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saltbush bill-第10章

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And pointed the fact; with no end of ability;

That being a Gentile's no mark of gentility;

And; according to Samuel; would certainly dn you well。

Then; shedding his coat; he approaches the goat

And; while a red fillet he carefully pins on him;

Confesses the whole of the Israelites' sins on him。

With this eloquent burst he exhorts the accurst 

〃Go forth in the desert and perish in woe;

The sins of the people are whiter than snow!〃

Then signs to his pal for to let the brute go。



The animal; freed from all restraint

Lowered his head; made a kind of a feint;

And charged straight at that elderly saint。

So fierce his attack; and so very severe; it

Quite floored the Rabbi; who; ere he could fly;

Was rammed on the  no; not the back  but just near it。

The scapegoat he snorted; and wildly cavorted;

A light…hearted antelope 〃out on the ramp〃;

Then stopped; looked around; got the 〃lay of the ground〃;

And made a bee…line back again to the camp。

The elderly priest; as he noticed the beast

So gallantly making his way to the East;

Says he:  〃From the tents may I never more roam again

If that there old billy…goat ain't going home again。

He's hurrying; too!  This never will do。

Can't somebody stop him?  I'm all of a stew。

After all our confessions; so openly granted;

He's taking our sins back to where they're not wanted。

We've come all this distance salvation to win agog;

If he takes home our sins  it'll burst up the Synagogue!〃



He turned to an Acolyte making his bacca light;

A fleet…footed youth who could run like a crack o' light。

〃Run; Abraham; run!  Hunt him over the plain;

And drive back the brute to the desert again。

The Sphinx is a…watching; the Pyramids frown on you;

From those granite tops forty cent'ries look down on you 

Run; Abraham; run!  I'll bet half…a…crown on you。〃

So Abraham ran; like a man did he go for him;

But the goat made it clear each time he drew near

That he had what the racing men call 〃too much toe〃 for him。



The crowd with great eagerness studied the race 

〃Great Scott! isn't Abraham forcing the pace 

And don't the goat spiel?  It is hard to keep sight on him;

The sins of the Israelites ride mighty light on him。

The scapegoat is leading a furlong or more;

And Abraham's tiring  I'll lay six to four!

He rolls in his stride; he's done; there's no question!〃

But here the old Rabbi brought up a suggestion。

('Twas strange that in racing he showed so much cunning);

〃It's a hard race;〃 said he; 〃and I think it would be

A good thing for someone to take up the running。〃

As soon said as done; they started to run 

The priests and the deacons; strong runners and weak 'uns

All reckoned ere long to come up with the brute;

And so the whole boiling set off in pursuit。

And then it came out; as the rabble and rout

Streamed over the desert with many a shout 

The Rabbi so elderly; grave; and patrician;

Had been in his hot youth a bold metallician;

And offered; in gasps; as they merrily spieled;

〃Any price Abraham!  Evens the field!〃

Alas! the whole clan; they raced and they ran;

And Abraham proved him an 〃even…time〃 man;

But the goat; now a speck they could scarce keep their eyes on;

Stretched out in his stride in a style most surprisin'

And vanished ere long o'er the distant horizon。



Away in the camp the bill…sticker's tramp

Is heard as he wanders with paste; brush; and notices;

And paling and wall he plasters them all;

〃I wonder how's things gettin' on with the goat;〃 he says;

Then pulls out his bills; 〃Use Solomon's Pills〃:

〃Great Stoning of Christians!  To all devout Jews! you all

Must each bring a stone   Great sport will be shown;

Enormous Attractions!  And prices as usual!

Roll up to the Hall!!  Wives; children; and all;

For naught the most delicate feelings to hurt is meant!〃

Here his eyes opened wide; for close by his side

Was the scapegoat devouring the latest advertisement!

