Any time you have loose ballots, you have to worry about shenanigans. It's a shame such a hard-fought election has to come down to something like this.
quote by David Axelrod
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
Wish List (votes for sale)
It’s election time again
Picture postcards in the mail
Election time again
On every campaign trail
Election time, election time, election time
It’s election time,
A photo opportunity everywhere
Yes election time,
Cleaner streets and cleaner air,
Election time, election time, election time
In every seat across the nation
Never seen so much enthusiasm
So many nice people wanting to shake my hand
Tell me they’ll do all they can
To fill my wish list
It’s election time,
And they’re all promising to do more
Yes election time
Than they did before
Election time, election time, election time
I’d love to have a house by the sea
Handpick my neighbors to suit me
Drive a car on my own road
Free education for young and old
A health system that doesn’t tear at the seems
Throw in world peace by two thirteen (2013)
It’s election time
Picture postcards in the mail
Election time
On every campaign trail
Election time, election time, election time
I’d love to have a house by the sea
Handpick my neighbors to suit me
Drive a car on my own road
Free education for young and old
A health system that doesn’t tear at the seems
Throw in world peace by two thirteen (2013)
The future for our children, may hold a little pain
But who’ll bite the bullet, come election time
Election time, election time, election time
Copyright Colin Coplin 2005 (updated 2010)
poem by Colin Coplin
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Shame, Shame, Shame
Shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy
Shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy
Shame shame... shame on what\'choo done... yeah
You made me sweaty
Talkin\' I was skin & bones
You cause your lovers grief
Oh.. look at me now
Shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy... thats right
Shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy
Shame shame... a shame on what\'choo done
You know what ya done
You wanna butt
You wanna what
You wannna... ay ay ay
Yeeeaaahhh... well I was offered dice
I gav\'em a touchin\' hymn
But then the game broke a loose
Oh... you were the reason
Shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy
Yeah... shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy
Shame shame... shame on what\'choo done... ay ay ay ay
And now you\'re talkin\' back
Well I can tell your plan
You oughta eat my words down on your knees... aar
Shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy
Yeah yeah yeah yeah... shame shame shame on you Miss Roxy
Shame shame... a shame on what\'choo done... wellll...
Shame shame a shame on you Miss Roxy
Shame shame shame shame
Shame shame shame shame ... yooh shame on you...
Shame on what\'choo done... yeah
Shame shame... shame on what\'choo done... who yeah who yeah... yeah...
song performed by Aerosmith
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Shame On You
Somebody tryin to take my soul
Nobody gotta hear my rock n roll
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
No leader, steady as a ghost
Tooth sweeter, powdering her nose
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
A-smith, old hank pank
Pulling down your knickers
Ah, who you gonna spank
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Joe perry, oh, mr style
Some kind of killer bee
Buzz a while
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Bogus honey, square dance close
Grab your partner, bring it home n dosey, dosey
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you baby
Seemin jazzy bein shipped in
Wilds of the stanley
Try to given in
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you baby
Seven or eleven
Go to roll the dice
Am I in heaven
Or am I in miami vice
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you baby
song performed by Aerosmith
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Tom Zart's 52 Best Of The Rest America At War Poems
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF WORLD WAR III
The White House
Washington
Tom Zart's Poems
March 16,2007
Ms. Lillian Cauldwell
President and Chief Executive Officer
Passionate Internet Voices Radio
Ann Arbor Michigan
Dear Lillian:
Number 41 passed on the CDs from Tom Zart. Thank you for thinking of me. I am thankful for your efforts to honor our brave military personnel and their families. America owes these courageous men and women a debt of gratitude, and I am honored to be the commander in chief of the greatest force for freedom in the history of the world.
Best Wishes.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF WORLD WAR III
Our sons and daughters serve in harm's way
To defend our way of life.
Some are students, some grandparents
Many a husband or wife.
They face great odds without complaint
Gambling life and limb for little pay.
So far away from all they love
Fight our soldiers for whom we pray.
The plotters and planners of America's doom
Pledge to murder and maim all they can.
From early childhood they are taught
To kill is to become a man.
They exploit their young as weapons of choice
Teaching in heaven, virgins will await.
Destroying lives along with their own
To learn of their falsehoods too late.
