As you peel, true as steel. While the betters noisy grow. While the banging rages loud and long, And the betters noisy grow. · IV. The Randal-rag of England Must yet terrific burn, Till Ireland's troublesome knight be beat, When the noise of bets is low. When Sir Dan lies levelled loud and long, Blackwood's Magazine, September, 1819. MARK SPROT'S LAMENT. YE President's and L'Amy's men, O, little do you think upon The dangers of our knees! My song shall make your legs to shake Within your pantaloons : We such woe undergo When we ride with the Dragoons. Our Quarter-Master, Donald, Is up at peep of day; A whacking fine he doth design, If you remain away. When he doth call the muster-roll, His pipe each yeoman times Spare me, lo! here I go, To ride with the Dragoons. Then out speaks Sergeant Whigham, If you've that day forgot pipe-clay, Quoth great Whigham, "Resolved I am, Please pay down, half-a-crown, To the fund of our Dragoons." Then out speaks Captain Cockburn, "Count one, two, three, that I may see How many files go off." We jog along, some eighty strong, Although the sand is flying, We must not shrink a jot. We don't give o'er, though basted sore, But halt and fire platoons. O, the shock, when we cock! Sometimes the thing will happen, I hate the gloom of Borthwick's plume! There's wisdom in my tune, From Songs of the Edinburgh Troop. July, 1820. Edinburgh James Ballantyne & Company. 1825. A curious, and now very scarce little collection of songs relating to the Edinburgh Yeomanry Cavalry, which was privately printed, and afterwards suppressed. There were nine songs in all, of which this was the first, dating from July 1820 to July 1823; they were written jointly by John Gibson Lockhart and Patrick F. Tytler, author of The History of Scotland, &c. In the article on Lockhart in The Maclise Portrait Gallery Mr. W. Bates mentions the brochure as being very scarce. The above song has been kindly sent by Mr. James Gordon, F.S.A., Scotland. YE UNIONISTS OF ENGLAND. YE Unionists of England, Who grace our native land, Whose Union Jack has braved so long That glorious standard launch again As you rave like the brave While you follow after "Joe!" The spirit of the Tories In every heart burns bright. Your burning zeal shall fan, That you'll crush the Grand Old Man. When Brand and noble Goschen fell Your Tory breasts still glow, As you stand at command Of your mighty leader "Joe." Till Gladstone's troubled course be run Pall Mall Gazette.. June 16, 1887. YE CRICKETERS. YE cricketers of England, That guard the timbers three; Whose game has brav'd a thousand years All other games that be! Your pliant willow grasp again To match another foe. As ye stand, bat in hand Where the ripping swift uns go; Or the crafty Clark with peerless twist The spirit of your fathers, Look on from nook and shade; Their ghosts, in ancient flannels clad, Where Pilch and mighty Alfred move How to stand, bat in hand, Where the ripping swift uns go; THE CRICKEter. THERE'S a game that bears a well-known name, in castle, hall, and cot, 'Tis the first in boyhood's happy years, in this our island plot. It nurtures a deep and lasting love for manly deeds and true, And trains our youth in nerve and eye-things well to keep in view; It teaches deeds of chivalry, to friends to be sincere, There are names that bring a well-known charm to peasant and to peer: Old England, Ireland, Scotland, send out a ringing cheer; Canada adds a loving word, America its praise, Of giants in this isle of ours, and oft our spirits raise. 'Tis a noble game, &c. IRISH SONGS. MOLLY BAWN (OR, FAIR MOLLY). OH, Molly Bawn, why leave me pining, All lonely, waiting here for you? To try a rival blush with you; But their mother, Nature, set them sleeping, Now the pretty flowers were made to bloom, dear, For he knows I'd steal you, Molly, darling, Oh, Molly Bawn, &c.. SAMUEL LOVER. There was a parody of this song in the first volume of The Man in the Moon, unfortunately it is very coarse : OH! Molly, pawn without repining, A VOICE FROM CANNES. OH, ROBERT Bawn, why leave me pining, The Whigs were into office creeping, Oh, ROBERT Bawn, why leave me pining, &c. The pretty flowers were made to bloom, BOB; I wish you'd take me, Robert darling! Punch. 1846. The above song refers to a rumour that Lord Brougham (then residing at Cannes) was making overtures to Sir Robert Peel, in the hope that if Sir Robert returned to power, he, Brougham, would again be made Lord Chancellor. "Brougham was still amused by the prospect of holding the Great Seal under Sir Robert Peel."