X. THAT OF MONSIEUR ALPHONSE VERT.

 Your Mistair Rudyar' Kipling say

Ze cricquette man is "flannel¹ fool."

Ah! oui! Très bon! I say so too,

Since Mastair Jack², enfant at school,

He show me how to play ze same.

I like it not—ze cricquette game.

My name is Monsieur Alphonse Vert

(You call him in ze English "Green");

I go to learn ze English tongue,

And lodge³ myself at Ealing Dean

In family of Mistair Brown,

Who has affaire each day "in town."

Miss Angelina Brown she is

Très charmante—what you call "so pretty";

I walk and talk wiz her sometimes

When Mr. Brown go to ze City;

I fall in love (pardon zese tears)

All over head, all over ears.

I buy her books, and flowers (bouquet),

And tickets for la matinée,

And to ze cricquette match we go,

Hélas! upon one Saturday.

To me she speak zere not at all.

But watch ze men, and watch ze ball.

Ze cricquette men zey run, zey bat,

Zey throw ze ball, zey catch, zey shout;

And Angelina clap her hands.

Vot for, I know not, all about,

And in myself I say "Ah! oui!

I too a cricquette man shall be."

To Angelina's brother Jack

(His name is also Mastair Brown)

I say, "Come, teach me cricquette match,

And I will give you half-a-crown."

Jack say, "My eye!" (in French mes yeux)[1]

"Oh! what a treat!" (in French c'est beau).

After, to Ealing Common we

Go out, with "wicquette" and with "ball,"

And what Jack calls a "cricquette-bat."

(Zese tings I do not know at all;

But Angelina I would catch,

So "Allons! Vive la cricquette match!")

 

I hold ze "bat," Jack hold ze "ball."

"Now zen! Look out!" I hear him cry.

I drop ze "bat," I look about;

Ze ball—he hit me in ze eye."

I cry, "Parbleu!" Ze stars I see.

I think it is "all up" wiz me.

I try again. Ze "ball" is hard.

I catch him two times—on ze nose.

I run, I fall, I hurt my arm,

I spoil my new white flannel clothes,

In every part I'm bruised⁴ and sore,

So cricquette match I play no more.

 

I change my clothes, I patch my eye,

I tie my nose up in a sling⁵,

And to Miss Angelina Brown

Myself and all my woes⁶ I bring.

"Ah, see," I cry, "how love can make

Alphonse a hero for thy sake."

But Angelina laugh and laugh,

And say, "I know it isn't right

To laugh; but you must please forgive

Me. You look such a fright!"

And next day Jack say, "I say, Bones,

My sister's going to marry Jones."

1.  Frenchmen could never make these two words rhyme—but Englishmen can.

I've heard 'em. G. E. F.

1 flannel   

n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服

参考例句：

• She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。
• She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

4 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

5 sling   

vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓

参考例句：

• The boy discharged a stone from a sling.这个男孩用弹弓射石头。
• By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。

6 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。