The fearful cry we must submit
And find a way to soothe them.
Where defenders worry if we stand down
The future for America is grim.
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Zart
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
The Queen of Jhansi
1st Stanza
The throne was shaken and tensions rose among the Raajvanshs, the royal heirs,
In aged India, new ideas were taking hold,
The people of all India lamented their lost freedom,
And decided to cast off British rule,
Old swords glittered anew as the freedom movement of 1857 started.
The Bandelas and Harbolas sang once again of the courage of the Queen of Jhansi,
How she fought like a man against the British intruders
So was the Queen of Jhansi.
2nd Stanza
She was as dear to the Nana (Nana Ghunghupant) of Kanpur as his real sister,
Laxmibai was her name, her parents only daughter
She'd been with Nana since her schoolgirl days
The spear, knife, sword, and axe were her constant companions.
She knew by heart the tales of valor of Shivaji
The Bandelas and Harbolas sang once again of the courage of the Queen of Jhansi,
How she fought like a man against the British intruders
So was the Queen of Jhansi.
3rd Stanza
None were sure, was she Laxmi or Durga devi or Devi durga reincarnate?
The people of Marathward were awed by her (expertise) skill with the sword,
They learned from her how to fight, the strategy of war,
To attack and humiliate the enemy were her favorite sports.
Her love for Maharashatra-kul-Devi was equaled only by her love for Bhavani.
The Bandelas and Harbolas sang once again of the courage of the Queen of Jhansi,
How she fought like a man against the British intruders,
8) So was the Queen of Jhansi.
4th Stanza
Laxmibai was married in Jhansi, with great jubilation
Entering the joyous city as Queen,
Grand celebrations were held in the palace in Jhansi, in honor of her coming.
Just as when Chitra met Arjun or Shiv had found his beloved Bhavani.
The Bandelas and Harbolas sang once again of the courage of the Queen of Jhansi,
How she fought like a man against the British intruders,
So was the Queen of Jhansi.
5th Stanza
Her presence was a blessing at the palace of Jhansi and candles of celebration burned long
But as days passed the dark clouds of misfortune overshadowed the royal palace.
She put aside her bangles and prepared for battle
For fate was unkind and made her a widow
[...] Read more
poem by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Killer On The Loose
Some people they call me jack
Some people they call me insane
Im looking for somebody
And I dont even know her name
I might be looking for you
Wherever you may be
For there is something Ive got to do to you honey
And its between you and me
Now you might think its funny
Or maybe its a joke
But youve got plenty of reason to worry honey
'cause you wouldnt stand a hope
Theres a killer on the loose again
A killer on the loose
Theres a killer on the loose again
A ladykiller on the loose
Now Im not trying to be nasty
Or Im not trying to make you scared
But theres a killer on the loose
Or havent you heard
Hell be walking around this town
Just about midnight
Yes, thats chinatown
Thats right
Thats right
Now you might think Im messing
Or he dont exist
But honey Im confessing
Im a mad sexual rapist
Theres a killer on the loose again
A killer on the loose
Theres a killer on the loose again
A ladykiller on the loose
Ill be standing in the shadows of love
Waiting for you
Dont unzip your zipper
'cause you know Im jack the ripper
Now dont wail, dont...
Theres a killer on the loose again
Standing in the shadows
A killer on the loose
Theres a killer on the loose again
Coming to get you
A ladykiller on the loose
Theres a killer on the loose again
Standing in the shadows of love
A killer on the loose
Theres a killer on the loose again
Thats right jack
A ladykiller on the loose
[...] Read more
song performed by Thin Lizzy
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Such A Shame
All the good times have all been in vain,
Its a shame, such a shame, such a shame.
Its a shame,
cause I didnt wanna cause you any pain,
But I know that it wouldnt be the same
All the good times have all been in vain,
Its a shame, such a shame, such a shame.
Its a shame,
cause I didnt intend to do you wrong,
Id come back but it wouldnt last for long.
I would, if I could, but I cant.
Its a shame, such a shame, such a shame.
Its a shame, such a shame,
cause I swore Id never let you down,
But I was the one who was doing wrong,
Its a shame, such a shame, such a shame.
cause I didnt intend to do you wrong,
Id come back but it wouldnt last for long.
I would, if I could, but I cant.
