Project Gutenberg's Ventures Into Verse, by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
Title: Ventures Into Verse
Being various ballads, ballades, rondeaux, triolets, songs,
quatrains, odes and roundels, all rescued from the potters'
field of old files and her given decent burial
Author: H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken
Release Date: August 27, 2016 [EBook #52904]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VENTURES INTO VERSE ***
Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)
Transcriber's Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
Ventures into Verse
Being Various Ballads, Ballades, Rondeaux, Triolets, Songs, Quatrains, Odes and Roundels 
All rescued from the Potters' Field of Old Files and here Given Decent Burial [Peace to Their Ashes]
BY
Henry Louis Mencken
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS & OTHER THINGS
By CHARLES S. GORDON & JOHN SIEGEL
MARSHALL, BEEK & GORDON :: NEW
YORK :: LONDON :: TORONTO :: SYDNEY
BALTIMORE
First (
and Last)
EditionM C M I I I
Copyright, 1903, by Henry L. Mencken
3
CONTENTS
VENTURES INTO VERSE
ESSAYS IN OLD FRENCH FORMS
SONGS of THE CITY
OTHER VERSES
WARNING
Most of the verses that follow have been
printed before and the author wishes to acknowledge
his thanks for permission to reproduce
them, to the editors and publishers of The
Bookman, Life, The New England Magazine, The
National Magazine and the Baltimore Morning Herald.
Some are imitations—necessarily weak—of the
verse of several men in whose writings he has found a
good deal of innocent pleasure. The others, he fears,
are more or less original.
4
PRELIMINARY REBUKE
Don't shoot the pianist; he's doing his best.
Gesundheit! Knockers! have your Fling!
Unto an Anvilfest you're bid;
It took a Lot of Hammering,
To build Old Cheops' Pyramid!
5
Ventures into Verse
TO R. K.[1]
Prophet of brawn and bravery!
Bard of the fighting man!
You have made us kneel to a God of Steel,
And to fear his church's ban;
You have taught the song that the bullet sings—
The knell and the crowning ode of kings;
The ne'er denied appeal!
Prophet of brain and handicraft!
Bard of our grim machines!
You have made us dream of a God of Steam,
And have shown what his worship means
In the clanking rod and the whirring wheel
A life and a soul your songs reveal,
And power and might supreme.
Bard of the East and mystery!
Singer of those who bow
To the earthen clods that they call their gods
And with god-like fees endow;
You have shown that these heed not the suppliant's plea,
Nor the prayers of the priest and devotee,
Nor the vestal's futile vow.
Singer, we ask what we cannot learn
From our wise men and our schools;
Will our offered slain from our gods obtain
But the old reward of fools?
Will our man-made gods be like their kind?
If we bow to a clod of clay enshrined
Will we pray our prayers in vain?
6
THE SONG OF THE OLDEN TIME
Powder and shot now fight our fights
And we meet our foes no more,
As face to face our fathers fought
In the brave old days of yore;
To the thirteen inch and the needle gun,
To the she-cat four-point-three
We look for help when the war-dogs yelp
And the foe comes o'er the sea!
Oho! for the days of the olden time,
When a fight was a fight of men!
When lance broke lance and arm met arm—
There were no cowards then;
Sing ho! for the fight of the olden time,
When the muscles swelled in strain,
As the steel found rest in a brave man's breast
And the axe in a brave man's brain!
The lance-point broke on the armor's steel,
And the pike crushed helmet through,
And the blood of the vanquished, warm and red,
Stained the victor's war-steed, too!
A fight was a fight in the olden time—
Sing ho, for the days bygone!—
And a strong right arm was the luckiest charm,
When the foe came marching on!
Oho! for the days of the olden time,
When a fight was a fight of men!
When lance broke lance and arm met arm—
There were no cowards then!
Sing ho! for the fight of the olden time,
When the muscles swelled in strain,
As the steel found rest in a brave man's breast
And the axe in a brave man's brain!
