May every transport wont to sail May cold and hunger still congeal May every chosen ill prevail May the Inquisition straight impale Oh may my couplets never fail ORLANDO THOMAS DOBBIN. [The Rev. Dr. Dobbin, a clergyman of the Anglo-Irish Church, was born in the County of Armagh in 1807. Along with various original writings, he has published, with a translation, Diodati's De Christo Græce loquente, and the Codex Montfortianus]. MY MANX MINX. ALL the Bard's rhymes, and all his inks, Nor artist brush with brightest tincts The child of Man and beast: a sphinx With paw of leopard, eye of lynx, She's playful, harmless: Mousie thinks: Seems nonchalante, and bobs, and blinks: Dormitat Homer oft: her winks Are rare: no "nid-nid-noddin"-MINX. Aye "takkin notes" of holes and chinks: An Abbess of Misrule: she slinks (Law:)-Ne quid nim. of neighbour's trinks: She's always nimming: roguish MINX. With reels of silk, thread, wool, plays rinks: Loves frisks, curvets, and highest jinks: As high-born dame in idlesse sinks, A pert, coquettish, flirting finks: On window-sill, in sunshine, prinks Simplex munditiis, all the sminks And smears of sluthood shuns spruce MINX. Soprani trill their tink-a-tinks: My prima cat-atrice's MINX. Horns blare, drums beat, and cymbal clinks: His richest creams, nectareous drinks, From human cares and snares he shrinks, The Dean's rare taste in his precincts Of the CAT world the pink of pinks 'Es del twinned, the Bard enlinks 10. THO, D. Z A DITHYRAMB ON CATS. CONFOUND the Cats! All Cats-alway- Confound the Cats! Confound their saucy-looking whiskers! Confound their roof-ridge caterwaulings- Confound all Cats! Whate'er the fashion- Confound the Cats! Yet Egypt loved 'em, Not Puss in Boots, of fairy scribe, Which charmed my youth, could ever bribe Confound the Cats! Sly Pussies lap their milky food, Confound the Cats! My Tenny-that's her name-is black, Confound the Cats! Confound the blackamoorish sinner! Confound the Cats! While other game abound in plenties, O Tenny, Tenny, arch-deceiver! Assassin, Fenian, filch and reiver ! How wilt, when tried, thy soul deliver? Confound the Cats! The Judge's charge-a Robin's-read, Confound the Cats! Laid in unblest abysmal tomb, Thou'lt rot in Paris, Memphis, Rome Confound the Cats! Would, Richard Whittington! you'd ta'en Confound the Cats! 'Twould have saved Robin-cheeriest fellow! With pipe so clear, and soul so mellow, Amongst his mates a regular swell, Oh Confound the Cats! In scarlet vest and breeches grey, Confound the Cats! Puss eyed him plump and debonnair,— Confound the Cats! Cat venit, vidit, vicit Rob, A Cæsarlike and summary job, Without one quick compunctious throb. Confound the Cats! Swooned Queen Robina at his rape; While her Lord Chamberlain bade drape Confound the Cats! "Confound the Cats," she cried sob-sobbing, "Who took their hard and hungry gob in My royal spouse—my peerless Robin! Ah me, sweet Robin! "O feline and felonious breed! My true love's red breast-Ah foul deed!- Dear murdered Robin! "The bagpipes drone fu' sad and sairlie, Aye liltin' Wae's me for Prince Charlie;' My heart responds, Wae's me for rarely Gifted Prince Robin! "O early lost and long adored! My dhilka tookra, my soul's lord! Thy virtues how shall I record, My noble Robin? "Victoria builds her Alberteum, As Caria's Queen her Mausoleum; I'll raise, I vow, my Robineum For Consort Robin! "Ad Viduarum nexa choream, Extruam, in majorem gloriam Robini, propriam In Memoriam. O loved-lost-Robin!' Her grief we share :-confound the brutes O one-tailed Cats, remorseless crew! A nine-tailed Cat would harry you— Confound the Cats! When Thetis dipped her bantling stout Far different guerdon thou shouldst win, No heel I'd hold, but plump thee in : Confound the Cats! O utinam the watery strife Absorbed the last Cat's last ninth life, Were the Cat-world one-necked, as Nero But hush, my soul, bereavement-riven ! Needs-be for Cats! |