Songs of a Savoyard

by W. S. Gilbert
Contents:

The Darned Mounseer
The Englishman

The Disagreeable Man
The Coming By-And-By

The Highly Respectable Gondolier
The Fairy Queen's Song

Is Life A Boon
The Modern Major-General

The Heavy Dragoon
Proper Pride

The Policeman's Lot
The Baffled Grumbler

The House Of Peers
A Merry Madrigal

The Duke And The Duchess
Eheu Fugaces -!

They'll None Of `Em Be Missed
Girl Graduates

Braid The Raven Hair
The Working Monarch

The Ape And The Lady
Only Roses

The Rover's Apology
An Appeal

The Reward Of Merit
The Magnet And The Churn

The Family Fool
Sans Souci

A Recipe
The Merryman And His Maid

The Susceptible Chancellor
When A Merry Maiden Marries

The British Tar
A Man Who Would Woo A Fair Maid

The Sorcerer's Song
The Fickle Breeze

The First Lord's Song
Would You Know?

Speculation
Ah Me!

The Duke Of Plaza-Toro
The Aesthete

Said I To Myself, Said I
Sorry Her Lot

The Contemplative Sentry
The Philosophic Pill

Blue Blood
The Judge's Song

When I First Put This Uniform On
Solatium

A Nightmare
Don't Forget!

The Suicide's Grave
He And She

The Mighty Must
A Mirage

The Ghosts' High Noon
The Humane Mikado

Willow Waly!
Life Is Lovely All The Year

The Usher's Charge
The Great Oak Tree

King Goodheart
Sleep On!

The Love-Sick Boy
Poetry Everywhere

He Loves!
True Diffidence

The Tangled Skein
My Lady

One Against The World
Put A Penny In The Slot

Good Little Girls
Life

Limited Liability
Anglicised Utopia

An English Girl
A Manager's Perplexities

Out Of Sorts
How It's Done

A Classical Revival
The Practical Joker

The National Anthem
Her Terms

The Independent Bee
The Disconcerted Tenor

The Played-Out Humorist
Ballad: The Darned Mounseer

I shipped, d'ye see, in a Revenue sloop,
And, off Cape Finisteere,

A merchantman we see,
A Frenchman, going free,

So we made for the bold Mounseer,
D'ye see?

We made for the bold Mounseer!
But she proved to be a Frigate - and she up with her ports,

And fires with a thirty-two!
It come uncommon near,

But we answered with a cheer,
Which paralysed the Parley-voo,

D'ye see?
Which paralysed the Parley-voo!

Then our Captain he up and he says, says he,
"That chap we need not fear, -

We can take her, if we like,
She is sartin for to strike,

For she's only a darned Mounseer,
D'ye see?

She's only a darned Mounseer!
But to fight a French fal-lal - it's like hittin' of a gal -

It's a lubberly thing for to do;
For we, with all our faults,

Why, we're sturdy British salts,
While she's but a Parley-voo,

D'ye see?
A miserable Parley-voo!"

So we up with our helm, and we scuds before the breeze,
As we gives a compassionating cheer;

Froggee answers with a shout
As he sees us go about,

Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer,
D'ye see?

Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer!
And I'll wager in their joy they kissed each other's cheek

(Which is what them furriners do),
And they blessed their lucky stars

We were hardy British tars
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo,

D'ye see?
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo!

Ballad: The Englishman
He is an Englishman!

For he himself has said it,
And it's greatly to his credit,

That he is an Englishman!
For he might have been a Roosian,

A French, or Turk, or Proosian,
Or perhaps Itali-an!

But in spite of all temptations,
To belong to other nations,

He remains an Englishman!
Hurrah!

For the true-born Englishman!
Ballad: The Disagreeable Man

If you give me your attention, I will tell you what I am:
I'm a genuine philanthropist - all other kinds are sham.

Each little fault of temper and each social defect
In my erring fellow-creatures, I endeavour to correct.

To all their little weaknesses I open people's eyes,
And little plans to snub the self-sufficient I devise;

I love my fellow-creatures - I do all the good I can -
Yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!