7
THE SPANISH MAIN
Between the tangle of the palms,
There gleaming, like a star-strewn plain,
All smiling, lies the sea of calms,
And calls to us to fare amain;
And calls us, as with smile and gem,
She called that bold, upstanding brood,
Whose bones, when she had done with them,
Upon her shores she strewed.
Between the tangle of the palms,
By day the gleam is on the swell,
And drifting zephyrs, bearing balms,
Her tales of joy and riches tell,
And when the winds of night are free
Long, glimmering ripples wander by
As if the stars where in the sea,
Instead of in the sky.
And they went forth in ships of war
Girt up in all foolhardiness,
To take their toll from out her store,
Beguiled and snared by her caress;
And we go forth in cargo ships
To wrest her treasures bloodlessly,
And buy the nectar from her lips,
Our fairy goddess, she!
Where once their galleons blundered by
Our cargo ships are on their way,
And where their galleons rotting lie,
Our cargo ships are wrecked today.
For ever, 'till the world is done,
And all good merchantmen go down,
And dies the wind, as pales the sun,
Her smile will mask her frown.
8
THE TRANSPORT GEN'RAL FERGUSON[2]
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she left the Golden Gate,
With a thousand rookies sweatin' in her hold;
An' the sergeants drove an' drilled them, an' the sun it nearly killed them,—
Till they learned to do whatever they were told.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she lay at Honolu',
An' the rookies went ashore an' roughed the town,
So the sergeants they corralled them, and with butt and barrel quelled them,—
An' they limped aboard an' set to fryin' brown.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she steamed to-ward the south,
And the rookies sweated morning, noon and night;
'Till the lookout sighted land, and they cheered each grain o' sand,—
For their blood was boilin' over for a fight.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she tied up at the dock,
An' each rookie lugged his gun an' kit ashore,
An' a train it come and took 'em where the tropic sun could cook 'em,—
An' the sergeants they could talk to them of war.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she had her bottom scraped,
For the first part of her labor it was done,
An' the rookies chased the Tagals and the Tagals they escaped,—
An' the rookies set and sweated in the sun.
9The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she loafed around awhile,
An' the rookies they was soldier boys by now,
For it don't take long to teach 'em—where the Tagal lead can reach 'em—
All about the which and why and when and how.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she headed home again,
With a thousand heavy coffins in her hold;
They were soldered up and stenciled, they were numbered and blue penciled,—
And the rookies lay inside 'em stiff and cold.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she reached the Golden Gate,
An' the derrick dumped her cargo on the shore;
In a pyramid they piled it—and her manifest they filed it,
In a pigeon-hole with half a hundred more.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she travels up and down,
A-haulin' rookies to and from the war;
Outward-bound they sweat in Kharki; homeward bound they come in lead
And they wonder what they've got to do it for.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she's owned by Uncle Sam,
An' maybe Uncle Sam could tell 'em why,
But he don't—and so he takes 'em out to fight, and sweat, and swear,
An' brings them home for plantin' when they die.
10
A WAR SONG
The wounded bird to its blasted nest,
(Sing ho! for the joys of war!)
When the sun of its life veers o'er to the West,
(Sing ho! for the war, for the war!)
The wounded fox to its cave in the hill,
And the blood-dyed wolf to the snow-waste chill,
And the mangled elk to the wild-wood rill,
(Sing ho! for the price of war!)
The nest-queen harks to her master's hurts,
(Sing ho! for the wounds of war!)
And the she-fox busies with woodland worts,
(Sing ho! for the end of war!)
The she-wolf staunches the warm red flood,
And the doe is besmeared with the spurting blood,
For 'tis ever the weak that must help the strong,
Though they have no part in the triumph song,
And their glory is brief as their work is long—
(Sing ho! for the saints of war!)
11
FAITH
The Gawd that guided Moses
Acrost the desert sand,
The Gawd that unter Joner
Put out a helping hand,
The Gawd that saved these famous men
From death on land an' sea,
Can spare a minute now an' then
To take a peep at you an' me.