Its a shame, such a shame, such a shame.
Its a shame, such a shame,
cause I swore Id never let you down,
But I was the one who was doing wrong,
Its a shame, such a shame, such a shame.
cause I didnt wanna cause you any pain,
But I know that it wouldnt be the same
All the good times have all been in vain,
Its a shame, such a shame, such a shame.
song performed by Kinks
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Keep looking for loose ends; Keep alive and kicking
Keep looking for loose ends, Keep alive and kicking
The very essence of survival among
All living systems lies in the
Locating of loose ends and fixing them adequately
Making of another million
May be one’s loose end while
Winning the next meal
May be that of some one else
Growth of his industrial empire
May be the loose end of an entrepreneur, while
Moving on to the next stage in the spiritual path
May be that of someone different
Getting a loan for building own accommodation
May be some other’s loose end while
Paying back the availed loan
May be the loose end of a third other person
Keeping in tact his political position and
Getting a suitable placemen
May be other loose ends, which are common
Building a new nest may be a bird’s loose end while
Snatching the next prey may be a tiger’s loose end
Thus all are after loose ends
The fact is that locating a loose end is not really the end
As loose ends by themselves are no issues
Loose ends get entangled and invite
New and unknown complications
Some know their loose ends
They seemingly do not think or act on these
May be they are confident of meeting the resultant
Complications effectively and adequately
Some are lost in worrying over the complications
And they find no time to fix loose ends
Loose ends remain loose anytime to blow up
With unexpected implications
It is indeed, the desire that fix loose ends
This desire leads these people as how to fix them
They act on the knowledge and secure loose ends
Loose ends are really fixed by
Emotion-free and knowledge-based actions
So,
[...] Read more
poem by Bashyam Narayanan
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Gareth And Lynette
The last tall son of Lot and Bellicent,
And tallest, Gareth, in a showerful spring
Stared at the spate. A slender-shafted Pine
Lost footing, fell, and so was whirled away.
'How he went down,' said Gareth, 'as a false knight
Or evil king before my lance if lance
Were mine to use--O senseless cataract,
Bearing all down in thy precipitancy--
And yet thou art but swollen with cold snows
And mine is living blood: thou dost His will,
The Maker's, and not knowest, and I that know,
Have strength and wit, in my good mother's hall
Linger with vacillating obedience,
Prisoned, and kept and coaxed and whistled to--
Since the good mother holds me still a child!
Good mother is bad mother unto me!
A worse were better; yet no worse would I.
Heaven yield her for it, but in me put force
To weary her ears with one continuous prayer,
Until she let me fly discaged to sweep
In ever-highering eagle-circles up
To the great Sun of Glory, and thence swoop
Down upon all things base, and dash them dead,
A knight of Arthur, working out his will,
To cleanse the world. Why, Gawain, when he came
With Modred hither in the summertime,
Asked me to tilt with him, the proven knight.
Modred for want of worthier was the judge.
Then I so shook him in the saddle, he said,
"Thou hast half prevailed against me," said so--he--
Though Modred biting his thin lips was mute,
For he is alway sullen: what care I?'
And Gareth went, and hovering round her chair
Asked, 'Mother, though ye count me still the child,
Sweet mother, do ye love the child?' She laughed,
'Thou art but a wild-goose to question it.'
'Then, mother, an ye love the child,' he said,
'Being a goose and rather tame than wild,
Hear the child's story.' 'Yea, my well-beloved,
An 'twere but of the goose and golden eggs.'
And Gareth answered her with kindling eyes,
'Nay, nay, good mother, but this egg of mine
Was finer gold than any goose can lay;
For this an Eagle, a royal Eagle, laid
Almost beyond eye-reach, on such a palm
As glitters gilded in thy Book of Hours.
