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A Satire Anthology

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Год написания книги
2017
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But Nora’s heart is lost and won —
She’s wedded to the Earlie’s son!

    Sir Walter Scott.

JOB

SLY Beelzebub took all occasions
To try Job’s constancy and patience.
He took his honour, took his health;
He took his children, took his wealth,
His servants, horses, oxen, cows —
But cunning Satan did not take his spouse.

But Heaven, that brings out good from evil,
And loves to disappoint the devil,
Had predetermined to restore
Twofold all he had before;
His servants, horses, oxen, cows —
Short-sighted devil, not to take his spouse!

    Samuel T. Coleridge.

COLOGNE

IN Köln, a town of monks and bones,
And pavements fanged with murderous stones,
And rags, and hags, and hideous wenches,
I counted two-and-seventy stenches,
All well defined, and separate stinks!
Ye nymphs that reign o’er sewers and sinks,
The river Rhine, it is well known,
Doth wash your city of Cologne;
But tell me, nymphs, what power divine
Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine?

    Samuel T. Coleridge.

GILES’ HOPE

“WHAT! rise again with all one’s bones?”
Quoth Giles. “I hope you fib.
I trusted, when I went to heaven,
To go without my rib.”

    Samuel T. Coleridge.

THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM

IT was a summer’s evening;
Old Casper’s work was done,
And he before his cottage-door
Was sitting in the sun;
And by him sported on the green
His little grandchild Wilhelmine.

She saw her brother Peterkin
Roll something large and round,
That he beside the rivulet
In playing there had found.
He came to ask what he had found,
That was so large, and smooth, and round.

Old Casper took it from the boy,
Who stood expectant by;
And then the old man shook his head,
And with a natural sigh,
“’Tis some poor fellow’s skull,” said he,
“Who fell in the great victory.

“I find them in the garden, for
There’s many here about;
And often, when I go to plough,
The ploughshare turns them out;
For many thousand men,” said he,
“Were slain in the great victory.”

“Now tell us what ’twas all about,”
Young Peterkin he cries;
And little Wilhelmine looks up,
With wonder-waiting eyes:
“Now tell us all about the war,
And what they kill’d each other for.”

“It was the English,” Casper cried,
“That put the French to rout;
But what they kill’d each other for,
I could not well make out;
But everybody said,” quoth he,
“That ’twas a famous victory.

“My father lived at Blenheim then,
Yon little stream hard by;
They burnt his dwelling to the ground,
And he was forced to fly;
So with his wife and child he fled,
Nor had he where to rest his head.

“With fire and sword the country round
Was wasted far and wide,
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