The Wheeling Repository

ORIGINAL POETRY.

LITERARY FABLES.

Translated from the Spanish of Thomas De Yriarte,

By an Inhabitant of Wheeling.

FABLE VI.

The Monkey and the Puppet-shower.

A Monkey vers'd in many a prank,

Long 'prenticed to a Mountebank,

One day (his master absent) sends

T'invite a party of his friends,

Whom, soon attending, he intreats

To witness some of his best feats.

And first, by holding in his breath,

He nicely counterfeited death;

Then, bouncing on the tighten'd string,

He nimbly danc'd the pigeon wing;

Next, rapidly, as if he flew,

A dangerous somerset he threw;

Then, tumbling from a monstrous height,

He sav'd his bacon by a sleight;

And, lastly, finish'd their surprise,

By going through the Exercise.

With these, and many feats like these,

His friends the Monkey strove to please,

When one astonishing manoeuvre

Occurr'd to mind, as his chef d'oeuvre;

Which was to represent a scene,

With painted glasses on the screen;

Just as his master oft had shown

The magic lantern through the town.

According to his master's plan,

Pug with a labour'd speech began,

Authoritative, pert, and loud,

To fix the attention of the crowd.

Whilst the crowd listened and admir'd,

Behind the curtain Pug retir'd,

Making the figures on the glass

Before the dumb spectators pass,

And in a nimble-footed speech,

Explaining and expounding each.

The room was dark --(as was most fit)--

But tho' the listeners rack'd their wit,

And strain'd their eyes, they could not

One glimpse of any prodigy;

Nor any strange, nor curious matter,

'Bout which the Monkey made such clatter.

Confused, at length, they had begun

To think that he was making fun.

And now to interrupt him ventured--

When suddenly Pug's master entered,

Who, when inform'd, laugh'd at the joke,

Then, turning to the Monkey, spoke:

"Since in the lantern there's no light,

What means thy clack, thou numskull wight?"

Pardon, YE votaries of the muses,

Whose style astounds us and confuses,

If thus I ask why you should be

At war with PERSPICUITY--

As if ye knew not every line

Is lost--where clearness does not shine?