And there was ever haunting round the palm
A lusty youth, but poor, who often saw
[...] Read more
poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
So What The Fuss
If I'm caught at a dance party without my dancin shoes
And everybody dances on my bare feet
Shame on me
If I'm mindin my business just doin the right thing
And you try to front me off in the street
Shame on you
If a family's waiting for that special blessing to
come their way
But they ain't tryin to get on their knees and pray
Shame on them
And if we live in a time where every nation's fightin
'round the world
Yet we can't all agree that peace is the way
Shame on us
Shame on me, Shame on you, Shame on them, Shame on us
(repeat)
So what the fuss
If I gotta get up early in the morning for a job
interview
And I forget to set the stupid alarm
Shame on me
If my children are playin outside like little children
do
And you come 'round there tryin to bring them some
harm
Shame on you
Should I be drivin thru a klantown, find a restaurant
to get me some food
And someone says "hey boy, we don't serve your kind"
Shame on them
And if we live in a democracy and you don't use your
power to vote
Knowin some would like to turn back the hands of time
Shame on us
Shame on me, Shame on you, Shame on them, Shame on us
(repeat)
So what the fuss
If I'm hooked on a habit knowin damn well it could
cost me my life
Yet I keep doin what I should do without
Shame on me
If you're locked in a marriage and your other half
just gives you abuse
Yet you've convinced yourself that there's no way out
Shame on you
If we're jammin the music and somebody's got the
audacity
To say that they can jam it better than us
Shame on them
And should there be just a handful that believe that
[...] Read more
song performed by Stevie Wonder
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Shame
When the day is young,
And the laughs are thin,
I stayed the night too long,
And the colour grows upon my skin,
Shame , shame , shame ,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
Just pack and go and never return,
When will I ever learn ?
When will I ever learn ?
Not to turn and stare,
Not to turn and stare,
Shame , shame , shame ,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame, .............
song performed by Xymox
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Shame
When the day is young,
And the laughs are thin,
I stayed the night too long,
And the colour grows upon my skin,
Shame , shame , shame ,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
Just pack and go and never return,
When will I ever learn ?
When will I ever learn ?
Not to turn and stare,
Not to turn and stare,
Shame , shame , shame ,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame,
All I feel is,
Shame, shame, shame, .............
song performed by Xymox
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Shame
The citys burning with desire
High-heeled chicks turnin tricks in a trance
Pin-stripe zombies on fire
Sayin hey baby, heres a dime for a dance
(out on the street)
I see innocent faces in the rain
(out on the street)
I see make-up runnin down from tears of pain
Down the drain
Shame
Now mama tell it like it is
Its a shame
For what papa did
Its a shame
Your sister shouldve told you so
Its a shame
cause nobody wants to know
The neon moon turns red around midnight
Junior junkies and runaway girls
Blue eyed babies posing in the headlights
Another stray cat in a dog eat dog world
(out on the street)
Aint no room for no cheap talkin prayer
(out on the street)
You dont know what its like till youre there
And youre runnin scared
Shame
Now mama tell it like it is
Its a shame
The way papa hurt his kid
Its a shame
Your sister shouldve told you so
Its a shame
Cmon man let her go
So young
Yet so old
So hard to find a friend
She lives from lover to lover
till theres nothing left of her
Yeah sweet daddy scores again
Shame
Now mama tell it like it is
Its a shame
The way papa hurt his kid
Its a shame
Your sister shouldve told you so
Its a shame
Cmon man let her go
The world shouldve let you know
Cmon man let her go
[...] Read more
song performed by Gino Vanelli
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Sailors Lament
Woke up early feelin light, (shame, its a shame.)
Somebody got to me last night, (shame, its a shame.)
Sat down for a friendly duel, (shame, its a shame.)
With one-eyed jacks n jokers, too, (shame, its a shame.)
Chorus:
Ooh, sailor man, (shame, its a shame.)
Ooh, sailor man. (shame, its a shame.)
Poormouth henry turned on me, (shame, its a shame.)
Said, boy, Im gonna pick you clean. (shame, its a shame.)
Chorus
Oh!
Henry said, dont you mess that pile, (shame, its a shame.)
Had three aces n he had five. (shame, its a shame.)
Chorus
Shame, its a shame.
(repeat 5x)
song performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
The Lust We Fought For
The lust we fought for in now just a pile of ash.
The lust we fought for was a lie to it's very last.
The lust we fought for burns in my memory every night.
The kust we fought for wasn't worth it's own right.
The lust we fought for seemed so out of control.
The lust we fought for only needed us to grab ahold.
So the lust we fought for wasn't lust at all.
Indeed it was love that made our great fall.
The lust we fought for keeps me crying at night.
The lust we fought for has me praying to turn it right.
