Poems of James McIntyre Part 27

LAY OF THE SPRING.

Let others sing their favourite lay, From early morn till close of day, More useful themes engage our pen, We sing the lay of our good hen.

For she doth lay each morn an egg, And it is full and large and big, Abroad she doth never travel, Happy she when scratching gravel.

And she loud cackles songs of praise Every morn when e'er she lays, Proud she is when she finds pickings For to feed her brood of chickens.

It greatly puzzled her one day When she found white nest egg of clay, She knew some one did trick play her, For she was no brick layer.

Vain and stately male bird stalks, Leading his hens along the walks, Proudly each feather in his tail Makes rival roosters for to quail.

Our muse now soars on feathery wing, And cheerful it doth hail the spring, Bringing the suns.h.i.+ne and showers, Green gra.s.s and buds and leafy bowers.

So pleasant is the month of May, When bushes shoot out blooming spray, 'Ere spring we're tired of winter's white, Spring's varied colours do delight.

HIGH IN MASONRY.

Give me a board so I can trace on How high I have gone as a mason, Said worker on true square cut stone Unto some knights of good St. John.

Each one of them could trace with ease The highest Masonic degrees, Tell us how high then you have gone They said to worker on cut stone.

Who said to their astonishment To top of Was.h.i.+ngton monument, I solemnly to you declare And will swear to fact upon the square.

I there stood thirty-three degrees, While the mercury did freeze, And none of you will have desire In masonry for to go higher.

Tales.

TRAMP AND FISH.

A hungry tramp did long for dish, And he stole a big bunch of fish, But he full soon did come to grief, He was quick captured as a thief.

And brought before the magistrate, So judge he would p.r.o.nounce his fate, Judge asked him how he came by fish, The thief said for them he did wish,

The best fish ever came from brook, I own, my Lord, I did them hook, Said constable, he speaks what's true, And you must give the devil his due.

Then judge did constable rebuke, He owns fish if he did them hook, He has not broken any clause I know of in our fishery laws.

Unless you can show this reason, He has hooked them out of season, Your duty you have thus mistook, For man had right the fish to hook.

Fis.h.i.+ng here it is not treason, Him you had no right to seize on, And when the poor man did fish hook, He had a right the same to cook.

SEAL FIs.h.i.+NG AND HUNTING.

Where frosts doth northern bays congeal, There you will find the finest seal, They do pursue them o'er each bay From early dawn till close of day.

The Indians display great zeal, Engaged in hunting of the seal, And ladies love for to display Their seal furs from this famous bay.

Most precious of all furs is seal, Their flesh is good as finest veal, And the seal it is a squatter, Lives on either land or water.

The Indian boys happy feel, When they capture the young seal, They do seem so happy ever, Sailing o'er each bay and river.

They train them their canoes to tow, And o'er the waters merry go, Full quick to right or left they wheel, Guided by reins the docile seal.

Like lad on colt without a saddle, These youths use no oar nor paddle, But swift o'er water rushes keel, For 'tis propelled by the fast seal.

To Uncle Sam we do appeal, How can you own the whole sea's seal, And at the same time claim our cod, If from the sh.o.r.e a mile abroad.

SNAKE AND ITS YOUNG.

There is a peculiar snake, You might almost call it squatter, It loves to dive in pond or lake, At home on either land or water.

But it excited my good dog To see small snakes bask in the sun, Enjoying themselves on a big log, Near into where the water run.

But their mother she was watching Her numerous brood on the log, She thought to them was danger hatching, When she beheld myself and dog.

For she gave a hissing sound, All her offspring to awake, She ope'd her mouth and at a bound, Down her throat did rush each snake.

I scarcely my own eyes could trust, To see those small snakes disappear, I really thought that she would burst, For the sake of her offspring dear.

But I soon hid among the brakes, To view the young ones leave their prison, Will you believe this tale of snakes, If I did count right just four dozen.

WHALE AND ITS FOES.

Six hundred miles north of Cape Flattery, On sea there seemed a floating battery, And stream of blood did dye the water, Sailors wondered what was the matter.