The Gawd of Ol' Man Adam
An' Father Abraham,
Of lion an' of lamb,
Of kings, an' queens, an' potentates,
An' chaps of pedigree,
Wont put a bar acrost the Gate
When Gabr'el toots fer you an' me.
The Gawd that made the ocean
An' painted up the sky,
The Gawd that sets us livin'
An' takes us when we die,
Is just the same to ev'ry man,
Of high or low degree,
An' no one's better treated than
Poor little you and little me.
12
THE BALLAD OF SHIPS IN HARBOR
Clatter of shears and derrick,
Rattle of box and bale,
The ships of the earth are at their docks,
Back from the world-round trail—
Back from the wild waste northward,
Back from the wind and the lea,
Back from the ports of East and West,
Back from the under sea.
Here is a bark from Rio,
Back—and away she steals!
Here, from her trip, is a clipper ship
That showed the sea her heels—
South to the Gallapagos,
Down, due south, to the Horn,
And up, by the Windward Passage way,
On the breath of the balm-wind borne.
There, standing down the channel,
With a smoke wake o'er her rail,
Is a ship that goes to Zanzibar
Along the world-round trail,
'Ere seven suns have kissed her
She may pound on Quoddy Head—
A surf-tossed speck of melting wreck,
Deep-freighted with her dead.
And see that gaunt Norwegian,
Greasy, grimy and black—
She sails today for Yeddo Bay;
Who knows but she comes not back?
And there is a low decked Briton,
13And yonder a white-winged Dane—
Oh, a song for the ships that put to sea
And come not back again!
Clatter of shears and derrick,
Rattle of box and bale,
The ships of the earth are home today,
Tomorrow they shall sail;
Cleared for the dawn and the sunset,
Cleared for the wind and the lea;
World-round and back, by the olden track—
Playthings of the sea.
14
THE ORF'CER BOY
“He was a gran' bhoy!”—Mulvaney.
Now 'e aren't got no whiskers
An' 'e's only five foot 'igh,
(All the same 'e is a' orf'cer hof the Queen!)
Oh, 'is voice is like a loidy's
An' 'e's so polite an' shy!
(All the same 'e serves 'Er Majesty the Queen!)
It is only 'bout a year ago 'e left 'is mother's knee,
It is only 'bout a month ago 'e come acrost the sea,
It is only 'bout a week that 'e 'as been aleadin' me.
(That's the way 'e serves 'Er Majesty the Queen!)
'E is such a little chappie,
Bein' only five foot 'igh,
That you'd wonder how 'is likes could serve the Queen;
You would think that when 'e 'eard the guns
'E'd just set down an' cry—
A-forgettin' ev'rythink about the Queen;
But by all that's good an' holy, you'd be extraord'ny wrong,
'Cos 'e doesn't like no singin' 'arf as good 's the Gatlin's song,
An' 'e fights as though 'e'd been a-fightin' twenty times as long
As any other man that serves the Queen!
15If you'd seen him when we got to where
The Modder's deep an' wet,
You'd a-knowed 'e was a' orf'cer hof the Queen!
There's a dozen of the enemy
That ain't forgot 'im yet—
For 'e run 'is sword clean through 'em for the Queen!
Oh, 'e aren't much on whiskers an' 'e aren't much on 'eight,
An' a year or two ago 'e was a-learnin' for to write,
But you bet your soldier's shillin' 'e's the devil in a fight—
An' 'ed die to serve 'Er Majesty the Queen!
16
THE FILIPINO MAIDEN
Her father we've chased in the jungle,
And her brother is full of our lead;
Her uncles and cousins
In yellow half-dozens
We've tried to induce to be dead;
And while we have shot at their shadows,
They've done the same favor for us—
But, by George, she's so sweet
That we'd rather be beat
Than to have her mixed up in the fuss.
