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Poem
December 5, 1857
Amador Weekly Ledger
Jackson, Amador County, California
What is this article about?
A satirical elegy personifying a lost purse, lamenting the speaker's newfound poverty and the abandonment by fair-weather friends who prized his wealth.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
"One More Unfortunate."
BY H. J. LEAVITT.
One more unfortunate
Shiner of gold.
Rashly Importunate,
Slipped from my hold!
Others before it
Have gone to their rest;
But this seemed the nearest—
Ah, this was the dearest,
For this was the last.
Look at my purse—
No longer a curse,
No longer a blessing.
Nor anything worse.
Take it up tenderly,
Lift it with care,
Looking so slenderly,
Feeling so bare!
Touch it not scornfully,
Think of it mournfully,
Gentle humanity;
Not of the Herr of it
All that is left of it
Now, is mere vanity.
O, for the holidays,
O, for the jolly days
Once I enjoyed;
When from each tawny fold
Glittered the shining gold—
Then the dear friends of old
Hailed me with pride.
Alas for the rarity
Of Christian charity
Under the sun!
While I could tack with them,
Friends—I'd no lack of them:
Now turns the back of them,
Every one!
Sadly I gaze on thee,
Fearfully muse on thee,
Empty old purse!
Wondering amazingly
Whether my case will be,
In the sad days to be,
Better or worse.
BY H. J. LEAVITT.
One more unfortunate
Shiner of gold.
Rashly Importunate,
Slipped from my hold!
Others before it
Have gone to their rest;
But this seemed the nearest—
Ah, this was the dearest,
For this was the last.
Look at my purse—
No longer a curse,
No longer a blessing.
Nor anything worse.
Take it up tenderly,
Lift it with care,
Looking so slenderly,
Feeling so bare!
Touch it not scornfully,
Think of it mournfully,
Gentle humanity;
Not of the Herr of it
All that is left of it
Now, is mere vanity.
O, for the holidays,
O, for the jolly days
Once I enjoyed;
When from each tawny fold
Glittered the shining gold—
Then the dear friends of old
Hailed me with pride.
Alas for the rarity
Of Christian charity
Under the sun!
While I could tack with them,
Friends—I'd no lack of them:
Now turns the back of them,
Every one!
Sadly I gaze on thee,
Fearfully muse on thee,
Empty old purse!
Wondering amazingly
Whether my case will be,
In the sad days to be,
Better or worse.
What sub-type of article is it?
Elegy
Satire
What themes does it cover?
Satire Society
Moral Virtue
Commerce Trade
What keywords are associated?
Lost Purse
Mourning Wealth
False Friends
Christian Charity
Poverty Lament
What entities or persons were involved?
By H. J. Leavitt.
Poem Details
Title
One More Unfortunate.
Author
By H. J. Leavitt.
Subject
On Losing One's Purse
Form / Style
Rhymed Stanzas
Key Lines
Take It Up Tenderly,
Lift It With Care,
Looking So Slenderly,
Feeling So Bare!
Alas For The Rarity
Of Christian Charity
Under The Sun!