A PARODY UPON "EXCELSIOR,"

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 166, 19 February 1878, Page 3

A PARODY UPON "EXCELSIOR,"

An American paper gives the following plain English version of " Excelsior : " — The shadows of night were a comin' down swift, And the dazzlin' snow lay drift on drift, As thro' a village a youth did go, A carryin' a flag with this motto— Higher! O'er a forehead high curled copious hair, His nose a Roman, complexion fair, O'er an eagle eye an auburn lash, And he never stopped shoutin' thro' his mustache— Higher! He saw thro' the windows as he kept gettin' upper A number of families sittin' at supper, But he eyed the slippery rocks very keen, And fled as he cried, and cried while a fleein' — Higher! " Take care, you there !" said an old woman, " stop! It's blowin' gales up there on top— You'll tumble off on t'other side 1" But the hurryin' stranger loud replied, Higher! " Oh! don't you go up such a shocking night. Come sleep on my lap, said a maiden bright. On his Roman nose a tear-drop come, But still he remarked, as he upward clomb, Higher! " Look out for the branch of that sycamore tree, Dodge rollin' stones, if any you see!" Sayin' which, the farmer went home to bed, And the singular voice replied overhead, Higher! About quarter past six the next afternoon, A man accidentally goin' up, soon Heard spoken above him as often as twice, The very same word in a very week voice, Higher! And not far, I believe, from quarter of .seven — He was slowly gettin' up, the road bein'

uneven— Found the stranger dead in the drifted snow, Still elutchin' the flag with the motto — Higher! Yes ! lifeless, defunct, without any doubt, The lamp of his being decidedly out, On the dreary hillside the youth was a lay in'! And there was no more use for him to be sayin' Higher!