Oh! isn't her blush like the roses?
And aren't her eyes like the stars?
And whenever she smiles
Don't you think you are miles
From the rattle and roar of the wars?
Would you take the three stars of a general
If she'd say “Leave the stars and take me?”
Oh! we've stolen sweet kisses from thousands of misses,
But hers are the sweetest that be.
Her name may be Ahlo or Nina,
Or Zanez or Lalamaloo;
She may smoke the cigars
Of the chino bazars,
And prefer black maduros to you;
She may speak a wild six-cornered lingo,
And say that your Spanish is queer,
But you'll never mind this
When she gives you a kiss
And calls you her “zolshier poy dear.”
17Oh! isn't her blush like the roses?
And aren't her eyes like the stars?
And whenever she smiles
Don't you think you are miles
From the rattle and roar of the wars?
Would you take the three stars of a general
If she'd say “Leave the stars and take me?”
Oh! I've stolen sweet kisses from thousands of misses,
But her's are the sweetest for me!
THE VIOLET
As in the first pale flush of coming dawn
We see a promise of the glorious sun,
So in the violet's misty blue is drawn
A shadowy likeness of the days to be,
The days of cloudless skies and poesie,
When Winter's done.
The small gunboats captured from the Spaniards and facetiously
called “tin-clads” by the men of the land forces, are of great value
in the offensive operations against the insurgents along the coast.—[Manilla
Dispatch]
Their draft is a foot and a half,
And a knot and a half is their speed,
Their bows are as blunt as the stern of a punt
And their boilers are wonders of greed;
Their rudders are always on strike,
Their displacement is thirty-two tons,
They are armored with tin—to the dishpan they're kin—
But their Maxims are A number ones,
(Ask Aggie!)
Their Maxims are murderous guns!
When from out the towns and villages, and out the jungle, too,
We have chased the Filipinos on the run,
Toward the river swamps they foot it—towards the swamps we can't go through—
And we're doubtful if we've lost the fight or won;
Then when all are safe in hiding in the slimy mud and reeds,
From the river 'cross the swamp we hear a sound;
It's the sputter and the rattle of the automatic feeds
On the tin-protected cruisers—how they pound—
(Sweet sound!)
They that save us being losers—Rah! the tin-protected cruisers!
Hear their rattling Maxims pound, pound, pound!
19When the guns have done their work, and the Tagals come our way,
(I admit they much prefer us to the guns,)
Why, we finish up what's left—ten in every dozen lay
Dead as Noah, in the swampy pools and runs;
Then the Maxims stop their rattle and we know that midst the reeds,
Half a hundred Filipinos on the ground
Are a-looking at the sky, with a glassy, sightless eye,
And the other half—or most of them—are drowned.
'Twas the tin-protected cruisers—How they pound!
(Sweet sound!)
They that saved us being losers—Rah! the tin-protected cruisers!
How their rattling Maxims pound, pound, pound!
Their draft is a foot and a half
And a knot and a half is their speed,
Their bows are as blunt as the stern of a punt,
And their engines are wonders, indeed.
Their rudders are always on strike,
Their bunkers hold two or three tons,
They are armored with tin—to the meat-can they're kin—
'But their Maxims are A number ones,
(Ask Aggie!)
Their Maxims are murderous guns;
(Go ask him!)
Their Maxims are Death's younger sons.
20
SEPTEMBER
A dash of scarlet in the dark'ning green,
A minor echo in the night-wind's wail,
And faint and low, the swirling boughs between,
The last, sad carol of the nightingale.
ARABESQUE
(An English Version of an old Turkish Lyric.)
The tinkling sound of the camel's bell
Comes softly across the sand,
And the nightingale by the garden well
Still warbles his saraband,
But the night goes by and the dawn-winds blow
From the glimmering East and the Hills of Snow,
And I wait, sweetheart, I wait alone,
For a smile from thee, my own!
