XLI. THAT OF THE LADIES OF ASCENSION ISLAND.

 On the Island of Ascension

There are only ladies ten,

The remaining population

Being officers or men.

"Dear me!" I hear you saying,

"How united they must be!"

But in this you'd be mistaken,

As you'll very quickly see.

For each lady on the Island

Thinks she ought to take the lead

In social matters, and on this

They're not at all agreed.

And Mrs. Smith's told Mrs. Brown

She thinks her most absurd,

While others cut each other dead

And don't exchange a word.

 

This state of thing's been going on

They tell me year by year,

And the husbands have grown tired of it

As we should do I fear;

For connubial¹ felicity

Is doomed², if all our lives

Are spent in listening to the faults

Of other people's wives.

Quite recently a steamer called

For cinnamon and spice,

And her Captain and the officers

Were asked for their advice.

They gave it promptly³. It was this—

"'Twere better you agreed,

In social matters, just to let

The eldest⁴ lady lead."

 

They tried it. But—good gracious!

They are worse off than before,

For every lady in the place

Is firm upon that score.

Impossible it is that age

Shall be the final test,

For every one insists that she

Is younger than the rest!

1 connubial   

adj.婚姻的，夫妇的

参考例句：

• She had brought about danger to Edward's connubial happiness.她已经给爱德华幸福的婚姻带来危险。
• Hogan told me he had tasted the joys of connubial bliss.霍根告诉我他已经尝到了比翼双飞的快乐。

2 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。

3 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

4 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。