ONALATEEMPIRICOF"BALMY"MEMORY

onalateempiricof"balmy"memory

(1802.notprintedtill1820)

hisnamesake,bornofjewishbreeder,

knew"fromthehyssoptothecedar;"

buthe,unlikethejewishleader,

scarceknewthehyssopfromthecedar.

epigrams

(1812)

i

princepshisrentfromtinneriesdraws,

hisbestfriendsarerefiners;—

whatwonderthenhisotherfriends

heleavesforunder-miners.

ii

yepoliticians,tellme,pray,

whythuswithwoeandcarerent?

thisistheworstthatyoucansay,

somewindhasblownthewigaway,

andleftthehairapparent.

thetriumphofthewhale

(1812)

io!paean!io!sing

tothefunnypeople'sking.

notamightierwhalethanthis

inthevastatlanticis;

notafatterfishthanhe

floundersroundthepolarsea.

seehisblubbers—athisgills

whataworldofdrinkheswills,

fromhistrunk,asfromaspout,

whichnextmomenthepoursout.

suchhisperson—nextdeclare,

muse,whohiscompanionsare.—

everyfishofgenerouskind

scudsaside,orslinksbehind;

butabouthispresencekeep

allthemonstersofthedeep;

mermaids,withtheirtailsandsinging

hisdelightedfancystinging;

crookeddolphins,theysurroundhim,

dog-likeseals,theyfawnaroundhim.

followinghard,theprogressmark

oftheintolerantsaltseashark.

forhissolaceandrelief,

flatfisharehiscourtierschief.

lastandlowestinhistrain,

ink-fish(libellersofthemain)

theirblackliquorshedinspite:

(suchonearththethingsthatwrite.)

inhisstomach,somedosay,