Awake! e'er the gong of the muezzin
Peals forth for another day;
E'er its loveless, barren toil begin
But a smile from you I pray!
But a smile from your soul-enslaving eyes,—
As brightly dark as the midnight skies,—
But a smile, I pray! Awake! sweetheart,
Awake! my own, my own!
21
ESSAYS IN OLD FRENCH FORMS
22
A BALLADE OF PROTEST[4]
(To the address of Master Rudyard Kipling, Poetaster)
For long, unjoyed, we've heard you sing
Of politics and army bills,
Of money-lust and cricketing,
Of clothes and fear and other things;
Meanwhile the palm-trees and the hills
Have lacked a bard to voice their lay;
Poet, ere time your lyre string stills,
Sing us again of Mandalay!
Unsung the East lies glimmering,
Unsung the palm trees toss their frills,
Unsung the seas their splendors fling,
The while you prate of laws and tills.
Each man his destiny fulfills;
Can it be yours to loose and stray;
In sophist garb to waste your quills?—
Sing us again of Mandalay!
Sing us again in rhymes that ring,
In Master-Voice that lives and thrills.
Sing us again of wind and wing,
Of temple bells and jungle thrills;
And if your Pegasus e'er wills
To lead you down some other way,
Go bind him in his olden thills—
Sing us again of Mandalay!
Master, regard the plaint we bring,
And hearken to the prayer we pray.
Lay down your law and sermoning—
Sing us again of Mandalay!
23
A FRIVOLOUS RONDEAU
“I co'd reherse
A lyric verse.”—The Hesperides.
A lyric verse I'll make for you,
Fair damsel that the many woo,
'Twill be a sonnet on your fan—
That aid to love from quaint Japan—
And “true” will rhyme with “eyes of blue.”
Ah! me, if you but only knew
The toil of setting out to hew
From words—as I shall try to do—
A lyric verse.
Fleet metric ghosts I must pursue,
And dim rhyme apparitions, too—
But yet, 'tis joyfully I scan,
And reckon rhymes and think and plan
For there's no cheaper present than
A lyric verse.
24
THE RHYMES OF MISTRESS DOROTHY
Roundel—
Bemauled by ev'ry hurrying churl
And deafened by the city's brawl,
A helm-less craft I helpless swirl
Adown the street.
With battered hat I trip and sprawl
And like a toy tee-to-tum swirl,
To end my strugglings with a fall—
But what care I for knock and whirl?—
Egad! I heed them not at all;
For here comes Dolly—sweetheart girl!—
Adown the street!
Triolet—
The light that lies in Dolly's eyes
Is sun and moon and stars to me;
It dims the splendor of the skies—
The light that lies in Dolly's eyes—
And me-ward shining, testifies
That Dolly's mine, fore'er to be—
The light that lies in Dolly's eyes
Is sun and moon and stars to me!
Roundelay—
Oh, Dolly is my treasury—
What more of wealth could I desire?
Her lips are rubies set for me,
And there between (sweet property!)
A string of pearls to smiles conspire;
With Dolly as my treasury,
What more of wealth could I desire?
25And when have men of alchemy
Yet dreamed of gems like those I see
In Dolly's eyes, as flashing fire,
They bid the envious world admire?—
Oh, Dolly is my treasury!
What more of wealth could I desire?
And then her hair!—there cannot be
Such gold beyond the Purple Sea
As this of mine—unpriced and free!
Oh, Dolly is my treasury,
My sweetheart and my heart's desire!
A FEW LINES
Few roses like your cheeks are red,
Few lilies like your brow are fair;
Few vassals like your slave are led,
Few roses like your cheeks are red,
Few dangers like your frown I dread;
Few rubies to your lips compare,
Few roses like your cheeks are red,
Few lilies like your brow are fair.
26
A RONDEAU OF TWO HOURS
From four to six milady fair
Is chic and sweet and debonair,
For then it is, with smiles and tea,
She fills the chappy mob with glee
(The jays but come to drink and stare).
