'Er petticut was yaller an' 'er little cap was green, An' 'er name was Supi-yaw-lat-jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen, An' I seed her fust a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot, An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot: Bloomin' idol made o' mud Wot they called the Great Gawd Plucky lot she cared for idols when 20 When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow, She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "Kul-la-lo-lo!" With 'er arm upon my shoulder, an' her cheek agin my cheek We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak. Elephints a-pilin' teak In the sludgy, squdgy creek, Will you not come home, brother, home Emeralds, amethysts, It's the white road westward is the road I Laugh and be merry: remember, in olden must tread To the green grass, the cool grass, and rest for heart and head, To the violets and the brown brooks and the thrushes' song, In the fine land, the west land, the land where I belong. time, God made Heaven and Earth for joy He took in a rhyme, Made them, and filled them full with the strong red wine of His mirth, The splendid joy of the stars: the joy of the earth. |