HOOD’S OWN: OR, LAUGHTER FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

 
THE ISLE¹ OF MAN.
THE BOY AT THE NORE.
“Alone I did it!—Boy!”—CORIOLANUS.
I SAY, little Boy at the Nore,
Do you come from the small Isle of Man?
Why, your history a mystery must be,—
Come tell us as much as you can,
Little Boy at the Nore!
[Pg 2]
You live it seems wholly on water,
Which your Gambier calls living in clover;—
But how comes it, if that is the case,
You’re eternally half seas over,—
Little Boy at the Nore?
While you ride—while you dance—while you float—
Never mind your imperfect orthography;—
But give us as well as you can,
Your watery² auto-biography,
Little Boy at the Nore!
LITTLE BOY AT THE NORE LOQUITUR.
I’m the tight little Boy at the Nore,
In a sort of sea negus I dwells;
Half and half ’twixt saltwater and Port,
I’m reckon’d the first of the swells—
I’m the Boy at the Nore!
I lives with my toes to the flounders,
And watches through long days and nights;
Yet, cruelly eager, men look—
To catch the first glimpse of my lights—
I’m the Boy at the Nore.
I never gets cold in the head,
So my life on salt water is sweet,—
I think I owes much of my health
To being well used to wet feet—
As the Boy at the Nore.
There’s one thing, I’m never in debt:
Nay³!—I liquidates⁴ more than I oughtor[1];
So the man to beat Cits as goes by,
In keeping the head above water,
Is the Boy at the Nore.
[Pg 3]
I’ve seen a good deal of distress⁵,
Lots of Breakers in Ocean’s Gazette;
They should do as I do—rise o’er all;
Aye, a good floating capital get,
Like the Boy at the Nore!
 
THE BUOY⁶ AT THE NORE.
I’m a’ter the sailor’s own heart,
And cheers him, in deep water rolling;
And the friend of all friends to Jack⁷ Junk,
Ben Backstay, Tom Pipes, and Tom Bowling⁸,
Is the Boy at the Nore!
Could I e’er but grow up, I’d be off
For a week to make love with my wheedles⁹;
If the tight little Boy at the Nore
Could but catch a nice girl at the Needles,
We’d have two at the Nore!
[Pg 4]
They thinks little of sizes on water,
On big waves the tiny one skulks,—
While the river has Men of War on it—
Yes—the Thames is oppress’d with great Hulks,
And the Boy’s at the Nore!
But I’ve done—for the water is heaving
Round my body, as though it would sink it!
And I’ve been so long pitching and tossing,
That sea-sick—you’d hardly now think it—
Is the Boy at the Nore!
 
AS SAFE AS THE BANK.
[1]
A word caught from some American Trader in passing.

1 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

2 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

3 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

4 liquidates   

n.清算( liquidate的名词复数 )；清除（某人）；清偿；变卖v.清算( liquidate的第三人称单数 )；清除（某人）；清偿；变卖

参考例句：

5 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

6 buoy   

n.浮标；救生圈；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The party did little to buoy up her spirits.这次聚会并没有让她振作多少。
• The buoy floated back and forth in the shallow water.这个浮标在浅水里漂来漂去。

7 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。

8 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

9 wheedles   

v.骗取（某物），哄骗（某人干某事）( wheedle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：