Poems of James Russell Lowell: With biographical sketch by Nathan Haskell DoleLowell, James Russell
General
Poems of James Russell Lowell: With biographical sketch by Nathan Haskell Dole
Lowell, James Russell
American poetry
"Nevertheless, our editor will not come so far within even
the shadow of Sinai as Mahomet did, but chooses rather to
construe Moses by Joe Smith. He takes up the crook, not that
the sheep may be fed, but that he may never want a warm
woollen suit and a joint of mutton.
_Immemor, O, fidei, pecorumque oblite tuorum!_
For which reason I would derive the name _editor_ not so
much from _edo_, to publish, as from _edo_, to eat, that
being the peculiar profession to which he esteems himself
called. He blows up the flames of political discord for no
other occasion than that he may thereby handily boil his own
pot. I believe there are two thousand of these mutton-loving
shepherds in the United States, and of these, how many have
even the dimmest perception of their immense power, and the
duties consequent thereon? Here and there, haply, one. Nine
hundred and ninety-nine labor to impress upon the people the
great principles of _Tweedledum_, and other nine hundred and
ninety-nine preach with equal earnestness the gospel
according to _Tweedledee_."--H. W.]
I du believe in Freedom's cause,
Ez fur away ez Payris is;
I love to see her stick her claws
In them infarnal Phayrisees;
It's wal enough agin a king
To dror resolves an' triggers,--
But libbaty's a kind o' thing
Thet don't agree with niggers.
I du believe the people want
A tax on teas, an' coffees,
Thet nothin' aint extravygunt,--
Purvidin' I'm in office;
Fer I hev loved my country sence
My eye-teeth filled their sockets,
An' Uncle Sam I reverence,
Partic'larly his pockets.
I du believe in _any_ plan
O' levyin' the taxes,
Ez long ez, like a lumberman,
I git jest wut I axes:
I go free-trade thru thick an' thin,
Because it kind o' rouses
The folks to vote,--an' keeps us in
Our quiet custom-houses.
I du believe it's wise an' good
To sen' out furrin missions,
Thet is, on sartin understood
An' orthydox conditions;--
I mean nine thousan' dolls. per ann.,
Nine thousan' more fer outfit,
An' me to recommend a man
The place 'ould jest about fit.
I du believe in special ways
O' prayin' an' convartin';
The bread comes back in many days,
An' buttered, tu, fer sartin;
I mean in prayin' till one busts
On wut the party chooses,
An' in convartin' public trusts
To very privit uses.
I du believe hard coin the stuff
Fer 'lectioneers to spout on;
The people's ollers soft enough
To make hard money out on;
Dear Uncle Sam pervides fer his,
An' gives a good-sized junk to all,--
I don't care _how_ hard money is,
Ez long ez mine's paid punctooal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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