From China, once, the Tea-plant coming, Met with the Sage upon his way.

"Friend,"--said the latter,--"whither roaming?"

"For Europe, where for me they pay A generous price,"--quoth Tea,--"I'm bound."

"And I,"--said Sage,--"to China's market go; Where I am held in reverence profound For beverage or for medicine, you know.

In Europe no good fortune waits on me; A worthless herb, not comparable to thee, But quite too common there--to shine.

I to your home am sent, and you to mine.

Good luck attend you to my native sh.o.r.e!

For never yet was any nation known, But gold and praises will profusely pour On foreign products, while it slights its own."

This sarcasm some abatement may admit, For varying fancies are the soul of trade; But, of the comment, application fit, In literary borrowings, may be made.

For what, in general, doth good service render, In special cases sometimes proves a blunder.

Now, I am sure that I can Spaniards show, Who will eternally be quoting Whole pages out of Ta.s.so or Boileau; Yet never think or care to know What language Garcilaso wrote in.

FABLE XLII.

THE CAT, THE LIZARD, AND THE CRICKET.

Creatures there are, of wondrous skill To rid themselves of every ill, By use of vegetable specific-- Their sound construction organic Preserving by their lore botanic.

They know all herbs medicinal--diuretic, Narcotic, purgative, emetic, Febrifuge, styptic and prolific, Cephalic, too, and sudorific.

A Cat, theoretic and empirical, There was,--a pedant most rhetorical,-- That talked in lofty style, magniloquent As any grave professor eloquent,-- Seeking for vegetables salutiferous, Said to a Lizard,--"Ah! what pangs mortiferous I must, to cure this turgidness hydropsical, Swallow some essence of leaves heliotropical."

Lizard, at this bombastic speech astounded,-- That with big terms professional resounded,-- Naught better knew what Puss did gabble on, Than if she spoke in tongue of Babylon.

But the ridiculous charlatan, he saw, With Sunflower leaves was stuffing out her maw.

"Aha!"--said he,--"learned Signora Dropsical, I know now what's your essence heliotropical!"

A silly Cricket heard the dialogue; And, though he knew naught of this catalogue Of words so overwhelming and so curious, Honored the Cat with an eulogium glorious.

For some there are who pomp for merit take; And, of what's clear and simple, mockery make.

Lovers of phrases hyperbolical, And turgid aphorisms diabolical, Exhausting all the dictionary's store Of giant-worded and bombastic lore,-- Though meaningless and inappropriate all,-- Upon your mouthing verbiage dogmatical Reflects this polysyllabic apologue enigmatical.

FABLE XLIII.

THE CONCERT OF THE BEASTS.

Attention--n.o.ble auditory!

While the rebeck I tune; And be prepared with plaudits soon, When ye have heard my story.

Certain of the subject beasts Of the mighty Lion's court An entertainment musical, To make his Royal Highness sport Upon his birth-day festival, Devised,--to grace the occasion gay, And pleasure to insure, They organized an orchestra To make success secure.

As often it doth happen, Little wisdom was displayed, In choosing actors competent, That understood their trade.

Naught was said about the Nightingale, Of the Blackbird not a word; Of Lark or Linnet no one thought, Or the Canary-bird.

Singers, much less accomplished But more self-satisfied, Took upon themselves the charge The music to provide.

Before the time appointed To electrify all hearts, Each musician loudly vaunted How they would play their parts.

At length the choir the prelude Commenced within the hall, Before the expectant mult.i.tude,-- Adroit performers all-- Two l.u.s.ty Crickets treble sang; Frog and locust took their place To do up the contra-alto; Hog and Donkey grunted base; While, to make up the melody, Two Hornets brisk the tenor try.

With what delicious cadence And accent delicate The orchestra resounded, Sure I need not here repeat; I'll only say, that most Stopped up their ears, at once; But, from deference to their host, Their annoyance sought to hide, At the barbarous dissonance, That echoed far and wide.

Frog saw, by the wry faces, That no bravo's cheering shout Or glad applause awaited them; And sprang the choir from out.

"The stupid a.s.s is out of tune Most shockingly," said he.

"No--'tis the treble," Donkey brayed, "That mars the harmony."

"The Hog, he fairly spoils the whole,"

A squeaking Cricket cried.

"No, no!"--said Chucky,--"on my soul, I say the Locust, worse than all, Out of all time and tune doth squall."

"That speech becomes you very ill!

Mind what you say!"--in accents shrill, Locust angrily replied.

"'Tis plain that those confounded tenors, The Hornets, are the real sinners!"

The Lion silenced the dispute: "Before the concert was begun Each puffed-up and conceited brute Was bragging loud--yea, every one; And challenged confident applause, As if, to him alone, were due, The honor of the harmony Produced by your melodious crew.

Now the experiment is made, And your incompetence betrayed-- On your own shares, ye all are dumb, In this outrageous pandemonium, And, to avoid presumptuous shame, Each on his neighbor lays the blame.

Now get ye gone--and from my sight Forever banished be.

The day beware, that e'er ye dare Again to sing to me!"

Such, Heaven grant to be The issue of the fray, When writers, two or three, Their scanty wits uniting,-- If the book should make its way Each arrogates the praise; If not--the blame he lays On his comrade's wretched writing.

FABLE XLIV.

THE SWORD AND THE SPIT.

Sheer, sharp and trusty, tempered well, A Sword, as good as from the skilful hand Of famous smith Toledan ever fell, The shock of many a combat did withstand.

In turn, it several masters truly served, And brought them safe through dangers many.

Though better fate it well deserved, At auctions sold for paltry penny, Some luckless chance--who ever would have thought it?-- At last, into an inn's dark corner brought it.

There--like an useless thing--upon a pin Hung up, it ate itself away In useless rust, until the maid, one day, By order of the innkeeper, her master,-- A precious blockhead, too, he must have been,-- Into the kitchen took it,--sad disaster!-- To spit a hen. Degrading--shame upon her!-- What once had been a blade of proof and honor.