One shriek from him burst   〃You creature accurst!〃

And he ran from the spot like one fearing the worst。

His language was chaste; as he fled in his haste;

But the goat stayed behind him  and 〃scoffed up〃 the paste。



With downcast head; and sorrowful tread;

The people came back from the desert in dread。

〃The goat  was he back there?  Had anyone heard of him?〃

In very short order they got plenty word of him;

In fact as they wandered by street; lane and hall;

〃The trail of the serpent was over them all。〃

A poor little child knocked out stiff in the gutter

Proclaimed that the scapegoat was bred for a 〃butter〃。

The billsticker's pail told a sorrowful tale;

The scapegoat had licked it as dry as a nail;

He raced through their houses; and frightened their spouses;

But his latest achievement most anger arouses;

For while they were searching; and scratching their craniums;

One little Ben Ourbed; who looked in the flower…bed;

Discovered him; eating the Rabbi's geraniums。





            Moral:



The moral is patent to all the beholders 

Don't shift your own sins on to other folk's shoulders;

Be kind to dumb creatures and never abuse them;

Nor curse them nor kick them; nor spitefully use them;

Take their lives if needs must  when it comes to the worst;

But don't let them perish of hunger or thirst。

Remember; no matter how far you may roam;

That dogs; goats; and chickens; it's simply the dickens

Their talent stupendous for 〃getting back home〃。

Your sins; without doubt; will aye find you out;

And so will a scapegoat; he's bound to achieve it 

But; die in the wilderness?  Don't you believe it!









An Evening in Dandaloo







It was while we held our races 

Hurdles; sprints and steeplechases 

 Up in Dandaloo;

That a crowd of Sydney stealers;

Jockeys; pugilists and spielers

Brought some horses; real heelers;

 Came and put us through。



Beat our nags and won our money;

Made the game by no means funny;

 Made us rather blue;

When the racing was concluded;

Of our hard…earned coin denuded

Dandaloonies sat and brooded

 There in Dandaloo。



     。    。    。    。    。



Night came down on Johnson's shanty

Where the grog was no means scanty;

 And a tumult grew

Till some wild; excited person

Galloped down the township cursing;

〃Sydney push have mobbed Macpherson;

 Roll up; Dandaloo!〃



Great St。 Denis! what commotion!

Like the rush of stormy ocean

 Fiery horsemen flew。

Dust and smoke and din and rattle;

Down the street they spurred their cattle

To the war…cry of the battle;

 〃Wade in; Dandaloo!〃



So the boys might have their fight out;

Johnson blew the bar…room light out;

 Then; in haste; withdrew。

And in darkness and in doubting

Raged the conflict and the shouting;

〃Give the Sydney push a clouting;

 Go it; Dandaloo!〃



Jack Macpherson seized a bucket;

Every head he saw he struck it 

 Struck in earnest; too;

And a man from Lower Wattle;

Whom a shearer tried to throttle;

Hit out freely with a bottle;

 There in Dandaloo。



Skin and hair were flying thickly;

When a light was fetched; and quickly

 Brought a fact to view 

On the scene of the diversion

Every single; solid person

Come along to help Macpherson 

 ALL were Dandaloo!〃



When the list of slain was tabled;

Some were drunk and some disabled;

 Still we found it true。

In the darkness and the smother

We'd been belting one another;

Jack Macpherson bashed his brother

 There in Dandaloo。



So we drank; and all departed 

How the 〃mobbing〃 yarn was started

 No one ever knew 

And the stockmen tell the story

Of that conflict fierce and gory;

How we fought for love and glory

 Up in Dandaloo。



It's a proverb now; or near it 

At the races you can hear it;

 At the dog…fights; too!

Every shrieking; dancing drover

As the canines topple over

Yells applause to Grip or Rover;

 〃Give him ‘Dandaloo'!〃



And the teamster slowly toiling

Through the deep black country; soiling

 Wheels and axles; too;

Lays the whip on Spot and Banker;

Rouses Tarboy with a flanker 

〃Redman!  Ginger!  Heave there!  Yank her!

 Wade in; Dandaloo!〃









A Ballad of Ducks







The railway rattled and roared and swung

With jolting carriage and bumping trucks。

The sun; like a billiard red ball; hung

In the Western sky:  and the tireless tongue

Of the wild…eyed man in the corner told

This terrible tale of the days of old;

And the party that ought to have kept the ducks。



〃Well; it ain't all joy bein' on the land

With an overdraft that'd knock you flat;

And the rabbits have pretty well took command;

But the hardest thing for a man to stand

Is the feller who says ‘Well; I told you so!

You should ha' done this way; don't you know!' 

I could lay a bait for a man like that。



〃The grasshoppers struck us in ninety…one

And what they leave  well; it ain't ‘de luxe'。

But a growlin' fault…findin' son of a 
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