide,
`From those who love them tenderly
`I bring a thought of home.
`From English brook and Scottish burn,
`From cold Canadian snows,
`From those far lands ye hold most dear
`I bring you all a greeting here,
`A frond of a New Zealand fern,
`A bloom of English rose.
`From faithful wife and loving lass
`I bring a wish divine,
`For Christmas blessings on your head.'
`I wish you well,' the sentry said,
`But here, alas! you may not pass
`Without the countersign.'
He vanished - and the sentry's tramp
Re-echoed down the line.
It was not till the morning light
The soldiers knew that in the night
Old Santa Claus had come to camp
Without the countersign.
The End
Right in the front of the army,
Teaching 'em how to fight!
Swede attach锟絪 and German counts,
Yeomen (known as De Wet's remounts),
All of them were by their own accounts
Right in the front of the army!
Page: 171
THAT V.C.
'TWAS in the days of front attack,
This glorious truth we'd yet to learn it -
That every `front' had got a back,
And French was just the man to turn it.
A wounded soldier on the ground
Was lying hid behind a hummock;
He proved the good old proverb sound -
An army travels on its stomach.
He lay as flat as any fish,
His nose had worn a little furrow;
He only had one frantic wish,
That like an antbear he could burrow.
The bullets whistled into space,
The pom-pom gun kept up its braying,
The four-point-seven supplied the bass -
You'd think the devil's band was playing.
Page: 172
A valiant comrade crawling near
Observed his most supine behaviour,
And crept towards him, `Hey! what cheer?
Buck up,' said he, `I've come to save yer.
`You get up on my shoulders, mate,
`And if we live beyond the firing,
`I'll get the V.C. sure as fate,
`Because our blokes is all retiring.
`It's fifty pounds a year,' says he,
`I'll stand you lots of beer and whisky.'
`No,' says the wounded man, `not me,
`I'll not be saved, it's far too risky.
`I'm fairly safe behind this mound,
`I've worn a hole that seems to fit me;
`But if you lift me off the ground,
`It's fifty pounds to one they'll hit me.'
So back towards the firing line
Our friend crept slowly to the rear oh!
Remarking `What a selfish swine!
`He might have let me be a hero.'
Page: 173
FED UP
I AIN'T a timid man at all, I'm just as brave as most,
I'll take my chance in open fight and die beside my post;
But riding round the 'ole day long as target for a Krupp,
A-drawing fire from Koppies - well, I'm fair fed up.
It's wonderful how few get hit, it's luck that pulls us through;
Their rifle fire's no class at all, it misses me and you;
But when they sprinkle shells around like water from a cup
From that there blooming pom-pom gun - well, I'm fed up.
We never get a chance to charge, to do a thrust and cut,
I'll have to chuck the Cavalry and join the Mounted Fut.
Page: 174
But after all - What's Mounted Fut? I saw them t'other day,
They occupied a Koppie when the Boers had run away.
The Cavalry went riding on and seen a score of fights,
But there they kept them Mounted Fut three solid days and nights -
Three solid starving days and nights with scarce a bite or sup,
Well! after that on Mounted Fut I'm fair fed up.
And tramping with the Footies ain't as easy as it looks,
They scarcely ever see a Boer except in picture books.
They do a march of twenty mile that leaves 'em nearly dead,
And then they find the bloomin' Boers is twenty miles ahead.
Each Footy is as full of fight as any bulldog pup,
But walking forty miles to fight - well, I'm fed up!
So after all I think that when I leave the Cavalry
I'll either join the ambulance or else the A.S.C.;
They've always tucker in the plate and coffee in the cup,
But Bully Beef and Biscuits - well! I'm fair fed up!
Page: 175
JOCK!
THERE'S a soldier that's been doing of his share
In the fighting up and down and round about.
He's continually marching here and there
And he's fighting, morning in and morning out.
The Boer, you see, he generally runs;
But sometimes when he hides behind a rock,
And we can't make no impression with the guns,
Oh, then you'll hear the order, `Send for Jock!'