A rose is nestled in her hair,
Like Cupid lurking in his lair—
Few of the jays remain heart free
From four to six.
Oh let them come—I would not care
If all the men on earth were there;
For when they go she smiles on me,
And, just because she loves me, she
Makes all the ringers take their share
From four to six.
27
AN ANTE-CHRISTMAS RONDEAU
“'Tis a sad story, mates.”—Marie Corelli.
It's up to me—the winds are chill
And snow clouds drift from o'er the hill,
At dawn the rime is on the grass,
At five o'clock we light the gas,
And long gone is the daffodil.
Jack Frost draws flowers upon the glass
And blasts the growing ones—alas!
Whene'er he comes to scar and kill,
It's up to me.
I run not in the croaker class,
But when I see the autumn pass,
Of crushing woes I have my fill—
To buy a Christmas gift for Jill
A horde of gold I must amass—
It's up to me.
28
ROUNDEL
If love were all and we could cheat
All gods but Cupid of their due,
Our joy in life would be complete.
We'd only live that we might woo,
(Instead, as now, that we might eat,)
And ev'ry lover would be true,—
If love were all.
Yet, if we found our bread and meat
In kisses it would please but few,
Soon life would grow a cloying sweet,
If love were all.
29
IN VAUDEVILLE
In vaudeville the elder jest
Remains the one that's loved the best;
For 'tis the custom of the stage
To venerate and honor age
And look upon the old as blest.
Originality's a pest
That artist's labor hard to best—
Conservatism is the rage
In vaudeville.
The artist's arms are here expressed:
A slapstick argent as a crest
(It is an ancient heritage),
A seltzer siphon gules—the wage
Of newness is a lengthy rest
In vaudeville.
30
THE RONDEAU OF RICHES
If I were rich and had a store
Of gold doubloons and louis d'or—
A treasure for a pirate crew—
Then I would spend it all for you—
My heart's delight and conqueror!
About your feet upon the floor,
Ten thousand rubies I would pour—
Regardless of expense, I'd woo
If I were rich.
But as I'm not, I can but soar
Mid fancy's heights and ponder o'er
The things that I would like to do;
And as I pass them in review
It strikes me that you'd love me more
If I were rich.
31
IN EATING SOUP
In eating soup, it's always well
To make an effort to excel
The unregenerate who sop
With bread the last surviving drop
As if to them but one befell.
And if it burn you do not yell,
Or stamp or storm or say “Oh!——well!”—
From social grandeur you may flop
In eating soup.
And if the appetizing smell
Upon you cast a witch's spell,
To drain your plate pray do not stop,
And please, I pray you, do not slop!
A gurgling sound's a social knell
In eating soup.
32
LOVE AND THE ROSE
The thorn lives but to shield the rose;
Coquetry may but shelter love!
(This consolation Hope bestows).
The thorn lives but to shield the rose;
Though blood from many a thorn wound flows
I'll pluck the rose that blows above—
The thorn lives but to shield the rose,
Coquetry may but shelter love!
Love me more or not at all,
Half a rose is less than none;
Hear the wretch you hold in thrall!
Love me more or not at all!
Dilletante love will pall,
I would have you wholly won;—
Love me more or not at all;
Half a rose is less than none!
33
A RONDEAU OF STATESMANSHIP
In politics it's funny how
A man may tell you one thing now
And say tomorrow that he meant
To voice a different sentiment
And vow a very different vow.
The writ and spoken laws allow
Each individual to endow
His words with underground intent
In politics.
Thus he who leads in verbal prow-
Ness sports the laurel on his brow—
So if you wish to represent
The acme of the eminent,
Learning lying ere you make your bow
In politics.
35
SONGS of THE CITY
36
SONGS OF THE CITY
I—Auroral[5]
Another day comes journeying with the sun,
The east grows ghastly with the dawning's gleam,
And e'er the dark has flown and night is done
The alley pavements with their many teem.
