MUSIC'S POWER.

Music hath pow'r over all the world:

By the old and young 'tis prized.

'Tis loved by the great, 'tis loved by the small,

And by the middle-sized.

Music hath pow'r o'er the warrior stern,

In days of repose or of strife.

In battle, the bagpipe is passing sweet:

In peace, the drum and fife.

Music hath pow'r over ladye fair,

When stars thro' heav'n are straying;

And under her window her own true-love

On the hurdy-gurdy's playing.

Music hath power in the morn of life:

A pow'r not unfelt by any one.

No trumpet e'er sounds, in after-days,

So sweetly as youth's penny one.

Music hath pow'r in age to recall

Sweet thoughts of youth and home.

Oh! how my heart-strings crack to hear

A boy blow thro' a comb!

Music hath pow'r over shepherd and swain,

As, at eve, when the wood-dove moans,

He softly soothes his soul to repose

With the jew's-harp's tender tones.

Music hath pow'r in the solemn aisles,

A deep and a holy charm:

When the clerk, with a pitch-pipe symphony,

Strikes up the hundredth psalm.

Music hath pow'r in the Thespian halls:

I've been where thousands sate,

And heard a thousand pæans rise

To welcome "All round my hat."

Music hath pow'r in the city's din.

How passing sweet to list,

Amid the busy hum of men,

To the barrel-organist.

Music hath pow'r in the forum's walls,

'Mid the gay and giddy throng.

Oh! is there a heart that has not beat high

At the magic sound of the gong?

Music hath pow'r on the bright, blue lake.

Oh! how on _thy_ lake, Geneva,

I've listen'd at eve to the far-off sound

Of the marrow-bone and cleaver!

Music hath pow'r on Hybla's hill,

When summer bees are humming;

And fair hands charm the insect band,

On frying-pan sweetly strumming.

Music hath pow'r when lady lips

Chant forth some simple ditty

Of blighted hope or hapless love:—

Providing the lady's pretty.

Music hath pow'r at morn's bright hour,

When the lark to heav'n's gate climbs.

And, at midnight, how sweet to hear "King Cole"

Play'd on the parish chimes!

Music hath pow'r 'neath the torrid zone,

Where love in his ardour is found;

And the heart of the Indian melts

At the tom-tom's am'rous sound.

Music hath pow'r on Greenland's ice;

When guileless hearts grow gladder,

And nimble feet rejoice at the sound

Of a dozen peas in a bladder.

Music hath pow'r over brutish hearts,

To shake them to their middle.

The nightingale dies on the poet's lute;

And a bear will dance to a fiddle.

Yes: music hath power o'er the wide, wide, world:

A power that's deep and endearing.

But music now has no power on me,

For I'm very hard of hearing.

[Illustration:

DECEMBER.—Christmas Eve.

]

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────┐

│ DECEMBER. │ [1837.│

├──┬────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────┤

│ │"Last scene of all," that ends the year, │

│ │And ushers in brave Christmas cheer, │

│ │Come, deckt as thou wert wont to be, │

│ │In festive smiles and revelry, │

│ │With roasted beef and minced pies, │

│ │And pudding of gigantic size! │

│ │Fit emblem of our wealth's vast sum; │

│ │I'd be contented with a _plum_. │

├──┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────┤

│D.│ =Great Events and Odd Matters.= │ _Prognosti- │

│ │ │ fications._ │

├──┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────┤

│ 1│ │ │

│ │ │ │

│ 2│ A RISING GENIUS. │ about │

│ │ │ │

│ 3│_Timothy Sly's own Epistle (not the Master's)._ │ which time, │

│ │ │ │

│ 4│DEAR DICK,—I copied my school letter to │ ⚹ ♒ ☿ │

│ │Father and Mother ten times before one was good │ │

│ 5│enough, and while the teacher is putting the │ many │

│ │ capitals │ │

│ │and flourishes in I shall slip this off on the │ │

│ │ sly. │ │

│ 6│Our examination was yesterday and the table was │ aldermen │

│ │covered with books and things bound in gilt and │ │

│ │ silk │ │

│ 7│for prizes but were all put away again and none │ will be │

│ │ of us │ │

│ │got none only they awarded Master Key a new │ │

│ │ fourpenny │ │

│ 8│bit for his essay on Locke because his friends │ hung in │

│ │ live │ │

│ │next door and little Coombe got the tooth-ake so│ │

│ │ they │ │

│ 9│would not let him try his experiments on vital │ chains; │

│ │ air │ │

│ │which was very scurvy. It didnt come to my turn │ │

│ │ so I │ │

│10│did not get a prize but as the company was to │ │

│ │ stop │ │

│ │tea I put the cat in the water butt which they │ ☽ ♀ ♊ ♍ │

│ │ clean │ │

│11│it out in the holidays and they will be sure to │ │

│ │ find │ │

│ │her and we were all treated with tea and I did │ a dreadful │

│ │ not │ │

│12│like to refuse as they might have suspext │ │

│ │ something. │ │

│ │Last night we had a stocking and bolster fight │ doom! │

│ │ after │ │

│13│we went to bed and I fougt a little lad with a │ │

│ │ big │ │

│ │bolster his name is Bill Barnacle and I knocked │ │

│ │ his │ │

│14│eye out with a stone in my stocking but no body │ ♂ ☽ ☌ ♏ │

│ │ knows │ │

│ │who did it because we were all in the dark so I │ │

│ │ could │ │

│15│not see no harm in it. Dear Dick send me │ │

│ │ directly │ │

│ │your Wattses Hyms to show for I burnt mine and a│ but not │

│ │ lump │ │

│16│of cobblers wax for the masters chair on │ │

│ │ breaking up │ │

│ │day and some small shot to pepper the people │ so dreadful │

│ │ with │ │

│17│my quill gun and eighteen pence in coppers to │ │

│ │ shy │ │

│ │at the windows as we ride through the villiage │ │

│ │ and │ │

│18│make it one and ninepence for there's a good │ ♏ ⚹ │

│ │ many │ │

│ │as Ive a spite against yourself and meet me at │ │

│ │ the │ │

│19│Elephant and Castle and if there's room on the │ │

│ │ coach │ │

│ │you can get up for I want to give you some │ as │

│ │ crackers │ │

│20│to let off as soon as we get home while they are│ │

│ │ all │ │

│ │a Kissing of me │ their final │

│21│ │ │

│ │ Your affectionate brother │ sentence, │

│22│ │ │

│ │ TIMOTHY SLY.│ _viz._ │

│23│ │ │

│ │ │ │

│24│ │ ♄ ♃ ♂ ☉ │

│ │ │ │

│25│CHRISTMAS DAY. Grand Council of _Nice_. │ │

│ │ │ to be │

│26│ │ │

│ │ │ │

│27│ │anthropophagized,│

│ │ │ │

│28│INNOCENTS. _Lamb's_ Holiday. Celebration of Lord│ │

│ │ Melbourne's acquittal. │ │

│ │ │ │

│29│ │ ♄ ♐ ♎ │

│ │ │ │

│30│ [Illustration] │ or │

│ │ │ │

│31│_Silvester_ (Daggerwood?) │ devoured! │

└──┴────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────┘

The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and Oddities · 第 60 / 458 题