“Martin in this has proved himself a very good man!”
—Boxiana.
1.
How many sing of wars,
Of Greek and Trojan jars —
The butcheries of men!
The Muse1 hath a “Perpetual Ruby2 Pen!”
Dabbling3 with heroes and the blood they spill;
But no one sings the man
That, like a pelican4,
Nourishes Pity with his tender Bill!
2.
Thou Wilberforce of hacks5!
Of whites as well as blacks,
Pyebald and dapple gray,
Chestnut7 and bay —
No poet’s eulogy8 thy name adorns9!
But oxen, from the fens10,
Sheep — in their pens,
Praise thee, and red cows with their winding11 horns!
Thou art sung on brutal12 pipes!
Drovers may curse thee,
Knackers asperse14 thee,
And sly M.P.‘s bestow15 their cruel wipes;
But the old horse neighs thee,
And zebras praise thee —
Asses16, I mean — that have as many stripes!
3.
Hast thou not taught the Drover to forbear,
In Smithfield’s muddy, murderous, vile17 environ —
Staying his lifted bludgeon in the air!
Bullocks don’t wear
Oxide18 of iron!
The cruel Jarvy thou hast summon’d oft,
Enforcing mercy on the coarse Yahoo,
That thought his horse the courser of the two —
Whilst Swift smiled down aloft! —
O worthy19 pair! for this, when ye inhabit
Bodies of birds —(if so the spirit shifts
From flesh to feather)— when the clown uplifts
His hands against the sparrow’s nest, to grab it —
He shall not harm the MARTINS and the Swifts!
4.
Ah! when Dean Swift was quick, how he enhanc’d
The horse! — and humbled20 biped man like Plato!
But now he’s dead, the charger is mischanc’d —
Gone backward in the world — and not advanc’d —
Remember Cato!
Swift was the horse’s champion — not the King’s,
Whom Southey sings,
Mounted on Pegasus — would he were thrown!
He’ll wear that ancient hackney to the bone,
Like a mere21 clothes-horse airing royal things!
Ah well-a-day! the ancients did not use
Their steeds so cruelly! — let it debar men
From wanton rowelling and whip’s abuse —
Look at the ancients’ Muse!
Look at their Carmen!
5.
O, Martin I how thine eyes —
That one would think had put aside its lashes22 —
That can’t bear gashes23
Thro’ any horse’s side, must ache to spy
That horrid25 window fronting Fetter-lane —
For there’s a nag26 the crows have pick’d for victual,
Or some man painted in a bloody27 vein28 —
Gods! is there no Horse-spital!
That such raw shows must sicken the humane29!
Sure Mr. Whittle30
Loves thee but little,
To let that poor horse linger in his pane31!
6.
O build a Brookes’s Theatre for horses!
O wipe away the national reproach —
And find a decent Vulture for their corses!
And in thy funeral track
Four sorry steeds shall follow in each coach!
Steeds that confess “the luxury of wo!”
True mourning steeds, in no extempore black,
And many a wretched hack6
Shall sorrow for thee — sore with kick and blow
And bloody gash24 — it is the Indian knack13 —
(Save that the savage32 is his own tormentor)—
Banting shall weep too in his sable33 scarf —
The biped woe34 the quadruped shall enter,
And Man and Horse go half and half,
As if their griefs met in a common Centaur35!
点击收听单词发音
1 muse | |
n.缪斯(希腊神话中的女神),创作灵感 | |
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2 ruby | |
n.红宝石,红宝石色 | |
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3 dabbling | |
v.涉猎( dabble的现在分词 );涉足;浅尝;少量投资 | |
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4 pelican | |
n.鹈鹕,伽蓝鸟 | |
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5 hacks | |
黑客 | |
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6 hack | |
n.劈,砍,出租马车;v.劈,砍,干咳 | |
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7 chestnut | |
n.栗树,栗子 | |
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8 eulogy | |
n.颂词;颂扬 | |
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9 adorns | |
装饰,佩带( adorn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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10 fens | |
n.(尤指英格兰东部的)沼泽地带( fen的名词复数 ) | |
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11 winding | |
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 | |
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12 brutal | |
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的 | |
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13 knack | |
n.诀窍,做事情的灵巧的,便利的方法 | |
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14 asperse | |
v.流言;n.流言 | |
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15 bestow | |
v.把…赠与,把…授予;花费 | |
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16 asses | |
n. 驴,愚蠢的人,臀部 adv. (常用作后置)用于贬损或骂人 | |
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17 vile | |
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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18 oxide | |
n.氧化物 | |
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19 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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20 humbled | |
adj. 卑下的,谦逊的,粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下,贬低 | |
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21 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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22 lashes | |
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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23 gashes | |
n.深长的切口(或伤口)( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤,割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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24 gash | |
v.深切,划开;n.(深长的)切(伤)口;裂缝 | |
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25 horrid | |
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的 | |
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26 nag | |
v.(对…)不停地唠叨;n.爱唠叨的人 | |
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27 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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28 vein | |
n.血管,静脉;叶脉,纹理;情绪;vt.使成脉络 | |
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29 humane | |
adj.人道的,富有同情心的 | |
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30 whittle | |
v.削(木头),削减;n.屠刀 | |
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31 pane | |
n.窗格玻璃,长方块 | |
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32 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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33 sable | |
n.黑貂;adj.黑色的 | |
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34 woe | |
n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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35 centaur | |
n.人首马身的怪物 | |
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