Classic Poem

A HEALTH OF TOWNS' BALLAD .

1.

The small boy, in his home of sighs,
As if he hated man,
Died, with rais'd hand, and open eyes,
Frowning at little Ann.
Then, died his bird: she wept, she sigh'd:
'Twas worn to skin and bone;
But whether it of famine died,
Or fever, is not known.
She wept, but not for John — and yet
She lov'd her brother well;
She wept — wept for his little pet!
But why she could not tell.
Where frown'd its friend, his bird she put
Within the coffin small;
But then the lid refus'd to shut!
She thought she heard him call!
The dead hand propp'd the coffin-lid,
Above the dreadful frown;
It would keep up! it would, and did;
The joiner screw'd it down.
And so, they slept in company;
The blighted feather'd flower,
And poor bud of humanity —
Both blighted in one hour.
Farewell, thou old street-shunning lane,
Where John whole hours would stay,
When welcomed flowers came back again,
To welcome rainbow'd May!
Flowers which by name he once could call!
For he, with childish pride,
Had kept, at home, a funeral
Of flowers, that weekly died.
His father, who lov'd wild flowers, too,
Had taught the child their names,
Though, with a florist's pride, he grew
Outlandish flowers, in frames.
Where lay the father on the floor,
Was laid the coffin small;
The mother lay behind the door,
So, there were four in all;
The blasted, black, once beauteous thorn,
That never more would grow;
The rose, once sweet as dewy morn;
The blighted bud of woe;
And, happiest there of all, the bird
That ne'er saw God's bless'd sun,
Or growing flower; ne'er saw, or heard,
Tree wave, or river run.
The rats peep'd out behind the door,
And loth they seem'd to go;
The rats jump'd down beneath the floor,
Into the sewer below.
Men rais'd, in haste, the coffins three;
In fearful haste were they:
Ann, famish'd, follow'd gloomily,
And heard the parson pray.
Grey-hair'd he was, a grey-hair'd youth,
Kind, humble, just, and wise;
He look'd on wo-worn toil and truth
With pity's tearful eyes;
For he, a poor man's friendless son,
Once suffer'd long distress,
And hard up-hill his way had won
To honour'd usefulness.
His gown'd back to the wind he turn'd,
And wav'd the holy book:
On corpses three, by one child mourn'd,
He look'd, with solemn look:
Behind him far, two youths well clad
Stood mute, with ladies two:
Before him gasp'd the bann'd and bad,
A poor death-daring crew:
One feebly clasp'd a dying child,
Sobbing; another said,
" Thank God for Plague! " and darkly smil'd:
A third said, " God is dead! "
Their famine grinn'd — What could it less?
Their sadness wore a frown;
Their " loop'd and window'd raggedness "
Blasphem'd the parson's gown.
But when that grey-hair'd pastor spoke,
Their prostrate hearts arose,
And trembling hope, like starlight, broke
On each despairer's woes:
" In life, " he said, " we are in death,
Through death to life we rise:
In fear man draws his fleeting breath.
In sorrow lives and dies:
We come like shadows — and are gone;
Dust are we, dust to be;
Until this mortal hath put on
Its immortality. "