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“When
George Was King” and Other Poems
by
Emily Pauline Johnson
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When
George Was King
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Cards,
and swords, and a lady’s love,
That is a tale worth reading,
An insult veiled, a downcast glove,
And rapiers leap unheeding,
And
’tis O! for the brawl,
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5 |
The
thrust, the fall,
And the foe at your feet a’bleeding.
Tales of revel at wayside inns
The goblets gaily filling,
Braggarts boasting a thousand sins
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10 |
Though
none can boast a shilling.
And
’tis O! for the wine
The
frothing stein,
And the clamour of cups a’spilling.
Tales of maidens in rich brocade,
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15 |
Powder
and puff and patches,
Gallants lilting a serenade
Of old-time trolls and catches.
And
’tis O! for the lips
And
the finger tips
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And
the kiss that the boldest snatches.
Tales of buckle and big rosette
The slender shoe adorning,
Of curtseying through the minuet
With laughter, love, or scorning.
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And
’tis O! for the shout
Of
the roustabout
As he hies him home in the morning.
Cards and swords, and a lady’s love,
Give to the tale God-speeding,
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War
and wassail, and perfumed glove,
And all that’s rare in reading.
And
’tis O! for the ways
Of
the olden days,
And a life that was worth the leading. [Page
3]
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