The vision of Sir Launfal Author:James Russell Lowell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Two dozen of Italy's exiles who shoot us his Kaisership daily, stern pen-and-ink Brutuses, Who, in Yankee back-parlors, with crucified smile,1 Mount serenely the... more »ir country's funereal pile: Ninety-nine Irish heroes, ferocious rebellers 'Gainst the Saxon in cis-marine garrets and cel- lars, Who shake their dread fists o'er the sea and all that,— As long as a copper drops into the hat: Nine hundred Teutonic republicans stark From Vaterland's battle just won — in the Park, Who the happy profession of martyrdom take Whenever it gives them a chance at a steak : Sixty-two second Washingtons: two or three Jack- sons : And so many everythings-else that it racks one's Poor memory too much to continue the list, Especially now they no longer exist ; — I would merely observe that you Ve taken to giv- ing The puffs that belong to the dead to the living, And that somehow your trump-of-contemporary- doom's tones Is tuned after old dedications and tomb-stones." Here the critic came in and a thistle presented —2 From a frown to a smile the god's features relented,As he stared at his envoy, who, swelling with 1 Not forgetting their tea and their toast, though, the while. 3 Turn back now to page — goodness only knows what, And take a fresh hold on the thread of my plot. pride, To the god's asking look, nothing daunted, replied, — " You 're surprised, I suppose, I was absent so long, But your godship respecting the lilies was wrong; I hunted the garden from one end to t' other And got no reward but vexation and bother, Till, tossed out with weeds in a corner to wither, This one lily I found and made haste to bring hither." " Did he think I had given him a book to review? I ought to have known what the fellow would Muttered Phoebus aside, " for a thistle will...« less