The lust we fought for makes me miss you more.
The lust we fought for broke my heart to it's core.
The lust we fought for brings out a million tears.
The lust we fought for challenged all of my fears.
So the lust we fought for was the pain i deserved to face.
Indeed it was love from that magically beautiful place.
The lust we fought for is now gone up in flames...
Because I now know that the lust we fought for was real all the same.
poem by Erin Grantham
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Wild & Loose
What time is it!?
Hangin' by the backstage door
Decked out like a queen
Your body's sayin' 21
But your face says 17
My intuition tells me
That U're waitin' 4 the band
Before U get your hopes up
One thing understand (Oh, hey)
CHORUS:
Wild and loose, that's how it's got 2 be
Cuz that's the only kind of dame that appeals 2 me
Wild and loose, the only life I know
Just havin' one big party from show 2 show
Talkin' trash 2 Jimmy Jam
"Tell us where the party's at"
We don't care who U came with
We'll take care of that
Just meet us at the Gotel
Room 602, ooh
Tell your mama U won't be home
Cuz we got plans 4 U (Oh, yeah)
CHORUS
Universal freak delight, where'd U get those thighs?
Where did U get the nerve 2 wear that miniskirt so high?
Don't worry baby, I can keep a secret 4 as long as snow is white
Hey Jesse? (Yeah?) Come here man, guess what I did last night?
CHORUS
Baby, U ain't no saint {repeat verse twice}
Cuz there ain't no in-between
Either U come or U can't
Now get loose, let me hear U scream
CHORUS
(Wild and loose) {repeats in BG}
Ah pardon me, say it one more time, huh
I can't hit it baby, maybe I'm blind
Everybody know U got 2 be, yeah
Cuz ain't nobody cool but me, slap me!
Somebody, somebody sing it
Tell your mama U won't be home, huh
Everybody know U got 2 be, yeah
Ain't nobody cool but me, now break it down
{2 separate conversations take place}
Kim, wasn't the concert great?
Minneapolis is mine
Oh yeah, it sure was
She was right in the front row
I know man, she was sittin' there
Did U see Jesse up there, wasn't he fine?
She was lookin' at me so nasty, U know what I'm sayin'?
[...] Read more
song performed by Prince
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Hard Rock Kid
(tom lang/additional lyrics by myles goodwyn & mike stone)
Published by goody two tunes, inc./additional publishers - bmi
The boy inside the man, looks hard into the night
The neighborhood cant get to sleep
The stereo is playing something hard and fast
The boy is tough, he plays for keeps
No ones gonna tell him hes too wild
Everybody knows hes a problem child
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Its a hard time, its a fine line, for a hard rock kid
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Leave him alone, hes in a hard rock zone
In the shadows, theres a heart thats beating strong
And through the night, he feels the heat
Hes like a stranger as he dances on the stage
Hes made a promise that he cant keep
But no ones gonna tell the boy hes wild
Everybody knows hes a hungry child
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Its a fine line, its a hard time, for a hard rock kid
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Leave him alone, hes in a hard rock zone
She watches as he turns, pretending not to care
And yet she knows the way he feels
The need for love so strong, together they can win
For now the musics all thats real
But no ones gonna tell the boy hes wild
Everybody knows hes a problem child
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Its a hard time, its a fine line, for a hard rock kid
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Leave him alone, hes in a hard rock zone
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Its a hard time, its a fine line, for a hard rock kid
Hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock, hes a hard rock kid (kid)
Leave him alone, hes in a hard rock zone
song performed by April Wine
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Dont Worry Baby
Well its been building up inside of me
For oh I dont know how long
I dont know why
But I keep thinking
Somethings bound to go wrong
But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize
And she says dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Everything will turn out alright
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
I guess I shouldve kept my mouth shut
When I started to brag about my car
But I cant back down now
I pushed the other guys too far
She makes me come alive
And makes me wanna drive
When she says dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Everything will turn out alright
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
She told me baby, when you race today
Just take along my love with you
And if you know how much I loved you
Baby nothing could go wrong with you
Oh what she does to me
When she makes love to me
And she says dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Everything will turn out alright
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
song performed by Beach Boys
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
V. Count Guido Franceschini
Thanks, Sir, but, should it please the reverend Court,
I feel I can stand somehow, half sit down
Without help, make shift to even speak, you see,
Fortified by the sip of … why, 't is wine,
Velletri,—and not vinegar and gall,
So changed and good the times grow! Thanks, kind Sir!
