Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry. 1904.
Poems of Sentiment: II. LifeThe Vagabonds
John Townsend Trowbridge (1827–1916)W
Roger ’s my dog:—come here, you scamp!
Jump for the gentlemen,—mind your eye!
Over the table,—look out for the lamp!—
The rogue is growing a little old;
Five years we ’ve tramped through wind and weather,
And slept out-doors when nights were cold,
And ate and drank—and starved together.
A bed on the floor, a bit of rosin,
A fire to thaw our thumbs (poor fellow!
The paw he holds up there ’s been frozen),
Plenty of catgut for my fiddle
(This out-door business is bad for the strings),
Then a few nice buckwheats hot from the griddle,
And Roger and I set up for kings!
Roger and I are exceedingly moral,—
Aren’t we, Roger?—see him wink!—
Well, something hot, then—we won’t quarrel.
He ’s thirsty too,—see him nod his head?
What a pity, sir, that dogs can’t talk!
He understands every word that ’s said,—
And he knows good milk from water-and-chalk.
I ’ve been so sadly given to grog,
I wonder I ’ve not lost the respect
(Here ’s to you, sir!) even of my dog.
But he sticks by through thick and thin;
And this old coat, with its empty pockets,
And rags that smell of tobacco and gin,
He ’ll follow while he has eyes in his sockets.
Would do it, and prove, through every disaster,
So fond, so faithful, and so forgiving
To such a miserable, thankless master!
No, sir!—see him wag his tail and grin!
By George! it makes my old eyes water!—
That is, there ’s something in this gin
That chokes a fellow. But no matter!
And Roger (hem! what a plague a cough is, sir!)
Shall march a little. Start, you villain!
Stand straight! ’Bout face! Salute your officer!
Put up that paw! Dress! Take your rifle!
(Some dogs have arms, you see!) Now hold your
Cap while the gentlemen give a trifle,
To aid a poor old patriot soldier!
When he stands up to hear his sentence.
Now tell us how many drams it takes
To honor a jolly new acquaintance.
Five yelps,—that ’s five; he ’s mighty knowing!
The night ’s before us, fill the glasses!—
Quick, sir! I ’m ill,—my brain is going!
Some brandy,—thank you,—there!—it passes!
But I ’ve gone through such wretched treatment,
Sometimes forgetting the taste of bread,
And scarce remembering what meat meant,
That my poor stomach’s past reform;
And there are times when, mad with thinking,
I ’d sell out heaven for something warm
To prop a horrible inward sinking.
At your age, sir, home, fortune, friends,
A dear girl’s love,—but I took to drink,—
The same old story; you know how it ends.
If you could have seen these classic features,—
You needn’t laugh, sir; they were not then
Such a burning libel on God’s creatures;
I was one of your handsome men!
Whose head was happy on this breast!
If you could have heard the songs I sung
When the wine went round, you wouldn’t have guessed
That ever I, sir, should be straying
From door to door, with fiddle and dog,
Ragged and penniless, and playing
To you to-night for a glass of grog!
’T was better for her that we should part,—
Better the soberest, prosiest life
Than a blasted home and a broken heart.
I have seen her? Once: I was weak and spent
On the dusty road; a carriage stopped;
But little she dreamed, as on she went,
Who kissed the coin that her fingers dropped!
It makes me wild to think of the change!
What do you care for a beggar’s story?
Is it amusing? you find it strange?
I had a mother so proud of me!
’T was well she died before—Do you know
If the happy spirits in heaven can see
The ruin and wretchedness here below?
This pain; then Roger and I will start.
I wonder, has he such a lumpish, leaden,
Aching thing in place of a heart?
He is sad sometimes, and would weep, if he could,
No doubt, remembering things that were,—
A virtuous kennel, with plenty of food,
And himself a sober, respectable cur.
You rascal! limber your lazy feet!
We must be fiddling and performing
For supper and bed, or starve in the street.
Not a very gay life to lead, you think?
But soon we shall go where lodgings are free,
And the sleepers need neither victuals nor drink;—
The sooner the better for Roger and me!