And I can't think why!
To compliments inflated I've a withering reply,

And vanity I always do my best to mortify;
A charitable action I can skilfully dissect;

And interested motives I'm delighted to detect.
I know everybody's income and what everybody earns,

And I carefully compare it with the income-tax returns;
But to benefit humanity, however much I plan,

Yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!
And I can't think why!

I'm sure I'm no ascetic; I'm as pleasant as can be;
You'll always find me ready with a crushing repartee;

I've an irritating chuckle, I've a celebrated sneer,
I've an entertaining snigger, I've a fascinating leer;

To everybody's prejudice I know a thing or two;
I can tell a woman's age in half a minute - and I do -

But although I try to make myself as pleasant as I can,
Yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!

And I can't think why!
Ballad: The Coming By-And-By

Sad is that woman's lot who, year by year,
Sees, one by one, her beauties disappear;

As Time, grown weary of her heart-drawn sighs,
Impatiently begins to "dim her eyes"! -

Herself compelled, in life's uncertain gloamings,
To wreathe her wrinkled brow with well-saved "combings" -

Reduced, with rouge, lipsalve, and pearly grey,
To "make up" for lost time, as best she may!

Silvered is the raven hair,
Spreading is the parting straight,

Mottled the complexion fair,
Halting is the youthful gait,

Hollow is the laughter free,
Spectacled the limpid eye,

Little will be left of me,
In the coming by-and-by!

Fading is the taper waist -
Shapeless grows the shapely limb,

And although securely laced,
Spreading is the figure trim!

Stouter than I used to be,
Still more corpulent grow I -

There will be too much of me
In the coming by-and-by!

Ballad: The Highly Respectable Gondolier
I stole the Prince, and I brought him here,

• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
• reward [ri´wɔ:d] n.&v.报答；报酬；奖赏 (初中英语单词)
• maiden [´meidn] n.少女 a.未婚的 (初中英语单词)
• frenchman [´frentʃmən] n.法国人 (初中英语单词)
• miserable [´mizərəbəl] a.悲惨的；可怜的 (初中英语单词)
• grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)
• temper [´tempə] n.韧度 v.锻炼；调和 (初中英语单词)
• endeavour [in´devə] n.&v.努力，试图，尽力 (初中英语单词)
• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)
• income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)
• humanity [hju:´mæniti] n.人类；人性；仁慈 (初中英语单词)
• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)
• fascinating [´fæsineitiŋ] a.迷人，使神魂颠倒的 (初中英语单词)
• uncertain [ʌn´sə:tn] a.不定的；不可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• youthful [´ju:θfəl] a.年轻的；青年的 (初中英语单词)
• laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)
• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)
• disagreeable [,disə´gri:əbl] a.令人不悦的 (高中英语单词)
• respectable [ri´spektəbəl] a.可敬的；有身价的 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• revenue [´revinju:] n.税收；收入 (高中英语单词)
• sturdy [´stə:di] a.坚强的；坚定的 (高中英语单词)
• genuine [´dʒenjuin] a.真正的；真诚的 (高中英语单词)
• chuckle [´tʃʌkl] vi.&n.轻声笑；暗自笑 (高中英语单词)
• prejudice [´predʒədis] n.偏见；不利 vt.损害 (高中英语单词)
• complexion [kəm´plekʃən] n.肤色；情况；局面 (高中英语单词)
• magnet [´mægnit] n.磁体；磁石；磁铁 (英语四级单词)
• classical [´klæsikəl] a.经典的；传统的 (英语四级单词)
• uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• charitable [´tʃæritəbəl] a.仁爱的；慈善的 (英语四级单词)
• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)
• wreathe [ri:ð] v.做成花圈；盘绕；拧 (英语四级单词)
• parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)
• susceptible [sə´septəbəl] a.敏感的；易受影响的 (英语六级单词)
• fickle [´fikəl] a.轻浮的；多变的 (英语六级单词)
• humane [hju:´mein] a.有人情的，高尚的 (英语六级单词)
• frigate [´frigit] n.护卫舰 (英语六级单词)
• securely [si´kjuəli] ad.安全地；无疑地 (英语六级单词)