Oh, but one sip's enough! I want my head
To save my neck, there's work awaits me still.
How cautious and considerate … aie, aie, aie,
Nor your fault, sweet Sir! Come, you take to heart
An ordinary matter. Law is law.
Noblemen were exempt, the vulgar thought,
From racking; but, since law thinks otherwise,
I have been put to the rack: all's over now,
And neither wrist—what men style, out of joint:
If any harm be, 't is the shoulder-blade,
The left one, that seems wrong i' the socket,—Sirs,
Much could not happen, I was quick to faint,
Being past my prime of life, and out of health.
In short, I thank you,—yes, and mean the word.
Needs must the Court be slow to understand
How this quite novel form of taking pain,
This getting tortured merely in the flesh,
Amounts to almost an agreeable change
In my case, me fastidious, plied too much
With opposite treatment, used (forgive the joke)
To the rasp-tooth toying with this brain of mine,
And, in and out my heart, the play o' the probe.
Four years have I been operated on
I' the soul, do you see—its tense or tremulous part—
My self-respect, my care for a good name,
Pride in an old one, love of kindred—just
A mother, brothers, sisters, and the like,
That looked up to my face when days were dim,
And fancied they found light there—no one spot,
Foppishly sensitive, but has paid its pang.
That, and not this you now oblige me with,
That was the Vigil-torment, if you please!
The poor old noble House that drew the rags
O' the Franceschini's once superb array
Close round her, hoped to slink unchallenged by,—
Pluck off these! Turn the drapery inside out
And teach the tittering town how scarlet wears!
Show men the lucklessness, the improvidence
Of the easy-natured Count before this Count,
The father I have some slight feeling for,
Who let the world slide, nor foresaw that friends
Then proud to cap and kiss their patron's shoe,
Would, when the purse he left held spider-webs,
Properly push his child to wall one day!
[...] Read more
poem by Robert Browning from The Ring and the Book
Added by Veronica Serbanoiu
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
II. Half-Rome
What, you, Sir, come too? (Just the man I'd meet.)
Be ruled by me and have a care o' the crowd:
This way, while fresh folk go and get their gaze:
I'll tell you like a book and save your shins.
Fie, what a roaring day we've had! Whose fault?
Lorenzo in Lucina,—here's a church
To hold a crowd at need, accommodate
All comers from the Corso! If this crush
Make not its priests ashamed of what they show
For temple-room, don't prick them to draw purse
And down with bricks and mortar, eke us out
The beggarly transept with its bit of apse
Into a decent space for Christian ease,
Why, to-day's lucky pearl is cast to swine.
Listen and estimate the luck they've had!
(The right man, and I hold him.)
Sir, do you see,
They laid both bodies in the church, this morn
The first thing, on the chancel two steps up,
Behind the little marble balustrade;
Disposed them, Pietro the old murdered fool
To the right of the altar, and his wretched wife
On the other side. In trying to count stabs,
People supposed Violante showed the most,
Till somebody explained us that mistake;
His wounds had been dealt out indifferent where,
But she took all her stabbings in the face,
Since punished thus solely for honour's sake,
Honoris causâ, that's the proper term.
A delicacy there is, our gallants hold,
When you avenge your honour and only then,
That you disfigure the subject, fray the face,
Not just take life and end, in clownish guise.
It was Violante gave the first offence,
Got therefore the conspicuous punishment:
While Pietro, who helped merely, his mere death
Answered the purpose, so his face went free.
We fancied even, free as you please, that face
Showed itself still intolerably wronged;
Was wrinkled over with resentment yet,
Nor calm at all, as murdered faces use,
Once the worst ended: an indignant air
O' the head there was—'t is said the body turned
Round and away, rolled from Violante's side
Where they had laid it loving-husband-like.
If so, if corpses can be sensitive,
Why did not he roll right down altar-step,
Roll on through nave, roll fairly out of church,
Deprive Lorenzo of the spectacle,
[...] Read more
poem by Robert Browning from The Ring and the Book
Added by Veronica Serbanoiu
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!