Another day of toil and grief and pain;
Life surely seems not sweet to such as these!
Yet they live toiling that they may but gain
The right to life and all life's miseries.
II—Madrigal
Ah! what were all the running brooks
From ocean-side to ocean-side,
And what were all the chattering wrens
That wake the wood with song,
And what were all the roses red
In all the flowery meadows wide,
And what were all the fairy clouds
That 'cross the heavens throng—
And what were all the joys that bide
In meadow, wood and down,
To me, if I were at your side
Within the joyless town?
III—Within the City Gates
We can but dream of murmuring rills
Mad racing down the wooded hills,
Of meadow flowers and balmy days
When robin sings his amorous lays;
And lost among the city's ways,
To us it is not given to gaze
In wonder as the morning haze
37Lifts from the sea of daffodils,—
Of all but those on window-sills
We can but dream.
IV—April
At dawn a gay gallant comes to the eaves
And trills a song unto his lady fair,
And then, above the reach of boyish thieves,
A building nest sways in the balmy air;
One day a flower upon a window sill
Puts forth a bud, and as its beauty grows
The sun—gay prodigal!—with life-light glows,
The while he reads the doom of storms and snows;
And then—and then—there comes the springtime's thrill!
V—The Coming of Winter
A chill, damp west wind and a heavy sky,
With clouds that merge in one gray, darkling sea,
The last red leaves of autumn flutter by,
Wrest from the dead twigs of the street-side tree;
And then there comes an eddying cloud of white,
First dim, then blotting everything below;
Up to the eaves the sparrows haste in flight—
And thus upon the town descends the snow.
VI—The Snow
A song of birds adown a mine's dark galleries,
A scent of roses 'mid a waste of moor and fen,
A gush of sparkling waters from the desert sands,—
So comes the snow upon the town, an alien.
38
VII—Nocturne
How like a warrior on the battlefield
The city sleeps, with brain awake, and eyes
That know no closing. Ere the first star dies
It rises from its slumber, and with shield
In hand, full ready for the fray,
Goes forth to meet the day.
39
OTHER VERSES
40
A MADRIGAL
How can I choose but love you,
Maid of the witching smile?
Your eyes are as blue as the skies above you;
How can I choose but love you, love you,
You and your witching smile?
For the red of your lips is the red of the rose,
And the white of your brows is the white of the snows,
And the gold of your hair is the splendor that glows
When the sun gilds the east at morn.
And the blue of your eyes
Is the blue of the skies
Of an orient day new-born;
And your smile has a charm that is balm to the soul,
And your pa has a bar'l and a many-plunk roll,
So how can I choose but love you, love you,
Love you, love you, love you?
41
A BALLAD OF LOOKING
He looked into her eyes, and there he saw
No trace of that bright gleam which poets say
Comes from the faery orb of love's sweet day,
No blushing coyness causes her to withdraw
Her gaze from his. He looked and yet he knew
No joy, no whirling numbness of the brain,
No quickening heart-beat. Then he looked again,
And once again, unblushing, she looked too.
He looked into her eyes—with interest he
Stared at them through a magnifying prism.
For he was but an oculist, and she
Was being treated for astigmatism.
WHEN THE PIPE GOES OUT
A maiden's heart,
And sighs profuse,
A father's foot,
And—what's the use?
42
A PARADOX
Dan Cupyd drewe hys lyttle bowe,
And strayght ye arrowe from it flewe,
Although its course was rather lowe,
I thought 'twould pass above my heade—
In stature I am shorte, you knowe.
But soone upon my breast a stayne
Of blood appeared, and showed ye marke
Whereat ye boy god tooke hys aime;
I staggered, groaned and then—I smyled!
Egad! it was a pleasante payne!
43
THE SONG OF THE SLAPSTICK
Why is a hen? (Kerflop!) Haw, haw!
Toot, goes the slide trombone;
Why is a hen? (And a swat in the jaw!)
And the ushers laugh alone.
