Hip, hip, huzza!
For Merry May!
More dear than tongues can tell,
To ev'ry child of Phœbus,—and
Of Lancaster and Bell.
Lay by your books:
Let anxious looks
Give place to mirth and smiles.
Come, come, my lads, put up your _slates_,
And run and fetch your _tiles_!
Now off they go,
Dick, Tom, and Joe,
Just like a pack of hounds;
With vicar, crier, and beadle too,
To beat the parish bounds.
Away, away,
By bank and brae,
By footway and by highway:
Each lane a Lad-lane now becomes,
And ev'ry way a Boy-way.
At ev'ry well
Their notes they swell,—
One's in the water thrown;
Where he this moral lesson learns:—
"Always let _well_ alone."
And then at night,
Oh! what delight
To hear the pipes of Pan!
And see the old connexion still
Kept up 'twixt _May_ and _Can_!
While maidens bound
The May-pole round,
With hearts and footsteps light:
And near the _Pole_ a _booth_ is found,
A _Boothia Felix_ quite.
At least 'twas so
Some years ago,
Ere wisdom oped our eyes;
And farthing folks, with penny mags,
Made people penny wise.
But, nowadays,
We've no such Mays:
Unpluck'd now blows the hawthorn.
A May-pole I no more can find
Than Parry can the _northern_.
Our Johnny raws
Read Newton's laws,
All merriment unheeding;
And, poring over the _Laws of Light_,
Imagine it light reading.
Yet still, sweet May,
To me thou'rt gay;
My pleasure and my pride!
I love thy vi'lets, daffodils,
Daisies,—and pigeons—pied!
I love thy flow'rs,
And shady bow'rs;
Thy mountains and thy vales.
I love thy _morning breezes_, and
I love thy _nightingales_!
Then, hip! huzza!
For Merry May!
We'll banish care and fear;
And sing and dance from _day_ to _day_,
And laugh from _ear_ to _ear_!
[Illustration:
JUNE.—Haymaking.
]
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────┐
│ JUNE. │ [1837.│
├──┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────┤
│ │Pattern of patience,—placid punter,—say, │
│ │ Since early dawn, when thou didst take thy stand, │
│ │How many nibbles hast thou had? I pray,— │
│ │ How many minnows hast thou brought to land? │
│ │Not one!—yet comfort thee, Piscator bold; │
│ │One thing, at least, you're sure to catch,—_a cold_! │
├──┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────┤
│D.│ =Great Events and Odd Matters.= │_Prognosti- │
│ │ │fications._ │
├──┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ 1│ │ Crib │
│ │[Illustration] │ │
│ 2│ │ squaring │
│ │ │ │
│ 3│Transit of Venus. A ship-load of Vestals consigned to│ to Gully │
│ │ Van Diemen's land. │ │
│ │ │ │
│ 4│ │ ☍ □ ♂ ☉ │
│ │ │ │
│ 5│ │ had a more │
│ │[Illustration] │ │
│ 6│ │ sinster │
│ │ │ │
│ 7│ │aspect than │
│ │ │ │
│ 8│Sun rises 3 h. 48 m. │ Mercury │
│ │ │ │
│ 9│ I wish _my_ Son would rise as soon, │squaring to │
│ │ To breathe the balmy air of June,— │ │
│10│ The lazy dog! │ Mars? │
│ │ Not snoring half his hours away, │ │
│11│ Lie like a torpid lump of clay, │ ♎ ♃ ☿ │
│ │ Or old King Log. │ │
│12│ To rouse the sluggard from his nest, │ Then, │
│ │ I've all things tried, and done my │ │
│ │ best,— │ │
│13│ The prig! │as touching │
│ │ I've stripped the clothes, in hopes │ │
│ │ he'd mend; │ │
│14│ I've given him strap,—a thick rope's │ THE │
│ │ end,— │ │
│ │ Cold pig! │ │
│15│ In vain!—There lies the stupid clown, │ WEATHER │
│ │ As if the Night Mare held him down. │ │
│16│ │ ♈ ☍ │
│ │ │ │
│17│ │what better │
│ │ │ │
│18│Battle of Waterloo. _Lobsters_ in [Illustration]│ │
│ │ season. │ │
│ │ │ index │
│19│ │ │
│ │ [Illustration] │ │
│20│ │ need we of │
│ │ │ │
│21│Daniel Lambert died. Grand Diet of _Worms_. │ ♂ ☉ ♉ ♋ │
│ │ │ │
│22│[Illustration] The grave-digger fled, all a-shiv'ring│ its │
│ │ and shaking, │ │
│ │ For old Mother Earth she cried, │ │
│23│ With a terrible groan: "Why the deuce │evershifting│
│ │ are you making │ │
│ │ This precious big hole in my side!" │ │
│24│ │ ♊ ♒ △ │
│ │ │ │
│25│QUARTER DAY. Moon hides behind a cloud, for fear of │ variable │
│ │ being shot. │ │
│ │ │ │
│26│ │ variations │
│ │ │ │
│27│ │ ☿ □ ☊ ♍ │
│ │ │ than the │
│28│ Ha! my lad, you've caught a Tartar, │countenance │
│ │ Landlords never give _no quarter_. │ │
│29│ │ of │
│ │ │ │
│30│ │ Spouse? │
└──┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────┘