Читать книгу Verse and Worse - Graham Harry - Страница 20

Table of Contents

The Chinaman from early youth

Is by his wise preceptors taught

To have no dealings with the Truth,

In fact, romancing is his 'forte.'

In juggling words he takes the prize,

By the sheer beauty of his lies.

For laundrywork he has a knack;

He takes in shirts and makes them blue;

When he omits to send them back

He takes his customers in too.

He must be ranked in the 'élite'

Of those whose hobby is deceit.

For ladies 'tis the fashion here

To pinch their feet and make them small,

Which, to the civilised idea,

Is not a proper thing at all.

Our modern Western woman's taste

In pinching leans towards the waist.

The Chinese Empire is the field

Where foreign missionaries go;

A poor result their labours yield,

And they have little fruit to show;

For, if you would convert Wun Lung,

You have to catch him very young.

The Chinaman has got a creed

And a religion of his own,

And would be much obliged indeed

If you could leave his soul alone;

And he prefers, which may seem odd,

His own to other people's god.

Yet still the missionary tries

To point him out his wickedness,

Until the badgered natives rise—

And there's one missionary less!

Then foreign Pow'rs step in, you see,

And ask for an indemnity.

MORAL

Adhere to facts, avoid romance,

And you a clergyman may be;

To lie is wrong, except perchance

In matters of Diplomacy.

And, when you start out to convert,

Make certain that you don't get hurt!