Why is a—(Bang!)—is a—(Biff!) Ho, ho!
Boom! goes the sad French horn;
Why is a hen? (Kerflop!) Do you know?—
And the paid admissions mourn!
Vhy iss a hen? Yes? No? (Kerflop?)
Bang! goes the man at the drum;
Vhy iss a hen? (And a knock at the top!)
And the press agent's stricken dumb;
Vhy iss a—(Thud!)—iss a—(Flop!)—iss a hen?
Hark! how the supers laugh!
Vhy iss a—(Bing! Bang! Boom!)—and then
The slapstick's bust in half!
(Curtain)
44
IL PENSEROSO
Love's song is sung in ragtime now
And kisses sweet are syncopated joys,
The tender sign, the melancholy moan,
The soft reproach and yearning up-turned gaze
Have passed into the caves without the gates
And in their place, to serve love's purposes,
Bold profanations from the music halls
Are working overtime.
In days of old the amorous swain would sigh
And say unto his lady love the while
He pressed her to his heaving low-cut vest,
“Dost love me, sweet?” And she, with many a blush,
Would softly answer, “Yes, my cavalier!”
Now to his girl the ragtime lover says,
The while he strums his marked-down mandolin
“Is you ma lady love?” and she, his girl,
Makes answer thus: “Ah is!”
Gadzooks! it makes me sad! I see the doom
Of Cupid, and upon the battered air
I hear a rumor floating. It is this:
That when the boy god shuffles to the grave
'Tis Syncopated Sambo that will get
His job!
Ah, me! What sadness resteth on my soul!
45
FINIS
There was a man that delved in the earth
For glittering gems and gold,
And whatever lay hidden that seemed of worth
He carefully seized and sold;
So his days were long and his store was great,
And ever for more he sighed,
'Till kings bowed down and he ruled in state—
And after awhile he died.
Oh, blithesome and shrill the wails resound!
Oh, gaily his children moan!
And the end of it all was a hole in the ground
And a scratch on a crumbling stone.
There was a man that fought for the right,
And never a friend had he,
'Till after the dark there dawned the light
And the world could know and see;
Oh, long was the fight and comfortless,
But great was the fighter's pride,
And a victor he rose from the storm and stress—
And after awhile he died.
Oh, great was the fame but newly found
Of the man that fought alone!
And the end of it all was a hole in the ground
And a scratch on a crumbling stone.
46There was a man that dreamed a dream,
And his pen it served his brain;
And great was his art and great his theme
And long was his laurelled reign;
But after awhile the world forgot
And his work was pushed aside,
(For to serve and wait is the mortal lot)
And then, in the end, he died.
Oh! brown on his brow were the bays that bound
And far was his glory flown!
And the end of it all was a hole in the ground
And a scratch on a crumbling stone.
47DONE INTO TYPE AND PRINTED BY MARSHALL, BEEK &
GORDON IN THE CITY OF BALTIMORE AND ON THE
THIRD FLOOR OF THE TELEGRAM BUILDING, NORTH AND
BALTIMORE STREET CROSSING 
ANNO DOMINI MCMIII
48250
Copies Of This
Facsimile Edition Of
Ventures Into Verse
Have Been Printed For
Smith's Book Store
Baltimore 1, Maryland
This Is Copy No.
247
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES
- Added Table of Contents on p. 3.
- Corrected Isaaih to Isaiah on p. 11.
- Silently corrected typographical errors.
- Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.
End of Project Gutenberg's Ventures Into Verse, by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VENTURES INTO VERSE ***
***** This file should be named 52904-h.htm or 52904-h.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/9/0/52904/
Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive
specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook
for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports,
performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given
away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks
not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the
trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country outside the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you
are located before using this ebook.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
provided that
* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation."
* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
works.
* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The
Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm
trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
www.gutenberg.org
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the
mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its
volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous
locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt
Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to
date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and
official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
gbnewby@pglaf.org
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
