Punch: Punch (6.1844)

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

89

PYRAMUS AND THISBE,
g {Tragic 3SalIaU.

They searched above, they searched below,

To find affection's keyhole ;
Till—just when all appear'd " no go,"

They found a little wee hole.

"Speak, Pyramus! Where are you ! Oh,

I hear that growl again !
How can you leave your Thisbe so ?

You must—you must be slain I"

She'd hardly done, when, trotting by,

A lion fresh from slaughter,
With black blood drenched, and savage eya,

I sing not. now in joyous strain
To suit these mirthful pages

Mine is a tale of love and pain, - 111111' j| l|||l||f jljjs^fiWI Came from the woods to water.

Black blood and by-gone ages. & Mi 31 ||I ||| I Poor Thisbe shuddered at the sight

Some people's wit is small indeed— ITfw I P-Lr ^rfjMv m^tyr^V EP^'lTi Not relishing his " ivory

But smaller still must his be, P_l V l\> T 'LLcJE\. :3fe^JJ ! " Besides,—especially to-night—

Who's never had the luck to read r\J&4$^!'rn-C*^* /^^™^»^^^ It's very hard to die—very I ^

I do not write for such a dunce, My stars ! just hear him swallow

My task would be in vain : A roUen ^ ,md CQme m tw0_ I'd better first throw off my cloak,

Let those who ve blubbered at it once, Tfa ^ the cra _nav more> 1 wonder if he 11 follow \

Now read, and weep again. They ^ ^ ]ove by ?eeping through

Of all the beauties of the East, Ah ! " non sentit amor ? "

Fair Thisbe was the star, T]) . ^ {he uge]esg brick

And Nature gave tier—last not least— By dj ; out the mortar .

A very cross mamma. And"there they passed the livelong das-
Next door there lived a » nice young man," In whispers and "soft sawder."

One Pyramus by name ; Thell] Thisbe ,d ££ 0h dear> oh dear

And laughing Cupid soon began My are full of dust^ ,ove .

To kindle up the flame. You must come round and kiss me here,

Then came soft words and softer sighs, Indeed, indeed, you must, love."

And «hearts for ever true," And then Pyramus would say,

And radiant eyes, like summer skies, « God bless me" how can this be ,

And little billets-doux. !>ve kissed a dirty lump of clay,

Next Thisbe'd ask to go and walk, And not ni-v Prett? Thisbe !"

Upon some sly pretence, « Bad wall, bad wall! thy chink is small,

And then they'd meet alone, and talk Thv big stones almost hide her :

Across the garden-fence. Why'leave the little hole at all

At last her mother caught her out- Unless a little wider ?

And scarlet grew her forehead. « o will vou meet me quite alone

« My stars ! miss, what are you about 1 To-morrow night, my dear,

Good gracious me, how horrid ! " Beyond brass-gated Babylon

She locked her up-our hero, too, Where walls Can'* interfere.

Was lectured by his father : u Let -s meet j,v nme) at Ninus' tomb,

** Do that again, sir ! just you do ! Under the mulberry-tree,

And won't 1 whop you—rather ! " The moon that lights the sunless gloom

r7 , j , , ,i Shall light my love to me."

tie begged and prayed : the governor ° J

Stil! gave that answer gruff— 'Tis night—the moon has flung her beam

" Lord ; what's the good of lovin' her I Far down the glowing wave,

A boy like you, sir ! stuff ! Where rolls Euphrates' silent stream

Fast by the monarch's grave :—

" Come, get along ! what's all this fuss 1 .....

Let's have no more, sir, pray ! " llie mght-wmd bids the forest groan

With broken heart poor Pyramus _ And leaf> benches reel ;-

Turn'd in despair away. But> Lord ! W,ho s this—and all alone—

In such a deshabille.

He moped all day, and talked to none, >Tis Thisbe , hear it wige mamm

rhrough dim and lone woods wending ; The lesson ,g to!d ^oncisel

Men cried, « If this be lover s fun Loye b ^ ^ b

Our hearts are worth defending ! " ri ,,, , i-in j • i i

° Or you '11 be diddled nicely !

When day was done, the night again For though her mother—cross old cat-
Brought visions of his fairy : Had safely locked her in,

Alas ! how vain the tender pain, i She knew a trick worth two of that,

" In statu pupillari." And did n't care a pin.

He cried, "0 this is hard, indeed— She soon escaped—no matter how—

I mayn't caress my love, nor And ere the bell tolled nine,

With blameless word win blameless meed— Sat trembling where the forest bough

0 cruel, cruel guv'nor ! " Danced in the pale moonshine.

f. said, you know, some time ago,
Their houses stood contiguous ;
Not dos-a-dos, but in a row—

1 hate to be ambiguous.

Well, little Love, who's up to snuff,

In pitying mood, one day,
Proposed a plan ; and sure enough

They tried, and found it pay.

He whispered in the ear of each,

" J?ecft Out £omc ItttTe f)Dle tit She sat and watched the waters roll,

??aur mall, tfjrOlltjt) idjitf) pour loner's And more impatient grew :—

£}3CCff) At last she heard a horrid growl,—

iHaji rrt)0 ma£t COlT<>0TttTCj;." | "Oh dear, what shall I do I"

The lion on a hawthorn spray

Descried the mantle dangling,
She'd washed it out that very day,
He stopped—and did the mangling.

But ah ! the brute was hardly gone

When Pyramus drew near—
"My Thisbe ! Where's my love—my own—
Good gracious me ! what's here '{

" Oh, Thisbe, dearest, are you dead ;

Can this torn robe say true ?
All pawed and clawed and bloody red,—
My love, I '11 follow you ! "

Then out lie drew his shining blade,

" Grim Death—a friend art thou—
My folly's slain earth's fairest maid !
I '11 not survive-so now ! "

With that, he gave a deadly dig,

Another, and one more,
Then kicked and hollo'd like a pig—
And his short life was o'er.

Poor Thisbe ! fancy how she cried

To find her lover stuck ;—
" Great Gods ! I '11 slumber by his side,
The darling, darling duck !"

She snatched the weapon from the wound,
And bared her snowy breast;

Once gazed in maddening grief around,
And then—we know the rest!

Trin. Coll., Cam.

Appropriate Present.

The Duke of Richmond has endeared himself
to all lovers of manly sports, by his Bill to le-
galise Gambling. Yesterday, several individuals,
distinguished at Epsom and Goodwood, in token
of their acknowledgment of the noble Duke's
efforts, forwarded to him three Brass Thimbles
and a pint of Peas 1