Читать книгу The Emperor's Rout - Unknown - Страница 1

As the Emperor Moth1 sat one evening in May,

Fanned by numberless wings in the moon’s silver ray,

While around him the zephyrs breathed sweetest perfume,

Thus he spoke to his dwarf with the Ragged white plume:2

“That vain Butterfly’s Ball, I hear, was most splendid,

And, as the world says, very fully attended,

Though she never asked us, but assigned as a cause,

We were all much too heavy to gallope and waltz.

What impertinence this, want of grace to ascribe

To the Lord of the whole Lepidopterous tribe;

I too’ll give a ball, and such folks to chastise,

I’ll not be at home to these pert butterflies.

Bid the Empress3 come hither, and we’ll talk about

What arrangements to make for a capital rout.”

The Empress obeyed her lord’s summons with speed,

And proceeded her visiting tablets to read,

That those of her subjects, whose homage was booked

In that coveted record, might not be o’erlooked.

Then the Bufftip4 began to write each moth a card,

Having one for herself just by way of reward.

“First ask,” says the Emperor, “the Glory of Kent,5

On having much beauty my mind is quite bent;

The Belle, too, of Brixton,6 the Marvel du Jour,7

And the Peach-blossom8 moth you’ll invite, I am sure;

The Sphinx9 too, shall come, who makes riddles so well,

And the Gipsey10 be ready our fortunes to tell;

Mother Shipton 11 shall chap’rone the lovely Black I,12

And those awkward Greek girls, Lambda,13 Gamma,14 and Chi;15

Hebrew Character,16 too, who for routs has a passion;

And I’ll ask Mrs. Gothic,17 though she’s out of fashion,

For I love my old friends, and had rather that they

Should partake of our feast, than the idle and gay,

Who flutter about without object or reason,

Just live for an hour, and last but a season.”

How little, alas! do great moths bear in mind,

That their tenure of life is of just the same kind.

“You’re right,” said the Empress, “and truly ’twere shabby,

T’exclude from our party poor old Mrs. Tabby,18

And the Rustics19 I’ll ask, though not one has a gown

In which to appear, save of black, grey, or brown;

And some of them go, too, so feathered and flounced,

That the Coxcomb20 called Prominent, on them pronounced

A sentence of censure, quite just, but so tart,

That I felt, when I heard it, quite cut to the heart.

But now to proceed, Sire, the Leopard21 I vote,

Be razed from our list, with that ugly old Goat,22

Who in youth made such terrible use of his jaws,

That I dread, I confess, e’en the sight of his claws;

And as to his muscles, ’tis said that when counted,

To four thousand and just forty-one they amounted;

Of Musk too, I’m told, he sheds such perfume,

That wherever he goes, he fills the whole room.

Exclude him we will, with the old Dromedary,23

The Elephant24 cunning, and Fox25 too, so wary,

That though I don’t know it for certain, I’m told

They cheat at Ecarté, like Hermes of old.

The Ghost26 and Death’s head,27 and that terrible host,

Would but scare all the guests”—Here the Emperor lost,

For a moment, his patience, and cried to his spouse,

“If thus you proceed, ma’am, my anger you’ll rouse.

Like th’ Egyptians of old, I’ll have at my feast

A figure of death, or his cross-bones at least,

To remind all our guests of the limited span

That to moths is allotted, as well as to man,

And how e’en in the midst of enjoyment’s gay hour,

We are still in death’s stern and inflexible power.

So let them have cards, and I’ll go and prepare

For receiving our friends, the best possible fare.”

The Monarch then went with the Eyed Hawk,28 his scout,

To search for a spot fit for giving his rout;

A green ring he found, the work of a fairy,

And thinking it looked both commodious and airy,

He called to him Brimstone29 to measure the ground,

For another Geometra30 could not be found;

Of this workman he knew the correctness full well,

What he wrought was as nice as if done by a spell.

The spot was judged proper, and erected in haste

Were some well fashioned rooms, which displayed his good taste.

Carpet Moths 31 were appointed to stencil the floor,

The Clothes Moths32 with gossamer covered the door;

Mahogany 33 and Wainscot34 were neither deficient

In offering their aid, which proved most efficient,

While Veneers,35 both rosy and yellow, were able

T’improve, by their help, the decayed supper table.

For the crockery, China Mark36 promised to strive,

And Galleria37 offered to steal from a hive,

Profusion of honey; Pinguinalis38 brought butter,

And with wax Cereana39 came all in a flutter.

These presents the Emperor gladly accepted,

Save Galleria’s theft, which with scorn was rejected,

So little do moths of great minds patronise

The base who by fraud or extortion would rise.

In the mean time the Empress her Swifts40 had sent out

To deliver the cards for this elegant rout.

Puss 41 sent an excuse, with the Kitten42 engaged,

And the Eggar,43 poor lady, was highly enraged

That her numerous offspring requiring her care,

Prevented her joining a party so rare.

The Burnets,44 Brown Pinioned,45 the Dingy Brocades,46

The Black Raven Feather,47 and sweet Angle Shades,48

Had promised that day with the Tussock49 to dine,

A lady of fashion, whose hour was nine;

But when they received their dread sovereign’s command,

They yielded to custom’s imperious demand,

For moths with us mortals in this do agree,

That all parties must bow to a monarch’s decree.

Lady Lappet50 being ill, the Poplar Lutestring51

The two Misses Nonpareil52 promised to bring;

And the Spectacle Moth,53 too near sighted to go,

Sent his ward the Bright Eye,54 with the Flame Furbelow,55

Whose young lover, the beautiful, brave Unicorn,56

Had been shot in a duel with the Red Striped Hawthorn.57

Not quite fit to appear, the gallant Swallow Tail58

At the doctors with anger continued to rail,

He having been lamed by the awkward Bulrush,59

To the serious alarm of the fair Maiden’s Blush.60

The day now arrived, and at nine of the night,

The glow-worm being hired the highways to light,

The guests ’gan to assemble, and each was announced

By the Herald,61 who loudly their names all pronounced.

The Ermine,62 a lady of noble degree,

Introduced a long train of her large family;

Some in Muslin,63 some Satin,64 were chastely arrayed,

While the Emerald,65 the Pearl,66 and the Mocha67 displayed

Their jewels so costly, that poor Burnished Brass68

Unnoticed was suffered the evening to pass.

From the banks of the Niger the Blackamoor69 brought

A fat Moor,70 who presented a Tyger71 just caught;

An old Gentlewoman72 had promised to bring

A musical Miss, who divinely could sing,

But whose fair head, no larger than that of a Dot,73

Was filled with the thought of a True Lover’s Knot;74

So she hem’d and she ha’d, then unblushingly told,

How she caught as she came a most violent cold,

And felt such oppression and pain in her throat,