XXXV. THAT OF THE ARTIST AND THE MOTOR-CAR.

 (Tragedy.)

 

There lived an artist,

Not unknown to fame—

Wild horses wouldn't

Drag from me his name.

Besides, it doesn't matter,—not a bit,—

It is sufficient, painting was his lit-

Tle game.

He copied Turner-

Esque effects with ease,

And painted cattle,—

Miniatures,—or seas;

Yet found some difficulty, I've heard said,

In making both ends meat, (or even bread,

And cheese).

He sat one day with-

In his stu-di-o,

Grieving that times were

Bad, and prices low,

When, suddenly, this thought occurred to him,

(Of course, 'twas but a fancy, or a whim¹,

You know):

"How strange 'twould be if

What I painted here

Upon the canvas

Really should appear!

I wish it would, and then remain for good.

Upon my word, ha-ha! I say! That would

Be queer!"

No sooner had the                    

Thought occurred to him

Than round and round the

Studio seemed to swim.

A fairy voice declared: "On your behalf

The wish is granted!" then "Ha! ha!" ('Twas laugh-

Ter grim.)

"Absurd," the artist

Cried. "Of course, there are

No fairies now; we're

Too advanced by far

To think it; still, with just a line or so

Upon the canvas here, I'll draw a mo-

Tor-car."

 

He drew, and scarce had

Finished it before

His servant knocked. (Up-

On her face she wore

A puzzled look.) "Sir, here's your coat and hat,

And, if you please, your motor-car is at

The door!"

The artist hardly

Could believe his eyes,

For what he saw quite

Filled him with surprise:

There stood the very motor-car he'd meant,

In make, and pattern, most convenient,

And size.

"Well! as it's here, I'll

Use the thing," he cried.

(Indeed, what was there

To be done beside?)

So, watched by quite a crowd about the door,

He turned the crank, and off he started for

A ride.

On went the motor-

Car, on—"pop-pop-pop!"—

On through the streets, and

On past house and shop,

Through country lanes, and over hill and dell,

Delightfully,—until he thought it well

To stop.

But stop he couldn't,

Try whate'er he would—

He hadn't drawn² quite

Everything he should;

Some little crank, or something, he'd not done,

Because the mechanism³ he'd not un-

Derstood.

Result? Poor fellow!

To this day, he flies

Along the roads, with

Starting eyes, and cries

For help—which nobody can give him, for

He's doomed⁴ to ride until the thing busts⁵, or—

He dies.

1 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

4 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

5 busts   

半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕

参考例句：

• Dey bags swells up and busts. 那奶袋快胀破了。
• Marble busts all looked like a cemetery. 大理石的半身象，简直就象是坟山。