A Plain Direction.

“Do you never deviate¹?”

John Bull.

In London once I lost my way

In faring to and fro,

And ask’d a little ragged² boy

The way that I should go;

He gave a nod, and then a wink³,

And told me to get there

“Straight down the Crooked⁴ Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I box’d his little saucy⁵ ears,

And then away I strode;

But since I’ve found that weary path

Is quite a common road.

Utopia is a pleasant place,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I’ve read about a famous town

That drove a famous trade,

Where Whittington walk’d up and found

A fortune ready made.

The very streets are paved with gold;

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I’ve read about a Fairy Land,

In some romantic tale,

Where Dwarfs⁶ if good are sure to thrive

And wicked Giants fail.

My wish is great, my shoes are strong,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I’ve heard about some happy Isle⁷,

Where ev’ry man is free,

And none can lie in bonds for life

For want of L. S. D.

Oh that’s the land of Liberty!

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square,”

I’ve dreamt about some blessed spot,

Beneath the blessed sky,

Where Bread and Justice never rise

Too dear for folks to buy.

It’s cheaper than the Ward⁸ of Cheap,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

They say there is an ancient House,

As pure as it is old,

Where Members always speak their minds

And votes are never sold.

I’m fond of all antiquities⁹,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

They say there is a Royal Court

Maintain’d in noble state,

Where ev’ry able man, and good,

Is certain to be great!

I’m very fond of seeing sights,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

They say there is a Temple too,

Where Christians¹⁰ come to pray;

But canting knaves¹¹ and hypocrites,

And bigots keep away.

Oh that’s the parish church for me!

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

They say there is a Garden fair,

That’s haunted by the dove,

Where love of gold doth ne’er eclipse

The golden light of love —

The place must be a Paradise,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I’ve heard there is a famous Land

For public spirit known —

Whose Patriots¹² love its interests

Much better than their own.

The Land of Promise sure it is!

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I’ve read about a fine Estate,

A Mansion¹³ large and strong;

A view all over Kent and back,

And going for a song.

George Robins¹⁴ knows the very spot,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I’ve heard there is a Company

All formal and enroll’d,

Will take your smallest silver coin

And give it back in gold.

Of course the office door is mobb’d,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

I’ve heard about a pleasant Land,

Where omelettes grow on trees,

And roasted pigs run crying out,

“Come eat me, if you please.”

My appetite is rather keen,

But how shall I get there?

“Straight down the Crooked Lane,

And all round the Square.”

1 deviate   

v.(from)背离，偏离

参考例句：

• Don't deviate from major issues.不要偏离主要问题。
• I will never deviate from what I believe to be right.我绝不背离我自信正确的道路。

2 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

3 wink   

n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁

参考例句：

• He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
• The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间，那颗卫星就消失了。

4 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

5 saucy   

adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的

参考例句：

• He was saucy and mischievous when he was working.他工作时总爱调皮捣蛋。
• It was saucy of you to contradict your father.你顶撞父亲，真是无礼。

6 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

9 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

10 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

11 knaves   

n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克

参考例句：

• Give knaves an inch and they will take a yard. 我一日三餐都吃得很丰盛。 来自互联网
• Knaves and robbers can obtain only what was before possessed by others. 流氓、窃贼只能攫取原先由别人占有的财富。 来自互联网

12 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

13 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

14 robins   

n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书）

参考例句：

• The robins occupied their former nest. 那些知更鸟占了它们的老窝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Benjamin Robins then entered the fray with articles and a book. 而后，Benjamin Robins以他的几篇专论和一本书参加争论。 来自辞典例句