Select Poetry.

Colonist, Issue 29, 29 January 1858, Page 4

Select Poetry.

THE SONG OF THE HOUSE, : (From Punch;) With patience threadbare worn, With eyelids heavy as lead, A Member sat in the Commons' House When he ought to have been in bed. Sit! sit! sit!

In dog-dayß, small hours, and frowse, And as his place he could'nt quit, He sang the song of the House.

"Talk! talk! talk! " In the morning from twelve till four! "Andtalk! talk! talk! " At evening for eight hours more! " It's, oh to be a slave " At words instead of work, " With Gladstone and Pam for Fox and Pitt, " And Bethell instead of Burke!

" Talk! talk! talk! " Till the painted windows swim; "T,alk-! talk!.talk! " Till the lights in the roof wax dim ! " Clause and, section and line— ■ " Line arid section and clause— " Till on the1 benches we fall asleep, " And dream of making laws.

" Oh, men, with incomes clear, ", Oh, men, with houses and wives, " What fools we are to be stewing here, " When we mightlead easy lives! "Stick"! stick! stick! " In the stench of the bone-boilers' dirt ; 11 To hear Gladstone's taunts at Bethell, «'And Bethell's rcjoindefs^pert !"

"Talk! talk! talk! " Our labour lasts night and day; " And what are its wages—nothing a-year, " And election bills to pay; " The right to stand on this matted floor, " The right to address that, chair, " And The Times a blank—for I'm not of the rank " To be'reported there.

"SitJ sit! sit!

" From weary chime to chime; "Sit! sit!.sit!

" And to miss a division's a crime. " Amend, divide, and report— " Kepoit, divide, and amend-* 11 Till each section's a riddle, the Act a.- '"" " And a muddle from end to end.

"Talk! talk'! talk! ■" In the blazing midsummer light; 11 Talk! talk! talk! " Through the sweltering midsummer night " WhUe au about the House V The bone-boilers' odours cling, " To mock us faith'dreams of heathery hilla "Where the grouse are on the wing!

41 Oh! but to breathe the breath' " Of the heather and gorse so sweet, " With my wide-awake on my head, " And my luncheon at my feet I 11 For only one short hour " To feel as I used to feel, " After a morning's blaze at the birds, " For an appetite for my meal!"

With patience threadbare worn, : With eyelids heavy as lead, A Member sat in the Commons' House When he fain would have been in bed, Sit! sit! sit! .In dog-days, email hours and frowse, And as the debate he couldn't quit, He tried to make the best of it, By singing the Song of the House!