| William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910. | | | | The Merry Beggars | | By Richard Brome (d. 1652?) |
| | | COME, 1 come; away! the spring, | |
| By every bird that can but sing, | |
| Or chirp a note, doth now invite | |
| Us forth to taste of his delight, | |
| In field, in grove, on hill, in dale; | 5 |
| But above all the nightingale, | |
| Who in her sweetness strives t’ outdo | |
| The loudness of the hoarse cuckoo. | |
| ‘Cuckoo,’ cries he; ‘jug, jug, jug,’ sings she; | |
| From bush to bush, from tree to tree: | 10 |
| Why in one place then tarry we? | |
| |
| Come away! why do we stay? | |
| We have no debt or rent to pay; | |
| No bargains or accounts to make, | |
| Nor land or lease to let or take: | 15 |
| Or if we had, should that remore us | |
| When all the world’s our own before us, | |
| And where we pass and make resort, | |
| It is our kingdom and our court. | |
| ‘Cuckoo,’ cries he; ‘jug, jug, jug,’ sings she; | 20 |
| From bush to bush, from tree to tree: | |
| Why in one place then tarry we? | |
| | | Note 1. From A Jovial Crew: or The Merry Beggars, act i., 1652. [back] | | |
|
|
|