-Life of Lord Brougham. -:0: THE ANGEL'S WHISPER. A BABY was sleeping, its mother was weeping, And she cried, "Dermot, darling, oh! come back to me." Her beads while she numbered, the baby still slumbered, And smiled in her face as she bended the knee. "Oh! blessed be that warning, my child, thy sleep adorning, For I know that the angels are whispering with thee." SAMUEL LOVER. A WOMAN half sleeping, o'er a window was peeping, The hours while she number'd, her anger still slumber'd, And she thought where the deuce her wild husband could be! Oh! where is he snoring till this hour of the morning, Sich hours to be keeping, is quite overleaping I think it is rather improper in a father, Who might sit quietly at home, in his wife's companie. And five in the morning, saw Jenkins returning, And the wife gloom'd, her husband half-drunk for to see, And he, while undressing, his folly confessing, Cried, I'll never take up with such bad companie. The Irish Comic Vocalist. 1862. :0: THE LAND OF THE WEST. O COME to the Wild West, O come there with me, Where the fair ladies shoot at the glass balls up-thrown; The North has attractions, I do not deny ; The South has its Palace of Crystal, 'tis true; From Max in the Metropolis. By Max P. Romer. 1887. A parody of Samuel Lover's The Low-Backed Car, entitled The Gin Shop Bar, was written by J. A. Hardwick. It was, however, very coarse and slangy. Another long parody was in Diogenes, Volume III, 1854, entitled The Haughty Czar: WHEN first I saw the Emperor, And chatted free and gay: And when the cup was won, they named The horse "The Emperor," No compliment to the horse, we thought, But flattering to the Czar : The bullying northern Czar: The crazy northern Czar, As fast as that steed to run he'll have need, (Three verses omitted.) In July, 1859, the Emperor Napoleon III. concluded a sudden and unexpected armistice with Austria, just at a time when all the world was expecting to see Italy freed from the hated rule of the Hapsburgs, and the Bourbons. Count Cavour resigned his ministerial posts, the indignation of the Italians was unbounded, and revolutions broke out all over the Peninsula. COUNT O'Cavourneen, the bubble is breaking You've had the last scene, Solferino's red hill, Cavourneen, Cavourneen, the dead lie in numbers Well done, my Cavour, they have cut short the struggle And in turning thy back on the humbug and juggle ; Cavour, thou hast played a proud gentleman's part. SHIRLEY BROOKS. 1859. KATHLEEN MAVOURNEEN. (Her Answer.) OH! Dermot Asthore, though the gray dawn is breaking, My hair is in papers-three screws on each side, dear,— The "Voice of your heart" has a thrifle of pride, dear, Oh! Dermot Asthore, is it still are ye there, now; Or even fourteen, or for life we must part, But this is no reason to wake me at seven, So don't come again, till I've made myself smart. :0: THE BELLS OF SHANDON.* WITH deep affection And recollection I often think of Those Shandon bells, Whose sounds so wild would, I've heard bells chiming, Cathedral shrine; Spoke naught like thine. Of the river Lee. I've heard bells tolling Of Notre Dame ; Of the river Lee. There's a bell in Moscow, While on tower and kiosk O! In Saint Sophia The Turkman gets, And loud in air, More dear to me- Of the river Lee. REV. FRANCIS MAHONY (Father Prout). Shandon Church, in the city of Cork. In Memoriam. FATHER PROUT. (REV. FRANCIS MAHONY.) IN deep dejection, but with affection, The pleasant waters of thy memory! Full many a ditty, both wise and witty, In this social city, have I heard since then (With the glass before me, how the dream comes o'er me, Of those Attic suppers and those vanished men !) But no song hath woken, whether sung or spoken. That sound so grand on The pleasant waters of the river Lee." The songs melodious, which—a new Harmodius"Young Ireland" wreathed round its rebel sword; With their deep vibrations and aspirations, Fling a glorious madness o'er the festive board; But to me seems sweeter the melodious metre Of the simple lyric that we owe to thee- That sound so grand on The pleasant waters of the river Lee. There's a grave that rises on thy sward, Devizes, So where'er thou sleepest, with a love that's deepest, Shall sound so grand on The pleasant waters of the river Lee. DENIS FLORENCE MCCARTHY. Father Prout (Francis Sylvester Mahony) was an early contributor to Frazer's Magazine, he died on Friday, May 18, 1866, and the author of the above imitation of his poem died on Good Friday, 1882. Mahony was buried in Cork, on the banks of the river Lee, and within sound of the Bells of Shandon. "FRAZER."'* Obit.-A.D. 1882. OH, the bells of Shandon, that sound so grand on, The pleasant waters of the river Lee, Ne'er tolled so sadly where once so gladly They pealed their merriest old "Yorke," for thee, As when they laid thee with those that made thee Of"broths of boys" that blithest company, That round the table (while they were able) Of friendly Frazer held rare revelry. Eheu, fugaces! Their vacant places, Like empty tumblers tell of vanished glee, Of jokes and jokers now stiff as pokers, *Frazer's Magazine first appeared February 1, 1830, and Father Prout was one of its earliest contributors. It was discontinued in 1882. |