Yes, it's Jock - Scotch Jock.
He's the fellow that can give or take a knock.
For he's hairy and he's hard,
And his feet are by the yard,
And his face is like the face what's on a clock.
But when the bullets fly you will mostly hear the cry -
`Send for Jock!'
Page: 176
The Cavalry have gun and sword and lance,
Before they choose their weapon, why, they're dead.
The Mounted Fut are hampered in advance
By holding of their helmets on their head.
And when the Boer has dug himself a trench
And placed his Maxim gun behind a rock,
These mounted heroes - pets of Johnny French -
They have to sit and wait and send for Jock!
Yes, the Jocks - Scotch Jocks,
With their music that'd terrify an ox!
When the bullets kick the sand
You can hear the sharp command -
`Forty-Second! At the double! Charge the rocks!'
And the charge is like a flood
When they've warmed the Highland blood
Of the Jocks!
Page: 177
SANTA CLAUS
HALT! Who goes there? The sentry's call
Rose on the midnight air
Above the noises of the camp,
The roll of wheels, the horses' tramp.
The challenge echoed over all -
Halt! Who goes there?
A quaint old figure clothed in white,
He bore a staff of pine,
An ivy-wreath was on his head.
`Advance, oh friend,' the sentry said,
`Advance, for this is Christmas night,
`And give the countersign.'
`No sign nor countersign have I,
`Through many lands I roam
`The whole world over far and wide,
Page: 178
`To exiles all at Christmastide,
`From those who love them tenderly
`I bring a thought of home.
`From English brook and Scottish burn,
`From cold Canadian snows,
`From those far lands ye hold most dear
`I bring you all a greeting here,
`A frond of a New Zealand fern,
`A bloom of English rose.
`From faithful wife and loving lass
`I bring a wish divine,
`For Christmas blessings on your head.'
`I wish you well,' the sentry said,
`But here, alas! you may not pass
`Without the countersign.'
He vanished - and the sentry's tramp
Re-echoed down the line.
It was not till the morning light
The soldiers knew that in the night
Old Santa Claus had come to camp
Without the countersign.
The End
- glorious [´glɔ:riəs]
a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词) - selfish [´selfiʃ] a.自私的，利己的 (初中英语单词)
- sprinkle [´spriŋkəl] v.撒，洒 n.细雨；微量 (初中英语单词)
- charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
- thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)
- scarce [skeəs, skers] a.缺乏的；稀有的 (初中英语单词)
- impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)
- mostly [´məustli] ad.主要地；多半；通常 (初中英语单词)
- weapon [´wepən] n.武器；斗争手段 (初中英语单词)
- midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)
- challenge [´tʃælindʒ] n.&vt.向....挑战；怀疑 (初中英语单词)
- canadian [kə´neidiən] a.加拿大的n.加拿大人 (初中英语单词)
- faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
- frantic [´fræntik] a.发狂的；急忙的 (高中英语单词)
- cavalry [´kævəlri] n.骑兵(部队) (高中英语单词)
- continually [kən´tinjuəli] ad.不断地，频繁地 (高中英语单词)
- scotch [skɔtʃ] vt.&n.刻痕(于)；划伤 (高中英语单词)
- terrify [´terifai] vt.使恐怖；惊吓 (高中英语单词)
- highland [´hailənd] n.山地，高地 (高中英语单词)
- quaint [kweint] a.离奇的；奇妙的 (高中英语单词)
- loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)
- proverb [´prɔvə:b] n.谚语；格言 (英语四级单词)
- valiant [´væliənt] a.勇敢的，英勇的 (英语四级单词)
- blooming [´blu:miŋ] a.正开花的；妙龄的 (英语四级单词)
- ambulance [´æmbjuləns] n.救护车(船，飞机) (英语四级单词)
- scottish [´skɔtiʃ, ´skɑtiʃ] a.&n.苏格兰人(的) (英语四级单词)
- holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
- sentry [´sentri] n.哨兵 v.站岗，放哨 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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