The Statesmen
The Statesmen
Original Text
Shapes of Clay, Vol. IV, The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce (Neale, 1910: New York: Gordian Press, 1966), pp. 165-68. PS 1097 A1 1966 Robarts Library.
1How blest the land that counts among
2 Her sons so many good and wise,
3To execute great feats of tongue
4 When troubles rise.
5Behold them mounting every stump,
6 By speech our liberty to guard.
7Observe their courage--see them jump,
8 And come down hard!
9"Walk up, walk up!" each cries aloud,
10 "And learn from me what you must do
11To turn aside the thunder cloud,
12 The earthquake too.
13"Beware the wiles of yonder quack
14 Who stuffs the ears of all that pass.
15I--I alone can show that black
16 Is white as grass."
17They shout through all the day and break
18 The silence of the night as well.
19They'd make--I wish they'd go and make--
20 Of Heaven a Hell.
21A advocates free silver, B
22 Free trade and C free banking laws.
23Free board, clothes, lodging would from me
24 Win wamr applause.
25Lo, D lifts up his voice: "You see
26 The single tax on land would fall
27On all alike." More evenly
28 No tax at all.
29"With paper money," bellows E,
30 "We'll all be rich as lords." No doubt--
31And richest of the lot will be
32 The chap without.
33As many "cures" as addle-wits
34 Who know not what the ailment is!
35Meanwhile the patient foams and spits
36 Like a gin fizz.
37Alas, poor Body Politic,
38 Your fate is all too clearly read:
39To be not altogether quick,
40 Nor very dead.
41You take your exercise in squirms,
42 Your rest in fainting fits between.
43'Tis plain that your disorder's worms--
44 Worms fat and lean.
45Worm Capital, Worm Labor dwell
46 Within your maw and muscle's scope.
47Their quarrels make your life a Hell,
48 Your death a hope.
49God send you find not such an end
50 To ills however sharp and huge!
51God send you convalesce! God send
Notes
52] vermifuge: a means of expelling parasitic worms. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1910
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
RPO 1998.
Rhyme