large/1868/reginald_0709_librivox_64kb_mp3/reginald_14_saki_64kb_22
large/1868/reginald_0709_librivox_64kb_mp3/reginald_14_saki_64kb
English
1868
But the Duchess begged me to leave out any political allusions; she's the president of a Women's Something or other, and she said it might be taken as an endorsement of deplorable methods. BUT THE DUCHESS BEGGED ME TO LEAVE OUT ANY POLITICAL ALLUSIONS SHE'S THE PRESIDENT OF A WOMAN'S SOMETHING OR OTHER AND SHE SAID IT MIGHT BE TAKEN AS AN ENDORSEMENT OF DEPLORABLE METHODS
thing in her album--something Persian, you know, and just a little bit decadent--and I thought a quatrain on an unwholesome egg would meet the requirements of the case. So I started in with-- "Cackle, cackle, little hen, How I wonder if and when Once you laid the egg that I Met, alas! too late. Amen." The Duchess objected to the Amen, which I thought gave an air of forgiveness and _chose jugee_ to the whole thing; also she said it wasn't Persian enough, as though I were trying to sell her a kitten whose mother had married for love rather than pedigree. So I recast it entirely, and the new version read-- "The hen that laid thee moons ago, who knows In what Dead Yesterday her shades repose; To some election turn thy waning span And rain thy rottenness on fiscal foes." I thought there was enough suggestion of decay in that to satisfy a jackal, and to me there was something infinitely pathetic and appealing in the idea of the egg having a sort of St. Luke's summer of commercial usefulness. THE DUCHESS WANTED ME TO WRITE SOMETHING IN HER ALBUM SOMETHING PERSIAN YOU KNOW AND JUST A LITTLE BIT DECADENT AND I THOUGHT A QUATRAIN ON AN UNWHOLESOME EGG WOULD MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CASE SO I STARTED IN WITH CACKLE CACKLE LITTLE HEN HOW I WONDER IF AND WHEN ONCE YOU LAID THE EGG THAT I MET ALAS TOO LATE AMEN THE DUCHESS OBJECTED TO THE AMEN WHICH I THOUGHT GAVE AN AIR OF FORGIVENESS AND CHOUGE TO THE WHOLE THING ALSO SHE SAID IT WASN'T PERSIAN ENOUGH AS THOUGH I WERE TRYING TO SELL HER A KITTEN WHOSE MOTHER HAD MARRIED FOR LOVE RATHER THAN PEDIGREE SO I RECAST IT ENTIRELY AND THE NEW VERSION READ THE HEN THAT LAID THEE MOONS AGO WHO KNOWS IN WHAT DEAD YESTERDAY HER SHADES REPOSE TO SOME ELECTION TURN THY WANING SPAN AND REIN THY ROTTENNESS ON FISCAL FOES I THOUGHT THERE WAS ENOUGH SUGGESTION OF DECAY IN THAT TO SATISFY A JACKAL AND TO ME THERE WAS SOMETHING INFINITELY PATHETIC AND APPEALING IN THE IDEA OF THE EGG HAVING A SORT OF SAINT LUKE'S SUMMER OF COMMERCIAL USEFULNESS
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